Kollimalai | |
|---|---|
Hill Station | |
 Kollipavai | |
  Kollimalai | |
| Coordinates:11°19′47″N78°23′36″E / 11.32972°N 78.39333°E /11.32972; 78.39333 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Region | Kongu nadu |
| District | Namakkal |
| Taluk | Kollimalai |
| Area | |
• Total | 383 km2 (148 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,300 m (4,300 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
• Total | 99,500 |
| • Density | 260/km2 (673/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Postal code | 637411 |
| Vehicle registration | TN 28 |
| Tamil and English spoken | |
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Kolli Malai, also known asKolli Hills, is ahill station andtaluk inNamakkal district,Tamil Nadu, India.[citation needed]
The hills are named Kolli Malai after the goddess Etukkai Amman (also known as Kollipavai), who guards the hills with her divine protection.[citation needed]
The Kolli Hills are featured in several works of classical Tamil literature such asSilappathigaram,Manimekalai,Purananuru andAkananuru. MahavidwanR. Raghava Iyengar in the research monographAraichi Katturaigal has given exhaustive references to Kollipavai from earlySangam literature, concluding that her image is in Kolli Hills. The region was ruled byValvil Ori around 200 CE, who is praised as one of the seven great philanthropists of ancient Tamil Nadu. His valor and marksmanship are sung by several poets, and his exploits are a popular part of folklore. Ori is said to have killed a lion, a bear, a deer and a boar with a single arrow.[citation needed]
The hills are said to be guarded by Kollipavai, also called Ettukkai Amman, the local deity. According to legend, the sages chose Kolli Hills when they were looking for a peaceful place to do their penance. However, the demons invaded the hills to disrupt the penance when the sages began their rituals. The sages prayed to Kollipavai, who according to the myth, chased away the demons with her enchanting smile. Kollipavai is still worshipped by the people here, and her smile is revered. The hills have several mythological legends associated with them, and often come across as an eerie place in contemporary tales due to the unexplored and less traveled terrain. These hills are full of herbs which retains health and vigour. E. D. Israel Oliver King of theMS Swaminathan Research Foundation has documented over 250 sacred forests in Kolli Hills in the year 2005.[citation needed]
The Kolli Hills are a taluk and form a part of Namakkal district.Semmedu village is the headquarters for theKolli Hills block and Semmedu is connected by road fromNamakkal andSalem. Nowadays the bus service is provided up to Arappaleeswarar Temple. BSNL (earlier DOT) established the first telecommunication networks (LDPCO) in 1977, and the telecom facilities have been continuously expanded to meet the requirements of the Kolli Hills.[citation needed]
Apart from its historical significance, the hills are covered with tropical moist mixed evergreen forests, but increasing areas of forests have been cleared for farming. Farm products of the hills includeblack pepper and otherspices,jackfruit,banana,pineapple,oranges, andtapioca,. Rice and minor millets (foxtail, finger millet and little millet) form the staple food of the tribal people who inhabit these hills. The jackfruit grown on the hills is well known for its taste and fragrance and is often soaked in wild honey that is also harvested from the hills.[citation needed]
The hills are covered by green vegetation in the spring and monsoon and are streaked with streams.[citation needed] There are three reserve forests that are controlled by the government of Tamil Nadu: Ariyur Solai, Kundur Nadu, and Pulianjolai.
The hills are a site of pilgrimage, because of theArapaleeswarar temple, which is believed to have a secret path to the Shiva temple inRasipuram. This Shiva temple is said to have been built by Valvil Ori in the 1st or 2nd century CE when he ruled this area. "Arappaleeswara sathakam" is a poem which praises Lord Arappaleeswarar. It is believed that this temple existed during the Sangam period itself.[citation needed]
According to legend, theShiva linga in the temple was found when a farmer was ploughing his land. It is said that the farmer accidentally hit the Shiva linga while ploughing, and that led blood to ooze out of the statue. The small wound is said to be visible on the Shiva linga even today.[citation needed]
There is also a temple for Ettukai Amman or Kollipavai, which is one of the oldest in the town.
Kolli Hills is visited by nature lovers, hikers, trekking clubs, tourists and meditation practitioners among hill stations in Tamil Nadu.[1]Agaya Gangai is the waterfall situated near the Arappaleeswarar temple.[2]
Under the foothills of the Kolli Hills, many small and big towns exist. From these places the hills are visible in a panoramic view, and the climatic conditions of these places are influenced by the climatic conditions of the Kolli Hills. The following are a few of the towns surrounding the Kolli Hills:Namakkal,Kalappanaickenpatti,Belukuruchi,Sendamangalam,Rasipuram,Namagiripettai,Thammampatti,Mullukkurichi,Vairichettipalayam,Thuraiyur,Puliancholai,Thathaiyangarpet, andPasarikombai. All these places are well connected by bus services.[citation needed]
People of Kolli Hills come down by foot with their produce to the foothills of Kolli Hills, where they sell their produce and go back after buying their required materials. This activity takes place in settlements like Karavalli, Belukurichi,Pavithiram, Thammampatti, and Puliancholai. People from various surrounding places of Tamil Nadu come to Belukurichi to buy the products of Kolli Malai.[citation needed]
Forests here are rich and diverse. Higher up the slopes, patches oftropical evergreen forests occur, and Ariyur Solai is one such. These forests are home to several species of endemic trees and plants. Kolli Hills is said to have the largest expanse of evergreen orshola forest cover anywhere in the entire southern part of theEastern Ghats. Several coffee plantations, fruit orchards and silver-oak estates occur in this region.[3]
Wildlife in the region includes thesloth bear,barking deer,[specify]slender loris,[specify]Indian pangolin,jackals,[specify]mongoose[specify] andpalm civet;[specify] manyreptiles, includingendemic species like the lizardsDraco dussumieri,Varanus bengalensis, andCalotes calotes, the endangeredPython molurus, and rare, non venomoussnakes of the familyUropeltidae, including the recently discoveredUropeltis rajendrani andRhinophis goweri; and a number of birds, such ascrested serpent eagle,Indian grey hornbill andlaughing thrush. Among the lizards,Hemiphyllodactylus kolliensis andHemidactylus kolliensis areendemic only to Kolli Hills.[citation needed]
