ANAMALAI

ANAMALAI
In the Shadow
By Sunaad Raghuram

Looking at the Ulandy Range from a distance, one can only wonder at nature’s extraordinary generosity in crafting these forests on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. The foliage is in shades varying from bottle green and jade to a touch of emerald. Get closer and you can see the leaves rustling in the wind. The rustling arouses myriad birds, which begin to call in varying pitches, their soft calls wafting gently over the valleys.

You’re in Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over nearly 1,000 sq km on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border and stomping ground of the elephant. The sanctuary has one proverbial foot in Tamil Nadu in Anaimalai and the other in Parambikkulam in Kerala. So an added bonus is you’ll get to enjoy the piquant delights of the three jewels of Parambikkulam — the Parambikkulam, Thoonakkadavu and Peruvaripalam dams.