Geological features of the Western Ghats

The Western Ghats region is a rich reserve of rock formations. Basalt is the predominant rock types found here. Besides, granites, leptynites, charnockites as well as iron ore, dolerites, laterites and bauxite ores are also found here in varying proportions.

Climate

The climatic condition in the Western Ghats is generally humid and tropical in the lower elevations, thanks to the closeness to the sea. Higher up, the climate turns more temperate. The monsoon season extends from June to September. The Western Ghats, owing to its contiguous nature acts as a major determinant to the rainfall in the adjoining regions. The east bound monsoon winds after meeting barrier in the Ghats cause more rainfall in the western side while the eastern side of the Ghats (the leeward side) receives less rainfall. The western parts of the Western Ghats receive an average rainfall of 3,000-4,000 mm while in the eastern part, it is about 1,000 mm (average rainfall hence amounting to about 2,500 mm). Rainfalls in the Western Ghats also vary significantly when it comes to the North-South distribution. Mean temperature in the Western Ghats region varies between 20 degrees Celsius in the south to 25 degrees Celsius in the north.

Geography

The Western Ghats is a complex system of great many geographical features. These can be briefly summarised.

Rivers

The Western Ghats feed major rivers in South India like Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, which flow eastwards into the Bay of Bengal. There are also west-flowing rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea like Mondovi and Zuari. These rivers travel shorter distance and generally are fast moving owing to the steeper slope. Tributaries like Tunga River, Bhadra river, Malaprabha River, Bhima River, Hemavathi river, Kabini River and Ghataprabha River besides smaller rivers like Pennar River, Periyar River, Pechiyar River, Kundali River and Manimuthar River also flow in the Western Ghats region.

Mountain peaks

Anai Mudi in Kerala, as has been said already, is the highest peak in the Western Ghats. Other significant peaks are Mullayanagiri (6,317 feet) and Kudremukh (6,110 feet) in Karnataka; Kalsubai (5,427 feet), Mahabaleshwar (4,701 feet) and others in Maharashtra and Sonsogor in Goa. Other smaller peaks include Vellarimala, Chembra and Banasura. Doddabetta peak in Tamil Nadu and Biligirirangans peak in Karnataka meet with Shevaroys, Servarayan and Tirumala range in the east, setting up the link between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. Baba Budan Giri mountain, Anai Malai, and Cardamom Hills are also located in the Western Ghats.

The foothill region located at the east of the Ghats in Maharashtra is locally known as Desh while in central Karnataka, it is known as Malenadu.

Gaps

The Western Ghats have a few mountain passes like the Goa Gap (between Maharashtra and Karnataka) besides the Palakkad Gap.

Flora

The Western Ghats vegetation mainly boasts of tropical and deciduous rainforest, grasslands, montane forest and scrubs. Western Ghats are the only regions in south India where rain forests are found. The Western Ghats are home to four tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregions – the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, North Western Ghats montane rain forests and South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests.

The northern part of the range is generally drier than the southern portion. Deciduous forests mainly featuring teak are found here. Above 1,000 meters the montane rain forests are mainly characterised by Lauraceae trees.. Montane grasslands are also spasely found in the higher elevations.

The Wayanad forests of Kerala mark the transition between the northern and southern Western Ghats ecoregions. At lower elevations where the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests are more prominent, Cullenia, teak, dipterocarps are mainly found. Most of the flowering species of the Western ghats are found in the South Western ghats.

Fauna

The vast expanse of the Western Ghats is home to several animal species among which many are even categorised as endangered species. The mammal species found in the Western Ghats include the endangered Lion-tailed Macaque, Large-spotted civet, tigers, leopards, Indian muntjiac, Asian elephants, wild boars, sloth bears, gaurs, Nilgiri sambars. Several types of bats like Wroughton’s freetailed bat, Theobald’s tomb bat , short-nosed fruit bat, painted bat and Large Lesser False Vampire bats are found in various parts of the Western Ghats. Besides, snakes, insects, butterflies, mollusks, frogs (most of the amphibian species found in the Western Ghats are endemic to the region) and fishes are seen here. The water bodies in the Western Ghats feature various kinds of freshwater, marine and ornamental fishes.

