Silent Valley National Park

Known for the rare and unique herbs, the Silent Valley is the last pristine region of tropical evergreen forest in India. This beautiful land has a wide variety of biodiversity. This is the smallest national park in India. But the real silence make it unique and attractive. The lush tropical greenery, hills and the rivers flowing through the small hilly greeneries make this a real spot of wildlife tourism. Silent Valley is the core area of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve . The high peaks and intersepting rivers in this shadowy hilly area makes this place an unblelievably stunning beauty. In honor to the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, this valley is also known by the name Indira Gandhi National Park.


General Information ;

Area :89.52 sq km
Altitude : 658 - 2,383 metre above sea level
Maximum Temperature :25°C
Minimum Temperature : 20.4°C
Languages spoken : Malayalam, English
Best time to visit : September to March
Established on: 15th November 1984
Sections: Sairandri, Poochipara, Neelikkal, Wallakad
Location : 40 km from Mannarkkad, Palakkad district, north Kerala
Nearest City - Mannarkkad (40km) and Palakkad
Main attraction: Lion-tailed Macaque and Nilgiri Langur along with the tropical evergreen rain forests .


Climate in Silent Valley

The climate at Silent Valley National Park is warm in summer and pleasant in winter. This is a region of heavy rain fall with an average rainfall between 2800 and 3400 mm. The heavy rainfall is an outcome of the south-west monsoon and it lasts from July to September. During this time, the humidity may reach to a maximum of 95%. The temperature rises to a maximum of around 25°C in June and drops to a moderate 20 °C in December.


Relatin with Mahabharatha;

It is believed that the Pandavas lived here during their 13 year exile. That is why this place is also known by the name meaning Sairandhri's forest. Sairanghri is Draupadi, the polyandrous wife of the Panchapandavas. This beautiful land with it's rivers, forest and wild life was the home for the heroes providing them all the resources.
'Sairandhrivanam' also refers to forest in the valley.


Back to History;

This area was explored by a British botanist, Robert Wight in 1847 and they named it as Silent Valley.
The Silent Valley forest was declared as reserve forest in 1927.
In 1970,Kerala State Electricity Board(KSEB) decided to construct a Hydel Power Project, but the plan is dropped later due to wide protests.
In 1973, Valley was focus much with a new movement 'SAVE SILENT VALLEY' in order to abandon the dam project of KSEB
Silent Valley was declared as a National park in 1980.
Declaration of Silent Valley National Park as the core area in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Declared as a buffer zone in 2007.


How to reach Silent Valley

Silent Valley National Park can be accessed by air, rail and road.
BY AIR
Peelamamedu , Coimbatore Airport in Tamilnadu is 155 km from the Silent Valley National Park .
Coimbatore > Ankatty > Agali > Mukkali > Silent Valley

BY RAIL
Railway Station - Olavakkode Railway Station, Palghat is 75 km from the Silent Valley National Park.
Palghad > Mannarkkad > Mukkali > Silent Valley

BY ROAD
Mannarghat bus stand is 32 km from the Silent Valley National Park.
Mannarghat > Silent Valley



Fauna in Silent Valley

Birds
According to the latest reports Silent Valley has 138 species of birds including 17 species that were newly observed in the Silent Valley area. The most abundant bird seen here is the Black bulbul.
Birdlife International lists 16 bird species in Silent Valley as threatened or restricted: Nilgiri Wood-pigeon, Malabar Parakeet, Malabar Grey Hornbill, White-bellied Treepie, Grey-headed Bulbul, Broad-tailed Grassbird, Rufous Babbler, Wynaad Laughing Thrush, Nilgiri Laughing Thrush, White-bellied Shortwing, Black-and-rufous Flycatcher, Nilgiri Flycatcher, White-bellied Blue-flycatcher, Crimson-backed Sunbird and Nilgiri pipit.
Rare bird species; Ceylon Frogmouth and Great Indian Hornbill.


Mammals
There are at least 34 species of mammals at Silent Valley.
Threatened species ; Lion-tailed Macaque, Niligiri Langur, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Nilgiri Tahr, Peshwa's Bat (Myotis peshwa) and Hairy-winged Bat.
There are nine species of bats, rats and mice.

