The Palani Hills are a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Palani Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India. The Palani Hills adjoin with the high Anamalai range on the west and extend east into the plains of Tamil Nadu, covering an area of . The highest part of the range is in the southwest, and reaches 1,800-2,500 metres (5,906-8,202 feet) elevation; the eastern extension of the range is made up of hills 1,000-1,500 m (3,281-4,921 ft) high.
It is also home to the main temple of Murugan, who is worshipped as a major deity in Tamil Nadu.
The Palani Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park is a proposed protected area in Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu. The park will be an upgrade and expansion of the Palani Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary which was to be established in 2008. The park includes about 36% of the in the Palani Hills. The park is located between latitude 10°7'–10°28' N and longitude 77°16'–77°46' E. Central location is east northeast of Silver Cascade Waterfall and E X NE of Kodaikanal Lake.
History The Palani Hills derive their name from the ancient temple town of Palani (பழநி in Tamil) located at the northern base of the hills.
In 1906, the great undulating plateau on top of the Palanis comprising four forest ranges were consolidated under the Indian Forest Act of 1878 and designated by the British Government as a single reserve forest, from Kodaikanal town to the Kerala state border in the west and the Bodinayakkanur town limits to the south, and given the name of the Ampthill Downs. It was over in extent and about one quarter of it then consisted of sholas and three quarters was open, rolling, grassy downs.
The Ampthill Downs area is now named Upper Palani Shola Reserved Forest and totals (36,000 acres) of forest land. It is the largest reserve forest division in the Palani Hills. The core of the proposed Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary awaiting government notification is located in this division.
In 1988, the new Kodaikanal-Berijam Wildlife Sanctuary was included in the protected area proposals considered to be of national priority status by the Wildlife Institute of India. In the early 1990s, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department submitted a proposal to the State government to protect much of the Palani Hills by declaring the area a wildlife sanctuary or a national park.The Hindu, Frontline, Volume 20 - Issue 16, 02–15 August 2003, "On The Danger List" by Ian Lockwood, an excellent and comprehensive description of the Palani Hills
The proposed park area includes only reserve forest land. These forests are already among the protected areas of Tamil Nadu. Their upgrade to Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park will increase their IUCN status from level VI - Protected Area with Sustainable Use of Natural Resources to IV - Habitat/Species Management Area or II - National Park and improve the habitat and wildlife conservation of the area.
The sanctuary has been under consideration of the Government of India in consultation with the Government of Tamil Nadu since 1999.ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS DEPARTMENT, POLICY NOTE ON FOREST DEPARTMENT 2001-2002, DEMAND NO. 44 - FORESTS AND DEMAND NO.58 - CAPITAL OUTLAY ON FORESTS 9. WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES The actual park boundaries have not been finalized. In 2007, proposals for declaration of Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary were under consideration of the Government.
On 13 August 2012, in an apparent change away from plans for notification of parts of the Palani Hills as a separate wildlife sanctuary, the Tamil Nadu Gazette notification attached parts of Kodaikanal and Dindigul divisions of reserve forests to the buffer zone of Annamalai Tiger Reserve. About 5155.42 hectares of forest land belonging to Palani Hills Northern Slope, Andipatty reserve forest, 4,344.53 acres in Kudraiyar block forest and 5,548.49 hectares in Mannavanur Range in Kodaikanal will be included in the buffer zone. The villages and hamlets that now form part of the Palani Hills buffer zone are Poondi, Mannavanur, Kilavarai, Polur, Kavunchi, Kumbur, Kilanavayal, Kukkal, Pazhamputhur and Puthurpuram.
The increasingly important economic role of Eco-tourism, including trekking, hiking, camping, mountaineering, rock climbing and bird watching may help the local populace to welcome this new Protected area. It remains to be seen whether the Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park will stimulate or stifle commercial development and tourism. The decision to finally establish the park must balance short term financial benefits of the status quo versus long term stability of the natural and human community.
Geography
Vandaravu peak is the highest peak in the Palani hills. The range lies between the Cumbum Valley on the south, which is drained by the Vaigai River and its upper tributaries, and the Kongunadu region to the north. The northern slopes are drained by the Shanmukha River, Nanganji River, and Kodavanar River, which are tributaries of the Kaveri River. The range lies mostly within Dindigul district, except in the western portion, where it forms the boundary between Dindigul district and Theni district to the south and Idukki District to the south west. The hill station of Kodaikanal lies in the southern central portion of the range. Palani Hills joined with Anamalai Hills and Cardamom Hills at Anamudi peak in Kerala state. Vattavada in Kerala is a part of Palani hills.
The Palni Hills are an eastward spur of the Western Ghats with a maximum east–west length of , and a north–south width of . Area is . These hills rise in steep escarpments to a high undulating plateau ranging from to over elevation.
The western extremity of the park is contiguous with the Manjampatti Valley core area of the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park and with The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala. The Kurinjimala Sanctuary in Kerala borders the southwestern corner of the park.Kurinjimala and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuaries, Map These Wildlife Sanctuaries are adjacent to the recently established Eravikulam National Park.
The park area includes only reserve forest land, including Palni Hills Northern Slope East, Kallar, Palni Hills Southern Slope East, Upper Palni Shola, Allinagaram, and Palni Hills Northern Slope West Reserve Forests in the Dindigul and Kodaikanal Forest Divisions.
