Top Slip

Top Slip

The complex topography and rainfall gradient contribute to a striking diversity in vegetation which comprises a mix of natural and man-made habitats. The former includes wet evergreen forest and semi-evergreen forest, montane shola-grassland, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, thorn forests and marshes. Tropical wet evergreen forest is found at an altitude of 600m to 1,600m. Tropical montane forests occur at higher elevations and are interspersed with montane grasslands, forming the shola-grassland complex. Many parts of the original evergreen forest now contains introduced teak plantations. Bamboo stands and reeds occur in the natural forests. Forest cover is provided by Hopea parviflora, Mesua ferrea, Calophyllum tomentosum, Vateria indica, Cullenia excelsa and Mangifera indica, Machilus macrantha, Alstonia scholaris, Evodia meliaefolia, Ailanthus and Malabaricum and Eucalyptus grandis. The area is the only home of Podocarpus wallichianus, a South Indian species of conifer.

Top Slip's outstanding rainforest patches hold a number of South Indian endemic birds. Some, such as the Wynaad Laughingthrush, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, White-bellied Treepie, Malabar Trogon, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher and Black-throated Munia are best seen here. Other key birds include a large breeding population of Great Hornbills, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Red Spurfowl, Grey Junglefowl, Malabar Parakeet, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Oriental Bay Owl, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Indian Swiftlet, Brown-backed Needletail, Rufous Babbler, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Crimson-backed Sunbird, Greater Racket Tailed Drongo, Great Eared Nightjar and Large-billed Warbler. Many of these birds can be seen on the 1km track from the edge of Karian Shola to the watchtower overlooking a reservoir.

Other than birds, IGNP is home to one of the world's rarest primates, the Lion-tailed Macaque. Top Slip also has a large concentration of the endemic Nilgiri Langur and the lucky can spot the Indian Chevrotain and the rare Brown Mongoose. Asian Elephants are plentiful and are not the best mannered here.

How to reach

IGNP is best approached from Pollachi, a fair sized town south of Coimbatore. The usual route is to travel by road from Coimbatore to Pollachi (40 km) to the Wildlife Warden's Office and then by road to Top Slip (35 km), the entry point to the Park. There are regular buses from Coimbatore and Palani to Pollachi and there are two buses a day from Pollachi to Top Slip leaving Pollachi at 6 am and 3 pm. The bus returns to Pollachi at 8 am and 6 pm. Hired cars/taxis are also available at Pollachi.

[edit] Entry formalities

1. If you are visiting the park for the day you can go directly to Top Slip (Entry INR 50). The Sethumadai checkpost is the entry point to IGNP. 2. In case you plan to stay at Top Slip, accommodation must be booked in advance at the: Wildlife Warden Office, 178 Meenkarai Rd, in Pollachi. Open Monday to Friday between 9 am to 5 pm. Tel: 04259 222-5356. 3. Park entry time is between 6.30 am and 6 pm.

Park details and tips

1. Private vehicles can drive in the park. Top Slip is best enjoyed if a car is hand at all times.

2. It is possible to walk around the park. You must have a Park Guide with you and you are allowed to walk in the park for a maximum of four hours for INR 70 per person.

3. There is provision for a conducted bus ride from the Park Reception Office and riding elephants may also be available.

4. Local food and refreshments are available at the facility run at the Tourist Complex, Top slip.

5. Ticks and leeches can be a serious menace, specially in the summer months. Carry protection and stick to tracks.

5a. Many lone male elephants at Top Slip are known rouges, travel on foot with a guide.

6. Accommodation in the Park is very basic and it is best to carry sleeping bags and emergency supplies.

7. A booking at a particular guesthouse may not assure you of accommodation at it. The final allocation decision is left to the Department staff at Top Slip.

8. A provision shop functions near the reception area and reasonably stocked for necessities. 9.Tourism seems to be low priority at this Park - be prepared for inadequate support from Forest Deptt. staff.

10.Top Slip can have hordes of noisy holidaymakers, specially during winter holidays - beware!

11. The only surefire way to see birds like Wynaad Laughingthrush, Sri Lanka Frogmouth and Oriental bay Owl is with the assistance of local guides. Tell them that you want to see these birds. We used Arumugam & Murugan with very satisfactory results.

Contact:

The Wildlife Warden Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary,

178, Meenkarai Road,

Pollachi - 642 001.

Tel: 04259 238360.

