National Parks In India

Mukurthi National Park

Mukurthi National Park (MNP) which is a protected area is a 78.46 km² located in Nilgiris Plateau’s west corner, Ootacamund hill station’s west, Tamil Nadu’s northwest South India’s Western Ghat mountain range.

This park is said to be Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve’s part. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is considering all of the the Mukurthi National Park, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster 6000+ km², to be selected for the World Heritage Site.

Mukurthi National Park is facing towards the west with it crescent elongated shape has an elongated crescent shape between 11°10' - 11°22' N &  76°26' - 76°34'. This has towards its borders with Kerala’s Nilambur South Forest Division on west, Gudalur Forest Division on northwest, Nilgiri South Forest Division on the east, southeast and northeast and the Kerala’s Mannarghat Forest Division on the south. The parks peak of the tip of the southwest are at both the sides of the corner of northeast of the Kerala’s Silent Valley National Park of Kerala.

The shrublands and Montane grasslands are described distinctively with shoals on a higher are of altitude with high rainfall, with high winds and temperatures near to freezing point. This place is home for the dangerous wildlife which includes the Asian Elephant & Royal Bengal Tiger, with Nilgiri Tahr as it main attraction in mammals. Earlier this park was called the Nilgiri Tahr National Park.

General Information

State	Tamil Nadu
District(s)	Nilgiri
Established	12 December, 2001
Nearest city	Ootacamund
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
Elevation	2,629 m (8,625 ft)
Climate
Precipitation	6,330 millimetres (249 in)
Temperature
Summer	35 °C (95 °F)
Winter	0 °C (32 °F)

History

The tribe of the native hills which includes the Toda harvested the firewood from shoals and their animal which also includes the Hill Buffalo have harvested the firewood for centuries. The shoals indiscriminate felling started with British establishing the settlements in early 19th century in Coonoor, Wellington and Ootacamund. From 1841 the contractors were issued authority to bid the fell wood from the shoals which are specific in ‘timber conservancy’ program.

At the park’s southwest end is the Bangitappal at the two streams junction at the Sispara Pass’s head, was this was a place to halt on the Sispara ghat old road from the Kozhikode to Ooty which was constructed in 1832. This in turn led to the short cut for the postal people who were in the 19th century commuting from Ooty to West Coast & smuggling of tobacco, salt and cannabis was carried on. In 1930 the trekkers shed and the forest rest house was built but now it is used by the visiting researchers & park staff.

Plantations of many species of trees which were non-native were introduced in this place from the year 1840 to 1856 in order to meet the demand of the fuel and wood. The 4 Wattle species (Silver Wattle, Black Wattle, Blackwood and Green Wattle), Cyprus, Eucalyptus, Thorny Gorse and Indian Long Leaf Pine. Of which the plantation tree which was preferred was Eucalyptus.

Unlike others, the wattles which were used to cover huge area of the native grasslands, by the root suckers to cover fast the huge areas of the native grassland and also includes the Mukurthi Hills, and was said to be declared as a pest which is used for covering of waste land. For leather industry, Black Wattle plantations are maintained as the bark of these plantation yielded tannin.

In 1882, Dietrich Brandis the Inspector General of Forests, suggested the increasing of the current area of plantation from 1200 acres i.e., 4.9 km2 to 5,000 acres i.e., 20 km2 in order to create many forest blocks, which would give way to the leftover shoals as repetitive forest resources. In 1886 all if the area of MNP got declared as Reserve forest.

It was suggested in the year 1920 that the plots of 10 to 15 acres which is in Kundah Hills also includes the current area of park, to be planted every year in areas where the shoals are disappearing or disappeared, which is the suitable speices of all probably being the Acacia dealbata (Silver Wattle), and hence replacing the stable ecosystems and highly diverse endemic with a wonderful little animal diversity of monoculture support.

On 3rd August, 1982 this area got declared as wildlife sanctuary was declared in this area and got upgraded on the 15th of October 1990 to National Park so as to protect Nilgiri Tahr.

Detailed Information – Regarding The Best Time To Visit

Best Season is from February - May, and September - November

Timings from 9.00 am till 5.30 p.m. Tuesday’s Holiday

In the park tourist facilities is not available and the commercial tour operation and the Casual tourism is not permitted. Interest groups which are special are at times allowed for camping, trekking and educational programs. At Pykara, Avalanche, trekking shed which are unfurnished and Bangitapal have forest rest houses.

Mukurthi National Park Is At A Distance Of

1.            16 kms from Bangitapal – Sispara

2.            52 kms – Bangitapal –Sispara-Poochiparai- Silent Valley

3.            Devabetta – Mukkurthi Peak at 12KM. to Fishinghut (halt) is 8 KM.

4.            20 kms – halt Kolarikutta – Bangitapal

5.            14 kms - Western Catchment – Bangitapal

6.            18 kms Trekking Shed – Kangerkundi – Nadugani

How To Reach There

Mukkurthi National Park can be reached from 4 various routes.

Avalanchi is at a distance of 30 kms from Ooty and Avalanchi, by road Upper Bhavani can be reached 25 kms, and the sanctuary area starts beyond the Upper Bhavani Dam.

24 kms near Pykara from Anumapuram. In Ooty – Gudalur – Mysore road from Ooty and reaching Porthimund Dam.

Nilgiris Peak’s third entry point is nearby to T.R.Bazaar in Ooty – Gudalur – Mysore road through road Terrace estate and reach Mudimund 40 kms.

Parsonsvally road is fourth entry point and leads to Western Catchment II & III.

Biotic interference is little due to the tough & difficult terrain accessibility in this area. The activities which are permitted are trekking and vehicles drivers along the routes which are prescribed.

Mukurthi National Park - Things To Do

From 2007 November, trekking programmes has been organized by the Forest Department inside the Mukurthi Park’s forest area with a motive to make the public familiar with the efforts put in by the department in conversation. The different treks which cover the place are Mukurthi Peak, Mudimund, Bangitapal, Western Catchment, Anaikatti, Moyar, Avalanchi, Morganbetta, Sispara, Silent Valley and Kolleribetta. The distances of the trek varies from 8 to 60 kms. Every group consists of 20 members. The department provides the instructors, guides, porters, cooks, food and tents. Trekkers are asked to get their own sleeping bags and ruck sacks.

The trekking permits application needs to be done before hand with: Range officer - Reception, O/O Wildlife Warden, Mount Stuart Hill, Udhagamandalam – 643 001 Tamil Nadu, India; Phone: +91-423-24445971; Fax: +91-423-2450400.

Location Map

Accommodation

Forest Rest Houses: Bangi Tapal, Upper Bhavani(EB), Mukurthi Fishing Hut

Contact:

Wildlife Warden

Mudumalai and Mukurthi National Parks and Sanctuary,

Mount Stuart Hill, Ooty – 643001

The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India

Ph: 0423-2444098

Weather

The environment of the park is rough and the annual rainfall varies from 2010mm to 6330mm i.e., 79 to 249 inches, at times the temperature in the nights in winters fall below the freezing point and speed of wind ranges up to about 120 km/h i.e., 75mph.

Photo Gallery