Vellarimala Hills is a mountain range in
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 ...
,
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 ...
, spread across
Thiruvambady
Thiruvambady is a major hill town and a suburb in southeastern Kozhikode district in Kerala, India. Thiruvambady is a Panchayat headquarters, and a legislative assembly constituency, situated from the district headquarters of Kozhikode.
Geog ...
Panchayat in
Kozhikode district
Kozhikode (), or Calicut district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, along its Southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 67.15% urbanised.
...
and
Meppadi
Meppadi is a village in the Indian state of Kerala. It is an extremely scenic hill station on the State Highway between Kozhikode and Ooty. The nearest city is Kalpetta, which is the headquarters of the Wayanad revenue district.
Economy
Te ...
Panchayat in
Wayanad district
Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...
.
Description
Vellarimala forms a part of a high hill range of what is otherwise known as Camel's Hump Mountains, a part of the
Western Ghats. Most of the hill range falls in the Meppadi Forest Range of South Wayanad Division, with some parts falling in the Thamarassery Range of Kozhikode Division. They are semi-contiguous with Nilgiris or
Nilgiri Hills
The Nilgiri Mountains form part of the Western Ghats in northwestern Tamil Nadu, Southern Karnataka, and eastern Kerala in India. They are located at the trijunction of three states and connect the Western Ghats with the Eastern Ghats. At le ...
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 ...
, separated by the Chaliyar Valley. The plateau of
Wayanad
Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...
lies on the eastern slopes of these hills and merges gradually with the Mysore plateau. The hill ranges are accessible by foot from Muthappanpuzha, near Anakkampoyil, a small town about 50 km from Kozhikode. About 6 km by foot from Muthappanpuzha on the way to Vellarimala hills is the waterfall called Olichuchattam. It is situated 15 km from
Thiruvambady
Thiruvambady is a major hill town and a suburb in southeastern Kozhikode district in Kerala, India. Thiruvambady is a Panchayat headquarters, and a legislative assembly constituency, situated from the district headquarters of Kozhikode.
Geog ...
. KSRTC Bus Services are available from
Thiruvambady
Thiruvambady is a major hill town and a suburb in southeastern Kozhikode district in Kerala, India. Thiruvambady is a Panchayat headquarters, and a legislative assembly constituency, situated from the district headquarters of Kozhikode.
Geog ...
to
Anakkampoyil
Anakkampoyil is a village located 13 km from Thiruvambady town in Kozhikode district of Kerala, India.
Location
It is located in the hill side valley of Vellarimala. Nearby attractions include Kadappanchal bridge and Arippara Waterfalls.
T ...
and Muthappanpuzha. Swargam Kunnu is also situated here. Vellarimala - Swargam Kunnu - Masthakappara - Olichuchattam - Marippuzha - Muthappanpuzha Trekking is available with forest permission. Now road is available from Thiruvambady to Marippuzha.
This block of compact high mountains between 1200m-2000m which is floristically and faunistically similar to the Nilgiri Hills.
The tallest peak in this range is called
Vavul Mala
Vavul Mala is a peak in the Western Ghats in the Vellarimala range of Kerala, India. It is situated at the trijunction of the districts of Malappuram district, Malappuram, Kozhikode district, Kozhikode, and Wayanad in Kerala. Vavulmala resembl ...
. At an elevation of , it is the tallest of the Western Ghats to the north of Nilgiri Hills and lies on the border between
Kozhikode and
Malappuram
Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...
districts.
In the same complex of peaks, less than 3 km away is the second highest peak of the range, Vellarimala peak. It lies on the trijunction of Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts at an elevation of and is the highest peak in Wayanad.
Notes
External links
List of Asian summits ranked by re-ascend* http://naturecalling.in/vellarimala-trek/
* http://naturecalling.in/vavul-mala-trekking/
* Biodiversity of Southern Western Ghats, An Action Plan. Dr.Satish Chandran Nair.
Hill stations in Kerala
Populated places in the Western Ghats
Geography of Kozhikode district
Mountains of Kerala
Tourist attractions in Kozhikode district
Geography of Wayanad district
Thamarassery area
Tourist attractions in Wayanad district
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