Silent Valley, locally known as ‘Sairandhri’, is situated 40 km northwest of Mannarkkad in
Palakkad District. It lies in the south-western corner of the
Nilgiris in the
Western Ghats. Silent valley is the only undisturbed tropical evergreen rainforest of the country and is blessed with a wide variety of flora and fauna. It is estimated that these forests contain more than 2,000 varieties of plants, 900 species of flowering plants, 108 varieties of orchids, and more than 170 species of birds and animals. The park is home to the Nilgiri thar, wild boar, the barking deer, the Nilgiri languar, the lion tailed macaque, tiger, leopard, and wild dog.
The name of the forest is connected with Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas. It is also said that the name is derived from a medium-sized, lion-tailed monkey with a long face and cheek pouches, scientifically called 'Macaca silenus'. Kuntipuzha River flows through this forest.
The Government of Kerala has declared Silent Valley as Silent Valley National Park.
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Choolanur Peacock Sanctuary, Attappady and JP Smriti Vanam are the other nearby attractions. Coimbatore Peelamedu Airport (155 km) is the nearest airport and the nearest railhead is the Olavakkode Railway Station, Palakkad (75 km). Vehicles to the forest are only permitted up to Mukkali which is around 20 km from Silent Valley. Alcohol and plastics are strictly prohibited inside the park. The best time to visit here is from November to May. The Forest Department offers accommodation at reasonable rates.
