Anaimalai Hills

Anaimalai Hills

The Anaimalai Hills ( _ta. ஆனைமலை) or Anamala Hills (in Malayalam) is a range of mountains in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of South India. The name "Anaimalai" derives from the Tamil word 'Anai' meaning elephant [Fabricius, Johann Philipp. (1972) "J. P. Fabricius's Tamil and English dictionary", 4th ed., rev. and enl. Tranquebar: Evangelical Lutheran Mission Pub. House, retrieved 6/18/2007 [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/romadict.pl?page=37&table=fabricius&display=simple anai (āṉai), an elephant] ] and 'Malai' meaning hill, thus Elephant Hill. The highest peak of the Anaimalai Hills is Anamudi, 2,695 metres (8,842 ft), located in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is the highest peak in India, south of the Himalayas.

The Western Ghats, Anamalai Sub-Cluster, including the Anaimalai Hills, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.UNESCO, World Heritage sites, Tentative lists, Western Ghats sub cluster, Niligiris. retrieved 4/20/2007 [http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2103/ World Heritage sites, Tentative lists] ]

Geography

These hills are located between 10° 13' and 10° 31' N. and 76° 52' and 77° 23' E., central point: coord|10|22|N|77|07.5|E|type:mountains, forming a portion of the Western Ghats, north of where this range is broken by the Palghat Gap, south of the Nilgiri Hills. They constitute the meeting point of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. They border the state of Kerala on the Southwest and the Cardamom Hills to the southeast. To the east are the Palni Hills. Their geological formation is metamorphic gneiss, veined with felspar and quartz, and interspersed with reddish porphyrite. [1911 Encyclopedia Britannica [http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/ALM_ANC/ANAMALAI_HILLS.html ANAMALAI HILLS] ] Twelve Major forest types are found in the area which are now fragmented by many coffee and tea plantations on the lower slopes and teak plantations higher up. Monsoon rains are heavy. Annual rainfall varies from 2,000 mm to 5,000 mm in the area. [Sajeev T.K. et.al., "Management of Forests in India for Biological Diversity and Forest Productivity- A New Perspective", WII-USDA Forest Service Collaborative Project Grant No. FG-In-780 (In-FS-120), Volume III (ACA) [http://www.wii.gov.in/download/volume3(ACA).pdf Anaimalai Conservation Area] .] There are several large dams are in the area including: Aliayar Dam, Amaravathi Dam, Kaddambarrai dam, Neerar Dam, Sholayar Dam (one of the biggest of its kinds in Asia) Mannambhally Dam, and the largest capacity dam in India, the Parambikulam Dam.

Fauna

Anaimalai hills are known for their abundant wildlife. Eravikulam National Park, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjacent The Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in these hills are well known for elephants. Numerous wildlife species can be seen including elephants, gaur, water buffaloes, tigers, panthers, sloth bears, pangolins, Black-headed Orioles, crocodiles, Green Pigeons, civet cats, Dhole, Sambar and 31 groups of endangered lion-tailed macaques. [Singh M, Singh M, Kumar MA, Kumara HN, Sharma AK, Kaumanns W. (2002) "Distribution, population structure, and conservation of lion-tailed macarques (Macaca silenus) in the Anaimalai Hills, Western Ghats, India", Am J Primatol, Jun;57(2):91-102. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12111684&dopt=Abstract Abstract] ] , [H. N. Kumara, M. Ananda Kumar, A. K. Sharma, H. S. Sushma, Mridula Singh and Mewa Singh (11/10/2004) "Diversity and management of wild mammals in tea gardens in the rainforest regions of the Western Ghats, India: A case study from a tea estate in the Anaimalai Hills" CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 87, NO. 9, retrieved 6/18/2007 [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/nov102004/1282.pdf PDF] ] Birds seen include Pied hornbill, Red Whiskered Bulbul and Drongo.

Visitor information

Anaimalai hills are a trekking destination in the Western Ghats. The best time to visit this place is during November to mid May. The nearest airport is in Coimbatore and the nearest railway station is in the nearest city,Pollachi.

ee also

See Annamalai Hill for the hill and temple at Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu

References


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  • Anaimalai Hills — ▪ mountains, India also called  Elephant Mountains        mountain range in the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nādu) state, southern India. The Anaimalai Hills are located at a junction of the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats and have a general… …   Universalium

  • Annamalai Hills — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Un monzón avanzando sobre Aralvaimozhy, cerca de Nagercoil, India Las Anaimalai Hills o Colinas Anaimalai, están localizadas en el estado de Tamil Nadu, en India, y constituyen el punto donde se encuentran de Western …   Wikipedia Español

  • Cardamom Hills — Infobox Mountain Name = Cardamom Hills Photo = Cardamom plants, India.jpg Caption = Cardamom plants Elevation = 2637 m (8652 ft) Location = Tamil Nadu, South India Range = Western Ghats Prominence = Coordinates =… …   Wikipedia

  • Nilgiri Hills — /nil geuh ree/ a group of mountains in S India, in Madras state. Highest peak, Mt. Dodabetta, 8760 ft. (2670 m). * * * ▪ region, India       mountainous region of Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nādu) state, southeastern India. The peaks of the Nilgiri rise… …   Universalium

  • Palni Hills —       range of hills, an eastward extension of the Western Ghats, in southwestern Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nādu) state, southern India. The range is a continuation of the Anaimalai Hills in Kerala state. The Palnis are about 45 miles (70 km) wide and 15 …   Universalium

  • Manjampatti Valley — Core zone of Indira Gandhi National Park   national park   IUCN Category II (National Park) …   Wikipedia

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  • Drawings by Douglas Hamilton — There are at least two hundred and twelve detailed drawings by Douglas Hamilton of South Indian landscapes, game animals and forestry operations. Eighty seven of Hamilton s careful drawings of the Annaimalai Hills, Palani Hills and Shevaroy Hills …   Wikipedia

  • Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park — Infobox Indian Jurisdiction native name= Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park other name = Top Slip type= national park iucn category = II latd = 10.4170 longd= 77.0567 locator position= right inset inset map size = 75px inset map x …   Wikipedia

  • Valparai —   hill station   View of a Club Ground in Valparai …   Wikipedia

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