The tiger, leopard (panther), leopard cat, jungle cat, fishing cat, Common Palm Civet, Small Indian Civet, Brown Palm Civet, Ruddy Mongoose, Stripe-necked Mongoose, Dhole, clawless otter, sloth bear, small travancore flying squirrel, Indian pangolin (scaly anteater), porcupine, wild boar, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer and gaur also live here.


Insects
There are more than730 identified species of insects in the park.
The maximum number of species belong to the orders Lepidoptera and Coleoptera.
Many unclassified species have been collected.
33 species of crickets and grasshoppers have been recorded of which one was new.
39 species of true bugs (six new) and two species of Homoptera (both new) have been recorded.
128 species of beetles including 10 new species have been recorded.
400 species of moth


Flora in Silent Valley

The vegetation of this park is tropical moist evergreen forest with the special status of Rain Forests.
The main plants are teak, semal, amla, rosewood, and bamboo.
The flora of the valley include about a 966 species of flowering plants,elonging to 134 families and 599 genera
There are 701 Dicotyledons distributed among 113 families and 420 genera
108 species of orchids . Rare species;Ipsea malabarica, Bulbophyllum silentvalliensis and Eria tiagii, Grasses
100 ferns and fern allies,
200 liverworts,
75 lichens and about 200 algae.
A majority Of these plants are endemic to the Western Ghats.
ICAR ,Plant Exploration and Collection Division has identified Silent Valley as high in bio-diversity and an important Gene Pool resource for Recombinant DNA innovations.


Places around Silent Valley;
Some of the sites which are worth visitable near Silent Valley are Parambikulam sanctuary , Choolanur Peacock Sanctuary, Attappadi or Mountain Valley, JP Smriti Vanam, Coonoor and commercial centers like Coimbatore.

Tribes
The two main tribal groups near Silent Valley are the Mudugar and Irula tribal people , they live in the adjacent valley of Attappady Reserved Forest.


Where to stay in Silent Valley;

Palakkad town nearby has many hotels, guesthouses and homestays . Tourists can choose accommodations according to one's own budget. Food facilities are very rare near to Silent Valley in the evening and night.

Homestays in Palakkad

Aswathi Kandath Tharavad
Karapara Heritage Olappamannamana
Kalathil Homesta Sarojini Villa Naturopathy & Yoga Resor
Artisc tiCiscilia Heritage
Green Castle Herbal Villa Homestay

Hotels in Palakkad

Kalari Kovilakom (minimum 14 days)
Tariff; 231000-616000
Ph:+91 4923 263929
kalarikovilakom@cghearth.com
www.cghearth.com

Rajah Healthy Acres
Tariff; 1209-9633
ph:+91 466- 2371744
ayurcenter@ayurveda-in.com
www.ayurvedichospital.com

Hotel Indraprastha
Tariff; 750-3400
ph:+91 491 2539531
info@hotelindraprastha.com www.hotelindraprastha.com


Present Day Challenges to Silent Valley;

Forest fire
Forest fire is the major challenge of Silent Valley. Many parts of Silent Valley was degraded due to the fire. One such case is the Mesua-Calophyllum tree degradation. But now the area has recovered from this. The main issue leading to forest fire is the grazing done by people. The careless activities of tourists also lead to this accidents.

Cannabis cultivation
The cannabis mafia has cut hundreds of acres of evergreen tropical forest in the Attappady Hills, including Silent Valley buffer zones, for illegal cultivation of the cash crop.


Things to note;

1. Visiting hours;8AM to 2Pm
2. One and half hours journey is required to go to Silent Valley and come back.
3. Trekking is allowed only in the morning.
4. A permission is required to enter the forest. Permission is granted by the Kerala Forest Department.
5. Fees/permits : Fees are not that much high for all the events here.
Vehicle (Jeep) rent from Mukkali to the Valley: Rs 650/
Guide charges: Rs 150/
Entry fee: Rs 50/- per head
Vehicle entry fee: Rs 250/ per jeep
Cameras (still camera): Rs 50/per camera
6. Food facilities are not available to the visitors in evening and night.