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Ponmudi
Ponmudi (the Golden Peak) also known as Kashmir of Kerala is a hill station in the Peringamala gramapanchayath of Trivandrum District of Kerala in India. It is located 22km west of Vithura town, 53 km north-east of Trivandrum City, 78 km south-east of Varkala town and 69 km north-east of Kovalam Beach at an altitude of . Ponmudi (Varayadumotta) peak is a part of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea. Ponmudi is a popular honeymoon destination in South India. The normal temperature of Ponmudi is between . Attractions Ponmudi is connected to Trivandrum by a two-lane highway (SH2 & SH 45). The last 18 km starting from Anapara has scenic views, as it winds through the mountains and tea gardens. The travel along this stretch provides a thrilling experience as drivers and riders have to navigate 22 Hairpin turns. Ponmudi is also a popular spot for backpacking and trekking. The climate is pleasant year-round. Other attractions ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varayadumotta
Varayadumotta (Malayalam: വരയാടുമൊട്ട) is the tallest peak in the Ponmudi mountain range (Western ghats), Nedumangad taluk, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. As its name come from Nilgiri tahr / Varayadu. It is one of the isolated place which is favourable home for mountain goats (Nilgiri Tahr) in acute population. These mountain range is also known as Varayadumudi and Varayattumutti. 
It stands about a height of about 1100 m. Varying elevation and peculiar shape of these hill is unique in the world. It is a protected mountain ridge situated in between Ponmudi hills, Palode (Brimore) hills and Kallar (river), Kallar valley. It includes 13 peaks and the second peak is the highest peak in Varayadumotta. It is third adventurous trekking in South India after Meesapulimala and Aga ...
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Vithura
Vithura, also known as the Hill City Of Trivandrum, is located 36 km from Thiruvananthapuram capital of the Kerala state in India. Vithura is the culmination of the crossroads to many tourist, cultural, and religious centres. Surrounded by the Western Ghats (Sahyadris), Vithura is a prime tourist spot. The village is rich with a very scenic beauty and a good climate year-round. The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram campus, one of the leading public science universities in the country, is situated here. Demography Vithura is a town located in Nedumangad Taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala with total 5163 families residing. Population of Vithura counts 18437 persons of which 8680 are males while 9757 are females as per Population Census 2011. Vithura village has lower literacy rate compared to Kerala. In 2011, literacy rate of Vithura village was 88.64% compared to 94.00% of Kerala. Here, male literacy stands at 92.18% while fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nilgiri Tahr
The Nilgiri tahr (''Nilgiritragus hylocrius'') is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.Prater, S. H. 1948, 1971. ''The book of Indian Animals'', Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press, India. 324 pages. . Despite its local name, it is more closely related to the sheep of the genus ''Ovis'' than the ibex and wild goats of the genus ''Capra''. It is the only species in the genus ''Nilgiritragus''. Etymology In Tamil, the Nilgiri tahr is called வரையாடு (''varaiaadu''). The word ''varaiaadu'' is derived from the Tamil words ''wurrai'' meaning "precipice" and ''aadu'' meaning "goat". The word in ancient Tamil was வருடை (''varudai''). In Malayalam, the word is വരയാട് (''varyaadu''). The Nilgiri tahr was described as ''Capra warryato'' by Gray. The genus name ''Ni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration population is around 1.68 million. Located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland, Thiruvananthapuram is a major information technology hub in Kerala and contributes 55% of the state's software exports as of 2016. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", the city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills. The present regions that constitute Thiruvananthapuram were ruled by the Ays who were feudatories of the Chera dynasty. In the 12th century, it was conquered by the Kingdom of Venad. In the 18th century, the king Marthanda Varma expanded the territory, founded the princely state of Travancore, and made Thiruvananthapuram its capital. Travancore became the most dominan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agastya Mala
Agastyaarkoodam is one of the peaks in the Western Ghats of Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, India. This peak is a part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve which lies on the border between the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Tirunelveli district and Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram district. The perennial Thamirabarani River originates from the eastern side of the range and flows into the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. It is 1,868-metres (6,129 ft) tall. Agastyaarkoodam is a pilgrimage centre for devotees of the Hindu sage Agastya, who is considered to be one of the seven rishis (Saptarishi) of Hindu Puranas. In Tamil traditions, Agastya is considered as the father of the Tamil language and the compiler of the first Tamil grammar called Agattiyam or Akattiyam. There is a small stone statue of Agathiyar at the top of the peak and the devotees can offer pujas. Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is among 20 new sites added by UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peringamala
