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India Tours » Periyar National Park Kerala
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PERIYAR
Periyar, where tigers, elephants and wild dogs roam, one can see prey and predator locked together in a fatal clinch.
Lake Periyar’ swaters reflected the glare of the mid-day sun. Across the waters of the lake, one can see the farther bank where, earlier in the day, a herd of sambar deer has been placidly grazing; and where, according to the hotel staff, one could sometimes see elephants, gaur and perhaps even a tiger, depending on one’s luck.
The Periyar wildlife Sanctuary extends over an area of 777 km in the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is situated in the Idukki district of Kerala. The land is undulating and the elevation varies from 200 to 2,000 m. The sanctuary’s core zone is 350 km and here no disturbance whatever is permitted. This area has been notified as a national park, surrounded by a buffer zone of 427 km. Overlapping this buffer area a further 50 km has been designated as the tourism zone. Tourism development and activity are generally confined to a 50 sq km area and the heart of the tourism zone is the Periyar lake.
With an area of 26 km, Periyar is a manmade lake formed in 1895 when the Mullaperiyar dam was constructed across the Periyar river. The forests around the lake were declared reserve forests. In 1934 the whole area was made a game sanctuary with C. H. Robinson as its first game warden. Later it was raised to the status of a wildlife sanctuary under the protection of the Kerala Forest Department and in 1978, declared a tiger reserve under Project Tiger.
For visitors, this lake is the heart and soul of the Periyar sanctuary. And this time we were staying right in the middle of it, in what was once the summer palace of the Maharajas of Travancore, today an exclusive resort run by the KTDC.
The Lake Palace is small as palaces go; indeed, in Kerala, a palace is any house or hut or hovel where a king has spent a day, or which has been built for that purpose. All the same it is lovely, and still retains a measure of its royal ambience. The rooms are well laid out and equipped with modern amenities. The airy verandah gives you snap-shot views of Periyar’s wildlife, the spacious grounds with flowering trees and shrubs invite you to wander around aimlessly. There are no telephones in the rooms, so there is little chance of business concerns from the outside world intruding into your holiday.
A trench, designed to keep wild animals at bay, has been dug around the property. This discourages bigger animals like elephants from entering the palace grounds at will, though, of course, there have been instances of unannounced visits. Electric lines drawn through the forest bring electricity to the Lake Palace.
Every morning and evening, a boat comes from the mainland to take the guests on a cruise around the lake for viewing animals. This cruise is the pleasantest part of one’s stay at Periyar. The first ride begins at around 7 am. The air is cool and fresh, and the mist rises slowly from the water. The trees and vegetation on the banks seem to shimmer and fade and then glisten again as if by magic. The soft chug-chug of the boat is the only noise that disturbs the primeval stillness of the walking forest.
Then, as the sun climbs higher and the light gets stronger, one may come across herds of gaur, or sambar, or elephants, feeding peacefully in a meadow or cautiously slaking their thirst at the edge of the lake. Sometimes, visitors may chance upon more exciting sights, like elephants frolicking in the water or even swimming across the lake. Or a sambar stag cornered, killed and devoured by a pack of wild dogs.
Pig and gaur are fairly common sights in Periyar. But our sighting the next day, was much more exciting. Wild dogs behaved peaceably enough, but their ferocity was explicit in their features. The behaviour of hunting dogs arequite ferocious and speaking anthropomorphically, cruel. These animals chase their prey and literally eat them alive. Deer, for instance, when chased by a pack of wild dogs, try to escape by running into water. But in the shallow water near the shore, they are usually cornered by the pursuers who proceed to tear them to pieces, ravenously gobbling down chunks of flesh bitten off the still struggling animal. Periyar is one of the best places in our country for observing elephants Besides, on the Lakeshore, there is usually fresh growth of succulent grass on which they may feed, and fine dust with which they may powder themselves after a bath.
Periyar comes under Project Tiger and it has been acclaimed as a Tiger Reserve. However, spotting a tiger in a South Indian forest is very different from seeing one of these animals in Kanha or Bandhavgarh or Ranthambore. According to the 1996 census figures, there are 30 tigers in Periyar and they are not very visible since they can be seen only when they come to the lakeshore to drink. And people who go trekking into the jungle have to contend with the thick undergrowth and uneven terrain and truly wild animals that have not been habituated to human presence like the tigers of Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore. The result is that it is a matter of luck, and a great privilege, to see .one of these tigers in the Periyar sanctuary.
