The Agasthyamalai Hills also called the Ashambu Hills, lie at the extreme southern end of the Western Ghats

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...

 mountain range along the western side of South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

. There are at least 26 peaks over 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft) among these hills. The hills are notable as the habitat for over 2,000 species of medicinal plants

Herbalism

Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...

 and as the abode of the Vedic

Historical Vedic religion

The religion of the Vedic period is a historical predecessor of Hinduism. Its liturgy is reflected in the mantra portion of the four Vedas, which are compiled in Sanskrit. The religious practices centered on a clergy administering rites...

 sage

Rishi

Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...

 Agasthya, founder of the Siddhar

Siddhar

Siddhars are saints in India, mostly of the Saivaite denomination in Tamil Nadu, who professed and practised an unorthodox type of Sadhana, or spiritual practice, to attain liberation. Yogic powers called Siddhis are acquired by constant practice of certain yogic disciplines. Those who acquire...

  practitioners of Rasayana

Rasayana

Rasayan, a Sanskrit word , is used to describe chemistry and alchemy, and chemistry is generally called Rasayan Shastra in Sanskrit, Nepali, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada and several other languages.Ancient rasayan texts center around the use of prepared forms of mercury or cinnabar , as do...

 herbal medicine, who is often depicted holding a mortar and pestle.

These hills contain areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. The hills contain outstanding examples of ecosystems and communities of plants and animals representing significant ecological and biological processes. The area contains important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation

Wildlife conservation

Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...

 of biological diversity, including forests containing threatened species

Threatened species

Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...

 of outstanding value to science and conservation.

Geography

The hills straddle both sides of the state border Kollam

Kollam district

-Climate:Kollam's temperature is almost steady throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Summer usually runs from March until May; the monsoon begins by June and ends by September. Kollam receives an annual average rainfall of around...

 and Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram district

Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district of the Indian state of Kerala. It came into existence in the year 1957. The headquarters is the city of Thiruvananthapuram which is also the capital city of Kerala....

 Districts in Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 and Tirunelveli

Tirunelveli District

Tirunelveli District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Tirunelveli is the district headquarters. A unique feature of this district is that it encompasses all five geographical traditions of Tamil Literature; kurinji , mullai , marudham , neithal and palai...

 and Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari District

Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...

 Districts in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. They are between the Cardamom Hills

Cardamom Hills

Not to be confused with Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia. For other uses, see Cardamom The Cardamom Hills are part of the southern Western Ghats located in southeast Kerala and southwest Tamil Nadu in South India. Their name comes from the cardamom spice grown in much of the hill's cool elevation,...

 and Aryankavu

Aryankavu

Aryankavu is a village in Kollam district, Kerala. It lies on National Highway 208 near Punalur and Thenmala.It is a hillside village through where the western ghats passes.The Punalur-Shenkottai metre gauge railway line passes through Aryankavu....

 Pass at NH-208

National Highway 208 (India)

National Highways 744 is a National Highway in Southern India that links Tirumangalam near Madurai in Tamil Nadu with Kollam in Kerala...

 about 9° north latitude and the vicinity of the Mahendragiri

Mahendragiri

Mahendragiri is the name of a hill in southern Tamil Nadu, near Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari district. It is part of the southern tip of the Western Ghats, with an elevation of ....

 peak near Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is a town in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is also sometimes referred to as Cape Comorin. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is the geographical end of the Indian mainland. The district in Tamil Nadu where the town is located is called Kanyakumari...

 at about 8° 20' north latitude.
The border between the two States is defined by a jagged high ridge, that runs from north to south and then slightly eastwards, parallel to and about 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) east of the Kerala shore of the Arabian Sea

Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...

.

These hills are dominated by the 1868 metres (6,129 ft) Agasthyamalai peak. The five-peaked mountain Ainthuthalai Pothigai (1862 metres (6,109 ft)) immediately adjacent to Agasthyamalai, is only a little shorter. Other nearby peaks are Cherumunji Mottai and Naga Pothigai (8°35′38"N 77°17′10"E) (1600 metres (5,249.3 ft)). There are at least 23 more peaks over 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft).

The hills receive up to 5000 millimetres (196.9 in) annual rainfall from both the southwest and northeast monsoon

Monsoon

Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

s and has a very short dry season of January to March. The topography is rugged with many perennial hill streams originating in the tropical rainforests on the upper slopes. These streams merge to form several important rivers. The Kerala rivers Kallada

Kallada River

The Kallada River is one of two major rivers that flow through the Kollam District of Kerala, India. It originates on the Kulathupuzha hills near Ponmudi and travels for 121 km, flowing through Punalur, Pathanapuram, Kunnathur, Kottarakkara and Kollam before ending at Ashtamudi Lake...

