Mathikettan Shola National Park is a 12.82 km² national park in Poopara village of

Udumbanchola Udumbanchola is a taluk in Idukki district of Kerala state in India. This is in the high ranges. Nedumkandam is the major town and capital of Udumbanchola taluk. Mathikettan Shola National Park is located in Udumbanchola. In July 2019, a tea ...

taluk in Idukki district of

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 ...

state,

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

.It notified area national park in 21 November 2003. Considering the unique nature of the shola forest in Mathikettan and its importance as an elephant strip, the state government has declared it as a National park in 2008. Central government has notified its area varying from zero to one kilometre around the boundary as eco sensitive zone. The park is located between other reserve forests like Eravikulam National Park and Pampadam Shola National Park. There are 2 viewing centre called Njandaar mettu and Uchilukuth mettu.

Etymology

The name Mathikettan derives from the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

word literally meaning 'mind confuser', as the local people say that one forgets the path once he enters into the park. It notified as a national park to protect the wildlife and rich biodiversity of the area. The Shola forest in the area is bestowed with unit with geological fauna and flora and geomorphological wealth.

History

This tract was notified as a Reserve Forest by the Travancore Government in 1897. Part of the land, prior to becoming a national park, had been leased out for the production of

Cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are r ...

. It was declared a National Park on 21 November 2003 to protect its ecological, faunal, floral and geographical wealth and its environment.

Fauna

Elephants which visit Mathikettan shola from the Munnar Division become trapped between the

Bodinayakkanur Bodinayakanur (also shortened to Bodi) is a Town and a municipality in Theni district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Etymology In early days, it was called by the name Thenkasiyampathi (Tamil: தென்காசியம்பதி). ...

and Kottamalai areas. This is due to private establishments on the northern side of Mathikettan, as well as degraded forests and human settlements on the southern side in areas of Chinnamanur Forest beat in Gudalur range.ANAIMALAI - PARAMBIKULAM, Asian nature Conservation Foundatio
Threat of isolated elephant herds

Visitor information

There are 2 viewing centre called Njandaar mettu and Uchilukuth mettu. One can see Tamilnadu from these mountains. Mathikettan Shola can be approached from Poopara via

Munnar Munnar () is a town and hill station in the Idukki district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Munnar is also called the "Kashmir of South Indi ...

, on the Munnar - Kumily Highway. One can also reach Poopara on the Idukki route via

Kothamangalam Kothamangalam, , is a municipality in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. The town is in the foothills of the Western Ghats, and is a part of the Idukki Lok Sabha constituency. The town serves as the headquarters of a taluk and a municipality ...

. The nearest airports are

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

Airport and

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

International Airport.

Tiruvalla Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...

Railway Station is the nearest railway station. Lodging facilities are available at Poopara.

Notes

National parks in Kerala Protected areas established in 1897 1897 establishments in India Kingdom of Travancore Tourist attractions in Idukki district Geography of Idukki district Protected areas of Kerala {{India-protected-area-stub