Mukurthi National Park is a 78.46 km (30.29 sq mi) national park located in the western Nilgiris mountains of Tamil Nadu, South India. The park was created to protect the Nilgiri tahr, an important species in the area. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which is India's first International Biosphere Reserve. As part of the Western Ghats, the park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 1 July 2012. The park has mountain grasslands and shrublands mixed with sholas, experiences high rainfall, very cold temperatures, and strong winds. It is home to Bengal tigers and Asian elephants.
History
Native hill tribe communities, such as the Toda people, have collected firewood from the sholas and raised animals like the hill buffalo in the region for many years. Uncontrolled cutting of the sholas began when British settlements were established in Ootacamund, Coonoor, and Wellington in the early 1800s. In 1841, officials gave contracts to people who wanted to cut wood from specific sholas as part of a "timber conservancy" program. In 1868, James Breeds, a commissioner of the Hills, wrote: "…unless conservancy is taken in hand and organized under some efficient system under the control of an experienced officer, the destruction of the sholas is but a question of time."
Bangitappal (Cannabis tableland), located at the southwest end of the park where two streams meet near the Sispara Pass, was once a stop along the old Sispara ghat road from Kozhikode to Ooty, built in 1832. This pass provided a short land route for postal runners from Ooty to the west coast in the 19th century and was later used for smuggling cannabis, tobacco, and salt. A forest rest house and a trekkers shed built there in 1930 are now used by park staff and visiting researchers.
Between 1840 and 1856, plantations of several non-native tree species were introduced to meet the demand for fuel wood. These included four wattle species (black wattle, silver wattle, green wattle, and blackwood), eucalyptus, cypress, Indian long leaf pine, and thorny gorse. Eucalyptus became the preferred tree for plantations.
Unlike other species, wattles spread quickly through root suckers and covered large areas of native grasslands, including the Mukurthi Hills. They were called a pest "useful for covering wastelands." Some black wattle plantations were kept for the leather industry because their bark produced tannin.
In 1882, Inspector General of Forests, Dietrich Brandis, recommended expanding the existing 1,200 acres (4.9 km²) of plantations to 5,000 acres (20 km²) to create large forest blocks, which would make the remaining sholas unnecessary. The entire area of MNP was declared a Reserve Forest in 1886.
In 1920, it was suggested that 10–15 acre plots in the Kundah Hills, including the current park area, "be planted each year in places where sholas have almost or completely disappeared, the most suitable species probably being Acacia dealbata (silver wattle)." This would replace diverse native ecosystems with a single non-native species that supports few animals.
The area was declared a wildlife sanctuary on August 3, 1982, and upgraded to a National Park on October 15, 1990, to protect the Nilgiri tahr.
Geography
Mukurthi National Park has a long, crescent-shaped form that faces west, located between 11°10' to 11°22' N and 76°26' to 76°34' E. The park is surrounded on the west by Nilambur South Forest Division, on the northwest by Gudalur Forest Division, and on the northeast, east, and southeast by Nilgiri South Forest Division. To the south, it is bordered by Mannarghat Forest Division. At the park’s southwest tip, its peaks extend into the northeast corner of Silent Valley National Park in Kerala.
On the Nilgiri Plateau, the Kundah range of the Nilgiri hills forms a ridge along the southwestern edge of Mukurthi National Park, near the border with Kerala. The border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala in this area is 39 kilometers long. The park slopes generally toward the east and south, receiving water from the Billithadahalla, Pykara, and Kundah rivers, as well as from the Upper Bhavani and Mukurthi reservoirs that flow through the park. Many streams also begin within the park, most of which empty into the Bhavani River.
The park’s elevation ranges from 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) to 2,629 meters (8,625 feet). The highest points in this region of Nilgiri District, Tamil Nadu, include Kollaribetta (2,629 meters), Mukurthi (2,554 meters), and Nilgiri (2,476 meters). Some peaks in this range reach heights close to Doddabetta, a mountain east of Ooty. The Avalanche hill area includes twin peaks called Kudikkadu (2,590 meters) and Kolaribetta. Other notable peaks include Derbetta (2,531 meters) and Kolibetta (2,494 meters), located south of the Ouchterlony valley, which are part of the Kundah range.
Important peaks in the southwest Sispara/Bangitipal area of the park include Sispara (2,206 meters), Anginda (2,383 meters), Nadugani (2,320 meters), and Gulkal (2,468 meters). Other significant heights in the area are Pichalbetta (2,544 meters), Nilgiri Peak, and Mukurthi Peak. Though not the tallest hills in the Nilgiris, these peaks stand out because they rise above the generally flat terrain of the region.
The park has a challenging environment. Annual rainfall ranges from 2,010 mm to 6,330 mm (79–249 inches). Winter nights can be cold enough for temperatures to drop below freezing, and wind speeds may reach up to 120 km/h (75 mph).
Fauna
This area is home to several mammals that are in danger of disappearing, including the Nilgiri tahr, Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, Nilgiri marten, Nilgiri langur, and Bonhote's mouse. The Mukurthi region is near the northern edge of the Nilgiri tahr's range. A count in March 2007 over three days found about 200 Nilgiri tahrs in the park, including 60 young ones. Other mammals in the area include leopard, bonnet macaque, sambar deer, barking deer, mouse deer, otter, jungle cat, small Indian civet, wild dog, jackal, black-naped hare, shrew, Malabar spiny dormouse, and soft-furred rat.
The bird population includes many hill species, such as the threatened Nilgiri laughingthrush, Malabar whistling thrush, Eurasian woodcock, Nilgiri wood pigeon, black-and-orange flycatcher, Nilgiri flycatcher, grey-headed canary flycatcher, black bulbul, Indian white-eye, and Nilgiri pipit. Predatory birds like the black-winged kite, common kestrel, and black eagle can be seen in the grasslands.
This region is also home to many reptiles found only in this area, including geckos like the dwarf gecko, Nilgiri salea (Salea horsfieldii), and the skink (Kaestlea bilineata). Snakes such as the horseshoe pit viper, checkered keelback, rat snake, Oligodon venustus, bronze-headed vine snake, and several shieldtails—Perrotet's shieldtail being the most common—are also present. Most amphibians here are found only in this region, except for the widespread common Indian toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus). Key species include Bufo microtympanum, tree frogs like Raorchestes tinniens, Raorchestes signatus, Raorchestes ravii, Raorchestes thodai, Raorchestes primarrumpfi, Ghatixalus variabilis, and the dancing frog Micrixalus phyllophilus. Aquatic amphibians such as Nyctibatrachus indraneili and Fejervarya nilagirica are also found here.
Butterflies with origins in the Himalayas, such as the blue admiral, Indian red admiral, Indian fritillary, Indian cabbage white, and hedge blues, are present in the area. Some streams were previously stocked with non-native rainbow trout.
Flora
The area is home to many plants that are found only there, especially a type of annual Impatiens plant called scapigerous. Alchemilla indica and Hedyotis verticillaris are found only within or near the edges of this park.
Rhododendrons, including Rhododendron arboreum (Nepal's national flower) and Rhododendron nilagiricum, grow throughout the grasslands. Large rhododendron trees are easily seen near many sholas. Other common shola trees and shrubs among the 58 species here include: Syzygium calophyllifolium, Daphniphyllum neilgherrense, Cinnamomum wightii, Vaccinium leschenaulti, Mahonia leschenaulti, Litsea sp., Lasianthus sp., Psychotria sp., and Michelia nilagirica.
The edges of most sholas are lined with shrubs such as: Gaultheria fragrantissima, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, Rubus sp., Bergeris tinctoria, Eurya nitida, Strobilanthes sp., and Helichrysum sp.
Orchids like Eria abliflora, Oberonia santapaui, Aerides ringens, Aerides crispa, and Coelogyne odoratissima grow on the high western edge of the park. Many grassland plants, including Brachycorythis iantha, Satyrium nepalense, Habenaria cephalotes, Seidenfia densiflora, Spiranthes sinensis, and Liparis atropurpurea, are also found there.
The park's natural habitats have been disturbed by easy access for motor vehicles through four entry points, as well as the growth of non-native plants like eucalyptus and wattle (Acacia dealbata, Acacia mearnsii, and other species). There are also several large and smaller hydro-electric dams in the area.
Only 20% of the park has more than a 50% chance of being used by tahr. If old commercial forests are removed and replaced with grasslands, usable tahr habitat could increase to 60%.
Management
Mukurthi National Park is managed by the Tamil Nadu Department of Forestry. The main goal is to protect the endangered shola-grassland ecosystem and the plants and animals that are only found there. The department runs an anti-poaching program all year. Patrols with guns and radios operate from camps in Bangitappal, Nadugani, Western Catchment, and Mukurthi Fishing Hut.
To prevent wildfires, the department creates man-made firebreaks by digging lines along ridges and clearing paths. Local workers watch for fires during the dangerous December to April season and help control them. Invasive plants like wattle, Scotch broom, and gorse are removed through a long-term program that aims to restore the park’s original plant life.
Tourism is not a main goal, but the Forest Department offers educational programs about nature and conservation. These programs include visits to the Western Catchment and Avalanche areas for the public and special interest groups.
The Forest Department is working to find and add more areas of undisturbed land that are important for wildlife to the park.
Visitor information
Casual tourism and commercial tours are not allowed. There are no tourist facilities in the park. Special interest groups may be allowed for supervised educational trips, trekking, and camping. Forest rest houses are located at Bangitapal, Avalanche, Pykara, and some simple trekking shelters.
A trek that lasts three, four, or five days, mostly downhill, begins with a 75 km drive from Udhagamandalam (Ooty) taking about 4 hours, followed by a 1 km walk to stay overnight at Bangitapal. The next day, hikers walk 24 km through Mukurthi Park over 9 hours to stay overnight at Walakkad or stop halfway at a new shelter at Sispara Peak. The following day, they walk 12 km downhill to Walakkad. Then, hikers walk 18 km in 7 hours to stay overnight at Poochipara. Next, they walk 8 km in 3 hours to reach Sairandhiri in Silent Valley. From there, they can take a park van or stay overnight at Sairandhiri and trek 23 km to Mukkali village. A guide who also cooks accompanies all trekkers. In some cases, the guide may tell visitors to drink directly from streams like deer and stop them from bathing to protect the environment.
Since November 2007, the Forest Department has organized walking trips in Mukurthi Park to help people learn about forest conservation. These trips visit areas such as Mudimund, Mukurthi Peak, Western Catchment, Bangitapal, Moyar, Anaikatti, Morganbetta, Avalanchi, Kolleribetta, Sispara, and Silent Valley. Trek distances range from 8 km to 60 km. Each group has up to 20 people. The department provides guides, instructors, cooks, porters, tents, and food. Trekkers must bring their own backpacks and sleeping bags. Applications for trekking permits must be made to the range officer.
The nearest airport is Coimbatore, which is 140 km away. The closest railway station is Udhagamandalam, located 45 km away. The best times to visit are from February to May and September to November.