| Anamala Hills Elephant Hills | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Anamudi, Kerala |
| Elevation | 2,695 m (8,842 ft) |
| Coordinates | 10°12′56.0″N76°52′39.3″E / 10.215556°N 76.877583°E /10.215556; 76.877583 10°12'56.0"N 76°52'39.3"E[1] |
| Geography | |
  Anamala Hills Elephant Hills Location ofAnamala Hills | |
| Country | India |
| States | |
| Range coordinates | 10°10′12.0″N77°03′40.9″E / 10.170000°N 77.061361°E /10.170000; 77.06136110°10'12.0"N 77°03'40.9"E |
| Parent range | Western Ghats |
| Topo map | (Terrain) |
| Geology | |
| Rock age(s) | Cenozoic 100 to 80mya |
| Rock type | Fault[2] |
TheAnamala orAnaimalai, also known as theElephant Mountains, are a range of mountains in the southernWestern Ghats of centralKerala (Idukki district,Ernakulam district,Palakkad district,Thrissur district) and span the border of westernTamil Nadu (Coimbatore district andTiruppur district) in Southern India. The nameanamala is derived from theMalayalam wordaana and theTamil wordyaanai, meaningelephant, or from tribal languages.Mala orMalai means 'mountain', and thus literally translatable as 'Elephant mountain'.[3]
Anamudi Peak (8,842 feet (2,695 metres)) lies at the southern end of the range and is the highest peak in southern India. ThePalakkad Gap is the mountain pass which divides it from theNilgiri Mountains. The northern slopes of the hills inTamil Nadu now havecoffee andtea plantations(especially aroundValparai), as well asteak plantations of high economic value.[4] The rest are mostly forests, of mainly two ecoregions-theSouth Western Ghats moist deciduous forests (mainly inPalakkad district andIdukki district of Kerala, as well as Tamil Nadu) and theSouth Western Ghats montane rain forests(mainly inIdukki district,Ernakulam district,Palakkad district ofKerala,Coimbatore district ofTamil Nadu).
The Western Ghats and Anaimalai Sub-Cluster, including the Anaimalai Hills, are now aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[5]
The hills are located between 10° 13' and 10° 31' N. and 76° 52' and 77° 23' E with a central point of:10°22′N77°07.5′E / 10.367°N 77.1250°E /10.367; 77.1250. They are south of where the Western Ghats are broken by thePalakkad Gap, which in, turn is south of theNilgiri Hills. They border onKerala to the southwest and theCardamom Hills to the southeast. To the west is the bamboo-rich Idamalayar-Pooyamkutty valley. ThePalni Hills lies to the east, extending intoKerala as thePampadum Shola National Park. They are spread largely overPalakkad district,Thrissur district,Ernakulam district andIdukki district ofKerala(mainly Palakkad and Idukki),Tamil Nadu'sCoimbatore district andTiruppur district.[citation needed]
Their geological formation is metamorphicgneiss, veined withfeldspar andquartz, and interspersed with reddishporphyrite.[6] Twelve major forest types are found in the area. The landscape is fragmented by many coffee and tea plantations on the lower slopes and teak plantations higher up.Monsoon rains are heavy. Annual rainfall varies from 2,000 mm to 5,000 mm in the area.[7] Formed by fault-block movements in theHolocene Epoch (i.e., about the past 11,700 years), the Anaimalai Hills descend to form a series of terraces about 3,300 feet (1,000 metres) high.[citation needed]
The Anamala/Anaimalai Hills are known for their abundant wildlife.Eravikulam National Park,Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Idamalayar Reserve Forest,Mankulam Forest divisionParambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, andAnamalai Tiger Reserve located among these hills are well known forelephants. TheIdamalayar Dam area is a major wildlife spot, along withPooyamkutty andAanakkulam. This area includes various tribal villages and is protected. Numerous wildlife species can be seen including elephants,gaur,water buffaloes,tigers,panthers,sloth bears,pangolins,black-headed orioles,crocodiles,green pigeons,civet cats,dhole,sambar,black buck, and 31 groups of endangeredlion-tailed macaques.[8][9] Birds seen include the Pied hornbill, Red whiskered bulbul and Drongo.
Recently, a new frog species,Beddomixalus bijui, was found within the forest.[10]
There are several rivers in the area including the Chalakkudipuzha, Aliayar, Apambar, Chinnar , Kaddambarrai , Neerar, Mannambhally,Pambar River, and theIdamalayar. Most of these rivers originate in thesholas, flowing mostly west towards theArabian Sea, with a few exceptions, such as the Amaravathi and Pambar, which flow intoTamil Nadu, the Amaravathi being a tributary of theKaveri.[citation needed] There are several large reservoirs in the area, including the Aliayar Dam, Amaravathi Dam, Kaddambarrai Dam, Neerar Dam, Sholayar Dam (one of the largest of its kind in Asia), Mannambhally Dam, theIdamalayar Dam and the Parambikkulam Dam. There is a water dispute betweenKerala andTamil Nadu about theIdamalayar Dam due to the construction of the Neerar Dam by Tamil Nadu on the Neerar, a tributary of theIdamalayar, and thereby, visitors are now prohibited from entering theIdamalayar Dam area. Vadattupara is the last destination that one is allowed to reach on theBhoothathankettu-Idamalayar Dam Road. The area is also ecologically very sensitive.[citation needed]
The Anaimalai Hills are a popular trekking destination in the Western Ghats. Due to heavy rains during the wet season, the ideal time for tourism is between the months of November and May.[citation needed]SH-17 passes through the Anaimalai Hills, betweenUdumalapet andMunnar,SH-21 passes fromChalakudy toMalakkappara. The nearest towns are Munnar,Pooyamkutty,Mankulam, andKothamangalam. The nearest international airports areCochin International Airport andCoimbatore International Airport.Aluva railway station andPollachi Junction railway station are the nearest railway stations.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Anamalai Hills".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 913.