Avifauna

Great Indian Hornbill, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Broad-tailed grassbird, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Rufous Babbler, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Nilgiri Pipit, Rufous-breasted Laughingthrush, Crimson-backed Sunbird are some of the birds types that are spotted in the Western Ghats. There are at least 16 endemic species among the 500 plus avifauna species of the Western Ghats.

National/reserved parks in the Western Ghats

The Indian government has set up several protected areas in various parts of Western Ghats to put check on human encroachments and protect the endangered species. The reserve forests are maintained by the forest departments of the respective states of location.

Some of the known national parks here are

• Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary
  Home to Indian muntjac
• Silent Valley National Park
  Lion-talied macaque
• Kudremukh National Park
  Lion-tailed macaque
• Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
  Home to over, Asian elephants and tigers. 300 insect species are also found here
• Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
  Elephant habitat
• Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
  Elephant habitat
• Bandipur National Park
  Home to the endangered gaurs
• Bannerghata National Par
• Kodagu forest
  Home to the Nilgiri langurs
• Forest on the borders of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have the largest concentration of tigers after the Sunderbans in West Bengal-Bangladesh border
• Dandheli and Anshi National Parks
  Home to black panthers, leopards and Great Indian Hornbills

Attractions at Western Ghats

Besides the various national parks and the wildlife sanctuaries and river valleys, Western Ghats are also home a great many tourist attractions.

Hill sations like

• Ootakamund or Ooty
• Mahabaleshwar
• Matheran
• Lonavala-Khandala
• Panchgani
• Amboli Ghat
• Kudremukh
• Kodagu
• Munnar
• Ponmudi
• Waynad

Other attractions

• Anaimudi Hills
• Coffee plantations in Karnataka (Kodagu or Coorg region) and tea plantations in Kerala (Munnar region)
• Konkan and Malabar Coasts
  Konkan Coast is the coastal stretch between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea in the northern part. In the south, the coast is known as Malabar Coast.

Cities in the Western Ghats

• Calicut in Kerala
  Dolphin’s Point, Pazhassirajah Museum, Mishkal Masjid and Kozikhode Beach are some of the best attractions here. Kochi, Kappad, Thrissur are close to Calicut
• Munnar in Kerala
  Marayoor, Eravikulam National Park, Lock Heart Gap, Chithirapuram, Anayirangal, Attukal, Nyayamakad, Echo Point, Rajamala, Kundala, Power House Waterfalls are some of the well-known tourist spots here. Kochi, Kumarakom, Madurai, Idduki are nearby locations worth a visit.

• Kottayam in Kerala
  Backwaters, Thirunakkara Mahadeva Shiva Temple, Thazhathangadi Mosque, Good Shepherd Church are some known tourist attractions here. One can visit Ernakulam and Alapphuza from here.
• Kochi in Kerala
  Dutch Palace, Fort Kochi beach, Hill Palace,  Kochi Beach, Jewish Synagogue, Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary are top tourist attractions here. Munnar, Kumarakom, Coimbatore, Munnar, Kozhikode are accessible from Kochi.
• Pune in Maharashtra
  The largest city in the Western Ghats, Pune has a number of tourist spots like Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, national War Museum, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, Osho International Meditation Centre Resort and others.
• Goa
  Goa is a beautiful coastal holiday destination in the Konkan, which is an escarpment rising up to the Western Ghats. Goa is famous for its excellent beaches, churches, temples and carnival.
• Kemmangundi
• Dharmasthala
• Besides there also other places like Varkala, Trivandrum, Periyar, Kovalam, Mangalore

Western Ghats as the World Heritage Site

The areas in the Western Ghats that are included in the World Heritage Site include among others

• Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve
• Periyar National Park
• Ranni, Konni and Achankovil Forest Divisions.
• Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
• Eravikulam National Park
• Indira Gandhi National Park
• Palani Hills National Park
• Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Karimpuzha National Park
• Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
• Kudremukh National Park
• Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary
• Radhanagri Wildlife Sanctuary

Lakes in the Western Ghats include

• Ooty Lake

• Kodaikanal Lake
• Sivajisagar Lake
• Yercaud Lake
• Devikulum

Dams in the Western Ghats include

• Koyna Dam
• Parambikulam Dam
• Linganmakki Dam

Time to visit

Since the Western Ghats are a prolonged landscape experiencing diverse climate, timing of visit can change from place to place. However, a s a general rule, Septemebr to May is the ideal time to visit the Ghats.

