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Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Periyar Tiger Reserve lies in the Western Ghats in the Idukki District of the Indian state of Kerala. The terrain of the Reserve is undulating and the drainge is dendrite. The north-eastern boundary of the Reserve is a ridge, which also forms boundary between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu for 90 km.

The Periyar Lake, with an area of 26 sq. km. , is the nucleus of the tiger Reserve. Due to the diverticular shape, it caters to a much more extensive area of forest than would be possible if it was merely a compact lake.

The main prey base of the tiger is sambar. The other prey animals of the tiger are the Indian bison and the wild boar. Cattle in the fringe area also form an important prey base.

Archaeological Richness
The Mangaladevi - Kannagi Temple falls on northern boundary of the Reserve.

Forest Types
West Coast Tropical Evergreen Forests - 1 A/C4
West Coast Semi Evergreen Forests - 2 A/ C2
Moist Deciduous Forest - 3 A/C1a
Southern Montane Wet Grassland - 11 A/C1/DS2
Eucalyptus Plantations


General Information :
Best Time to Visit : October to April.
Nearest Town : Kumily (4 km)

How to Get Here :
Air : Cochin (200 km)
Rail : Kottayam (114 km)




Flora of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
So far, 1,963 species of flowering plants belonging to 823 genera and 159 families have been documented by Dr. N. Sasidharan, Kerala Forest Research Institute and Kerala Forest Department (1998). Some important species are :

Hopea parviflora
Dipterocarpus indicus
Palaquium ellipticum
Veteria indica and
Myristica dactyloides.



Fauna of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
In Periyar Tiger Reserve 49 species of mammals, 265 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, 35 species of fishes and 160 species of butterflies have been identified so far. Some important mammals are :

Tiger
Leopard
Elephant
Gaur
Sambar
Wild Dog
Barking Deer
Lion Tailed Macaque
Nilgiri Langur and
Nilgiri Tahr.






Map of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary





Suggested Tours : Indian Wildlife Tour : Wildlife Tour of India and Nepal : Special Birding Tour with Bird Guide : Tiger Safari Packages in India India : Extensive Tiger Tour of North India : Tiger Safari Packages in India with Taj

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary : Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary Fact File : Flora of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary : Fauna of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary : Map of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary