One of the oldest wildlife sanctuaries in India, Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve was established in the verdant stretches of Kerala in 1895 and declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. The Periyar Widlife Sanctuary covers an area of 777 sq km, out of which 360 sq km is under thick and dense evergreen forests. Surrounded by the dense forests, it is quite popular for the Periyar Lake.An ideal habitat for Indian Elephant, you can see this mighty herbivore living in accord with the ferocious carnivore - Tiger - in the national park. Whereas the wooded hills and the forest provide shelter to the resident animals, the Periyar Lake is the vast water resource, which quenches their thirst anytime and everytime.

Reptiles: Poisonous snakes like cobras, vipers, kraits and a number of non poisonous snakes form the ophio fauna of the Periyar Reserve. monitor lizards are also frequently sighted in the forests.

Amphibians: Frogs, toads,limbless caecilians including the colourful Malabar glidings frogs, common Indian toads, fungoid frogs and bicoloured frogs.

Pisces: The Periyar lake and stream are rich with several species of fish including the masheer, the famous and endangered game fish of India. The otter, the only mammal of the lake is a frequent sight from the boat.

THE SPICES OF THEKKADY
Over twelve varieties of spices, including ginger and garlic are cultivated in Thekkady and its neighboring villages.

Cardamom: Scientific name: Elletteria cardamom. Best altitude for cultivation: 1500m above sea level. Temperature: 100C - 250C. Rainful required: 1500 mm. Propagation: Seedings and vegetative propagation. Pollinating agent: The honey bee. Harvest season: October to February.
A Cardamom plant normally starts bearing capsules from the third year of planting. The harvested capsules are rubbed on wire mesh and polished before they are graded and stored in polythene-gunny bags to retain the green color and to avoid exposure to moisture.

Clove: Scientific name: Eugenia caryophyllus. Clove trees begin to bear flowers 7 - 8 years after planting. Unopened flower buds are carefully hand-picked when they turn from green to pink. The buds are then allowed to dry for 4 - 5 days till the become crisp and dark brown in colour.

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