About

Biligiri Rangana Hills (literally meaning - Lord Ranganatha's White rock Hill in Kannada) belongs to the Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka state. located 82 KM from Mysore and 175 KM from Bangalore, Situated in a southern part of Karnataka, Biligiri Rangana Hills (also called Biligiri Rangana Betta in the local language, Kannada) is famous for hill area with beautiful scenery. Lord Biligiri Ranganatha temple is situated at the hilltop. The temple premises are famous for its valley view. This place is a remote place and the population in this village kind of place is very less. The normal visiting period is from October to March.

The temple peak is at a height of 1700 meters from sea level. Hundred years old Champaka tree is one more attraction in this place. This place is a vast hill area starting from Kerala and ending at Tamilnadu. Male Mahadeshwara Hills also stretch after this place. This hill region is the continuation of the base at the Western Ghats. Biligiri Rangana Hills and Male Mahadeshwara Hills are situated in the Southern arc perpendicular to the Western Ghats and are at the center. In between these two hills, there is a dam called the Gundal dam constructed between two hills, which is a picnic spot.

The forest around is named Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary or BRT Wildlife Sanctuary after this place. Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1973. A wildlife sanctuary of 322.4 sq km was set up around the temple on 27 June 1974, and it was expanded to 539.58 sq km on 14 January 1987. B.R Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, situated at a height of 5,091 feet above sea level, this hill stretches from north to south for about 16 Km. This sanctuary is unique because it has a scrub, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen and shola forests. It is also known for its many endemic species of plants including valuable medicinal ones. Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. This sanctuary is home for wildlife like elephants, gaurs, sambars, chitals, bears, panthers and tigers. BRT Wildlife Sanctuary provides shelter to over 250 species of birds, about 22 species of reptiles and an amazing 116 species of Butterflies.

Other activities at Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary are trekking, amateur fishing, professional angling, coracle boat rides, bird watching, river rafting, and outdoor camping.

Flora

The vegetation is predominantly of dry scrub jungle to evergreen forests and high altitude shola grassland habitat. Dry deciduous and scrub forests are found in the foothills. The deciduous forests have species such as Anogeissus latifolia, Dalbergia paniculata, Grewia tilaefolia, Terminalia alata, T. belerica, Stereospermum personatum, Boswellia serrata, Commiphora caudata, Pterocarpus marsupium and Sterculia urens in the top canopy. The lower canopy includes Buchanania lanzan, Careya arborea, Hymenodictyon excelsum, Kydia calycina, Schleichera oleosa, Sterculia villosa, Cassia fistula, Phyllanthus emblica and Radermachera xylocarpa. The evergreen forests include species of Elaeocarpus tuberculatus, Salix tetrasperma, Syzygium cumini, S. malabaricum and Viburnum punctatum. The grasslands are dominated by Cymbopogon flexuosus, C. nardus, Themeda cymbaria and T. triandra. Tectona grandis, Eucalyptus, Artocarpus sp. and Cedrela sp. are other species found in this area.

Fauna

Tigers, Leopards, Elephants, Wild Dog, Jungle Cat, Sloth Bear, Small Indian Civet, Mongoose, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Flying Squirrel, Porcupine, Common Langur, Wild Pig, Gaurs, Sambar, Deers, Four-horned Antelope, and blackbuck are the main mammals found in this sanctuary. A recent census report shows that the sanctuary has noticed an increased number of leopard and wild dog populations. Among the 215 species of birds found here, the prominent ones are the Yellow-throated Bulbul, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Wood Pecker, Golden Back Parakeet, Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon.

There are plenty of reptiles too. Monitor Lizard, Forest Calotes, Spectacled Cobra, Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper, Common Indian Krait, Indian Rock Python, Vine Snake, Rat Snake, Flying Lizard have all made their home here.

Timings