Where to stay:

There are Forest Rest Houses at Topslip Varagaliar, Amaravathi, Sethumadai. The Ambuli Illam Guesthouse, at Topslip, 2km from the reception center, is the best place to stay. It has a restaurant. We stayed at the Mt. Stuart Resthouse which was beautifully located but without electricity, food and water. The Public Works Department (PWD) Rest houses at Udumalpet and Amaravathi, Electricity Board (TNEB) Rest House at Attakatti. Accommodation is usually limited to only one or two nights at a location. Alternatively, one could stay at Pollachi or Coimbatore where there are several places to stay and do day trips to Top Slip.

Transportation

Nearest airport: Coimbatore (75 km)

Nearest Railway Station : Pollachi (30 km). From Pollachi, there are trains to Coimbatore and Dindigul.

Megamalai

Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary

There is a long-pending proposal with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to establish the Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary on 600 km² of forest in the division. Priority tasks in the sanctuary should be the control of poaching and the use of pesticides, the elimination of ganja (Cannabis sativa) and the cultivation and scientific management of watersheds. The Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary can be an excellent buffer to the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and can immensely strengthen conservation in the southern Western Ghats, the range of hills south of the Palakkad Gap.^[1]

Tourist attractions

Tea estates and dams

Highwavys is a view point that will afford a wonderful view of the entire mountains range of Varusanadu Hills. There few large private tea, spices and coffee plantations all around, notable include The Highwavys Estates owned by The Woodbriar Group, Ananda Plantations ,Ponsiva Plantations and Feildmede Estate have the largest holdings of plantations in Meghamalai,an artificial lake and plenty of scope for making leisurely walks. Six dams on the hill and originating place of Suruli Theertham (Suruli falls near Cumbum town) are popular attractions for tourists. From Manalar dam, one can view the deep Cumbum Valley and the villages of Theni district. The Department of Tourism has planned to introduce boat or ferry service to enable tourists to enjoy the pristine beauty of the hill.^[2]

Forests

The places, Upper manalaru, Maharaja mettu and Iravangalaru are fringed by forests with rich flora and fauna.

Vellimalai

Vellimalai (Silver Mountain, 1,650 m) area is a heart of Meghamalai. Silver-lined clouds seem to rest gently on green hilltops and nestled somewhere in this region is the place where the river Vaigai originates. This lovely place will give an opportunity to see wild animals and aesthetically and scientifically managed tea gardens.

Falls

The meghamalai fall (called as Clouds land fall) occurs on a stream originating from Meghamalai. The special feature of the falls is that water is flowing through twin falls round the year. Frequent visits by elephants, spotted deer, gaur and other wild animals at dawn and dusk are a feast to the eyes. Forest Department officials have plans to assist tourists to view those wild animals.

Flora

Vegetation ranges from scrub forests at the foothills, up to ubiquitous expanses of tea and coffee estates, to spice (pepper, cardamom, cinnamon) plantations and finally to the dense evergreen forests at the top.

Fauna

Meghamalai forest area hosts a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and butterflies. Resident and migratory elephants are common. Other animals sighted are tiger, leopard, Nilgiri tahr, gaur, spotted deer, barking deer, sambar, wild boar, porcupine, Nilgiri langur, lion-tailed macaque, common langur, bonnet macaque, sloth bear, Grey Junglefowl, Smooth-coated Otter and flying squirrel. Over 100 species of birds have been identified.

Great Indian Hornbills

The rare Great Indian Hornbills are found here. The Great Indian Hornbills are one of the largest hornbills and these are found on sea level up to 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above ground. Great Indian Hornbills like to eat various types of berries. Hornbills swallow most of their food whole instead of breaking it down first. Hornbills are famous for their nesting ritual. Now these beautiful hornbills are becoming rare, mainly due to their large hunting for their meat and destruction of their natural habitat. Protection and restoration of destructed forest areas food-tree resources, will aid the conservation of hornbills in the region.^[3]

Grizzled Giant Squirrel

The sanctuary is also home to the endangered, arboreal Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ratufa macrora. The home range of an individual is between 1,970 and 6,110 m². This greyish brown squirrel weighs 1 to 1.8 kg and is the size of a small cat. It measures about 735 mm from nose to tail with the tail being 360 – 400 mm long. They construct nets at forked branches where the crowns of neighbouring trees meet. This enables the squirrel to move away from the site by jumping from tree to tree when threatened. It makes two nets. One it uses as a nursery and the other for resting. This confuses predators like birds and snakes.

