BRT A walkthrough ...where tigers co-exist www.brt.gov.in BRT – A walkthrough Mission Statement Legend of BRT History of Natural History Ecological significance of the area To conserve and preserve the ecological heritage and consolidate the The Tiger Reserve takes its The BR Hills shot into prominence bio-diversity of Eastern Ghats – Western Ghats ecological bridge of name after famous temple of in the Natural history world Located at the cross roads of Biligiri Ranga Hills with special focus on conserving the Tiger. Ranganatha atop this hill. A mainly due to the writings of the the Western Ghats and Eastern copper plate record dated 1667 R.C. Morris who wrote over 80 Ghats landscapes, this important and belonging to Mudduraju, son papers to the Bombay Natural ecological bridge of the BR hills is of Trimalarajanayaka of Hadinadu History Society Journal about very crucial to provide the much sheds light on the history of the richness of bio-diversity of needed safe corridor providing Key facts the temple. Here these hills BR Hills. The Morrises comprised safe connectivity to wildlife across 77º E 77º10’ E Area of Tiger Reserve are mentioned as that of Thiru of two generations the senior these two major bio-geographical 12º10’ N 12º10’ N 574 Sq. Kms Venkatanatha (reincarnation of Randolph Hayton Morris and his realms. With an increasing Vishnu) of Bilikal (White Rock). second son, Randolph (Ralph for population of tigers and with its Location In Sanskrit, this hill was called short) Camroux Morris. Randolph proven track record of harbouring Chamarajnagar District Shwetadri meaning white hill. This Hayton Morris, son of a rector a significant number of breeding Karnataka, South India is because the hill’s weathered in a church and an adventurous tigers, BRT Tiger Reserve is a granite cliff face appears white in refugee from Muthill, near Crieff, crucial Tiger breeding unit which Distance 12º N 12º N colour. The Venkatanatha temple Perthshire in central Scotland, UK. is a source population for Tigers From Bangalore : 254 Kms BRT Temple became known as Ranganatha He moved to India and settled moving further south and east From Mysore : 90 Kms temple after Tipu Sultan visited down in BR Hills in 1886 to grow to Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve Doddasampige tree this temple while on a hunting coffee. In 1895 the R.H. Morris and Malai Mahadeshwara Hills. Rainfall expedition and described it as was gored by a Gaur during a Interesting bio-diversity mosaics K Gudi 689 mm to 1990 mm a temple of Lord Ranganatha. hunting expedition which left and peculiarities make BR Hills a Hence, the name Biligiri him with only one lung. He died treasure trove of bio-diversity and 11º50’ N 11º50’ N Temperature Rangananathaswamy Temple. in 1918. In the summer of 1912, a challenge to ecologists. KARNATAKA ANDHRA PRADESH 8°C to 38°C his second son Ralph gave-up his Soliga lore recounts how the ambition of studying Zoology at KERALA TAMILNADU Elevation N Lord Vishnu, after slaying an evil Oxford, and returned to BR Hills. 0510 600 metres to 1950 metres km demon at some hills nearby was Based around Bedaguli he wrote 77º E 77º10’ E looking to a place to finally rest, extensively about the forests and and a local tribal God, Siddappaji wildlife. Famous visitors to the shows him this cliff. The story areas include Salim Ali and continues that the cliff was raised E.P Gee. out from the forests around to make a good seat for the Lord . The forests of BR Hills was the first Further the story goes that the place in South India where the first Soliga, Bomme Gowda’s Kheddah procedure for capturing beautiful daughter Pusumale wild elephants was perfected by was wooed by none other than George Sanderson in the later Lord Vishnu, cementing a bond part of the nineteenth century. between the Soliga people, their The forests were also the hunting Gods and the “mainstream” Hindu reserve for the Maharaja of culture around. To this day, the Mysore. ABOVE temple of Biligiriranga situated on An old archival the white cliff (Biligiri in Kannada) Subsequently after Independence image of Ralph has strong linkages with the the forests were under the Morris in his favourite forest in Soliga community. During its jurisdiction of Forest Department, BRT in full hunting annual festival in March every in 1994 the forests were made gear. year, the deity is carried by four into the BIligiri Ranganatha © Siddappa Setty Soliga youth. Temple Wildlife Sanctuary and in January 2011 this sanctuary was OPPOSITE PAGE There is a mysterious tradition declared as Biligiri Ranganatha The white cliff on which the and legend about this temple. Temple Tiger Reserve. temple of Lord Anyone visiting the temple can Ranganathaswamy see a huge pair of sandals. Legend is located and from which the Tiger has it that the presiding deity Reserve takes its Lord Ranganatha to roam around name. these forests uses these sandals. Interestingly, these sandals wear out and are replaced regularly with new ones by the villagers. ‘Honnameti’ or Golden footprint in Kannada is an apt name as this lone standing rock casts its