Aside from elephants and tigers. the park has around 30 species of mammals like gaur, sambar, barking deer, the endangered lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur and Nilgiri tahr, leopard, wild dog, sloth bear, wild pig, Malabar giant squirrel, flying squirrel, otter, porcupine, hare, etc. There are also around 280 species of birds here and this includes migrants. The most conspicuous among the birds are the cormorants and darters which can be seen during boat rides, fishing in the water or drying their wings on the tree stumps which jut out of the lake. In season, their nests can also be seen on these same stumps. Among the reptiles, the most visible are the tortoise which can be seen sunning themselves, again on the tree stumps, near the waterline. The least visible is probably the deaded king cobra which confines itself to the deeper, evergreen areas of jungle.
ACCOMMODATION
There are a large number of hotels and restaurants around the sanctuary and in the nearby town of Kumily, to suit every purse and palate. Within the sanctuary area there are only three hotels, all run by KTDC. The best place to stay is, without any doubt, The Lake Palace, with its ambience and perfect setting and six deluxe non air-conditioned suites. Aranya Niwas follows a close second with spacious suites and rooms, excellent service and good food. Periyar House, also within walking distance of the boat landing, is a one star economy-class facility, but neat, convenient and comfortable.
Tariff at the Lake Palace varies from Rs ……… for single occupancy in the off-season to Rs ……… for double occupancy in peak season on the American Plan. The rates differ from month to month and it is better to confirm them at the time of reservation. This applies to Aranya Niwas and Periyar House too, where the tariff ranges from Rs …… for single occupancy in the off season to Rs ……. for double occupancy in peak season (Aranya Nivas, continental-plan); and Rs …… for single occupancy in the off-season to Rs ……. for double occupancy in peak season (Periyar House, half board basis). Checking out time in all three establishments is 12 noon.
There are other up-market establishments on the periphery of the sanctuary: Taj Garden Retreat ( 32 rooms) Spice Village (54 huts), Cardamom County, Hotel Ambadi,
Those who wish to go trekking within the forest can either opt for the short trek arranged by the forest department at short notice (contact the Information Centre) or for the longer one organised by the Eco Development Project of the Forest Department in conjunction with Kerala Travels. This trek takes two nights and three days along trekking trails within the forest. Five trackers and two armed guards accompany small groups of trekkers. The package provides every thing including tented accommodation and group insurance. Fifty percent of the emoluments accruing from this scheme is utilised for tribal rehabilitation.
Periyar, where tigers, elephants and wild dogs roam, one can see prey and predator locked together in a fatal clinch.
Lake Periyar’ swaters reflected the glare of the mid-day sun. Across the waters of the lake, one can see the farther bank where, earlier in the day, a herd of sambar deer has been placidly grazing; and where, according to the hotel staff, one could sometimes see elephants, gaur and perhaps even a tiger, depending on one’s luck.
The Periyar wildlife Sanctuary extends over an area of 777 km in the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is situated in the Idukki district of Kerala. The land is undulating and the elevation varies from 200 to 2,000 m. The sanctuary’s core zone is 350 km and here no disturbance whatever is permitted. This area has been notified as a national park, surrounded by a buffer zone of 427 km. Overlapping this buffer area a further 50 km has been designated as the tourism zone. Tourism development and activity are generally confined to a 50 sq km area and the heart of the tourism zone is the Periyar lake.
With an area of 26 km, Periyar is a manmade lake formed in 1895 when the Mullaperiyar dam was constructed across the Periyar river. The forests around the lake were declared reserve forests. In 1934 the whole area was made a game sanctuary with C. H. Robinson as its first game warden. Later it was raised to the status of a wildlife sanctuary under the protection of the Kerala Forest Department and in 1978, declared a tiger reserve under Project Tiger.
For visitors, this lake is the heart and soul of the Periyar sanctuary. And this time we were staying right in the middle of it, in what was once the summer palace of the Maharajas of Travancore, today an exclusive resort run by the KTDC.
The Lake Palace is small as palaces go; indeed, in Kerala, a palace is any house or hut or hovel where a king has spent a day, or which has been built for that purpose. All the same it is lovely, and still retains a measure of its royal ambience. The rooms are well laid out and equipped with modern amenities. The airy verandah gives you snap-shot views of Periyar’s wildlife, the spacious grounds with flowering trees and shrubs invite you to wander around aimlessly. There are no telephones in the rooms, so there is little chance of business concerns from the outside world intruding into your holiday.
A trench, designed to keep wild animals at bay, has been dug around the property. This discourages bigger animals like elephants from entering the palace grounds at will, though, of course, there have been instances of unannounced visits. Electric lines drawn through the forest bring electricity to the Lake Palace.
