PERIYAR WILD LIFE SANCTUARY

wildlife preserve in Idukki district, Kerala state, southern India. The sanctuary is noted for herds of elephants, sometimes numbering 50 members. In addition, bonnet monkey, nilgai, langur, porcupine, sloth bear, tiger, leopard, Asian elephant, barking deer, gray jungle fowl, kingfisher, the great Indian hornbill, and the southern grackle are found in the preserve. Extending over an area of 297 sq mi (770 sq km), the sanctuary encompasses Periyar Lake, formed in the early 1900s by impounding the Periyar River, and is located near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border about 73 mi (118 km) south of Ernakulam and 170 mi northeast of Trivandrum. At an altitude of about 4,600 ft (1,600 m), the hilly topography has produced a lakeshore varied by numerous creeks, bays, and promontories. The vegetal cover is tropical evergreen and deciduous, with patches of dense forest including jackfruit, teak, and kokam trees. Most of the grassland is now planted with eucalyptus.