The Periyar lake came about due to the building of a dam in 1895 and the spectacular visuals of branches reaching out is largely due to the trees that were submerged in the process. The 26 sq. km. of the lake is only a small portion of the reserve, which measures approximately 777 sq. km. The tourism zone is also a relatively small one, covering only 50 sq. km. Periyar has a large variety of mammal species, the most sought after, but least seen, is the tiger. Large herds of elephants and bison are another major attraction. The reserve attracts a lot of bird-watchers with over 300 species present. It is also home to almost 120 species of butterflies.
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Getting there
The closest main towns from where connections can be arranged are Kottayam (114 km), madurai (136 km), Kochi (190 km), Trivandrum (275 km). The last three are well connected to other parts of the country by air too.
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