Sriviiliputhur Andal Temple & Grizzled Giant Squirrel Sanctuary

Srivilliputhur is located in Virudhunagar district in Tamilnadu. It is 70km from Madurai. It lies on the feet of Western Ghats. This place has some of the best sites to explore.  Prominent among them are Andal Temple in the town and the Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary on the foothills of Western Ghats.

Srivilliputhur is the birth place of Andal, one of the important Vaishnavaite saints.  The legend goes that Lord Vishnu preferred the flowers already worn by Andal and that Andal ultimately disappeared in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.  This temple has beautiful sculptures. Some of them are so life like.  It is among the biggest temples of Tamilandu. The kopuram or tower of the temple is also well known for architectural beauty. The Tamilnadu Government’s official seal  has this tower as the emblem of the state. The car festival (rath yatra) of Andal temple which is held once in a year is also famous and well known in south Tamilnadu.

 Srivilliputhur also boasts of a national wildlife sanctuary. The prominant animal in this sanctuary is Grizzled Squirrel. The sanctuary covers an area of 480 sq.km. It is connected to Periyar Tiger reserve on the Megamalai reserve forest.  This area also covers another famous tourist attraction Pilavakkal Dam. See my notes on Pilavakkal here

http://tamilnadutourguide.blogspot.com/2009/03/pilavakkal-dam.html

This sanctuary has a mixture of different flora, because based on the mountain height this area has  different types of forests including evergreen forest, deciduous forest ,  grassland etc. This mixed and rich flora is the ideal place for many animals to have their habitats here.  Important animals apart from Giant Grizzled Squirrels are Elephants, Tigers, Leopards, Gaur, Deer, Wild-boar, porcupines, monkeys , flying squirrel etc.

Srivilliputhur is easily accessible by road from Madurai and Virudhunagar. It is a well developed town so boarding and lodging should not be a problem. You may visit this place any time of the year. To venture deep into the sanctuary you will require the permission of Wildlife warden. You can contact the warden at  7&8 Valiikulam street , Srivilliputhur.