33-725: 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-West Tamil Nadu /Kerala state boundary along the northern edge of the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and the southern edge of the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary . Several adult crocodiles were reported in
66-758: A few exceptions, such as the Amaravathi and Pambar, which flow into Tamil Nadu , the Amaravathi being a tributary of the Kaveri . There are several large reservoirs in the area, including the Aliayar Dam, Amaravathi Dam, Kaddambarrai Dam, Neerar Dam, Sholayar Dam (one of the largest of its kind in Asia), Mannambhally Dam, the Idamalayar Dam and the Parambikkulam Dam. There is a water dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu about
99-405: A high concentration of tea and coffee estates. Most of the people living here work in these estates. The Government of Tamil Nadu in collaboration with ITDC initiated the construction of private resort hotels and parks to attract tourists. Valparai is surrounded by many dams and hydro electric power plants. Aliyar Dam is at the foothill of this cluster of mountains. As we go up Upper Aliyar dam
132-414: A population of 70,859 with a sex-ratio of 1,013 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 5,007 were under the age of six, constituting 2,564 males and 2,443 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 59.68% and 1.75% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 78.47%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had
165-599: A total of 19,017 households. There were a total of 38,440 workers, comprising 107 cultivators, 4,828 main agricultural laborers, 173 in household industries, 29,338 other workers, 3,994 marginal workers, 71 marginal cultivators, 341 marginal agricultural laborers, 62 marginal workers in household industries and 3,520 other marginal workers. As per the religious census of 2011, Valparai had 82.84% Hindus , 13.51% Christians , 3.47% Muslims , 0.02% Sikhs , 0.01% Buddhists , and 0.15% following other religions. The economy of Valparai largely depends on plantation crops . Valparai has
198-440: Is a major wildlife spot, along with Pooyamkutty and Aanakkulam . This area includes various tribal villages and is protected. 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 , black buck , and 31 groups of endangered lion-tailed macaques . Birds seen include
231-501: Is a mid-elevation hill station ( Ootacamund is considerably higher) and has an average elevation of 3,914 feet (1,193 m). It is close to the border with Thrissur district of the Kerala state. Valparai has a mild tropical monsoon climate (Am) with a short dry season and a long rainy season. It is one of the wettest places in Tamil Nadu. According to the 2011 census , Valparai had
264-501: Is also rich in birds, including the great hornbill , and hosts seasonal migrant birds such as the grey wagtail . The Valparai range is habitat to the Nilgiri tahr , an endemic wild ungulate. These mountain goats inhabit the high ranges and prefer open terrain, cliffs and grass-covered hills, a habitat largely confined to altitudes from 1200 to 2600m in the southern Western Ghats. Their territory extended far and wide all along these hills in
297-505: Is at a distance of 27 kilometres from Valparai. While major portions of the land are owned by private tea companies, large forest areas continue to be out of bounds. Earliest records of this area are from the year 1846 when K. Ramasamy Mudaliyar started a coffee plantation here. In 1864, the Karnatic Coffee Company began their coffee plantation here but they could not make it profitable, hence they sold part of their land. In 1875,
330-741: Is at a distance of 64 kilometres (40 mi) from Pollachi ; 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Udumalaipettai ;110 kilometres (68 mi) from Coimbatore ;115 kilometres (71 mi) from Dharapuram ; 130 kilometres (81 mi) from Tiruppur ; 154 kilometres (96 mi) from Munnar ; 107 kilometres (66 mi) from Chalakudy ; 129 kilometres (80 mi) from Nelliampathi ; 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Palakkad ; 153 kilometres (95 mi) from Thrissur .The road from Pollachi to Valparai has 40 hairpin bends. It takes about 2 hours to reach Valparai from Pollachi on State Highway 78. TNSTC operates buses from Valparai to Pollachi, Salem, Coimbatore , Tiruppur, Udumalaipettai, Dharapuram and Palani . Valparai
363-474: Is connected to Athirappilly Falls by road and is 107 km from Valparai to Chalakudi. It was 597 kilometres from chennai to valparai (by making halt in coimbatore). The Valparai Assembly constituency is a Scheduled Caste reserved legislative assembly constituency and forms part of Pollachi Lok Sabha constituency. Valparai receives among the highest rainfall in the region during the monsoons (around June). There will be no animals wandering around during
