The Silent Valley National Park

Located in the Northeast corner of Palakkad district, Silent Valley was named a National Park only in 1984. It was called 'Sairandhrivanam' as it was considered this was where Sairandhiri (the secret identity donned by Panchali, from the epic Mahabharata) hid along with her five husbands, the Pandavas, while escaping their cruel cousins, theKauravas. The Kunthipuzha River which feeds the entire forest was named after Kunthi, mother of the Pandavas. It is shielded by the Nilgiri Plateau to the North and the Mannarkkad Plains to the South. It constitutes the centrepiece of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, an integral part of the Western Ghats, christened a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012.

The flora and fauna found here makes one wonder if this ecosystem has survived since the very beginning of time. From tigers, leopards, elephants, snakes, Lion-Tailed Macaques and Malabar Giant Squirrels to moths, bugs and toads, the diversity in fauna is breath-taking. Along with them one can view over 1000 species of flowering plants and another 110 species of orchids that enchant all who see them. Over 400 species of moths and 200 species of butterflies have been catalogued here. The 128 species of beetles deserves special mention since 10 of them were previously unknown to mankind.

Many have passed through here since then but none have been able to put to words the exact feelings or detail the emotions evoked by the experience these forests have to offer. It is something to be observed first-hand, this absolute gift of nature, with secrets that mankind is yet to truly understand.
Getting there
Nearest railway station: Palakkad Railway Station, about 53 km
Nearest airport: Coimbatore International Airport, about 73 km
Google map coordinates: 3G7Q+M4 Mukkali, Kerala.