Shevaroy Hills

People of the Malaiyali tribe, in the Shevaroy Hills (1860s).

The Servarayan hills (Tamil: சேர்வராயன் மலை), with the anglicised name Shevaroy Hills, are a towering mountain range (1620 m) near the town of Salem, in Tamil Nadu state, southern India. It is one of the major hill stations in Tamil Nadu and in the Eastern Ghats.

The local Tamil name comes from a local deity, Servarayan, which means Chera king ^[1] .

Geography

The Servarayans form part of the southern ranges of the Eastern Ghats System. Shevaroys cover an area of 400 square kilometres (99,000 acres), with plateaus from 4,000–5,000 feet (1,200–1,500 m) above sea-level. The main town here is Yercaud. As earlier stated, it also represents the highest peak in southern part of the Eastern Ghats, with the Solaikaradu peak towering to 1620 m above mean sea-level. It is nestled parallel to the lower Chitteri - Kalrayan hills, just north of the Kolli Hills and Pachaimalai Hills hills. Westwards, lie the Mettur hills. This range forms an important link in the southern part of Eastern Ghats hill chain.

Features

The Servarayan hills have several old coffee plantations, and a sanatorium. The major areas of tourist interest are the Yercaud Orchidarium of the Botanical Survey of India, and the old coffee estates.

Flora and fauna

Some patches of the original forests still exist in the Shevaroy hills and those in higher slopes and peaks contain several endemic species of plants and fauna. The faunal and floral elements high up here have stark similarities to the Western Ghats. Such highlights include Strobilanthes kunthiana (Neelakurinji) in the peaks here, which apart from upper reaches of Western Ghats, is not known from the Eastern Ghats elsewhere. Natural forests apart, coffee and citrus fruits, most notably oranges, are grown in abundance, as well as bananas, pears and jackfruit.

Fauna such as gaur, sambar deer, spotted deer, Indian pangolin, jackals, hares, foxes, mongoose, civets, giant squirrels, and many reptiles including endemic ones such Hemiphyllodactylus aurantiacus, Calotes calotes, Calotes rouxii, Mabuya beddomii and shield tail snake like Uropeltis ellioti and Uropeltis shorttii (which is endemic to the hill range), the endangered Python molurus, Macropisthodon plumbicolor, Calliophis beddomei and Trimeresurus gramineus; endemic amphibians such as Hylarana, Raorchestes, Fejervarya and scores of birds like the whistling thrush, racket-tailed drongo, peacock, shama, Oriental leafbird and Indian grey hornbill occur in Shevaroy Hills.

References

↑ http://www.tamilvu.org/slet/l5730/l5730sno.jsp?x=5

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Eastern Ghats

Rivers	Champavathi River Godavari Gosthani River Gundlakamma River Kaveri Krishna Kundu River Mahanadi Nagavali River Palar Penner River Ponnaiyar Rushikulya Sabari River Sarada River Sileru River Sweata Nadi Vasishta Nadi Vellar Vamsadhara River

Regions	Deccan Plateau Kolar Plateau

Hills	Bilgiri (Biligirirangan) Chitteri Erramala Kalrayan Karanthamalai Kolli Lankamalla Mahendragiri Mettur Nallamalla Pachaimalai Palamalai Palkonda Shevaroy Sirumalai Vada Chennimalai Velikonda

Waterfalls	Agaya Gangai Kiliyur Mayil Uthu Mangalam Periyar Pudur Megan Talakona Falls Ubbalamadugu Falls

States	Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Odisha Tamil Nadu Telangana West Bengal

Parks & Reserves	Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary Chilika Bird Sanctuary Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary Kanger Ghati National Park Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary Kolleru Lake Bird Sanctuary Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary Lakhari Valley Wildlife Sanctuary Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve Nalbana Bird Sanctuary Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuary Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary Simlipal National Park Sri Venkateswara National Park Telineelapuram and Telukunchi Bird Sanctuaries Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

Western Ghats

Rivers	Bhadra Bhavani Bhima Chalakudy Chittar Godavari Gurupura Kabini Kali Kallayi Kaveri Koyna Krishna Kundali Malaprabha Manimuthar Netravati Pachaiyar Parambikulam Saraswati Savitri Sharavati Tambaraparani Tapti Tunga Venna

Regions	Desh, Maharashtra Goa Gap Konkan Malabar Malenadu North Malabar Kongu Nadu Palakkad Gap Tulu Nadu

Peaks	Agastya Mala Anamudi Anginda Anjaneri Banasura Biligirirangana Betta Brahmagiri Chembra Dhodap Doddabetta Gangamoola Harishchandragad Kalsubai Kemmangundi Kudremukh Kodachadri Kumara Parvata Mullayanagiri Marunthuvazh Malai Ponmudi Pushpagiri Paithalmala Salher Saptashrungi Sispara Sonsogor Tadiandamol Taramati Vellarimala Ranipuram Vagamon

Hills	Anaimalai Hills Biligiriranga Hills Cardamom Hills Nilgiri mountains Satmala Range Selbari Range Palni Hills Trimbakeshwar Range

Waterfalls	Abbey Chunchanakatte Dudhsagar Falls Gokak Irupu Jog Kalhatti Mallalli Falls Sathodi Lushington Sivasamudram Athirapally Falls Vazhachal Falls Hogenakkal

States	Tamil Nadu Gujarat Karnataka Kerala Maharashtra Goa

Parks & Reserves	Annekal Reserved Forest Anshi National Park Aralam Reserved Forest Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve Agasthyavanam Biological Park Bandipur National Park Bannerghatta National Park Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary Chandoli National Park Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Dandeli National Park Eravikulam National Park Grass Hills National Park Indira Gandhi National Park Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Karian Shola National Park Karnala Bird Sanctuary Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary Kudremukh National Park Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary Mudumalai National Park Mudumalai Tiger Reserve Mukurthi National Park Nagarhole Rajiv Gandhi National Park New Amarambalam Reserved Forest Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Palani Hills National Park Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary Periyar National Park Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary SAI Sanctuary Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary Silent Valley National Park Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Places	Khandala Lonavla Lavasa Mahabaleshwar Matheran Chiplun Tamhini Panchgani Kudremukh Kodagu Karjat Kasara

Ghats	Amboli Ghat Bhor Ghat Tamhini Ghat Amba Ghat Bhor Road Ghat Chorla Ghat Goa Gap Kasara Road Ghat Kumbharli Ghat Malshej Ghat Naneghat Palakkad Gap Varandha Ghat

Related	Mountains of Kerala Mountains of Maharashtra

Coordinates: 11°50′N 78°16′E / 11.833°N 78.267°E / 11.833; 78.267

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