Palani Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park

The Palani Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park is a proposed protected area in Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu State South India. The park will be an upgrade and expansion of the 736.87 km2 (PRO) Palani (Kodaikanal) Wildlife Sanctuary which was to be established in 2008. The park includes about 36% of the in the Palani Hills. The park is located between latitude 10°7' - 10°28' N and longitude 77°16' - 77°46' E. Central location is east northeast of Silver Cascade Waterfall and E X NE of Kodaikanal Lake.HistoryThe Palani Hills derive their name from the ancient temple town of Palani (பழனி in Tamil) located at the northern base of the hills.In 1906, the great undulating plateau on top of the Palanis comprising four forest ranges were consolidated under the Indian Forest Act of 1878 and designated by the British Government as a single reserve forest, from Kodaikanal town to the Kerala state border in the west and the Bodinayakkanur town limits to the south, and given the name of the Ampthill Downs. It was over in extent and about one quarter of it then consisted of sholas and three quarters was open, rolling, grassy downs.The Ampthill Downs area is now named Upper Palani Shola Reserved Forest and totals (36,000 acres) of forest land. It is the largest reserve forest division in the Palani Hills. The core of the proposed Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary awaiting government notification is located in this division.