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#1732863128064396-616: Is joined by a small stream from the south at a small village, 2. 2 km east of the NH 17 road bridge, while the river is joined from the south by the Pambar River at Koottar . The western part of the Manjampatti Valley catchment basin drains into the end of the Chinnar River. This Valley is drained by the stream Ten Ar and a smaller unnamed stream 2 km to its west. The unnamed stream
429-423: Is located off the road(which branches off from the main road to Valparai) to Kadampaarai. In Kadamparai there is Kadamparai Dam and beneath the mountain a special kind of power station of TNEB (now TANGEDCO) is located. The road to this Kadamparai Pumped Storage Hydro Electric Power Station branches some 2 miles before and goes through a tunnel which ends up in the vast underground power station complex. The water from
462-587: Is located on the western side near Kerala border. It has one power house at the bottom of the dam and the second power house is located few miles away at Manompolli. The water which rotates the turbines goes through the forests in to Parambikulam Dam in Kerala. This water is brought back from Kerala to Tamil Nadu via a tunnel and then the Contour Canal (சமமட்டக் கால்வாய்) which ends up in Upper Aazhiyaar dam. Valparai
495-405: Is metamorphic gneiss , veined with feldspar and quartz , and interspersed with reddish porphyrite . Twelve major forest types are found in the area. The landscape is 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. Formed by fault-block movements in
528-617: Is the N-S political boundary between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The top of the ridge above this stream to the west is the western limit of the catchment. This unnamed stream joins the Pambar River at the point they both join the Chinnar River at the north west corner of the Valley. Annaimalai Hills The Anamala or Anaimalai , also known as the Elephant Mountains , are a range of mountains in
561-525: The Anaimalai Hills range of the Western Ghats . There are a total of 56 estates here. The game of football is very popular here. State level competitions are held every year. The foothill starts exactly from Monkey Falls which is at a distance of 38 kilometres (24 mi) to Valparai. The route to Valparai from the foothills consists of 40 hairpin bends . The Kerala state border town of Malakkappara
594-596: The Holocene Epoch (i.e., about the past 11,700 years), the Anaimalai Hills descend to form a series of terraces about 3,300 feet (1,000 metres) high. The Anamala/Anaimalai Hills are known for their abundant wildlife. Eravikulam National Park , Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary , Idamalayar Reserve Forest, Mankulam Forest division Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary , and Anamalai Tiger Reserve located among these hills are well known for elephants . The Idamalayar Dam area
627-639: The Idamalayar Dam due to the construction of the Neerar Dam by Tamil Nadu on the Neerar, a tributary of the Idamalayar , and thereby, visitors are now prohibited from entering the Idamalayar Dam area. Vadattupara is the last destination that one is allowed to reach on the Bhoothathankettu - Idamalayar Dam Road. The area is also ecologically very sensitive. The Anaimalai Hills are a popular trekking destination in
660-634: The South Western Ghats montane rain forests (mainly in Idukki district , Ernakulam district , Palakkad district of Kerala , Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu ). The Western Ghats and Anaimalai Sub-Cluster, including the Anaimalai Hills, are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The hills are located between 10° 13' and 10° 31' N. and 76° 52' and 77° 23' E with a central point of: 10°22′N 77°07.5′E / 10.367°N 77.1250°E / 10.367; 77.1250 . They are south of where
693-554: The Chinnar river in 1992. The river first proceeds through a large shola then past the Muthuvar settlement of Olikkudi at 10°19′52″N 77°08′37″E / 10.331°N 77.1435°E / 10.331; 77.1435 . There is another small village #2 at 10°21′19″N 77°11′02″E / 10.3553°N 77.1839°E / 10.3553; 77.1839 . There are Kerala and Tamil Nadu border checkpoints on either side of
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#1732863128064726-568: The Pied hornbill, Red whiskered bulbul and Drongo. Recently, a new frog species, Beddomixalus bijui , was found within the forest. There are several rivers in the area including the Chalakkudipuzha, Aliayar, Apambar, Chinnar , Kaddambarrai , Neerar, Mannambhally, Pambar River , and the Idamalayar . Most of these rivers originate in the sholas , flowing mostly west towards the Arabian Sea , with