shadow on the forests all around it. A vegetation conglomerate… Not many Tiger Reserves in the country can boast of a range of Forest Types like BRT Tiger Reserve. Located in the crucial link between Eastern and Western Ghat complex. The Tiger Reserve is a mosaic of landscapes within a landscape. From the semi-arid to the evergreen forests the range of forest types seem endless and hard to explain scientifically. Aggregation of species from wet zones and co-existing with semi-arid ones in a same location is very mystifying indeed. What is a riddle to science is a pleasure to the senses. The main forest types and northern parts. Species covered with mosses, lichens encountered in BRT are : include Acacia chundra, and other epiphytes. The floristic Diospyros melanoxylon, composition is dominated by Woodland to savanna- Diospyrous montana, Ixora members of the Lauraceae family. woodland pavetta, Limonia accidissima and Schefflera capitata, Meliosma The savanna-woodland vegetation Rhus mysorensis. sps. Xantholis tomentosa and type covers a large part of the Symplocos sp are characteristic western flank and is also found Forests species of these sholas. in the shallow valleys along the Evergreen forests are mostly mid-slope of the eastern side confined to streams valleys, glens, Semi ever green forests between 900M to 1350M. The hallows and depressions where Semi ever green forests in woodlands are localized in humid the soil moisture is relatively the sanctuary are either pockets and form a mosaic high. The evergreen forests can be formed due to degradation with Savanna woodlands. Some categorised into two types. of original evergreen forests common canopy species include or as transitions to evergreen Anogeisus latifolia, Dalbergia Riparian forests types. When these forests are paniculata, Grewia teliafolia. In the midst of deciduous disturbed, especially by fire, the Species in the second story forests, small pockets of openings generally get invaded by include Buchanania lanzan, Kydia evergreen forests occurring deciduous species.Aphanamixis calycina, Schleichera oleosa and along perennial streams is polystachya, Canthium diccocum, in the third strata includes Cassia termed “Riparian forests”. The Catunaregam torulosa, Meyna fistula, Phyllanthus emblica. The typical hygrophylous species laxiflora. under growth consists of shrubs, are Elaeocarpus tuberculatus herbs and grasses especially in Syzygium malabaricum, Shrub savanna savanna woodland. Vibernum punctatum. The Shrub savannas interspersed presence of Cocculus launifolius amidst sholas dominate the Tree savanna and Syzygium malabaricum in landscape at higher altitudes, Tree savannas largely cover the BR Hills has phytogeographical particularly on the eastern steep eastern slopes and are significance. The former has been and the central ridges of hill also sparsely distributed in the recorded only from NE Himalayas range. Common species include northern and western part of and other South Indian hills like Artemisia perviflora, Cucurma the sanctuary between 800M Nilgiri and Anamalais, where as neilgherrensis, Phoenix humilis and 1400M. At 800M - 1100M the latter is a rare species found and Hypericum mysorensis. specially on steep slopes tree in the southern western ghats. savannas are charecterised by slope loving species such as Altitudinal evergreen OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM TOP Boswellia serrata, Commiphora forests The high hills are a Beginning from mosaic of species caudate, Givotia rottleriformis, In the western flank, this the Xerophytic of moist deciduous Gsyrocorpus asiatica, Sterculia kind of forests is particularly Euphorbia in which during urens, along with Anogeissus distributed between 1200M the foothills, the spring indicate vegetation of BRT their identity in the latifolia, Lagerstromia parviflora, and 1400M depending upon takes a moist route new flush. Pterocarpus marsupium and the local soil moisture regime. toward the high Terminalia alata. Beyond 1400M, the evergreen hills. forests show over all reduction Scrub woodland to thickets in density. Physiognomically, MIDDLE Just below the high These types occur along the they are stunted forests rarely hills is the vast periphery of the sanctuary higher than 15M, with short boled expanse of dry between 700M to 900M and trees. The crowns are dense and deciduous forests which is dominated some times reach upto 1200M the leaves are generally large. by Anegeissus especially along eastern slopes The branches are twisted and latifolia. Bio–diversity at a glance Predator prey infographic Sambar Mammals Total species : 28 Threatened : 8 Birds Medicinal plants Total species : 274 Four–horned Muntjac Total species : 886 Threatened : 9 antelope Amphibians Orchids Total species : 14 Total species : 65 Threatened : 2 Butterflies Reptiles Total species : 145 Total species : 23 Chital Wild pig Threatened : 4 Flora Fishes Predators Total species : 1350 Total species : 16 Gaur Bonnet macaque Hanuman langur At the ridgeline high above, the forests make way for the Shola grasslands, a major grazing ground for the large ungulates.