How to reach

Reaching the Western Ghats again depends the particular destination that one eyes to visit. Mumbai, Pune, Trivandrum, Bangaluru, Coimbatore are the major entry points to this region. The place is well connected by rail, road and air connections. Konkan Railways that run between Mangalore in Karnataka to Mumbai through Goa. Taking a ride on this route is simply breathtaking.

Accommodations

There are innumerable accommodation facilities in all the major cities and hill stations in the Western Ghats region.

Having the Raj stamp all over it, you will be thrilled to view the thick lush trees and vegetation, rocky cliffs, murmuring birds, coastal plains on one side, and the River Krishna on the other. The hill resort is an exemplary British developed refreshing place that is depicted in its grand bungalows, British style boarding schools, and Parsi houses. In addition, the tasty strawberries and raspberries, the table land – a flat summit of fun, and the snaky Krishna River crawling through the hamlets, frames, and the valley simply add to the beauty of the picturesque Panchgani. The blend of all this has made Panchgani an ideal place of movie shoots and has been featured in many Indian movies.

Since the British rule, the town is also known for rich air with high oxygen levels and water with traces of hemoglobin increasing the iron levels.

History

The hill resort was founded by the British during their rule over India and was regarded as a summer resort. In 1860s, John Chesson, a superintendent was in charge of town. It was this superintendent who planted many different types of plants belonging to the western world such as silver oak and poinsettia.

Tourists’ Attractions

• Sydney Point
  This is the point famous for viewing the impressive waters of the Dhom Dam, Pandavgad, and Mandhardeo. It is located on a hill rock that is in the direction of the Krishna Valley.
• Table Land
  This is the flat volcanic plateau located at 60 feet high and is made up of laterite rock. This is a piece of the Deccan Plateau, which were elevated due to the pressure amid the earth plates. Due to this, the land is prone to earthquakes with its epicenter near Koynanagar famous for the Koyna Dam and hydroelectric power plant. On the land, you can enjoy horse rides, hot American corn, small ride of the Giant Wheel and much more to this. However, for this, you need to explore the largest plateau for more entertainment. You can a scenic view of many caves from here, one of them being the Devil’s kitchen.
• Parsi Point
  This is a splendid point famous for the Krishna valley and the blue glittering waters of the Dhom Dam. It comes on the way to the famous hill station, Mahabaleshwar that is only 18 km away from Panchgani.

• Devil’s Kitchen
  This another worth seeing site is located at the south of the table land. A popular belief or myth holds that the Pandavas of the Mahabharata resided at this site for sometime and cooked food. It was these historic men who also are said to build the Pandavgad caves (near Wai).
• Ganesha Temple
  This is the famous temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha (God of wisdom and prosperity) in Wai that is near to Panchgani.
• Rajpuri Caves and Kamalgad Fort
  This is a must see place where there is a temple of Swami Kartikeya, the elder son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. It is located at a distance of 10 km and is famous for the local fair during the harvest season. Near this area, there is also a beautiful temple of the native Goddess, Ghatjal Devi.
• Pratapgad Fort
  This is only 6 km from Panchgani and is must for a part of your visit; otherwise, your visit is incomplete. Built in 1656 by Shivaji, it is the spectator of the Maratha rebel and Afzal Khan. Other attractions include the temple of Goddess Bhavani (a form of divine Shakti) and the dargah of Afzal Khan.
• Bazaar
  This is the market that you can reach by walking downwards the hill and is famous for reasonable footwear (shoes and slippers) and preserves and squashes of strawberries and raspberries.
• Pony Riding
  This is fun while you see the town by riding.
• Dhom Dam
  This is a splendid boating spot situated 21 km away from Panchgani. You can have fun through speed and scooter boats. Another amazing scenic experience is sporting in the Krishna rivulet.

• Tuberculosis Sanitorium
  This is famous medical site for treating TB patients. It is proved that patients recover at a fast rate due to the water and atmosphere of Panchgani. It was built in Dr. Rustomji Bomanji Billimoria in 1940s.

Days of Attraction

September to May is the preferable time to visit Panchgani.

Reaching Panchgani

By air, Pune is the nearest airport situated at a distance of 98 km.

By rail, Wathar is the nearest railhead.

By road, Panchgani is approximately 285 km, 100 km and 18 km from Mumbai, Pune, and Mahabaleshwar respectively.