![Javadi Hills](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Javadi_Hills.jpg)
The Javadhu Hills (also Jawadhi, Jawadhu Hills) ( Rainfall clouds producing Hills For North Tamilnadu) ( Ooty of Vellore and Tirupattur ) are an extension of the Eastern Ghats spread across parts of Tirupattur (earlier part of Vellore District) and Tiruvannamalai districts in the northern part of the state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
in southeastern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. This range separates Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai districts.
Tirupattur district
Tirupattur district, or Tirupathur district, is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The district was formed in 2019 by the division of Vellore district into three smaller districts. Its creation alongside Ranipet ...
lies on the north-western side and Tiruvannamalai district lies on the south-eastern side of this range. The towns of
Tirupattur
Tirupathur or Tirupattur is the headquarters of Tirupathur district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and is one of the oldest inhabited places in the state, with a history of over 1,600 years. The town is known for an abundance of sandalwood ...
,
Vaniyambadi
Vaniyambadi () is a town in the Tirupattur district of Tamil Nadu and the headquarter for the Vaniyambadi Revenue district comprising Vaniyambadi and Ambur. It is located about 200 km from Chennai and 178 kilometer from Bengaluru. The Vaniya ...
and
Ambur
Ambur is a town and municipality in newly announced Tirupattur District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the banks of the Palar River between Chennai and Bangalore. Ambur has a sizeable leather industry, and is known for its spicy biryani an ...
of
Tirupattur district
Tirupattur district, or Tirupathur district, is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The district was formed in 2019 by the division of Vellore district into three smaller districts. Its creation alongside Ranipet ...
are located on the north western side and the towns of
Chengam
Chengam or ''Chengamma'' as on British records, is an important market town and a taluk headquarter in the Foot hills of Eastern ghats in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, India. Chengam is the gateway to the Chengam pass in the Eastern gha ...
and
Polur
Polur is a scenic town, divisional headquarters and a market center in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu in India. Located at the foothills of Javvadhi hills, a popular section of Eastern Ghats, Polur is often regarded as ''Gateway of Ea ...
of
Tiruvannamalai district
Tiruvannamalai district (previously known as Central Arcot, Tiruvannamalai Sambhuvarayar District) is the largest and one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, in South India. It was formed in the year 1989 through the bifurcation of ...
are located on the south eastern side.
The hills consist of bluish-gray granites, with peaks averaging 3,800–4,000 feet (1,300–1,350 m). About 50 miles (80 km) wide and 20 miles (32 km) long, they are bisected into eastern and western sections by the Cheyyar and Agaram rivers, tributaries of the Palar. "The Barahmahal hills to the west are somewhat bare, but the Jawadhi are clothed in verdure to the very summit on the east: towards sunset the whole range puts on a purple tinge like heather bloom. The sharper shadows mark out minor ranges and valleys, which in the midday merge in the mass of the range, and beyond Bommaikuppam, looking from Tirupatur, a silvery cascade may be seen, shining bright in the setting sun.".
8
During the British colonisation of India, the Javadhu Hills appeared occasionally in government gazetteers and manuals, ethnographies, and travelers' accounts. Henry le Fanu, writing in 1883, admired the beauty of the Jawadhi hills.
The Indian astronomer
Vainu Bappu
Manali Kallat Vainu Bappu (10 August 1927 – 19 August 1982) was an Indian astronomer and president of the International Astronomical Union. Bappu helped to establish several astronomical institutions in India, including the Vainu Bappu Ob ...
selected the hills as the site of the
Kavalur Observatory
The Vainu Bappu Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It is located at Kavalur in the Javadi Hills, near Vaniyambadi in Tirupathur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It ...
(VBO), which began operations in 1967.
There are few tourist places near Javadhu Hills;
Beemanmadavu waterfalls is one of the most frequented one.
Jamanamarathur is one of the larger villages in these hills, populated with around 10,000. With an altitude of 857m, it is the second village in height in Javadhi hills in Tiruvannamali district. One can reach Jamanamarathur, from west – Tirupattur or Vaniyambadi , from east – Polur and from South Chengum.
Highest peak : 1,400 m.
Way : ●
Vellore
Vellore (English: ), also spelt as Velur (), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu and is separa ...
