Enchanting Kerala

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary

This is a tropical semi-evergreen forest and is home to animals like elephants, leopards, bisons, sambar, wild boar, Lion-tailed macaques, langurs, deer and most of the other regular inhabitants of a wild, West Coast tropical evergreen forest.

The sanctuary has thick forest cover and is also noted for many exotic plants, some of which are medically important. Four different types of vegetation have been found in Shenduruny. They include: West Coast tropical evergreen forest, West Coast tropical semi-evergreen forest, Southern moist mixed deciduous forest and the Southern hilltop tropical evergreen forest. Of these four, the tropical evergreen forest comprises one fourth of the total Shenduruny forest area.

The Shenduruny forest, which was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1984, gets its name from an endemic species of tree called Chenkuruny or Shenkuruny (Gluta travancoria). In the central region of this moist, mixed deciduous forest, spread over a hilly terrain of over 100 sq km is the 26 sq km artificial lake formed by the Parappar dam built across the Shenduruny and Kulathupuzha rivers.

But beautiful surroundings guaranteed to give those exhausted batteries a recharge are not all that Shenduruny is famous for. According to some recent archaeological studies, Shenduruny was the cradle of one of the oldest river valley civilizations in India - one older than even the Indus Valley, which dates from 4400 - 3700 B.C.

Paintings similar to those of the Mesolithic period (5210 - 4420 BC) found in the caves of Central India, have been excavated from a cave, large enough to hold 20 people, situated at the north-western part of the Shenduruny river.

Getting there:

By road: 66 km from Kollam town on the Kollam-Shencotta Road.
Nearest railway station: Thenmala, about 4 km.
Nearest airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, about 72 km.

For further details contact:
The Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife)
Thiruvananthapuram - 695014
Telefax: +91-471-322217

Or

The Wildlife Warden
Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary
Thenmala Dam P.O.
Kollam.
Tel: +91-475-2344600