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 Highway 17, also called the ''Northern outlet road'' and ''

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 ...

Udumalpet Udumalai, also known as Udumalaipettai and Udumalpet (), is a town in Tiruppur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Udumalaipettai is located 535 km (332 mi) south west from the state capital, Chennai and 72 km (45 mi) away from Coimbator ...

road'', is notable for passing between the

Anaimalai Hills The Anamala or Anaimalai, also known as the Elephant Mountains, are a range of mountains in the southern Western Ghats of central Kerala ( Idukki district, Ernakulam district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district) and span the border of we ...

and the

Palani Hills The Palani Hills are a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 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 the hi ...

, through or near three important

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

and providing opportunities for viewing

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...

in unspoiled

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s.
The total road length is about .

Route

SH 17 starts north from NH 49 ( Aluva - Munnar Highway) at Munnar, running about 2 km alongside the Kannimala River, then to Rajamudi village - Anakkalpetty road and on to Eravikulam village. It passes near

Eravikulam National Park Eravikulam National Park is a 97 km2 national park located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki and Ernakulam districts of Kerala in India. Situated between 10º05'N and 10º20' north, and 77º0' and 77º10' east, (Semap) it is the ...

and

Anamudi Anamudi is a mountain located in Ernakulam district and Idukki district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and in South India, at an elevation of and a topographic prominence of . The name Anamudi lite ...

, The tallest Indian peak south of the Himalayas and into

Marayoor Marayur or Marayoor is a town in Devikulam taluk of Idukki district in Kerala, India. It is located 42 kilometers north of Munnar on SH 17 connecting Munnar with Udumalpet, Tamil Nadu. Marayur is situated at around 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) above ...

town, (km 42). It then passes through the centre of

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is located 18 km north of Marayoor on State Highway 17 in the Marayoor and Kanthalloor panchayats of Devikulam taluk in the Idukki district of Kerala state in South India. It is one of 18 wildlife sanctuaries a ...

, past Chinnar Watchtower and continues to Chinnar Check post, (km 59). It crosses the state boundary on a highway bridge over the

Chinnar River The Chinnar River originates in the Annaimalai Hills below a grassy pass between the hills Kumarikkal Mala (8,275 ft) and Kaladekatti Malai In Idukki District, Kerala state South India. The 18 km long Chinnar river defines the East ...

at .

It enters

Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park and as Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi and Valparai taluks of Coimbatore District and Udumalaipet ...

at Tamil Nadu check post and continues past Manjampatti Watchtower along the bottom of

Manjampatti Valley Manjampatti Valley is a protected area in the eastern end of Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWS&NP) in Tirupur District, Tamil Nadu, South India. It is a pristine drainage basin of shola and montane rain forest with high ...

. It passes through the park around

Amaravathi Reservoir The Amaravathi Dam is a dam constructed across the Amaravathi River. It is located at Amaravathinagar, south of Udumalpet on SH 17 in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Tirupur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The associated ...

and

Amaravathi Dam The Amaravathi Dam is a dam constructed across the Amaravathi River. It is located at Amaravathinagar, south of Udumalpet on SH 17 in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Tirupur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The associated ...

to exit the park at the Forest Department checkpost (km 71) near Amaravathinagar and the Sainik School, Amaravathinagar. It goes down onto the

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

s through Manupatti (km 75), Kurichkotti, through a large area of

wind turbines A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. Wi ...

, Pallapalyam, extensive agricultural fields, Bodipatti, across Southern Railway -

Salem Division Salem division is a revenue division in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, 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, an ...

tracks in

Kanakkampalayam Kanakkampalayam is a town in Tiruppur district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. Demographics India census, Kanakkampalayam had a population of 12,180. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Ka ...

, and on to

NH 209 National Highway 948 (previously designated NH 209), is a highway in India which connects Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu with the city of Bengaluru. It is a spur road of National Highway 48. It passes through Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary. The r ...

at Udumalpet (km 85) in

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 ...

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 territo ...

Gallery

Image:Munnar hillstation kerala.jpg, Departing Munnar Image:Eravikulam National Park.jpg, Eravikulam National Park Image:Anamudi.jpg, Anamudi Peak Image:Chinnar Watchtower.jpg, Chinnar Watchtower seen from Manjampatti Watchtower Image:Chinnarwatchtower.jpg, Chinnar Watchtower Image:Chinnar river at checkpost.jpg, Chinnar river from SH 17 border bridge Image:Amaravathi Dam.jpg, Amaravathi Dam Image:Amaravathi Reservoir & Dam.jpg, Amaravathi Reservoir Image:Wind Turbine-Udumalpet.jpg, Wind turbines outside Udumalpet

Notes

External links

Travellers notes on this route
Tourism in Kerala Scenic roads in India State Highways in Kerala Roads in Ernakulam district Roads in Idukki district {{India-road-stub