Peppara
Encyclopedia
The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary constitutes the catchments of the Peppara Dam on the Karamana River
near Thiruvananthapuram
, India
.
The Peppara Dam was commissioned in 1983 to augment the drinking water supply to Thiruvananthapuram
city and suburban areas. Considering the ecological significance of the area, it was declared a sanctuary in 1983. The area was formerly a part of the Paruthippally range of the Thiruvananthapuram Territorial Division. Forests consist of part of the Palode reserve (24 square kilometres (9.3 sq mi)) and part of Kottoor reserve (29 square kilometres (11.2 sq mi)). The total water spread of the reservoir is 5.82 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi). Recently, a joint effort has been made by Kerala
Tourism with the State Forest Department and the Kerala Water Authority to beautify the dam site and provide more entertainment and leisure facilities here.
Road, about 50 km northeast of Thiruvananthapuram.
, Hopea parviflora
, Bombax ceiba
, Syzyguium cummini, Lagerstroemia lanceolata, Albizzia procera, Alstonia scholaris
, etc.
, Leopard
, Sloth Bear
, Elephant
, Sambar (deer), Bonnet Macaque
, Nilgiri Langur
, Nilgiri Tahr
etc.
, and 49 kilometres (30.4 mi) from the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
Karamana River
Karamana river is a river flowing through the Thiruvananthapuram city , Kerala, India. The river starts from the southern tip of the Western Ghats at Agastyar Koodam. The river flows 68 km westward and merges into the Arabian Sea at Panathura area near Kovalam...
near Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The Peppara Dam was commissioned in 1983 to augment the drinking water supply to Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
city and suburban areas. Considering the ecological significance of the area, it was declared a sanctuary in 1983. The area was formerly a part of the Paruthippally range of the Thiruvananthapuram Territorial Division. Forests consist of part of the Palode reserve (24 square kilometres (9.3 sq mi)) and part of Kottoor reserve (29 square kilometres (11.2 sq mi)). The total water spread of the reservoir is 5.82 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi). Recently, a joint effort has been made by Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
Tourism with the State Forest Department and the Kerala Water Authority to beautify the dam site and provide more entertainment and leisure facilities here.
Location
The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on Thiruvanthapuram-PonmudiPonmudi
Ponmudi is a hillstation in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala in South India. Its located 61 km north-east of Trivandrum city at an altitude of 1100 m. It is a part of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea.-Tourism:Ponmudi is connected to...
Road, about 50 km northeast of Thiruvananthapuram.
Topography
The area is hilly, with elevation varying from 100 metres (328.1 ft) to 1717 metres (5,633.2 ft). The major peaks in the sanctuary are Chemmunjimottai (1717m), Athirumalai (1594m), Arumukhamkunnu (1457m), Koviltherimalai (1313m) and Nachiyadikunnu (957m). Annual average rainfall is 2500 millimetres (98.4 in). The major rivers are Karamana River and its tributaries.Biodiversity
Forest types include West coast tropical evergreen, Southern hilltop tropical evergreen, West cast semi-evergreen,Southern moist mixed deciduous forest, Myristica swamp forest, sub-montane hill valley swamp forest etc.Trees
Common tree species are Terminalia paniculta, T. bellerica, Pterocarpus marsupium, Palaquium ellipticum, Mesua ferreaMesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers...
, Hopea parviflora
Hopea parviflora
Hopea parviflora is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to India.-References:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....
, Bombax ceiba
Bombax ceiba
Bombax ceiba, like other trees of the genus Bombax, is commonly known as cotton tree or tree cotton. This tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage. It produces a capsule which, when ripe,...
, Syzyguium cummini, Lagerstroemia lanceolata, Albizzia procera, Alstonia scholaris
Alstonia scholaris
Alstonia scholaris Alstonia scholaris Alstonia scholaris (Apocynaceae, commonly called Blackboard tree, Indian devil tree, Ditabark, Milkwood pine, White cheesewood and Pulai; syn. Echites scholaris L. Mant., Pala scholaris L...
, etc.
Animals
The sanctuary has a rich population of mammalian fauna and is emerging as a big attraction to wildlife enthusiasts and ornithologists. 43 species of mammals, 233 species of birds, 46 species of reptiles, 13 species of amphibians and 27 species of fishes are reported from the sanctuary. The common mammals found are TigerTiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
, Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
, Sloth Bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
, Elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, Sambar (deer), Bonnet Macaque
Bonnet Macaque
The bonnet macaque is a macaque endemic to southern India. Its distribution is limited by the Indian Ocean on three sides and the Godavari and Tapti Rivers along with a related competing species of rhesus macaque in the north....
, Nilgiri Langur
Nilgiri Langur
The Nilgiri langur is a lutung found in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats in South India. Its range also includes Kodagu in Karnataka,Kodayar Hills in Tamil Nadu and many other hilly areas in Kerala and Tamil nadu. This primate has glossy black fur on its body and golden brown fur on its head...
, Nilgiri Tahr
Nilgiri Tahr
The Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiritragus hylocrius, known locally as the Nilgiri Ibex or simply Ibex, is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu...
etc.
Tourism Details
The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is 44 kilometres (27.3 mi) by car from the nearest railway station, at ThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, and 49 kilometres (30.4 mi) from the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
- Accommodation: - No facilities by the Department. IB of Kerala Water Authority is very near to the headquarters.
- Best season to visit: January to March
- Closure Period: Open throughout the year
- Special Attractions: Trekking to forest area – Bonafalls, Vazahuvanthole water falls, Kalarkad waterfalls, visit to settlement areas etc.