Area 906.2 km² | Established 2013 | |
Location Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, India Governing body Kollegal Wildlife Division, Karnataka Forest Department Address Chamarajanagar, Karnataka 571490 Hours Open today · Open 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hours | ||
Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary or Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected Wildlife sanctuary in the Eastern Ghats and is located in the state of Karnataka in India. It is named after the presiding deity "Lord Male Mahadeshwara" of the famed Malai Mahadeshwara Hills Temple located within the sanctuary. The sanctuary lies in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is at a distance of 140 km (87 mi) from Mysuru and 210 km (130 mi) from Bengaluru.
The sanctuary was established in 2013 with an area of 906.187 km2 (349.881 sq mi) out of the total area of 1,224 km2 (473 sq mi).
The sanctuary is part of a contiguous tiger habitat, located very close to the tri junction of the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The sanctuary has Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka) to its North and East, Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu) to its South and Biligirirangaswamy Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka) to its West.
Flora and Fauna
The predominant forest type of the sanctuary is dry and moist deciduous forests. As per research reports published, Lantana has invaded substantial areas around Malai Mahadeshwara Hills".
Indian Elephant(Elephas maximus indicus) is found in good numbers within the sanctuary. After the creation of the sanctuary, the tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) population has been steadily increasing. Based on the research work done and increased tiger sightings, environmentalists have highlighted the need to ensure better protection to tigers, by declaring the sanctuary along with Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve.
The sanctuary also has other fauna like Gaur (Indian Bison), Spotted Deer etc.