, Achankoil, Vamanapuram

Vamanapuram River

Vamanapuram River is an 88-km long river in southern Kerala. The river originates in the Chemunjimotta hills hills on the southern side of the Western Ghats, and flows through Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of Kerala.It ends in AnjengoLake near Varkala.The two tributaries of this river...

, Karamana

Karamana River

Karamana river is a river flowing through the Thiruvananthapuram city , Kerala, India. The river starts from the southern tip of the Western Ghats at Agastyar Koodam. The river flows 68 km westward and merges into the Arabian Sea at Panathura area near Kovalam...

 and Neyyar

Neyyar River

The Neyyar River is a river of south-western India in the Western Ghats. It flows from the Agastya Mala hills in of Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala state....

 drain west from these hills. The Thamirabarani River

Thamirabarani River

The Thamirabarani River originates from the famous Agastyarkoodam peak in the hills of the Western Ghats above Papanasam in the Ambasamudram taluk and flows through Tirunelveli & Tuticorin districts of the Tamil Nadu state of southern India...

 and its tributaries the Ramanadhi River and the Manimuthar River

Manimuthar River

Manimuthar River originates on the eastern slopes of Western Ghats in Tirunelveli District of the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It is a major tributary of the Tambaraparani River....

 in Tamil Nadu are significant perennial rivers flowing east from these hills.

Environment

Agastyamalai is home to the Kanikkaran

Kanikkaran

Kanikkaran is one of the important tribes who have settled down in large tribal communities in the whole state of Kerala, India. According to 2007 census there are 19,000 Kanikkars, living in several districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They dwell in forests or near to forests in Thiruvananthapuram...

 people, one of the oldest surviving hunter-gatherer

Hunter-gatherer

A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...

 tribes in the world.

The Ashambu Hills include the Indian Ecoregions

Ecoregions in India

Because of its size and range of latitude, topography, and climate, India is home to a great diversity of ecoregions, ranging from permanent ice and snow to tropical rainforests....

 of South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests

South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests

The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southern India. It covers the southern portion of the Western Ghats range and the Nilgiri Hills between 250 and 1000 meters elevation in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states.-Setting:The ecoregion...

 above 500 metres (1,640.4 ft), South Western Ghats montane rain forests

South Western Ghats montane rain forests

The South Western Ghats montane rain forests are an ecoregion of southern India, covering the southern portion of the Western Ghats range in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, at elevations over 1000 meters...

 above 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) and shola-grasslands

Shola

Sholas are patches of stunted evergreen tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India. These patches of shola forest are found mainly in the valleys and are usually separated from one another by undulating...

 complex on peaks above 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft).

These hills are noted as the habitat for at least 2,000 species of medicinal plants

Herbalism

Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...

, of which at least 50 are rare and endangered species

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

. There are also wild relatives of jackfruit

Jackfruit

The jackfruit is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family . It is native to parts of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh, . The jackfruit tree is believed to be indigenous to the southwestern rain forests of India...

, mango

Mango

The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...

, cardamom

Cardamom

Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...

, turmeric

Turmeric

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...

 and banana

Banana

Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....

.

Endangered mammals here include the Bengal Tiger

Bengal Tiger

The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...

, Indian Elephant

Indian Elephant

The Indian Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to mainland Asia. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...

, lion-tailed macaque

Lion-tailed Macaque

The lion-tailed macaque is an Old World monkey that is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.-Physical Characteristics:...

s, Nilgiri Tahr

Nilgiri Tahr

The Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiritragus hylocrius, known locally as the Nilgiri Ibex or simply Ibex, is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu...

 and the vulnerable

Vulnerable species

On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...

 Gaur

Gaur

The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...

, Sloth Bear

Sloth Bear

The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...

, Malabar Spiny Dormouse and Nilgiri Marten. There are also Jerdon's Palm Civet, Gray Slender Loris

Gray Slender Loris

The gray slender loris is a species of primate in the Loridae family. It is found in India and Sri Lanka. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss...

, Great Pied Hornbills and King Cobra

King Cobra

The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...

s.Ecotourism

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...

 is popular in the area.

Protected areas

The eastern side of the hills in Tamil Nadu includes the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve , situated in the Southern Western Ghats in Tirunelveli district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the second largest protected area in Tamil Nadu State.-History:...

