Anaimalai Hills

Anaimalai Hills is a range of mountains in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states. The name "Anaimalai" derives from the Tamil/Malayalam word 'Ana' meaning elephant and 'Malai' meaning hill, thus Elephant Hill. The highest peak of the Anaimalai Hills is Anamudi, (2,695 meters (8,842 ft)), located in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is the highest peak in India, south of the Himalayas. To the north, Palghat Gap divides the Western Ghats. The lower slopes of hills now have coffee and tea plantations as well as teak forests of great economic value.

The Western Ghats, Anaimalai Sub-Cluster, including the Anaimalai Hills, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.

Anaimalai Hills are known for their abundant wildlife. Eravikulam National Park, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Anamalas Tiger Reserve and the adjacentThe Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in these hills are well known for elephants. Numerous wildlife species can be seen including elephants, gaur, water buffaloes, tigers, panthers, sloth bears, pangolins, Black-headed Orioles, crocodiles, Green Pigeons, civet cats, Dhole, Sambar and 31 groups of endangered lion-tailed macaques., Birds seen include Pied hornbill, Red Whiskered Bulbul and Drongo.



There are several rivers in the area including: the Aliayar river, Apambar River, Chinnar River, Kaddambarrai river, the Neerar river, Mannambhally, Pambar River and Parambikulam River. There are several large dams are in the area including: Aliayar Dam, Amaravathi Dam, Kaddambarrai dam, Neerar Dam, Sholayar Dam (one of the biggest of its kind in Asia), Mannambhally Dam, and the largest capacity dam in India, the Parambikulam Dam.