Salim Ali's Fruit Bat

One of the rarest fruit bats of the world, Salim Ali's Fruit Bat, Latidens salimali, (named after Indian ornithologist Salim Ali) is only found in this mountain range. Salim Ali's fruit bat is the only species in the genus Latidens. It is a medium-sized fruit bat, which lacks an external tail. The head is covered in blackish-brown fur which is paler at the base, the wing membrane and the long fur are light brown in colour, and the underparts are light grey-brown. The species was first collected in 1948 by a British naturalist called Angus Hutton, who mis-identified the specimen as the common short-nosed fruit bat. The specimen was re-examined later by Kitti Thonglongya who recognised it as a new species. Very little is known of the ecology of this species, however all fruit bats play an extremely important role as pollinators and seed dispersal agents within their rainforest habitat. This species is entered in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993 as one of the rarest bats of the world.^[4]

Hutton's pitviper

The Hutton's pitviper Tropidolaemus huttoni(Smith, 1949) is an enigmatic species of venomous snake described from the High Wavy Mountains in 1949. It was described from two juveniles collected by Angus F. Hutton from beneath the leaves of the palm Ochlandra travancorica, localy called "eata". The species has not been recorded since its original description and no adults have yet been found. The most intriguing fact about this piviper is that it belongs to a genus whose other members, the closest living relatives of the Hutton's pitviper, are distributed in the Malayan Peninsula only. This poses serious biogeographical questions.

Arnetta vindhiana

Arnetta vindhiana, commonly known as the Vindhyan Bob, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is native to India.

Slender Loris

Common Names: vangu, Genus: Loris, Species: tardigradus malabaricus.

The slender loris is a small, nocturnal primate found in Meghamalai region. They are able to live in wet and dry forests, as well as lowland and highland forests. They prefer thick, thorny vegetation wherein they can easily escape predators and find the large assortment of insects that is the mainstay of their diet. Loris tardigradus malabaricus is a subspecies of the slender loris which is only found in India. The greatest concentrations of these slender lorises are found in the southeastern Ghats of India. The Ghats are a narrow strip of rainforest that runs down the length of western India.

The slender loris is about the size of a chipmunk, with long, pencil-thin arms and legs. It is between 6-10 in. (15-25cm) long and has a small, vestigial tail. It weighs about 10.5-12 oz. (275-348g). The slender loris' round head is dominated by two large, closely set, saucer-like brown eyes. They flank a long nose which ends in a heart-shaped knob. The eyes are surrounded by dark-brown to black circles of fur, while the bridge of the nose is white. It has a small, narrow lower jaw. The ears are large and round. Its coat is light red-brown or gray-brown on its back and dirty white on its chest and belly. The fur on its forearms, hands and feet is short. The slender loris has small finger nails on its digits. The second digit on the hand and foot are very short. They move on the same plane as the thumb, which helps them grasp branches and twigs.

The slender loris is an arboreal animal and spends most of its life in trees. Their movements are slow and precise. They like to travel along the top of branches. For the most part they hunt by themselves or in pairs at night, although they will come together and share a food supply. They live alone or with a mate and an infant. They will sleep with up to seven other lorises in a hollow tree or sitting up in the angles of branches. They are very social at dusk and dawn, playing, wrestling and grooming each other[5].

Encroachment threat

Massive encroachments in the reserved forests of almost all divisions in the district have been posing a grave threat to the eco-system of Megamalai hills. Of the total 806.86 km², about 400.77 km² was degraded forest area. A total of 292.81 km² falls under dense forest areas, of which only 22.43 km² was tree bearing. About 220 out of total 430 km² in the Gandamanur forest range under the Madurai Forest Division had been encroached for the past four decades. Large areas of Ulloothu Kavu, Anjaraipuli, Elamalaipoodu, Arasaradi, Bommarasapuram and neighbouring villages were also under encroachment. With an increase in population and their demands, vast stretches of land were either degraded or converted into unicrop areas, causing damage to the environment. The people settled in the hill tracts were solely dependent on the forests for livelihood. Conservation of natural forest in any form will help preserve biodiversity.^[5]

Visitor information

Meghamalai mountain range can be approached two ways -- from Theni via Chinnamanur and from Andipatti via Kandamanayakkanur. Both Theni and Andipatti can be easily accessed by road from Madurai and Dindigul. Theni, which is 76 km from Madurai. The approach via Chinnamannur is more scenic. only forest lodges and panchayat rest house are available at the hill top. Prior reservation and permission is an absolute must. Day-trippers may stay in a number of moderately priced hotels in Theni, Chinnamanur and Andipatti. Distance from Madurai 130 km.

