Kolli mountains
| Kolli mountains | ||
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 Mountains of the Kolli Mountains |
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| location | Tamil Nadu | |
| part of | Eastern Ghats | |
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| Coordinates | 11 ° 22 ′ N , 78 ° 20 ′ E | |
The Kolli Mountains ( Tamil கொல்லிமலை Kollimalai [ kolːimalɛi̯ ] English. Kolli Hills ) are a maximum of about 1420 m high and very rugged in parts and therefore heavily forested low mountain range in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu . The British chose the area as a hill station for senior military and civil servants.
location
The Kolli Mountains lie a little north of the geographic center of Tamil Nadu. The closest city is Namakkal , about 26 km (driving distance) to the southwest ; the city of Tiruchirapalli is about 100 km southeast. The highest point is the Vettakaramalai with its approx. 1420 m; however, most of the villages are only at an altitude of approx. 400 to 700 m above sea level. d. Several smaller rivers have their source in the Kolli Mountains; the largest is the Swetha River, but the Aiyaru River with the Agaya Gangai waterfalls is also worth mentioning.
population
The Kolli Mountains, which cover an area of approx. 440 km², are only very sparsely populated. The population (around 42,000 in 2011) is divided into around 300 larger and smaller villages. Tamil is predominantly spoken, but several local and regional dialects have been preserved.
economy
Agriculture traditionally plays the greatest economic role in the Kolli Mountains. B. Jack fruit , guavas , bananas , pineapples as well as rice , coffee and cardamom . More recently, forestry and - purely Indian - tourism have also played a certain role.
environment
In the past, elephants and tigers lived in the largely inaccessible parts of the mountains; today, even collar bears , porcupines and hares have become rare. The diversity of plants, however, is still largely preserved.
religion
As with almost all mountains, popular belief has developed numerous legends about the Kolli mountains; Mainly natural gods like snakes, trees, rocks and caves were worshiped . Near the Akasa-Gangai waterfalls is the Arappalleeswarar temple, consecrated to the god Shiva , from the 12th century with numerous changes (especially in the roof structures) from the 16th century; it is the only historical temple in the Kolli Mountains that is dedicated to a Hindu high god. A goddess named Kolli Paavai or Ettukkai Amman was also worshiped for a long time.
