Silent Valley National Park is one of the rare remaining tropical evergreen rainforests in India, located on the southern slopes of the Nilgiris in Mannarkad taluk of Palakkad district.
1. History and the Name 'Silent Valley'
The legend is that this is the forest land where the Pandavas stayed with Panchali (Sairandhri) during their exile in the Mahabharata. Hence it is also known as 'Sairandhri Forest'. The British named it 'Silent Valley' because the sound of cicadas found in normal forests cannot be heard here.
2. A Milestone in Environmental History
The 'Save Silent Valley' agitation by the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, environmental activists and the public against the planned hydroelectric project across Kuntipuzha in the 1970s is world famous. Following this, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi intervened in 1984 and declared this rainforest as a national park and protected the forest.
3. Biodiversity Pantry
Silent Valley is home to the world's largest endangered Lion-tailed Macaque. The area is also a rich source of hornbills, rare butterflies, orchids and herbs.