Every morning and evening, a boat comes from the mainland to take the guests on a cruise around the lake for viewing animals. This cruise is the pleasantest part of one’s stay at Periyar. The first ride begins at around 7 am. The air is cool and fresh, and the mist rises slowly from the water. The trees and vegetation on the banks seem to shimmer and fade and then glisten again as if by magic. The soft chug-chug of the boat is the only noise that disturbs the primeval stillness of the walking forest.
Then, as the sun climbs higher and the light gets stronger, one may come across herds of gaur, or sambar, or elephants, feeding peacefully in a meadow or cautiously slaking their thirst at the edge of the lake. Sometimes, visitors may chance upon more exciting sights, like elephants frolicking in the water or even swimming across the lake. Or a sambar stag cornered, killed and devoured by a pack of wild dogs.
Pig and gaur are fairly common sights in Periyar. But our sighting the next day, was much more exciting. Wild dogs behaved peaceably enough, but their ferocity was explicit in their features. The behaviour of hunting dogs arequite ferocious and speaking anthropomorphically, cruel. These animals chase their prey and literally eat them alive. Deer, for instance, when chased by a pack of wild dogs, try to escape by running into water. But in the shallow water near the shore, they are usually cornered by the pursuers who proceed to tear them to pieces, ravenously gobbling down chunks of flesh bitten off the still struggling animal. Periyar is one of the best places in our country for observing elephants Besides, on the Lakeshore, there is usually fresh growth of succulent grass on which they may feed, and fine dust with which they may powder themselves after a bath.
Periyar comes under Project Tiger and it has been acclaimed as a Tiger Reserve. However, spotting a tiger in a South Indian forest is very different from seeing one of these animals in Kanha or Bandhavgarh or Ranthambore. According to the 1996 census figures, there are 30 tigers in Periyar and they are not very visible since they can be seen only when they come to the lakeshore to drink. And people who go trekking into the jungle have to contend with the thick undergrowth and uneven terrain and truly wild animals that have not been habituated to human presence like the tigers of Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore. The result is that it is a matter of luck, and a great privilege, to see .one of these tigers in the Periyar sanctuary.
Aside from elephants and tigers. the park has around 30 species of mammals like gaur, sambar, barking deer, the endangered lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur and Nilgiri tahr, leopard, wild dog, sloth bear, wild pig, Malabar giant squirrel, flying squirrel, otter, porcupine, hare, etc. There are also around 280 species of birds here and this includes migrants. The most conspicuous among the birds are the cormorants and darters which can be seen during boat rides, fishing in the water or drying their wings on the tree stumps which jut out of the lake. In season, their nests can also be seen on these same stumps. Among the reptiles, the most visible are the tortoise which can be seen sunning themselves, again on the tree stumps, near the waterline. The least visible is probably the deaded king cobra which confines itself to the deeper, evergreen areas of jungle.
ACCOMMODATION
There are a large number of hotels and restaurants around the sanctuary and in the nearby town of Kumily, to suit every purse and palate. Within the sanctuary area there are only three hotels, all run by KTDC. The best place to stay is, without any doubt, The Lake Palace, with its ambience and perfect setting and six deluxe non air-conditioned suites. Aranya Niwas follows a close second with spacious suites and rooms, excellent service and good food. Periyar House, also within walking distance of the boat landing, is a one star economy-class facility, but neat, convenient and comfortable.
Tariff at the Lake Palace varies from Rs ……… for single occupancy in the off-season to Rs ……… for double occupancy in peak season on the American Plan. The rates differ from month to month and it is better to confirm them at the time of reservation. This applies to Aranya Niwas and Periyar House too, where the tariff ranges from Rs …… for single occupancy in the off season to Rs ……. for double occupancy in peak season (Aranya Nivas, continental-plan); and Rs …… for single occupancy in the off-season to Rs ……. for double occupancy in peak season (Periyar House, half board basis). Checking out time in all three establishments is 12 noon.
There are other up-market establishments on the periphery of the sanctuary: Taj Garden Retreat ( 32 rooms) Spice Village (54 huts), Cardamom County, Hotel Ambadi,
Those who wish to go trekking within the forest can either opt for the short trek arranged by the forest department at short notice (contact the Information Centre) or for the longer one organised by the Eco Development Project of the Forest Department in conjunction with Kerala Travels. This trek takes two nights and three days along trekking trails within the forest. Five trackers and two armed guards accompany small groups of trekkers. The package provides every thing including tented accommodation and group insurance. Fifty percent of the emoluments accruing from this scheme is utilised for tribal rehabilitation.
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