Western Ghats
The
Western Ghats are a mountain range in
India. They run along the western edge of the
Deccan Plateau, and separate the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the
Arabian Sea. The range starts south of the
Tapti River near the border of
Gujarat and Maharashtra, and runs approximately 1600 km through the states of Maharashtra,
Goa,
Karnataka,
Kerala, and
Tamil Nadu, to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. The average elevation is around 900 meters. This range is also known as
Sahyadri mountains in
Maharashtra and north
Karnataka and
Malabar in
Kerala.
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Jog Falls, Karnataka, Highest waterfalls in Asia |
Higher peaks occur in the northern section of the range in Maharashtra, notably
Kalsubai 1646 m (5427 ft),
Mahabaleshwar 1438 m (4710 ft) and
Harishchandragarh 1424 m (4691 ft); in southwest Karnataka, notably
Kudremukh at 1862 m (6,109 ft) and
Mullayanagiri at 1925 m (6,317 ft); and in the southern part of the range, with
Anai Mudi in
Kerala at 2695 meters (8,842 ft) being the highest peak in the Western Ghats.
Chembra Peak in
Kerala at 2100 m,
Banasura Peak in
Kerala at 2073 m and
Vellarimala in
Kerala at 2200 meters. The only major gaps in the range are the Goa gap, between the Maharashtra and Karnataka sections, and the
Palghat Gap that joins Tamil Nadu to Kerala. Smaller ranges, including the
Nilgiri Hills (with Doddabetta being the highest peak at 2623 meters) of northwestern Tamil Nadu and
Biligirirangans southeast of
Mysore in Karnataka, meet the
Shevaroys (Servarayan range) and
Tirumala range farther east, linking the Western Ghats to the
Eastern Ghats. These ranges of hills serve as important wildlife corridors, allowing species like elephants to move between the ranges.
The northern portion of the narrow coastal plain between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea is known as the Konkan Coast or simply
Konkan, and the southern portion is called
Malabar or the Malabar Coast. The foothill region east of the Ghats in Maharashtra is known as
Desh, while the eastern foothills of central Karnataka state is known as the
Malnad region. The largest city within the mountains is the city of
Pune, in the Desh region on the eastern edge of the range.
The mountains intercept the rain-bearing westerly
monsoon winds, and are consequently an area of high rainfall, particularly on their western side. The dense forests also contribute to the precipitation of the area by acting as a substrate for condensation of moist rising (orographic) winds from the sea, and releasing much of the moisture back into the air via
transpiration, allowing it to later condense and fall again as rain.
The westward-facing slopes receive much more rain than the eastward-facing slopes, and the Western Ghats are considerably wetter than the dry
Deccan to the east. The Western Ghats form the most important
watershed for peninsular India, the plentiful rain giving rise to numerous streams, with many waterfalls, which form the headwaters of both the short rivers that run to the Arabian Sea and the great perennial rivers of the Deccan, including the
Godavari River,
Krishna River,
Kaveri River and their tributaries, which empty into the
Bay of Bengal.
These rivers provide the water for agriculture and drinking to all the major cities downstream including the cities of
Bangalore,
Pune and
Mumbai. Many of these rivers and streams are threatened by pollution from mining, agricultural and urban runoff, coffee pulp effluents and other human activity. There has recently been a strong movement to curb mining operations in the Western Ghats, as this is one of the global
Biodiversity hotspots. One standing example of such a campaign is the one in Kudremukh, where iron ore is mined, and the river Kali is used to transport ore.
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Figs (Ficus species) like this Strangler Fig are an important floral element and support many frugivores. |
Historically the Western Ghats were well-covered in dense forests. They contain the largest patches of
moist deciduous forest and
rain forest in southern India. These forests are home to an interesting and diverse fauna and flora, many of them showing affinities to the
Malayan region, but are increasingly threatened by human activity. Several national parks and other protected areas lie within the range, but it is estimated that only a small fraction of the Western Ghats remains in pristine condition. The
Silent Valley National Park in Kerala is considered by many to be the last tracts of virgin tropical evergreen forest in India.
Biogeographers have long recognized the distinctive plant and animal communities of the Western Ghats. Many of these faunal and floral elements are not found anywhere else in India except in parts of northeastern India. The Western Ghats are also home to many
endemic species, and the endemism is especially high in the amphibian and reptilian fauna. The snake family
Uropeltidae is almost entirely restricted to and diversified in this region of the world. The frog
Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis was discovered in
2003 as being a
living fossil. This species of frog is most closely related to species found in the
Seychelles. Some Western Ghats streams are home to a freshwater
puffer fish Carinotetraodon travancoricus apart from marine forms like
Chelonodon patoca (
Buchanan-Hamilton,1822) [
1].
