The Silent Valley National Park is located 40 kms from Mannakkad in the Kundali Hills in the Palakkad District of Kerala. It is also one of the very few continuous forest strips still left in the Western Ghats. The Silent Valley was declared a National Park only as late as in 1980.
History:
The area is locally known as "Sairandhrivanam" literally meaning Sairandhri's Valley in Malayalam. According to Hindu legend, Sairandhri is Draupadi, the polyandrous wife of the five Pandavas who disguised herself as Sairandhri, queen Sudeshna's assistant while they were in exile. The Pandavas, deprived of their kingdom, set out on a 13-year exile. They wandered south, into what is now Kerala, until one day they came upon a magical valley where rolling grasslands met wooded ravines, where at dawn and twilight, the tiger and elephant would drink together at the water's edge, where all was harmonious and man unknown. The Pandavas are believed to have halted here in a cave.
The first English investigation of the watersheds of the Silent Valley area was in 1847 by the botanist Robert Wight. The British named the area Silent Valley because of a perceived absence of the noisy Cicadas.
A third story, refers to the presence there of many Lion-Tailed Macaques Macaca silenus. In 1914 the forest of the Silent Valley area was declared a Reserve Forest, however, from 1927 to 1976 portions of the Silent Valley forest area were subjected to forestry operations. In 1928 the location on the Kunthipuzha River at Sairandhri was identified as an ideal site for electricity generation and in 1958 a study and survey of the area was conducted and a hydroelectric project was proposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board. An organization called the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, succeeded in stopping the Kerala Electricity Board from going ahead with a hydroelectric project in the valley, and saved 500 hectares of rich tropical rain forests from being inundated.
Best For:
Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad District is perhaps the last undisturbed tropical rain forest in India. The diversity of its flora and fauna is comparable to that of the rain forests of Panama. It is home to over 110 plant species of medicinal value, 120 species of birds, 100 species of butterflies, 400 species of moths, 19 species of amphibians, 9 species of lizards and 11 species of snakes.
Silent Valley gets copious amounts of rainfall during the monsoon. The mean annual rainfall ranges from over 5000 mm in the Neelikal area in the west to around 3200 mm on the eastern side of the park. The annual temperature is 20.2 °C. The hottest months are April and May when the temperature is 23 °C and the coolest months are January and February when the temperature is 18º C. Due to the high rainfall, the relative humidity is consistently high (above 95%) between June and December. The best time to visit the sanctuary is from October to March.
There are banks at the district headquarters at Palakkad but it is safer to get foreign currency changed at any of the international airports of Kerala – Cochin, Calicut and Thiruvanantapuram. Visitors arriving from Ooty or Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, can get currency exchanged at the bigger towns and cities.
Regular buses are available from Palakkad to Mukkali which is 23 kms away from the sanctuary. The rest of the distance has to be covered by hiring a van or a jeep.
Domestic Flights
The nearest airport is Coimbatore, 55 kms away in Tamil Nadu, a neighbouring state of Kerala.
International Flight:
Flights from most of the cities around the world operate to Thiruvantapuram, Cochin and Calicut, the three international airports of Kerala. Flights from some Middle East countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, operate on a daily basis. Emirates Airline follows the UK- Dubai-Kerala route while Air Sri Lanka flies UK- Colombo- Kerala.
Road Travel
The nearest town is Mukkali, the last halt of the bus from Palakkad, covering a distance of 80 kms.
Train Travel
To reach the Silent Valley, visitors can travel by train to Palakkad (Palghat) located at a distance of 75 kms. It is also possible to take the train to Thrissur-24 kms away or to Coimbatore-55 kms away.
The Flora and Fauna The Silent Valley has over 110 plant species of medicinal value and seven new plant species have been discovered here. Approximately 30 mammal species including the tiger, leopard, elephant, the Nilgiri langur, the Malabar giant squirrel, the lion-tailed macaque, wild dogs and the gaur can be seen at the park. 120 species of birds, 100 species of butterflies, 400 species of moths, 19 species of amphibians, with 9 lizard species and 11 snake species have also been recorded. The Silent Valley has not been known to support any other human population besides the Mudakar tribals who live in the nearby valley of Attappady Reserve. The entry point to the Silent Valley is through the town of Mukkali. The park receives very few visitors and provides no infrastructure for an overnight stay. The Wildlife Attractions This continuous branch of forestland is fundamental to the existence of animals like the endangered Malabar giant squirrel and the Nilgiri langur, even though the Silent Valley only supports a small population of these animals. They need an unbroken forest canopy to move about on, and almost never travel long distances on ground. The metre-long and fluffy Malabar giant squirrel lives on the treetops of the tallest of trees, 30 to 40 metres above the ground.
There are only about 5,000 Nilgiri langurs on the planet, all of which are endemic to the Western Ghats. Some organs of the body of the Nilgiri Langur are supposed give a man’s potency a boost. This seems to be a reason for hunting the Nilgiri langur down mercilessly. Its glossy skin is also in great demand in the international fashion market.
Insects
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.
Over 128 species of butterflies and 400 species of moths live here. A 1993 study found butterflies belonging to 9 families. At least 500 species of earthworms and leeches have also been identified in the park.
There is no accommodation available for an over night stay at the sanctuary so it is best to visit during the day and make arrangements to stay at the district headquarters of Palakkad.
Kandathu Tharavad Home stay- located 55 kms from Calicut International Airport, is the ideal place to experience the true village life of Kerala in royal settings. Spacious rooms combine modern comforts with a historic feel. The in-house kitchen offers traditional Kerala cuisine.
Malampuzha Gardens is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Kerala, bringing in lakhs of tourists from the state and other states every year. Malampuzha Garden is known as the Vrindavan of Kerala.
The first rock garden of South India, sculpted by world renowned Padmashree Nekchand of Chandigarh is also at Malampuzha. An amusement park is the latest addition to the long list of places to see at Malampuzha Gardens.
The other major attraction is the Udankhatola - South India's only Passenger Ropeway.
Snake Park: The Snake Park located close to Malampuzha Bus Stand, is a major attraction for tourists and Snake lovers. Started in the year 1984, this state government owned park consists of several rare species of snakes like Forsten Cat snake, King cobra, and Brown vine Snake.
Nearby Sites:
Tippu’s Fort:Palakkad Fort, situated in the town close to Fort Maidan, is the best-preserved fort today in Kerala. It was constructed in 1766 by Hyder Ali of Mysore. For him, it served as an advance post for securing his communications with Coimbatore and the West Coast. Today, this fort, popularly known as Tippu's Fort, is one of the protected monuments in Palakkad town.
Jain Temples
One of the rare existing Jain temples in Kerala is at Jainmedu, near Palakkad town. It is built on the shores of the Kalpathy River in Vadakkanthara. This temple constructed with granite walls devoid of any decorations, comprises four divisions and is 32 feet high and 20 feet wide. The Jains who came here from Mysore fled from this place during the invasion of Tipu Sultan.
Recommended Circle:
The Silent Valley Sanctuary can be visited enroute from Trichur or Cochin to Ooty or Coimbatore. It is also visited by some on their southward journey from the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary to the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary.
Despite its name, the Silent Valley Sanctuary echoes with the collective sounds of all the wildlife present there. There is a lot to learn through a visit although there are comparatively fewer visitors here due the lack of accommodation within the precincts of the sanctuary.