●
Polur
Polur is a scenic town, divisional headquarters and a market center in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu in India. Located at the foothills of Javvadhi hills, a popular section of Eastern Ghats, Polur is often regarded as ''Gateway of Ea ...
●
Alangayam ●
Tirupattur
Tirupathur or Tirupattur is the headquarters of Tirupathur district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and is one of the oldest inhabited places in the state, with a history of over 1,600 years. The town is known for an abundance of sandalwood ...
.
Nearest City Corporation : ●
Vellore
Vellore (English: ), also spelt as Velur (), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu and is separa ...
.
Nearest airport :
Vellore Airport
Vellore Airport is located in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. It serves Vellore and Adjoining districts. , it is revived and under construction.
History
In July 2006, it was re-activated in as a part of Airports Authority of India idle airports ...
Cultivation in the Javadi Hills
The hills are sparsely populated; the majority of the inhabitants are Malayali tribes people, though other castes are also present.
Malayali tribes people grow a variety of trees on their patta land, including
tamarind
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs ...
,
jackfruit
The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, ...
,
gooseberry
Gooseberry ( or (American and northern British) or (southern British)) is a common name for many species of ''Ribes'' (which also includes currants), as well as a large number of plants of similar appearance. The berries of those in the genu ...
,
guava
Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...
,
pomegranate
The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall.
The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
,
mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
,
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
,
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...
,
plantain
Plantain may refer to:
Plants and fruits
* Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking
** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa''
* ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...
,
Paddy,
Saamai etc.
[Parthasarathy, Jakka ''Division of Labour and Women: A Case Study of the Malayali of Jawadhi Hills, Tamil Nadu''. In "Social Science and Social Concern: Felicitation Volume in Honour of Professor B.K. Roy Burman". S.B. Chakrabarti, ed: Mittal Publications, 1988]
The trees of the Javadhi Hills also produce a range of forest products. These include
millettia pinnata
''Millettia pinnata'' is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to eastern and tropical Asia, Australia, and Pacific islands. It is often known by the synonym ''Pongamia pinnata''. Its common names include Indian beech and Pongame ...
,
Smilax regelii
''Smilax ornata'' is a perennial trailing vine with prickly stems that is native to Mexico and Central America. Common names include sarsaparilla, Honduran sarsaparilla, and Jamaican sarsaparilla.
It is known in Spanish as ', which is derived ...
,
Castor oil plant
''Ricinus communis'', the castor bean or castor oil plant, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus, ''Ricinus'', and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of ca ...
They are noted both for their fruit bearing trees, medicinal and for their
sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
. Presently (2012), there are no sandalwood trees remaining due to
illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...
. This theft was going on for many years.
Access
Javadhu hill range is large, and thinly populated. Many peaks and valleys have tribal settlements. Jamuna Marathur is the most populated in the range, located centrally.
By Road : Chennai-Arcot-Arni-Polur-Jamuna Marathur.(JavvadhuHills)
By Road : Chennai-Arcot-Kannamangalam-Amirthi-Jamuna Marathur.(JavvadhuHills)
By Road : Tirupattur-Alangayam-Jamuna Marathur.(JavvadhuHills)
By Road : Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Tirupattur-Alangayam-Jamuna Marathur.(JavvadhuHills)
By Road : Vellore-Vanniyambadi-Alangayam-Jamuna Marathur.(JavvadhuHills)
By Road : Vellore-Amirthi-Jamuna Marathur.(JavvadhuHills)(Shortest route)
From Chennai Take NH4, Chennai-Poonamallee Bypass- Arcot and take Arni road, after Arni Bypass take the Polur Road, upon reaching Polur town, ask the route for Aththimur and after Aththimur one can see the sign boards for Jamuna Marathur.
The weather and roads are very nice, thanks to Tamil Nadu government and its state highways department for maintaining the roads in good condition. Please Avoid driving at night or dark hours Safe timing for travelling is 6am-5pm, After polur town To jamuna marathur 40 km of Ghat roads, mostly one cannot see any shops or even people. But it is mind blowing road. Places like Bheeman falls have become alcohol drinking spot for the tourist groups, so not so safe for families unless law and order is enforced.
References
{{Authority control
Hills of Tamil Nadu
South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests