Meghamalai (
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 ...
: மேகமலை), commonly known as the High Wavy Mountains, is a mountain range located in the
Western Ghats in the
Theni district near Kumily, Tamil Nadu. It is dotted with
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 rec ...
plantations and
tea plantation
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and norther ...
s. The mountain range is 1,500 metres above sea level, and it is rich in flora and fauna. The area, now mostly planted with tea plants, includes cloudlands, high wavys, venniar, and the manalar estates belonging to the Woodbriar Group. Access is largely restricted and includes largely untouched remnants of evergreen forest.
Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary
For a long time, there has been a pending proposal with the
Tamil Nadu Forest Department
The Madras Forest Department, now officially, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, is a government department of Tamil Nadu. The department is responsible for managing all the protected areas and forests plus environmental and wildlife related issues ...
to establish the Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary on 600 km
2 of forest in the division. The suggested priority tasks in the sanctuary include: the control of poaching, the use of pesticides for the elimination of ganja (''Cannabis sativa'') and the cultivation as well as scientific management of watersheds. The Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary can be an excellent buffer to the
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area encompasses , of whi ...
and
Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary
The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), also known as Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary, was established in 1988 to protect the Near threatened grizzled giant squirrel (''Ratufa macroura''). Occupying an area of 485.2 km2, it is b ...
which can immensely strengthen the conservation in the southern Western Ghats – the range of hills south of the
Palakkad Gap
Palakkad Gap or Palghat Gap is a low mountain pass in the Western Ghats between Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in Kerala. It has an average elevation of with a width of . The pass is located between the Nilgiri Hills to the north and ...
.
Wildlife found on the High Wavy Mountains include Oriental honey buzzard, great pied hornbill, Indian brown mongoose, Jerdon's palm civet, white-bellied short-wing, black-naped monarch, pied thrush, gaur, tiger, leopard, Asian elephant, mouse deer, ''Ghatixalus asterops'', ''Raorchestes beddomii'', ''Raorchestes ponmudi'', ''Nyctibatrachus'' sp., ''Ramanella triangularis'', ''Ramanella montana'', ''Calotes grandisquamis'', ''Hemidactylus anamallensis'', ''Salea anamallayana'', ''Kaestlea travancorica'', ''Kaestlea laterimaculata'', ''Uropeltis madurensis'', ''Uropeltis liura'', ''Calliophis nigrescens'', large-scaled pit viper and the enigmatic Hutton's pit viper.
When the high wavys group of estates were managed by
Hindustan Unilever
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is a consumer goods company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a subsidiary of Unilever, a British company. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents, personal care products, water purifi ...
, the company started a non-profit organization called the Megamalai Wildlife and Environment Association. It worked with the forest department to protect the endangered species and safeguard the forest and its creatures; it did so by putting up signs promoting the preservation of nature and animals along the Ghat road of Meghamalai. Unfortunately, most of these signs were destroyed in an expansion project that took place on the Ghat road. The forest department has put new signs to replace the damaged ones.
Megamalai Tiger Reserve
On 6 April 2021, the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
approved the creation of new
Tiger Reserve in tamil nadu and on 11 April 2021, Meghamalai Tiger Reserve was created. Meghamalai Tiger Reserve will now comprise both the Srivilliputhur
Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary
The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), also known as Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary, was established in 1988 to protect the Near threatened grizzled giant squirrel (''Ratufa macroura''). Occupying an area of 485.2 km2, it is b ...
& Tirunelveli Wildlife Sanctuary. With its new status as a Tiger reserve, Meghamalai Tiger Reserve has become the 5th
Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu and 51st
Tiger Reserve in
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 ...
. It is to be noted that Meghamalai Tiger Reserve also acts as a contiguous patch of forest (earlier buffer zone) for the
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area encompasses , of which ...
, via the
Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary
The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), also known as Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary, was established in 1988 to protect the Near threatened grizzled giant squirrel (''Ratufa macroura''). Occupying an area of 485.2 km2, it is b ...
. In addition, it is believed that Meghamalai Tiger Reserve will become the crucial corridor/contiguous forest stretch and aid in the movement of wildlife from
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area encompasses , of whi ...
, to Meghamalai Forests. Wildlife conservationists also hope that with the formation of the Meghamalai Tiger Reserve, greater protection will also be accorded the
Vaigai river
The Vaigai is a river in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India; it passes through the towns of Theni, Dindigul and Madurai. It originates in Varusanadu Hills, the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the K ...
which originates in Meghamalai. The Tiger reserve will also be known as the
Meghamalai-Srivilliputhur Tiger Reserve.
Flora
According to the experts the last extensive study of flora in the biodiversity-rich, Meghamalai have been conducted in the early 1980s. Since then, no comprehensive research has been done on the vegetation. Vegetation ranges from scrub forests at the foothills, ubiquitous expanses of tea and coffee estates, to spice (
pepper
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
,
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 rec ...
,
cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...
) plantations and finally to the dense evergreen forests at the top.
Fauna
Meghamalai forest area hosts a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and butterflies. Resident and migratory elephants are also common. There are hundreds of identified species:
Wildlife of Meghamalai Tiger Reserve
*
Spotted deer
The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...
*
Spotted dove
The spotted dove (''Spilopelia chinensis'') is a small and somewhat long-tailed pigeon that is a common resident breeding bird across its native range on the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia. The species has been introduced to many parts ...
*
Barking deer
Barking may refer to:
Places
* Barking, London, a town in East London, England
** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking
** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...
*
Sambar deer
The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...
*
Mouse deer
Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only extant members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only ...
*
Grizzled giant squirrel
The grizzled giant squirrel (''Ratufa macroura'') is a large tree squirrel in the genus '' Ratufa'' found in the highlands of the Central and Uva provinces of Sri Lanka, and in patches of riparian forest along the Kaveri River and in the hill f ...
*
Indian flying fox
The Indian flying fox (''Pteropus medius'', formerly ''Pteropus giganteus''), also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is a species of flying fox native to the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the largest bats in the world. It is of interest ...
*
Indian giant squirrel
The Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel (''Ratufa indica'') is a large multi-coloured tree squirrel species endemic to forests and woodlands in India. It is a diurnal, arboreal, and mainly herbivorous squirrel.
Distribution and hab ...
*
Indian giant flying squirrel
The Indian giant flying squirrel (''Petaurista philippensis''), also called the large brown flying squirrel or the common giant flying squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is capable of gliding flight using a skin membrane ...
*
Pied thrush
The pied thrush (''Geokichla wardii'') is a member of the thrush family found in India and Sri Lanka. The males are conspicuously patterned in black and white while the females are olive brown and speckled. They breed in the central Himalayan ...
*
Black bulbul
The black bulbul (''Hypsipetes leucocephalus''), also known as the Himalayan black bulbul or Asian black bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found primarily in the Himalayas, its range stretching from India eastwar ...
*
Meghamalai rock gecko
*
Black baza
*
White-bellied woodpecker
The white-bellied woodpecker or great black woodpecker (''Dryocopus javensis'') is found in evergreen forests of tropical Asia, including the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has 14 subspecies, part of a complex including the Andaman w ...
*
White-bellied drongo
*
Drongo cuckoo
'' Surniculus '' is a small genus of birds in the cuckoo family. Its four members are found in tropical Asia and the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika n ...
*
Black-naped oriole
*
Black-naped monarch
The black-naped monarch or black-naped blue flycatcher (''Hypothymis azurea'') is a slim and agile passerine bird belonging to the family of monarch flycatchers found in southern and south-eastern Asia. They are sexually dimorphic, with the m ...
*
Black-naped hare
*
Bengal tiger
The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna.
The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...
*
Dhole
The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It ...
*
Great pied hornbill
The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ...
*
Malabar pied hornbill
The Malabar pied hornbill (''Anthracoceros coronatus''), also known as lesser pied hornbill, is a bird in the Hornbill, hornbill family, a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.
Taxonomy
The Malabar pied hornbill was des ...
*
Oriental honey-buzzard
The crested honey buzzard (''Pernis ptilorhynchus'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal Bird of prey, raptors such as kite (bird), kites, eagles, and harrier (bird), harriers. ''Pernis ptilorhyn ...
*
Dusky palm squirrel
*
Gaur
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...
Tourist attractions
Tea estates and dams
The Highwavys provide a view of the entire mountain range of
Varusanadu
Varusanadu is a village panchayat (code: 232202) in Theni district, Theni District of Tamil Nadu, which is located in the bank of Vaigai River. This village comes under Kadamalaigundu - Mayiladumparai Kadamalaigundu - Mayiladumparai Panchayat uni ...
Hills. There are large private tea, spices, and coffee plantations all around, notably the Highwavys Group of Estates. Ananda Plantations, Ponsiva Plantations, and Fieldmede Estate, are also some of the other small plantations in Meghamalai. An artificial lake makes plenty of scope for leisurely walks. Kardana Coffee Estate is situated in the High Wavy Mountains at .
Six dams on the hill and originating place of Suruli Theertham (
Suruli falls
Suruli falls, is located from Theni and from Cumbum in the Theni District in Tamil Nadu, India. It is a 2 stage Cascading water fall. The Suruli River supplying the falls originates from the Meghamalai mountain range. The falls drop from a ...
near
Cumbum town) are popular attractions for tourists. From the Manalar dam, one can view the deep
Cumbum Valley
Cumbum Valley, also called Kambam Valley, is a valley in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu state in India near the Kerala state border. This is the most fertile valley in south India, The valley includes lands between Thekkadi Hills, Varusanadu Hi ...
and the villages of
Theni district. The Department of Tourism has planned to introduce a boat or ferry service to enable tourists to access the area.
Vellimalai
The Vellimalai (Silver Mountain, 1,650 m) area is the heart of Meghamalai. Silver-lined clouds seem to rest gently on green hilltops; nestled in this region is the place where the river
Vaigai
The Vaigai is a river in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India; it passes through the towns of Theni, Dindigul and Madurai. It originates in Varusanadu Hills, the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the ...
originates. This place offers an opportunity to see wild animals aesthetically and scientifically managed
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...
gardens.
Falls
Meghamalai Falls (Suruli Falls) is on the Suruli River originating in the Meghamalai Hills. Water flows down 58 meters through the twin falls. There are frequent visits by elephants, spotted deer, gaur, and other wild animals at dawn and dusk. Forest Department officials have plans to assist tourists in viewing these wild animals.
Encroachment threat
Massive encroachments in the reserved forests of almost all divisions in the district have been posing a threat to the
eco-system
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
of the Megamalai hills. Of the total 806.86 km
2, about 400.77 km
2 were degraded forest area. A total of 292.81 km
2 falls under dense forest areas, of which only 22.43 km
2 was tree bearing. About 220 out of 430 km
2 of the Gandamanur forest range under the Madurai Forest Division had encroached in the past four decades. Large areas of Ulloothu Kavu, Anjaraipuli, Elamalaipoodu, Arasaradi, Bommarasapuram, and neighboring villages were also encroached. With an increase in population and their demands, vast stretches of land were either degraded or converted into uni-crop areas, causing damage to the environment. The people settled in the hill tracts were solely dependent on the forests for livelihood. Conservation of natural forest in any form will help preserve
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
.
Access
The Meghamalai mountain range can be approached two ways—from Theni via
Chinnamanur
Chinnamanur is a town and a municipality in Theni district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. As of 2011, the town had a population of 42,305. The town is one of the major trade centers in the district and supports basic needs for a population ...
, or
Andipatti
Andipatti or Aundipatty is a municipal body in Theni district in Madurai Region of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. It is on the bank of Vaigai River with rich flora and fauna species. It is a valley surrounded by mountains and there is a ...
via Kandamanayakkanur. Both can be accessed by road from
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 ...
and
Dindigul
Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...
.
Theni
Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, located in a distance of 70km from Madurai. It is known for the large-scale trading of garlic, c ...
is 76 km from
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 ...
. The road from the turnoff near Chinnamanur before Iravangalar was under the responsibility of the Woodbriar group; due to lack of maintenance, the government has started to maintain it. Only forest lodges and panchayath rest houses are available at the hilltop. Day-trippers may stay in hotels in
Theni
Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, located in a distance of 70km from Madurai. It is known for the large-scale trading of garlic, c ...
,
Chinnamanur
Chinnamanur is a town and a municipality in Theni district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. As of 2011, the town had a population of 42,305. The town is one of the major trade centers in the district and supports basic needs for a population ...
and
Andipatti
Andipatti or Aundipatty is a municipal body in Theni district in Madurai Region of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. It is on the bank of Vaigai River with rich flora and fauna species. It is a valley surrounded by mountains and there is a ...
. The distance from Madurai is 130 km.
The website for Mehamalai has a warning against travelling there in June and July.
Gallery
File:Meghamalai Mountains.jpg, Meghamalai Mountains
File:Meghamalai.jpg, Meghamalai
File:Cloudy Mountain near Kadayanallur.jpg, Cloudy Mountain
File:Manalaru Dam, Meghamalai.jpg, Manalaru Dam
File:Cumbam Valley.jpg, View of Cumbam Valley
File:Elephants Coming Out of Forest.jpg, Wildlife
File:Elephants at river.jpg, Asian elephant
The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...
in megamalai tea estate, alt=
File:Bison at Meghamalai.jpg, Bisons at Meghamalai
File:Meghamalai Forest.jpg, Forest
File:Clouds Near Meghamalai.jpg, Meghamalai
File:Meghamalai Temple.jpg, Murugan Temple on the foot hill
File:Upper Manalar Estate, Meghamalai.jpg, Upper Manalar Estate
File:High Wavy Mountains.jpg, The Highwavys of Theni district
File:High Wavys Dam.jpg, High Wavys Dam
File:Meghamalai Coffee Plant.jpg, Meghamalai Coffee Plant
References
External links
Megamalai Tamil Nadu, Meghamalai tourist placesHoliday at the High WavysThe Hidden ParadiseMagamalai TourismWild Elephants VideoWild Elephants Video-2Wild Elephants Video-3Meghamalai VideoMeghamalai water falls VideoMalabar Giant Squirrel Video
{{DEFAULTSORT:High Wavy Mountains
Tourist attractions in Tamil Nadu
Mountains of Tamil Nadu
Theni district
South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests
South Western Ghats montane rain forests
ja:テーニ県