Experiencing the Wild Side-Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Travel through beautiful wooded trails is always exciting and soothing and appreciate the rich diversity of plant and animal life as the colours, scents and textures of this extraordinary landscape unfold before you  gives lot of excitement. Last month I got opportunity to visit wild life one is the Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary, and another one is Bannerghatta National Park.

Ambasamudram is my husband native place of whenever we go to native we also made a detour for the famous Agasthiyar falls, which is also a religious centre. The Agasthiyar Falls lies inside the Kalakadu Mudunthurai Tiger Reserve Forest. After Pappanasam check post the entire journey is uphill and very scenic.First we went to Agasthiyar Falls.

 

Papanasam Falls (also known as Agastiyar Falls) are located in the town of Papanasam. It is a small town, yet popular tourist destination situated in the Ambasamudram taluk of the Tirunelveli (Nellai) district of Tamilnadu. The nearest towns are Ambasamudram, Vikramasingapuram,. The place is also called as Papavinasam.

The Papanasam town is a famous picnic spot amongst the locals and the tourists. The Pothigai Hills beautifully provide background to the Agasthiar Falls.

 

 Rich in culture and heritage, Agasthyamalai was at the core of the reserve, while several temples and teerthams set deep inside the wilds added a mystic touch to it.Tirunelveli’s perennial river Tamirabarani was joined by smaller rivers like Manimuthar which cascaded down the rocks. The best time to visit the Agasthiar Falls is in the morning, at the time of sunrise.

 

Legend of the Agasthiar Falls

The height of Agasthiar Falls is 120 meters. The shrine of Munivar Agasthiar is located atop the cascade. It is believed that during the holy matrimony of the Hindu God Shiva and Goddess Parvati, all the Gods and Goddesses from Heaven had gone to the Kailash Parvat, in order to attend the auspicious ceremony. This disrupted the balance of Earth, for which Munivar Agasthiar meditated at the Agasthiar Falls and the wedding was completed smoothly. To commemorate this event, a procession is taken out by the locals of the idol of Munivar Agasthiar on the anniversary of Shiva and Parvati every year.

There are other dams like Papanasam, Kodayar, Karaiyar besides Manimuthar, offering scenic views, but not all of them were open to the public as they were hidden in the dense habitat of the KMTR.After bathing in Agasthyar falls we headed journey toward Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary .

Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary:

 

Away from hustle n bustle of city life, drove yourself into the deep jungles of this tiger reserve.Located in the Tirunelvelli district of Tamil Nadu, at the foothills of Western Ghats and the adjoining areas. The flora ranges from forests of the tropical wet evergreen to the tropical dry deciduous and thorn forests in the lower hills and covers an extensive area of 895 sq km.About 14 rivers and seven dams are in this forest. This Hills have no possibility to stay anywhere inside sanctuary except for forest officials. Just a day trip.

 

Mudanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary is home to several hundred plants and animal species and Wild life lovers will thoroughly enjoy a visit to this wildlife park. The sight of so many members of the animal kingdom is sure to amaze everyone. 

 

Some of the wild creatures that can be sighted in the Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary are Tiger, Mouse deer, Leopard, Rusty spotted cat, Brown palm civet, Leopard, Sambhar, Spotted deer, Malabar giant squirrel, Nilgiri Langur, Bonnet Macaque, Sloth Bear, Brown mongoose, Nilgiri Martin, Indian pangolin, King Cobra, Python, Monitor Lizard, Flying Lizard, Pit viper and others. It is certainly very thrilling to explore the dark mysterious forests and see all these beasts in their natural habitat

 

 If you want to behold the beauty of the winged creatures and listen to their sweet humming voice, the Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary is also the right place for you to go to. The avifaunal population of the Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary comprises of Ceylon mouth frog, Grey headed bulbul, Great Pied hornbill, Great Indian Hornbill, Malabar Grey hornbill, Oriental bay owl and Broad tailed Grass warbler.

 

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The Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary is easily accessible and arranging a trip is no problem at all. The nearest railway station is Ambasamudram located at a distance of about 6 km. Buses are frequently available from here. The months of October to January are ideally suited for a visit to the Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary.Trekking opportunities are also there in the Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. However prior permission of the Wildlife Department is required if you are interested in trekking.

Although it is tiger Reserveit is very rare to see tigers and lepords. to explore the forest we need special Permission from forest ranger.

It is certainly very thrilling to explore the dark mysterious forests and see all these beasts in their natural habitat.