Ecoregions
The lower elevations of the Palani Hills, between 250 and 1,000 m (820–3,281 ft), are part of the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests ecoregion. Above 1,000 m (3,281 ft), the deciduous forests transition to the evergreen South Western Ghats montane rain forests. In the highest portions of the range, above 2,000 m (6,562 ft), the montane rainforests give way to shola-grassland mosaic, made up of frost-tolerant montane grasslands interspersed with pockets of stunted shola forests. The hills extend into Kerala as Pampadum Shola National Park.
Conservation The Palani Hills are currently subject to increasing development pressure as it is under developed for a long time. The Palani Hills Conservation Council, a non-governmental organization headquartered in Kodaikanal, was founded in 1985. In the early 1990s the Tamil Nadu Forest Department proposed to the Tamil Nadu state government that much of the range be granted protected status as a wildlife sanctuary or Palani Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park.
Geology
History The Palani Hills are formed of pre-Cambrian gneisses, charnockites and schists; they are among the oldest mountain ranges in India.Markham Clements Robert (1862) "Travels in Peru and India, while superintending the collection of chinchona plants and seeds in...", Chapter XXIV, p. 390 - 407, Willim clowes and sons, London, retrieved 3/28/2007 (1862) Journey to the Pulney Hills The park is an eastward extension of the Western Ghats hills formed by separation of the India-Madagascar-Seychelles blocks of East Gondwana in the Early Cretaceous period about 120 million years ago.
It is surrounded to the north, east and south by the Deccan Plateau formed later in the massive Deccan Traps eruption 66 million years ago as India drifted over the Reunion Hotspot.Wikimapia, satellite view
Mountains The Palani hills are most prominent towards the west, ranging from to (5,906 ft - 8,376 ft). The ten most prominent peaks are:
Vandaravu , Ibex Peak Vembadi Peak , Gundar , Karunmakadu , Sandana Parai Venkombu Tina Vardi , Perumal Malai , Vellari Malai
The hill station of Kodaikanal stands in a 2,195 m (7,202 ft) high basin at the southern edge of the central part. The eastern end of the park is made of hills 1000–1500 m (3,281 ft - 4,921 ft) high.Gurung Dr. Harka (Sept, 1999) "Mountains of South Asia", Asia Pacific Mountain Network, Vol. 4, No. 2, retrieved 23 March 2010 "Mountains of South Asia"
The Tamil Nadu Department of Geology and Mining has completed detailed Geo-Technical Studies of the Palni Hills determining moderate to high landslide danger in much of the area.Industries Department, POLICY NOTE - 2005-2006, DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINING Industries Dept.
Waterfalls
There are many waterfalls throughout the park which are popular tourist attractions. Some of the prominent falls associated with the park are: (Distances are referenced from km 0.0 at the bund (dam) on northeast end of Kodaikanal lake at .)
Alanthoni Falls at high, elevation in Manjampatti Valley, core area of Indira Gandhi National Park, between Talinji and Manjampatti villages on the Ten Ar River, public access restricted.
Bamen Falls Bear Shola Falls at from Kodaikanal, Fairy Falls at from Kodaikanal), Glen Falls at Vilpatti on Palar (Kallar) River Gundar Falls at A dangerous sheer cliff that drops over , to the first level, then drops off a couple more times to the plains. Neptune Falls and Pool at, are down a pine needle path through large pines beginning on left of road past Forest Dept. Nursery, from Kodaikanal on Poombrai Road. Palar Upper Falls also called Anju Veedu Falls (Five House Falls), photo, photo, on Palar stream 5.5 km southeast of Palar Reservoir and 1.7 km downstream north from Ganesha Puram village, per 1974 survey map. from Kodaikanal), in the Vilpatti Range. Spectacular waterfalls with dangerous currents. This stream originates in the Kodaikanal lake. Palar Lower falls photo, photo, on Palar stream 5.5 km southeast of Palar Reservoir and 1.7 km downstream north from Ganesha Puram village, per 1974 survey map. from Kodaikanal), in the Vilpatti Range. Spectacular waterfalls with dangerous currents. This stream originates in the Kodaikanal lake. Poombarai Falls Pambar Falls (also called Liril or Vatakanal) at, elevation , is SE from Kodaikanal. Silver Cascade at high, is from Kodaikanal) on the Ghat Road. Skamba Falls at is NE from Kodaikanal). Snake Falls Just below Pambar Falls where Levigne stream comes out of Pambar Shola. Is particularly visible from Priests Walk and from top end of Coolie Ghat just below Shenbuganour. Thalaiyar Falls, (Rat Tail Falls) at, elevation , is (297 meters) high. It is the highest waterfall in Tamil Nadu and the third highest in India. Gaur Vellaiyan Falls at, high, is along the Kilavarai trail between Kilavarai and intersection 11 with Kodaikanal–Munnar Road, from Kodaikanal. Kathirikkai Falls is at, elevation . There is small pool above this waterfall just southwest of the Kodaikanal–Munnar Road crossing the Kathirikkai Odei (the Second Trout Stream) west of the Forest Dept Hut. Unnamed Falls at is on Dolphins Nose Trail. Unnamed Falls 16m at, high, is southwest of Vandaravu Peak in remote southwest corner of Palani Hills. Kudiraiyar River Falls at Kookkal Kombai, high, is walk northwest of Kukkal.Trekking to the Plains Kukkal Kukkal Falls unnamed? at southwest of Kukkal village center Polur Falls (போளூர் அருவி) at . Poondi Falls at estimated from Army Map and contours