Silent Valley National Park
Located in the midst of the Kundali Hills of the Western Ghats, the Silent Valley National Park is the only evergreen forests in India, still in its virgin form. This National Park is located at an altitude of 658 to 2383 meters above the sea level. The Silent Valley National Park is well known for a rare reserve of plants and herbs as well as wide species of animal life. What make the Silent valley national park in Kerala different from other wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala is the shadowy wooded surroundings with high peaks and intercepting rivers. September to march is the ideal time to visit this wildlife sanctuary in Kerala. This park, declared a reserve forest by the government of Chennai in 1914 is known as the Sairandhrivanam by the locals. The Silent valley national park is located in the Palghat district of Kerala.
Description of Silent Valley National Park
The Silent Valley national park is the last bit of the virgin tract of tropical evergreen forests in India. The wildlife here is rich, with the elephants, tigers and lion tailed macaques being the most common inhabitants of the park. This is perhaps the only place where you will find a large number of peninsular animals, over a 100 different varieties of butterflies and 400 species of moths and fauna like the Great Indian Hornbill, Ceylon Frog Moth, Nilgiri laughing Thrush and the Lin tailed Macaque. The beauty of the Silent valley national park is enhanced by the flowing River Kunthi which comes down from the Nilgiris and cuts across the entire area of the park, with its crystal clear rippling waters. Silent Valley National Park,Silent Valley National Park in Kerala,Silent Valley National Park Kerala,Introduction of Silent Valley National Park,Description of Silent Valley National Park
Silent Valley National Park - Location
The Silent Valley National Park is situated in the Palghat or Palakkad district of the southern Indian state of Kerala. A part of the Western Ghat along the Arabian Sea, the park extends from latitude 11°04' in the North to longitude 76°79' in the East. The park is contiguous with Attappadi Reserve Forests in the east, and vested forests of the Palghat and Nilambur divisions in the west and south. In the North, the park is an extension of the Nilgiri Forests.
Silent Valley National Park - Climate
The Silent Valley National Park is a heavy rainfall region with the places in the higher altitudes getting the highest rain. The average rainfall in the region varies between 2800 and 3400 mm. The park receives most of its rainfall during the southwest monsoon from June to December. The relative humidity is considerably high during this season with the maximum at times going to 95%. April and May are the hottest months while January and February are the coolest months, though not much difference in the temperature is experienced.
Silent Valley National Park - History
Silent Valley has a very eventful history in comparison to the other wildlife parks in the country. The local name for the park is Sairandhrivanam (the forest in the valley) and had been a centre of hot debates and protests in the decades of the 70's and 80's of the 20th century. The history of the park goes way back to 1888 when the region was declared a reserved land under the Forest Act and later notified as a Reserved Forest by the Government of Madras in 1914.
In the later half of the 1970's, Kerala State Electricity Board decided to construct a Hydel Power Project in this region and when in 1980, this region was declared as National Park, the area of Hydel Project was not included. This started fierce discussions and protests and the Board had to drop its plan. Subsequently, in 1984, the park was again renotified as a National Park with the project area included. In 1986, the Silent Valley was declared the core area in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.