Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary is named after the Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple, which is a pilgrimage center situated on top of BR Hills. Safeguarded under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1973, the Forest Department has introduced the concept of tourist zone, buffer zone and core zone in this sanctuary. This has helped to maintain a flourishing flora and fauna in the sanctuary.

Location

Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary is placed between the Eastern and Western Ghats in the state of south eastern Karnataka, India. The sanctuary is located at a distance of about 255 km from the capital city Bangalore and 90 km from Mysore. The sanctuary covers 540 sq. km. inland space.

Flora & Fauna

Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary accommodates a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Flora

The vegetation here mostly comprises evergreen forests with dry scrub jungle and shoal grassland habitats that are commonly found at a high altitude. The foothills are inhabited by scrub and dry deciduous forests. The species found in the deciduous forests here include Dalbergia paniculata, Terminalia alata, Stereospermum personatum, Commiphora caudata, Sterculia urens, Anogeissus latifolia, Grewia tilaefolia, T. belerica, Boswellia serrata and Pterocarpus marsupium in the top canopy.

You would find careya arborea, kydia calycina, sterculia villosa, phyllanthus emblica, buchanania lanzan, hymenodictyon excelsum, schleichera oleosa, cassia fistula and radermachera xylocarpa in the lower canopy. The evergreen forests host species such as salix tetrasperma, s. malabaricum, elaeocarpus tuberculatus, syzygium cumini and viburnum punctatum. cymbopogon flexuosus, themeda cymbaria, C. nardus and T. triandra dominate the grasslands. Artocarpus sp., tectona grandis, cedrela sp. and artocarpus sp. are some of the other species grown here.

Fauna

The list of mammals inhabiting this sanctuary mainly includes leopards, wild dog, sloth bear, mongoose, Malabar giant squirrel, porcupine, wild pig, sambar, blackbuck, tigers, elephants, jungle cat, small Indian civet, flying squirrel, common langur, gaurs, four-horned antelope and deers are the other interesting species you will find here. As per a recent census report, the number of wild dog and leopard has increased. About 215 species of birds can be found here. Among them, the most distinguished ones are the Nilgiri wood pigeon, wood pecker, rufous-bellied hawk eagle, yellow-throated bulbul, velvet-fronted nuthatch, golden back parakeet and peregrine falcon.

About 22 reptile species are found in this sanctuary. The list includes forest calotes, Russell’s viper, common Indian krait, vine snake, flying lizard, monitor lizard, spectacled cobra, saw-scaled viper, Indian rock python and rat snake. In this sanctuary 48 species of ants and 116 species of butterflies have been spotted. Caecilian and Icthyophis ghytinosus are the amphibian species to be seen here.  

Activities

One can also indulge in various activities like amateur fishing, coracle boat rides, river rafting, trekking, professional angling, bird watching and outdoor camping.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary is between September and May.

Accommodation

There is a Wilderness Camp at Kyathadevara Gudi arranged by Jungle Lodges with 11 tented cottages. The Forest Department Guest houses are also available. There are one side-room and two suites here. To rent the guest houses, advance booking is necessary. The rates are extremely affordable.

Visitor’s Information

• Entry to the part is free.
• Vehicle fee is around Rs. 100 per day.
• Park timing is from 6 am to 6 pm, which is precisely from sunrise to sunset.
• There are two entry points to the sanctuary - Chamarajanagar (40 km away) and Yelandur (18 km away).
• To halt at Chamarajanagar, permission has to be taken in advance from the Forest Department.
• To travel to the sanctuary, jeeps can be hired by paying Rs. 1200 from Chamarajanagar and Rs. 600 from Yelandur.

How to Reach

Air

The nearest airport is located at Thiruvananthapuram, which is 140 km away. Another airport is situated in Madurai, which is about 200 km away from this sanctuary. One can arrive at the reserve from Thiruvananthapuram via Nagarcoil and Shencottai. Board a bus to Papanasam from here. There are direct buses available from Papanasam to the Kalakad Reserve.

Rail

Cheranmahadevi is the nearest railway station, located 20 kms away.

Road

Tirunelveli is the nearest town, located at a distance of about 50kms. Regular buses are available from Tirunelveli to Mundanthurai.