Overview[edit]

Thekkady is located about 257 km (160 mi) from Trivandrum, 114 km from Madurai City
and Madurai Airport, 145 km from Cochin International Airport and 114 km from Kottayam railway
station. Thekkady is located near to Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The sanctuary is famous for its
dense evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savannagrass lands. It is home
to herds of elephants, sambar, tigers, gaur, lion-tailed macaques and Nilgiri langurs.
The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is spread across 777 km2 (300 sq mi), of which 360 km2 (140 sq mi) is
thick evergreen forest. The wildlife sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. The splendid
artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the park.
The greatest attractions of Periyar are the herds of wild elephants, deer and bison that come down
to drink in the lake. The sanctuary can be accessed through a trekking, boating or jeep safari.

Submerged trees in Periyar National Park

[2]

Thekkady is considered a haven for natural spices such as black

pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, nutmace, ginger, and clove.

Nearby places of interest[edit]

Murikkady[edit]
This place consists of spices and coffee plantations. It is about 5 km from Thekkady.

Chellar Kovil[edit]
This is located about 15 km from Kumily en route to the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. This place has
a lot of picturesque waterfalls and cascades.

Anakkara[edit]
Located at about 13 km from Kumily on the Kumily-Munnar road. A new airport is proposed
at Anakkara and is under review by the Airports Authority of India.

Mangala Devi Temple[edit]

It is situated about 15 km from Thekkady at an altitude of 1337 m above sea level. It is surrounded
by lush greenery and is closed throughout the year except during the Chitra Pournami festival. At
other times tourists can still visit it by getting a special letter from the forest ranger. The view from
the temple premises is spectacular and one can see part of Eastern Ghats and some villages from
adjacent state of Tamil Nadu.[2]