Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most visited wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala. Located at Chittur in Palakkad district of the state, the sanctuary has become prominent because of the diverse fauna in the dense woods in this area. Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the best protected reserves snuggled in the valley between the two main mountain ranges of this area, Annamalai Range of Tamilnadu and Nelliampathy Range of Kerala. The area is hilly and rocky, but it is drained by a number of rivers including three main rivers of this region that is Parambikulam River, Sholayar River and Thekkady River. The forest is thickly populated with a wide variety of shrubs and other exotic vegetation, including stands of bamboo, sandalwood and rosewood. A few parts of the sanctuary have some grassland, including some marsh land along with scattered patches of grasslands. The national park including the area adjoining area is being considered by the UNESCO to be selected as a world heritage site.

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary offers excellent opportunities for nature lovers and explorers, both in terms of fauna and flora population. There is a modern interpretation centre which is located at Anappadi. It is well equipped with state-of-the-art audio visual facilities. The interpretation centre is well equipped with interactive three dimensional models of bio-diversity hotspots, of the world, Western Ghats, Kerala and Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary. So, one can go on a tour of this facility.

Geography
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is located 135 km from Palakkad town. It is neighboring Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary on the east side in Tamil Nadu. The altitude of the sanctuary ranges between 300m and 1438m. The major peak in this part of forest is Karimala Peak, which lies on the southern boundary of the sanctuary. The sanctuary also has three manmade reservoirs - Parambikulam, Thunacadavu and Peruvaripallam, which combined cover a total area of 20.66sqkm. Interestingly, one of the major waterfalls of the area Thuvaiar Waterfalls empty into one of these reservoirs. There are seven major valleys which are formed by the three rivers and many other rivulets and streams.

Flora
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is full of a large variety of vegetation, which are exotic and exclusive to this part of the forest. The common trees seen here include teak, Neem, sandalwood and rosewood. The oldest ever teak tree Kannimara Teak which exists here attracts tourists to this sanctuary. The tree is about 450 years old and has an amazing cinch of 6.8 meters and a height of 49.5 meters. It won the Mahavriksha Puraskar which is awarded by the Indian Government.

Fauna
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary has a large and rich variety of animals including mammals, amphibians, birds, fishes and reptiles. The major mammals which are found in this reservoir are Bonnet Macaques, Nilgiri Tahr, Indian leopards, wild boar, Bengal tigers, Sambar, lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri Langurs, Nilgiri Marten, small Travancore Flying Squirrel, sloth bears, elephants and gaur. Apart from these, the major animals which are found here include Travancore kukri snake, Travancore wolf snake, Cochin cane turtle, Travancore tortoise, Indian day gecko, tilapia, noori, mooshu, poochutti, kollotty, Little Cormorant, Black eagle, Black-capped kingfisher and numerous other amphibians.