759-884: The Western Ghats are broken by the Palakkad Gap , which in, turn is south of the Nilgiri Hills . They border on Kerala to the southwest and the Cardamom Hills to the southeast. To the west is the bamboo-rich Idamalayar- Pooyamkutty valley. The Palni Hills lies to the east, extending into Kerala as the Pampadum Shola National Park . They are spread largely over Palakkad district , Thrissur district , Ernakulam district and Idukki district of Kerala (mainly Palakkad and Idukki), Tamil Nadu 's Coimbatore district and Tiruppur district . Their geological formation
792-581: The Western Ghats. Due to heavy rains during the wet season, the ideal time for tourism is between the months of November and May. SH-17 passes through the Anaimalai Hills, between Udumalapet and Munnar , SH-21 passes from Chalakudy to Malakkappara . The nearest towns are Munnar, Pooyamkutty , Mankulam , and Kothamangalam . The nearest international airports are Cochin International Airport and Coimbatore International Airport . Aluva railway station and Pollachi Junction railway station are
825-404: The dam flows through one of the dual penstocks and after rotating the turbine it is pumped up to the dam with a powerful motor through the other penstock. Lower Neeraar Dam and Upper Neeraar Vier are located beyond Kadamparai near Kerala border. Tamil Nadu Government's Chinchona estate and factory are located on the road to Neeraar dam. Chinchona is used in the medicine to cure malaria. Sholayaar Dam
858-458: The monsoon period (june), mostly wild boar, gaurs, and lion-tail macaques can be noticed. The plantations in the town are surrounded by evergreen forests . The region is an elephant tract and is known to have many leopards . The drive to the town from Pollachi passes through the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary noted for Bengal tiger , elephants , boars , lion-tailed macaques , gaur , spotted deer , sambar , and giant squirrels . The area
891-470: The nearest railway stations. Valparai Valparai (originally known as Poonachimalai ) is a Taluk and hill station in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu , India. It consists of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP) and prior to that as Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary). It is located 3,474 feet (1,059 m) above sea level on
924-425: The past, but, because of hunting and large-scale habitat destruction , they now exist only in a few isolated sites like the Anaimalai Hills. The human-elephant conflict here is a delicate issue. The tea plantations are a hindrance to the movement of wildlife, particularly elephants who walk large distances to reach water bodies and feeding areas. Monkey Falls and Sholayar Dam are two major tourist attractions in
957-482: The river where a SH 17 road bridge crosses the river at 10°21′09″N 77°13′04″E / 10.35241°N 77.21775°E / 10.35241; 77.21775 . 2 km east it is joined from the south by the Pambar River at Koottar where a comfortable tree house accommodation is available. Here it crosses into Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and becomes the Amaravati River . The river
990-607: The roads and guest houses were built by soldiers for the visit of England's Prince of Wales , the future Edward VII . Soldiers were posted here and horses and elephants were used for this purpose. However, the visit was eventually cancelled. In 1890, W. Wintil and Nordan bought a huge portion of land in Valparai from the Madras State Government under the British Raj . Wintil deforested the area and planted tea and coffee. He
1023-684: The southern Western Ghats of central Kerala ( Idukki district , Ernakulam district , Palakkad district , Thrissur district ) and span the border of western Tamil Nadu ( Coimbatore district and Tiruppur district ) in Southern India. The name anamala is derived from the Malayalam word aana and the Tamil word yaanai , meaning elephant , or from tribal languages. Mala or Malai means 'mountain', and thus literally translatable as 'Elephant mountain'. Anamudi Peak (8,842 feet (2,695 metres)) lies at
Chinnar River - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-690: The southern end of the range and is the highest peak in southern India. The Palakkad Gap is the mountain pass which divides it from the Nilgiri Mountains . The northern slopes of the hills in Tamil Nadu now have coffee and tea plantations (especially around Valparai ), as well as teak plantations of high economic value. The rest are mostly forests, of mainly two ecoregions-the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests (mainly in Palakkad district and Idukki district of Kerala, as well as Tamil Nadu) and
1089-403: Was assisted by Carver Marsh, an experienced planter for a salary of 250 rupees. Valparai receives rainfall throughout the year. The typical temperature range in Valparai is 25 °C (max) to 15 °C (min) in summer and ( and 15 °C (max) to 10 °C (min) in winter. Valparai is located at 10°22′N 76°58′E / 10.37°N 76.97°E / 10.37; 76.97 . It
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