The Western Ghats are ecologically distinct from the drier regions to the north and east, but can be further divided into four
ecoregions. The northern portion of the range is generally drier than the southern portion, and at lower elevations makes up the
North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests ecoregion, with mostly deciduous forests made up predominantly of
teak (Tectona grandis) and
dipterocarps. Above 1000 meters elevation are the cooler and wetter
North Western Ghats montane rain forests, whose evergreen forests are characterized by trees of family
Lauraceae.The northern portion of the ghats is found in the states of Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
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Nilgiri Hills. High altitude grass hills interspersed with shola forests. Many introduced exotic temperate trees now cover the landscape. |
The evergreen
Wayanad forests of Kerala mark the transition zone between the northern and southern ecoregions of the Western Ghats. The southern ecoregions are generally wetter and more species-rich. At lower elevations are the
South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, with
Cullenia is the characteristic tree genus, accompanied by teak, dipterocarps, and other trees. These moist forests transition to the drier
South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests to the east, in the mountains'
rain shadow. Above 1000 meters are the
South Western Ghats montane rain forests, also cooler and wetter than the surrounding lowland forests, and dominated by evergreen trees, although some
montane grasslands and stunted forests can be found at the highest elevations. The South Western Ghats montane rain forests are the most species-rich ecoregion in peninsular India; eighty percent of the
flowering plant species of the entire Western Ghats range are found in this ecoregion. It also harbors the highest levels of
endemism: around 35 % of the
plants, 42 % of the
fishes, 48 % of the
reptiles, and 75 % of the
amphibians that live in this ecoregion are endemic. Still higher, above elevations of 1600 m MSL are seen the
shola-grassland mosaic, which are habitats exclusive to the Western Ghats.
The most famous endemic species of the Western Ghats is the "Lion Tailed Macacque". There are only 4000 of this species remaining in the western Ghats. An interesting habit of these monkeys is that their population depends not only on the type of vegitation, but also the shape of the forests. An opening in the canopy of the forests of more than 0.5 sq km. hinders the movement of these animals
Western Ghats of Maharashtra
The
Western Ghats of Maharashtra spread from Saputara range in north, and continues past Goa to Karnataka. In ancient times it was annual migration route of elephants to travel from Nigiris past Goa into western ghats of maharashtra. Over time it has stopped. There are many forts built in 1500 AD and before. Many of the forts were built by
Shivajiraje Bhosle.
Raigad, Rajgad, Torana,
Pratapgad, Panhala are to name a few. Some are still tourist attractions and while others are lost in time. The first hydroelectric power station in India was started by Tata in early 1900 near
Khopoli, a town near Lonawala in western Ghats. It is still functioning. There are many dams in that region.
Western Ghats of Goa
Western Ghats of Karnataka
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Nari motte or Tiger hill, Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuar, Karnataka |
60% of the western ghats are located in the Karnataka region. Most of Karnataka's 500 species of birds are also from the western ghats region.The evergreen forests of
Nagarahole,
Biligirirangan Hills, Male Madeshvara hills, deciduous forests of
Bandipur National Park and Nugu in Karnataka and adjoining regions of
Wayanad and
Mudumalai in Kerala and Tamil Nadu form the single largest protected area in the Western ghats system comprising some 6000 km². This is also called the
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. This is asiatic elephant country and a very important "Project Elephant" reserve.
Karnataka's ghats are home to over 6000 elephants (2004). Probably the largest population of tigers outside the
Sundarbans ecosystem is found in these contiguous forests. Here the largest numbers and largest herds of Gaur bison are found. Bandipur National Park and Nagarahole together boast of over 5000 Gaur. Biligirirangan hills sits at the confluence of the western and
Eastern Ghats and is hence home to unique ecosystems present in both ranges.
Karnataka's ghats holds about 25% of all asiatic elephants and 10% of India's tiger population.North of this region is the
Kudremukh national park in the central region of Karnataka's western ghats. Kudremukh National Park has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Western Ghats, encompassing evergreen, semi-evergreen and grassland shola habitat characteristic of high altitude Western Ghats regions. This park protects a viable population of Lion tailed macacque. The forests of
Kodagu hold sizeable populations of the endangered Nilgiri Langur and have numerous bird species. This region has dense evergreen and semi-evergreen vegetation, with shola-grassland in areas of higher elevation. The steep terrain of the area has resulted in scenic waterfalls along its many mountain streams. Bhadra wildlife sanctuar and national park in
Chikmagalur has large populations of
Indian muntjac.
Dandeli and
Anshi national parks in
Uttara Kannada district are home to
leopards and populations of
Great Indian Hornbills. These large birds congregate even near human habitation inside the park regularly. Bhimgad in
Belgaum district is a proposed wildlife sanctuary and is home to the endemic Wroughton's freetailed bat (
Otomops wroughtoni), the Krishnapur caves close by are one of only three places in the country where the little-known Theobald's tomb bat (
Taphozous theobaldi) is found. The rare
Megaderma spasma bats are found in the Talevadi caves. Karnataka's ghats are also the home to several scenic waterfalls including the
Jog falls. With the exception of four wildlife sanctuaries, all the remaining 22 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of Karnataka are located in the Western Ghats, either at the evergreen higher elevations or deciduous lower elevation regions.
Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu
Western Ghats of Kerala
The Western Ghats form the western border of Kerala.Except for a gap of 30 km near palghat (called palghat)
Western Ghats in Kerala is a home to tea and coffee plantations, reserved forests, and dense tropical jungles.
Elephant,
Gaur,
Sambar, and
Wild Boars dwell in the forests.
Sloth Bear,
Leopard and
tiger are also found.
* Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et. al. (2002).
Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press;
Washington, DC.
* Trek the Sahyadris
Harish Kapadia*
Trekking routes of Sahyadri with picture gallery*
Pictures and Images of Sahyadri nature*
Squirrels of the Western Ghats