Kodaikanal Hill station - Tamil Nadu - India

Kodaikanal Hill station - Tamil Nadu - India


Kodaikanal Travel Guide

Nestling amidst the folds of the verdant Pali Hills, is the idyllic retreat of Kodaikanal, popularly known as Kodai. Apart from being a much sought after tourist resort, Kodai is also famous for its educational institutions, which are globally renown.

The resort is, virtually, a heaven for trekkers and avid nature lovers. Amongst its other natural attractions is a star - shaped lake, set in a dreamy locale. The Boat Club offers umpteen pleasure and racing trips. The splendid Bryant Park, famous for its rare collection of flowers, graftings and hybrids, is the venue of great horticultural shows, held every year in May. Another major attraction of this area, is the country's only Solar Physical Laboratory, founded in 1898.

The Coaker's Walk offers some fantastic views of the surrounding plains. Another superb vantage point, is the Kurinji Andavar temple, dedicated to Lord Murugan, which provides a panoramic view of the lofty hills, that embrace Kodaikanal. Some of the popular picnic spots in the resort, are the Green Valley View, Pillar Rocks, and Bear Shola Falls. Nature seems to have blessed Kodai in all her magnanimity, a fact evident from the immense profusion of exotic flora and fauna of the area. The amazing orchid collection at the Shenbaganur Museum, has granted Kodai international fame. Kodai is also blessed with the rare bloom of the highly elusive Kurinji flower, that makes a dramatic appearance, once in 12 years. The Kurinji last bloomed in 1992. The resort is also home to various species of birds, thus rendering it a bird - watcher's delight.



Kodaikanal promises to be an ideal getaway, for those craving for an invigorating yet soothing holiday, away from the madness of the city.

Climate : The temperatures in summer range from a maximum of 20°C to a minimum of 11°C, and in winter from 17°C to 8°C. Annual rainfall in the region is around 165 cms.

Places to See in Kodaikanal

Heaven (esotically speaking) can be glimpsed in some of the enchanting picnic spots that dot Kodai. Coaker's walk, running along a steep slope, offers a panaromic view of the plain. Green Valley View on the other hand provides a beautiful view of the Vaigai Dam. Bear Shola Falls a pretty little cataract, offers endless hours of cool relaxation.

But don't stop there. Go on. Go a little away from the township of Kodai and some of the most beautiful scenery will hit your senses. Silver Cascade (8kms) and Kumbakkarai (65 Kms) are waterfalls situated in some of the most wooded parts of the hill station.


Berijam lake, situated 21 kms from the township, lies in a beautiful valley, reflecting the glory of the specious in its clean waters. Dolphin's Nose (8 Kms), a projecting rock provides a view of the deep chasm below. Then go on get higher upon life. Climb the2400 meter high Perumal Peak. And you'll be rewarded with one of the most wonderful views in and around Kodaikkanal.

Cavemen in Kodai No, you won't meet any today, but their habitat at Kukkal Caves (40 Kms) and Dolmen's circle (22 Kms) are famous pre-historic, archaeological sites. For, those with orchids on their mind can visit the Shenbaganur Museum (5.6 Kms.). It is easily one of the best orchidoriums in the country offering the visitor, more than 300 species of orchids.

Shenbaganur Musem (5.6 Kms. ) is easily one of the best orchidoriums in the country offering the visitors, more than 300 species of orchids.

The Kurinji Andavar Temple ( 3.2 Kms ) is dedicated to lord Murugan. It also offers the worshipper a beautiful views of the northern plains and the Palaini Hills.



Places to Worship :

Fact is, almost every place in India has Places of worship- both ancient and beautiful. Kodaikkanal too offers the visitors two historic temples.

The Kurinji Andavar Temple (3.2 Kms) is dedicated to Lord Murugan. It also offers the worshipper a beautiful view of the northern plains and the Palani Hills.

Palani (64 Kms) is of course, a famous pilgrimage centre and is mythologically believed to be one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya.

Other then these two, the Mariamman Temple, Vinayagar Temple, Murugan Temple, Two mosques at Ellis Villa and Munjikal, Francis Xavier Church, Gorapur, St.Mary's Church, Lassalette, St.Joseph's Church, Luthern mission Church, Lake end offer, the devout a relaxed and genteel place to pray.

So come to Kodaikkanal. And be a part of the vibrant elements at play.

How To Get There
The nearest airport is Madurai, 120 km away. The nearest railhead is Kodai Road Railway Station, 80 km away. Kodaikanal is linked by road to all major towns. Taxis are available for hire.