Anamudi

Anamudi or Anai Mudi is a mountain located in Ernakulam district and Idukki district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and in South India, at an elevation of 2,695 metres (8,842 ft)[1] and a topographic prominence of 2,479 metres (8,133 ft).[2][4] The name Anamudi literally translates to "elephant's head" a reference to the resemblance of the mountain to an elephant's head.[5] Anamudi is the highest mountain in peninsular India as well as the largest mountain in Kerala.

Anamudi
A view of the Anamudi peak from the Naikolli Mala ridge
Highest point
Elevation2,695 m (8,842 ft)[1]
Prominence2,479 m (8,133 ft)[2]
Isolation2,115 km (1,314 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
ListingUltra
List of Indian states and territories by highest point
Coordinates10°10′09″N 77°03′38″E[3]
Naming
English translationElephant peak
Language of nameTamil, Malayalam
Geography
Anamudi is located in Kerala
Anamudi
Anamudi
Location of Anamudi Peak in Kerala
Anamudi is located in India
Anamudi
Anamudi
Anamudi (India)
LocationBorder between Kothamangalam Taluk of Ernakulam district and Devikulam Taluk of Idukki district, Kerala, India[4]
Parent rangeAnaimalai Hills, Western Ghats
Geology
OrogenyPan-African (Mozambique)
Age of rockNeoproterozoic (804-509 mya)
Mountain typeFault-block
Type of rockMunnar Granite
Climbing
First ascentGeneral Douglas Hamilton in 1862
Easiest routehike

The first recorded ascent of Anamudi was by General Douglas Hamilton of the Madras Army on 4 May 1862, but it is likely that there had been earlier ascents by local people.

Anamudi peak is one of only three ultra prominent peaks in South India. It is also the peak with the greatest topographic isolation within India.[6] It is the highest point in India south of Himalayas. Thus it is known as "Everest of South India".[7] The peak is not exceptionally dramatic in term of steepness or local relief and is a fault-block mountain.[8] It is located in the southern region of Eravikulam National Park at the junction of the Cardamom Hills, the Anaimalai Hills and the Palani Hills. The nearest town is Munnar, at a distance of 13 kilometres (8 mi). The easiest route to the summit of Anamudi is a technically easy hike on grass slopes, starting from a rolling hill plateau with a base elevation of about 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). The north and south slopes are gentle, while the east and west slopes are steeper, with more difficult rock faces.

Anamudi and the Eravikulam National Park surrounding it is home to the largest surviving population of the Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius). Asian elephants, gaur, Bengal tigers, and the Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii) are some of the species of animals found here .[9] The Anamudi peak[10] area is also habitat of a unique frog Raorchestes resplendens.[11] This newly discovered species is located in the Eravikulam National Park and is restricted to less than three km2 on the summit of Anamudi.[12] The summit of the Anamudi is vegetated with patches of stunted Kuruna densifolia and Gaultheria fragrantissima (wintergreen), Anaphalis sp., Impatiens and some species of Eriocaulon.[13]

Geology

Anamudi is located within a larger tectonic province, a Neoproterozoic mobile belt known as the Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT) or alternatively, the Pandyan Mobile Belt. This geologic province represents an area of Archean rocks that were deeply buried during the Neoproterozoic Pan-African Orogeny, as part of the Mozambique Belt, in which developed Himalayan-scale mountains when West and East Gondwana collided due to the closure of the ancient Mozambique Ocean. Specifically, Anamudi is located within a geological subprovince of the SGT known as the Madurai Province. The mountain massif itself is composed of Neoproterozoic A-type granite known as Munnar Granite, which was intruded deep into the thickened crust of the SGT during Orogenic collapse of the Pan-African highlands. After approximately 800-500 million years of burial, the Munnar Granite of the Anamundi massif is now exposed high above sea level due to a combination of faulting and unroofing.[14]

Climatic zones and biomes

Anamudi is the highest peak in the Western Ghats in India,[15] having an elevation of 2,695 metres (8,842 ft).[1][3] Anamudi is also the highest point in South India.[9] This gives Anamudi its relatively large topographic prominence of 2,479 metres (8,133 ft), the associated key saddle being over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) away at 28°35′20″N 76°27′59″E in Haryana state just to the west of Delhi.[2] The peak is the highest point of the Periyar River basin.[16] Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies it as subtropical highland (Cwb). Sholas are found in its valleys, like most meadows of the Western Ghats.[17]

