Meghamalai
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Meghamalai Hills, Theni, Tamilnadu, India
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[edit] Introduction
Meghamalai, popularly called as High Wavy Mountains, is a place of natural beauty dotted with cardamom plantations and tea estates. The place is situated at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea level and it is rich in flora and fauna.
[edit] Location
This cool and misty mountain range is situated in the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamilnadu, India. Meghamalai mountain range can be approached two ways -- from Theni via Chinnamanur and from Andipatti via Kandamanayakkanur. The places both Theni and Andipatti can be easily accessed by road from Madurai and Dindigul. The approach via Chinnamannur will be more scenic. From scrub forests at the foothills, to ubiquitous expanses of tea and coffee estates, to the spice (pepper, cardamom, cinnamon) plantations and finally to the dense evergreen forests at the top.
[edit] Tourist Attractions
[edit] Tea Estates and Dams
Highwavys is a view point that will afford a wonderful view of the entire mountains range of Varusanadu Hills. There are tea and cofe estates all around, some houses of plantation workers, an artificial lake and plenty of scope for making leisurely walks. Six dams on the hill and originating place of Suruli Theertham (Suruli falls near Cumbum town) would really be star attraction to tourists. From Manalar dam, one can view the deep Cumbum Valley and the villages of Theni district. The Department of Tourism had planned to introduce boat or ferry service to enable tourists to enjoy the pristine beauty of the hill.
[edit] Forest
The places, Upper manalaru, Maharaja mettu and Iravangalaru are fringed by forests with rich flora and fauna.
[edit] Vellimalai
Vellimalai (Silver Mountain, 1,650 m) area is a heart of Meghamalai. Silver-lined clouds seem to rest gently on green hilltops and nestled somewhere in this region is the place where the river Vaigai originates. This lovely place will give an opportunity to see wild animals and aesthetically and scientifically managed tea gardens.
[edit] Falls
The meghamalai fall (called as Clouds land fall) occurs on a stream originating from Meghamalai. The special feature of the falls is that water is flowing through twin falls round the year. Frequent visits by elephants, spotted deer, bisons and other wild animals at dawn and dusk would really be a feast to the eyes. Forest Department officials would chalk out plans to assist tourists to view those wild animals.
[edit] Wild Life
Meghamalai forest area hosts a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and butterflies. Resident and migratory elephants are common. Other animals sighted are tiger, leopard, Nilgiri tahr, gaur, spotted deer, barking deer, sambar, wild boar, porcupine, Nilgiri langur, lion-tailed macaque, common langur, slender loris, bonnet macaque, sloth bear and flying squirrel. Over 100 species of birds have been identified. The rare Great Indian hornbills are also found. The Great Indian Hornbills are one of the largest hornbills and these are found on sea level up to 5000 feet above ground. Great Indian Hornbills like to eat various types of berries. Hornbills swallow most of their food whole instead of breaking it down first. Hornbills are famous for their nesting ritual. Now these beautiful hornbills are becoming rare, mainly due to their large hunting for their meat and destruction of their natural habitat. Hopefully protection and restoration of destructed forest areas food-tree resources, will aid the conservation of hornbills in the region.
[edit] Salim Ali's Fruit Bat
One of the rarest fruit bats of the world, Latidens salimali (named after Indian ornithologist Salim Ali) are only found in this mountain range. Salim Ali's fruit bat is the only species in the genus Latidens. It is a medium-sized fruit bat, which lacks an external tail. The head is covered in blackish-brown fur which is paler at the base, the wing membrane and the long fur are light brown in colour, and the underparts are light grey-brown. The species was first collected in 1948 by a British naturalist called Angus Hutton, who mis-identified the specimen as the common short-nosed fruit bat. The specimen was re-examined later by Kitty Thonglongya who recognised it as a new species. Very little is known of the ecology of this species, however all fruit bats play an extremely important role as pollinators and seed dispersal agents within their rainforest habitat. This species is entered in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993 as one of the rarest bats of the world.
[edit] Grizzled Giant Squirrel
The sanctuary is also home to the endangered, arboreal Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ratufa macrora. The home range of an individual is between 0.197 hectares and 0.611 hectares. This greyish brown squirrel weighs 1 to 1.8 kg. and is the size of a small cat. It measures about 73.5 cms. from nose to tail with the tail being 36 – 40 cm. long. They construct nets at forked branches where the crowns of neighbouring trees meet. This enables the squirrel to move away from the site by jumping from tree to tree when threatened. It makes two nets. One it uses as a nursery and the other for resting. This confuses predators like birds and snakes.
[edit] Encroachment threat
Massive encroachments in the reserved forests of almost all divisions in the district have been posing a grave threat to the eco-system of Megamalai hills. Of the total 80,686 ha, about 40,077 ha was degraded forest area. A total of 29,281 ha falls under dense forest areas, of which only 2,243 ha was tree bearing. About 22,000 out of total 43,000 ha in the Gandamanur forest range under the Madurai Forest Division had been encroached for the past four decades. Large areas of Ulloothu Kavu, Anjaraipuli, Elamalaipoodu, Arasaradi, Bommarasapuram and neighbouring villages were also under encroachment. With an increase in population and their demands, vast stretches of land were either degraded or converted into unicrop 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 would help preserve biodiversity.
[edit] Actions need to be taken
There is a long-pending proposal with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to establish a wildlife sanctuary, the Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, on 600 sq km of forest in the division, a task that needs to be completed urgently. Priority tasks in the sanctuary should be the control of poaching and the use of pesticides, the elimination of ganja (Cannabis sativa) and the cultivation and scientific management of watersheds. The Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary can be an excellent buffer to the Periyar Tiger Reserve and can immensely strengthen conservation in the southern Western Ghats, the range of hills south of the Palakkad Gap.
[edit] Essential Information
Meghamalai can be accessed from Theni, which is 76 kms from Madurai. Accommodation: At the hill top, only forest lodges and panchayat rest house are available. Prior reservation and permission is an absolute must. Day-trippers may stay in a number of moderately priced hotels in Theni, Chinnamanur and Andipatti.
[edit] Links
National Wildlife Data Center (2006) Wildlife Institute of India,retrieved 3/31/2007List of Proposed Wildlife Sanctuaries in India
Wild Elephants Video
Wild Elephants Video-2
Wild Elephants Video-3
Meghamalai Video
grizzled giant squirrel Video
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