Periyar Sanctuary
Biogeographical Province- 4.01.01 (Malabar Rainforest)
Geographical Location- Situated in the Cardamom Hill Ranges, Idukki District, in the south of the Western Ghats. Kottayam, the nearest major town, is some 115km to the west. The boundary is defined by the Kerala-Tamil Nadu interstate boundary from Kumily on the northern boundary along the entire eastern boundary, by Ranni and Kakki Reserved Forests to the south and by the Kottayam Division forests to the west. 9°15'-9°40'N, 76°25'-77°55'E
Date and History of Establishment- Declared a sanctuary, at that time named Nellikkampatty, in 1934 at the instigation of the Maharajah of Travancore (Seshadri, 1986). Renotified as Periyar and enlarged from 60,000ha to its present size in 1950. Originally declared a reserved forest (under the then princely State Government of Travancore) in 1899 in order to protect the catchment area of the Periyar River. This was dammed in 1895, submerging 2,600ha of evergreen forest. The resulting lake/reservoir was leased to the then Government of Madras for 999 years. Periyar became Kerala's only tiger reserve in 1978. The first notification to make the core area (30,500ha) a national park was issued in 1982 (GOP 310/82/AD and SRO No. 1407/82). Final notification awaits completion of formalities involving the eviction of four cardomom estates (G. Mukundan, pers. comm., 1986).
Area- 77,700ha
Land Tenure- State government
Altitude- The terrain is undulating with high peaks ranging from 1,200m to over 1,800m.
Physical Features- The central feature of the park is the reservoir with a waterspread area of 2,600ha, ranging in depth from 32m to 46m (J. Karoor, pers. comm. 1986). There are a few islands, with vegetation. The area is drained by the Periyar and Mullayar river systems. The former originates from deep within the evergreen core area, some 50km south of the Sanctuary headquarters at Thekkady, and meets the latter at Mullakudy where the lake begins.
Climate- Annual temperatures generally vary between 15°C and 31°C. April and May are the hottest months. Mean annual rainfall is 2030mm. The south-west monsoon lasts from June to August/September, with maximum precipitation occurring in July-August. Minimum precipitation occurs in January (Vijayan et al., 1979). High rainfall also occurs during the north-east monsoon in September-November.
Vegetation- Comprises chiefly tropical evergreen forest (30,500ha) and semi-evergreen forest (27,500ha). Moist deciduous forest and grasslands predominate in the central part of the sanctuary, particularly around the reservoir, and cover 9,800ha and 1,200ha, respectively; and reed brakes located in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests cover 1,000ha (Chandrasekhran (1973). According to Vijayan et al. (1979), grassland cover has been underestimated. There are also c. 5,000ha of Eucalyptus grandis plantations in the buffer zone to the west. A general vegetation map prepared by Chandrasekhran (1973) is included in the management plan (Nair, 1978). Some details of species composition of the different vegetation types are provided by Jain and Sastry (1983), Nair (1978), Nair et al. (1985) and Vijayan et al. (1979).
Fauna- Threatened mammal species include the highly endangered and endemic lion-tailed macaque Macaca silenus (E), Nilgiri langur Presbytis johnii (V), tiger Panthera tigris (E), leopard P. pardus (V), wild dog Cuon alpinus (V), elephant Elephas maximus (E) and gaur Bos gaurus (V). Small numbers of Nilgiri tahr Hemitragus hylocrius (V) have been sighted on a few occasions, but the species is probably now locally extinct (A.J. Thomas, pers. comm., 1986). Other carnivores include sloth bear Melursus ursinus (I), jungle cat Felis chaus, palm civet Paradoxurus hemaphroditus, jackal Canis aureus, otter Lutra lutra. Sambar Cervus unicolor is the most common of the ungulates. Others include Indian muntjac Muntiacus muntjak and Indian spotted chevrotain Tragulus meminna. Wild boar Sus scrofa is relatively abundant. Other mammals include giant Indian squirrel Ratufa indica, various smaller squirrel species, and mongoose, porcupine Hystrix indica and black-naped hare Lepus nigricollis (J. Karoor, pers. comm., 1986). There are an estimated 44 tiger (1985), 24 leopard (1984), 932 elephant (1983) and 281 gaur (1983), based on censuses by the Forest Department. Data for elephant are believed to be too high (J. Karoor, pers. comm., 1986). Some 181 bird species have been recorded, many of which are residents (Vijayan et al., 1979). Anseriformes are notably absent, possibly due to the lack of shallow water at the edge of the reservoir (J. Karoor, pers. comm., 1986). Psittaciformes, Circuliformes, Coraiiciformes and Passeriformes are well-represented. The spectacular great Indian hornbill Buceros bicornis is found in relative abundance (Vijayan et al., 1979; J. Karoor, pers. comm., 1987). Virtually nothing is known about the amphibian, reptilian or fish fauna. A faunal checklist is provided by Azarah (1985).
Cultural Heritage- There are several tribal groups living in and around the sanctuary (J. Karoor, pers. comm., 1986, 1987). The Manans, who formerly lived within the sanctuary, were relocated to Kumily in the 1950s. They were deprived of the land given in compensation by the villagers and left destitute. The community numbers just over 1,000 but its culture is being slowly eroded. Some 50 Malampandaram inhabit Pamba Valley along the southern boundary of the park near the Ranni Division forests; and over 1,500 Uralis and 700 Malaiarayans live in different parts of Vallakadava Range. Some of these maintain small-scale cultivations. Sabarimalai temple, located in the south-western part of the sanctuary in the buffer zone, is an important Hindu pilgrimage site and receives millions of visitors annually. Thousands of pilgrims arrive daily during the main pilgrimage season from November to January. The ruins of another ancient temple are found at Mangladevi, some 14km to the north-east of Thekkady and bordering Tamil Nadu. Access to Mangaladevi is restricted and requires special permission (J. Karoor, pers. comm., 1987; Vijayan et al., 1979).