Palni Hills
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The Palni Hills (also Palani Hills) are a mountain range in Tamil Nadu state of South India. The Palni Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India. The Palni Hills adjoin the high Anamalai range on the west, and extend east into the plains of Tamil Nadu, covering an area of 2068 km². The highest part of the range is in the southwest, and reaches 1,800-2,500 meters elevation; the eastern extension of the range is made up of hills 1500-1000 meters high.
The range lies between the Kambam Valley on the south, which is drained by the Vaigai River and its upper tributaries, and the Kongu Nadu region to the north. The northern slopes are drained by the Shanmukha River, Nanganji River, and Kodavanar River, which are tributaries of the Kaveri River. The range lies mostly within Dindigul district, except in the western portion, where it forms the boundary between Dindigul district and Theni District to the south. The hill station of Kodaikanal lies in the northwestern portion of the range.
The lower elevations of the Palni Hills, between 250 and 1000 meters elevation, are part of the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests ecoregion. Above 1000 meters elevation, the deciduous forests transition to the evergreen South Western Ghats montane rain forests. In the highest portions of the range, above 2000 meters elevation, the montane rain forests give way to shola-grassland mosaic, made up of frost-tolerant montane grasslands interspersed with pockets of stunted shola forests.
The Palni Hills are currently subject to increasing development pressure. The Palni Hills Conservation Council, a non-governmental organization headquartered in Kodaikanal, was founded in 1985. In the early 1990's the Tamil Nadu Forest Department proposed to the Tamil Nadu state government that much of the range be granted protected status as a wildlife sanctuary or Palani Hills National Park.
