About Paliyar Tribe:
- They are one of the many ethnic Dravidian (ethnolinguistic and cultural) tribes in Southern India.
- They are a Scheduled Tribe primarily located in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests of Tamil Nadu and eastern Kerala.
- They are and have been known by multiple names, such as the Paliyans, Palaiyars, Pazhaiyares, and Panaiyars.
- Language: They primarily speak a dialect related to Tamil, reflecting their Dravidian linguistic heritage.
- Occupation:
- Traditionally, the Paliyars were hunters and gatherers.
- Many have transitioned into traders of forest products, food cultivators, and beekeepers.
- Some work as wage laborers on plantations or in nearby towns.
- Palliyars have small communities called kudis, sometimes living in caves or mud shelters.
Key Facts about Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR):
- It is located in the state of Tamil Nadu.
- It lies in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats
- It was formed in 2021 by combining Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary.
- It functions as a connecting link between Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve and Tamil Nadu’s Southern Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
- Rivers: The area primarily relies on three perennial rivers: Vaigai, Suruliyaru, and Shanmuganathi.
- The climate of the reserve is influenced by both the southwest and northeast monsoons.
- Vegetation: It’s a blend of tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, dry deciduous and moist mixed deciduous woods, and grasslands.
- Flora: Some notable plant species in the reserve include Teak, Indian Rosewood, Bamboo species, Wild fig trees, Evergreen shrubs, and medicinal plants.
- Fauna:
- Mammals: Elephants, Tiger, Leopard, Nilgiri Tahr, Gaur, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Sambar Deer, Wild Boar, Porcupine, Nilgiri Langur, Lion-Tailed Macaque,
- It is particularly celebrated as the last known stronghold of the Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura), a spectacular arboreal mammal found only in a handful of locations in peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