 (KMTR), a 895 square kilometres (345.6 sq mi) protected area. The Kerala side of the hills hosts the 128 square kilometres (49.4 sq mi) Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, the 53 square kilometres (20.5 sq mi) Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, the 171 square kilometres (66 sq mi) Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary and the Kulathupuzha

Kulathupuzha

Kulathupuzha is a village in the Kollam district of Kerala state, India. This town is situated on the Thiruvananthapuram - Shenkottai road. Kulathupuzha is 62 km away from Thiruvananthapuram and 64 km away from Kollam....

 and Palode

Palode

Palode is a village in Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala, India.-About Palode: India census, Palode had a population of 14795 with 7053 males and 7742 females....

 Reserve forest

Reserve forest

You may be looking for forest reserve, a generic term associated with protected forest areas, which is also used as a specific term for protected forests in some countries...

s near Courtallam

Courtallam

Courtallam is a panchayat town situated at a mean elevation of on the Western Ghats in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, India. Many seasonal and a few perennial rivers such as the Chittar River, the Manimuthar River, the Pachaiyar River and the Tambaraparani River originate in this region...

. The Naraikadu forest or “grey jungle”, surrounded by the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, is privately-owned by the Dhonavur Fellowship. This community has restored and protected the area so well that it is one of the best preserved forest tracts in the whole Ashambu Hills.

These protected areas in the Agasthyamala Hills comprise the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve (ABR). This reserve includes 3500.36 km² (1,351.5 sq mi) out of which 1828 square kilometres (705.8 sq mi) is in Kerala and 1672.36 square kilometres (645.7 sq mi) is in Tamil Nadu.

The Western Ghats

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...

, Agasthyamalai Sub-Cluster, including all of Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, is under consideration by the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

.

Tourism

There are several Hindu Temples and seasonal waterfalls which are important tourist attractions in these hills. At Suruli Falls

Suruli Falls

Suruli falls , also known as Chinna Suruli, Cloud Land Falls or Meghamalai Falls, is located from Theni and from Cumbum in the Theni District in Tamil Nadu, India. Nearest habitation is Kombaithozhu Village. It is a 2 stage Cascading water fall. The Suruli River supplying the falls originates...

 there is a 2 stage Cascading water fall  The Suruli River supplying the falls originates from the Meghamalai

Meghamalai

Meghamalai, popularly called High Wavy Mountains, is a cool and misty mountain range situated in the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamilnadu, South India. It is a place of natural beauty dotted with cardamom plantations and tea estates. The place is situated at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea...

 Hills. The falls drop from a height of 150 feet (45.7 m) collect into a pool, flow for a short distance and again plummet an additional 40 feet (12.2 m). Near the falls are 18 caves some of which represent Indian rock-cut architecture temples of the 18th Century. This popular destination for tourists and devout pilgrims is easily reached by road 56 km (34.8 mi) from Theni

Theni

Theni is a town in the Western Tamil Nadu state of South India. It is the headquarters of Theni District. It is known for the large-scale trading of Cardamom, Cotton, Grapes, chilli and Textiles. It hosts the second largest weekly market in Tamil Nadu and the fourth largest in South India...

 and 10 km (6.2 mi) from Cumbum in the Theni District

Theni District

Theni District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in South India. The city of Theni is the district headquarters. The district is divided into two natural divisions: The hilly areas constituted by parts of the three taluks Periyakulam, Uthamapalayam and Andipatti with thick vegetation and...

.

Many pilgrims climb Agasthyamalai in the core of the hills to perform a puja ceremony at the Agasthya Murti

Murti

In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...

 on the top the Peak. Most pilgrims use the well-worn path through Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary on the Kerala side.
The trekkers start from Bonaccord estate in Thiruvananthapuram district

Thiruvananthapuram district

Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district of the Indian state of Kerala. It came into existence in the year 1957. The headquarters is the city of Thiruvananthapuram which is also the capital city of Kerala....

with a guide from the Forest Department. The first night is spent at a camp facility set up by the Department in the middle of the forests. Trekkers reach the peak the next day and return to the camp the same day. Only 100 pilgrims per day are allowed on this route during the January February season.

Visitors must obtain an entry pass from the Trivandrum Forest Headquarters against payment of Rs 50. Apply to: Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Forest Headquarters, Trivandrum 695 014. Phone : 0471 322217. The Chief Conservator (Agasthyavanam) Phone: 325385 is responsible for on site management of the protected areas on the Kerala side of the Hills.