Climate data for Munnar
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.2
(61.2)		 18.0
(64.4)		 20.0
(68.0)		 20.1
(68.2)		 18.2
(64.8)		 19.5
(67.1)		 17.7
(63.9)		 19.9
(67.8)		 19.8
(67.6)		 19.2
(66.6)		 18.7
(65.7)		 17.8
(64.0)		 20.1
(68.2)
Average high °C (°F) 7.2
(45.0)		 12.5
(54.5)		 12.4
(54.3)		 14.7
(58.5)		 12.8
(55.0)		 13.5
(56.3)		 12.8
(55.0)		 13.2
(55.8)		 12.7
(54.9)		 12.2
(54.0)		 12.0
(53.6)		 10.5
(50.9)		 12.2
(54.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.6
(42.1)		 9.0
(48.2)		 10.8
(51.4)		 10.8
(51.4)		 10.6
(51.1)		 10.8
(51.4)		 9.8
(49.6)		 9.3
(48.7)		 9.7
(49.5)		 9.2
(48.6)		 8.9
(48.0)		 8.2
(46.8)		 9.4
(48.9)
Average low °C (°F) 0
(32)		 4.5
(40.1)		 6.2
(43.2)		 7.0
(44.6)		 6.5
(43.7)		 5.2
(41.4)		 6.8
(44.2)		 5.5
(41.9)		 4.8
(40.6)		 4.2
(39.6)		 2.8
(37.0)		 2.0
(35.6)		 4.6
(40.3)
Record low °C (°F) −17.2
(1.0)		 −5.5
(22.1)		 −5.4
(22.3)		 −3.0
(26.6)		 0.6
(33.1)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 −4.2
(24.4)		 −1.9
(28.6)		 −6.8
(19.8)		 −5.9
(21.4)		 −7.9
(17.8)		 −9.5
(14.9)		 −17.2
(1.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 120
(4.7)		 150
(5.9)		 197
(7.8)		 229
(9.0)		 389
(15.3)		 420
(16.5)		 889
(35.0)		 710
(28.0)		 310
(12.2)		 299
(11.8)		 264
(10.4)		 164
(6.5)		 4,141
(163.1)
Average rainy days 7 7 3 6 10 11 21 15 13 20 10 5 128
Mean monthly sunshine hours 242 230 248 240 217 99 120 124 150 155 180 210 2,215
Source 1: Climate-Data.org, altitude: 2695m[17]
Source 2: Weather2Travel for sunshine and rainy days[18]
  • Anamudi as seen from an aircraft. The peak is in the center of the image with a small white cloud seen behind its rounded summit
    Anamudi as seen from an aircraft. The peak is in the center of the image with a small white cloud seen behind its rounded summit
  • Anamudi, on the right, as seen on the descent towards Cochin International Airport from the Delhi-Kochi flight
    Anamudi, on the right, as seen on the descent towards Cochin International Airport from the Delhi-Kochi flight
  • Anamudi, on the right, as seen from the Munnar-Udumalpettai highway
    Anamudi, on the right, as seen from the Munnar-Udumalpettai highway

See also

Citations
  1. "Anamudi". Kerala Tourism. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  2. "Southern India Mountain Ultra-Prominence". Peaklist.org. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  3. "Anai Mudi, India". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  4. Web Map Service (Map). Survey of India. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  5. The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 5 1909, p. 334
  6. "World Peaks with 300 km of Isolation". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  7. "Up the Everest of the South - The New Indian Express". Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  8. Hoiberg, Dale; Ramchandani, Indu (2000). Dale Hoiberg (ed.). Students' Britannica India, Volumes 1-5. Popular Prakashan. p. 63. ISBN 0-85229-760-2.
  9. The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 12 1909, p. 220
  10. "Anamudi peak". Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  11. "Significance of Eravikulam National Park". Eravikulam National Park. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  12. "New species of frog found in Eravikulam National Park". The Hindu. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  13. "Eravikulam National Park Management Plan". Eravikulam National Park. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  14. Brandt, Sönke; Raith, Michael M.; Schenk, Volker; Sengupta, Pulak; Srikantappa, C.; Gerdes, Axel (31 January 2014). "Crustal evolution of the Southern Granulite Terrane, south India: New geochronological and geochemical data for felsic orthogneisses and granites". Precambrian Research. 246: 91–122. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2014.01.007.
  15. "Anamudi - Kerala". Vedanta Wake up!. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  16. "Studies on the nature and chemistry of sediments and water of Periyar and Chalakudy Rivers, Kerala, India by Maya K." (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2005.
  17. "Climate: Munnar: Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  18. "Munnar Climate and Weather Averages, Kerala". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 28 August 2013.

References
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