Peringamala is a grama panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala, India. There are two places named Peringammala, the other one is between Balaramapuram and Venganoor which is on the southern side of the Thiruvananthapuram district.There is two villages Peringammala and Thennoor. History The verdant village of Peringammala is located in the valley of the Ponmudi hills. It owes its name to the Tamil/Malayalam word, Periyamala meaning The Big Mountain. In the olden days this area was reputed for various forest produce like honey. Geography Peringammala panchayath (an administrative unit) consists of two villages namely Peringammala and Thennoor. Peringammala is the largest panchayth in Thiruvananthapuram district and is the second largest in the state of Kerala. Peringammala shares its east boundary with Tamil Nadu. Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the mem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nilgiri Pipit
The Nilgiri pipit (''Anthus nilghiriensis'') is a distinctive species of pipit that is endemic to the high altitude hills of southern India. Richer brown in colour than other pipits in the region, it is distinctive in having the streaking on the breast continuing along the flanks. It is non-migratory and has a tendency to fly into low trees when disturbed and is closely related to the tree pipits '' Anthus hodgsoni'' and ''Anthus trivialis''. Description The Nilgiri pipit is about long and is richly coloured, has dark lores, a buff supercilium and throat. It lacks any malar stripes. The flanks, breast and sides of neck are brighter buff and that bill is completely dark. The crown is heavily streaked in black as are the upperparts. The outer tail feathers are also buff coloured and there is no white in the plumage. The streaking on the breast is fine and it extends along the flanks. The first four primaries of the wing are almost equal and the fifth is about 1–2 mm shor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Canara, and Thiruvithamkoor. Spread over , Kerala is the 21st largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33 million inhabitants as per the 2011 census, Kerala is the 13th-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state. The Chera dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala. The Ay kingdom in the deep south and the Ezhimala kingdom in the north formed the other kingdoms in the early years of the Common Era (CE). The region had been a prominent spic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hairpin Turns
A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hairpin. Such turns in ramps and trails may be called switchbacks in American English, by analogy with switchback railways. Description Hairpin turns are often built when a route climbs up or down a steep slope, so that it can travel mostly across the slope with only moderate steepness, and are often arrayed in a zigzag pattern. Highways with repeating hairpin turns allow easier, safer ascents and descents of mountainous terrain than a direct, steep climb and descent, at the price of greater distances of travel and usually lower speed limits, due to the sharpness of the turn. Highways of this style are also generally less costly to build and maintain than highways with tunnels. On occasion, the road may loop completely, using a tunnel or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Travancore Tortoise
The Travancore tortoise (''Indotestudo travancorica'') is a large forest tortoise growing up to in length. The species was first described by George Albert Boulenger in 1907. It primarily feeds on grasses and herbs. It also feeds on molluscs, insects, animal carcass, fungi and fruits. It occurs in hill forests at 450–850 m elevation. Males combat by ramming their shell during their breeding season between November and March. It makes a shallow nest in the ground and lay 1 to 5 eggs. Hatchlings are 55–60 mm in size. The tortoise is hunted and it is threatened due to forest fires, habitat destruction and fragmentation. *Identification: a scute right behind the head is absent and the second scute along the vertebral column is located at the highest point of the shell. *Status: IUCN Red list - vulnerable; Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule IV. *Distribution: restricted to the Western Ghats, in the Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malabar Gliding Frog
The Malabar gliding frog or Malabar flying frog (''Rhacophorus malabaricus'') is a rhacophorid tree frog species found in the Western Ghats of India. Pictures The term "gliding" frog refers to its ability to break its fall by stretching the webbing between its toes when making leaps down from the treetops. It can make gliding jumps of 9–12 m, a maximum of about 115 times its length. Description This frog has a body length of about 10 cm (4 in), making it one of the largest moss frogs. Males are smaller than females. Its back skin is finely granulated and the color is vivid green without markings, distinguishing it from the otherwise quite similar '' R. pseudomalabaricus'', which has a black-marbled back and was long included in the present species.E.g. by Boulenger (1890) In preserved specimens, the back turns purplish blue. The belly is more coarsely granulated – particularly under the thighs – and pale yellow. There are skin fringes between and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malabar Tree Toad
The Malabar tree toad (''Pedostibes tuberculosus''), or warty Asian tree toad, is a species of toad found in forests along the Western Ghats of great Karnataka or Deccan. It is a small species and is found in wet tree hollows or leaf bases containing water. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Pedostibes'', also known as Asian tree toads. Taxonomy Formerly, the genus ''Pedostibes'' also hosted other Southeast Asian species that were subsequently moved to a new genus, ''Rentapia ''Rentapia'' is a genus of true toads, family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Southeast Asia and occurs in the Malay Peninsula (including extreme southern peninsular Thailand), Borneo, and Sumatra. It was erected in 2016 resolve the polyphyly of ' ...'', in 2016. Description This is a slender frog with a moderate-sized head. The snout is pointed and the lores are vertical. The distance between the eyes is as wide as the upper eyelid width. The ear opening (tympanum) is well marked and is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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