Thekkady is all about Periyar. And visiting Periyar is like looking at the vast green patches of Kerala wildlife through a pair of binoculars! Aptly located in the most dramatic of settings - amidst soul-soothing mountain ranges, lush valleys, picture book lakes and shimmering rivers - the tropical rainforests affords one of the world's most ancient and complex enviornments. The definition is transparent. Say Thekkady and the whole of Kerala will cheer up to playful herds of elephants wandering in the unending chains of hills. However, if you visit Thekkady (named after 'thekku', or teak trees), you will find that it is not as simple as it seems. For time immeorial, Kerala is known for its spices and traders crowd here for commercial gains. So how these slanting hills of Western Ghats cannot encourage, but sit idle to the ambrosial aroma of the Indian spices? It is a country that exudes the spirit and ethos of nature. Plan a holiday tour to the place where you can feel nature at every twists and turns. Stay in one of those raw cottages modelled after the jungle dwellings of the local tribal inhabitants. And a trip to Thekkady will make you articulate enough to describe your experiences in God's own country so vividly, that many people will soon be eager to follow your itinerary in India.
Periyar Tiger Reserve - In Search of The King
Declared a protected area way back in 1933 by the Maharaja of Travancore, the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady, flaunts to be the largest sanctuary in the state of Kerala. Irrefutable pug marks of the Great Indian tiger are present everywhere, dotting the moist grounds of the terrain. It is here, that you can see spurting sambars, closely followed by a pack of wild dogs or pairs of green eyes turning inquisitively to the faintest of noises made. Ride an elephant at the Periyar wildlife sanctuary and you can't resist yourself from falling in love with these sensitive and intelligent animals. Apart from elephants, one can also enjoy the the rare lion-tailed macaque and the Nilgiri Langurs. It is not unusual to spot a few monitor lizards basking in the sun, on the rocks along the lakeshore or a python creeping the swinging branches of rugged timberlines of the Nilgiris.
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