Palani Hills

Palani Hills
Palani Hills en route Kodaikanal
Highest point
Elevation	2,500 m (8,200 ft) (Highest)
Coordinates	10°12′N 77°28′E / 10.200°N 77.467°E / 10.200; 77.467
Geography
Location	Tamil Nadu, India
Parent range	Western Ghats
Climbing
Easiest route	Laws Ghat Road

The Palni Hills (Tamil: பழனி மலை) (also Palani Hills) are a mountain range in Tamil Nadu state of South India. The Palani Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India. The Palani Hills adjoin the high Anamalai range on the west, and extend east into the plains of Tamil Nadu, covering an area of 2,068 square kilometres (798 sq mi). The highest part of the range is in the southwest, and reaches 1,800-2,500 metres (5,906-8,202 feet) elevation; the eastern extension of the range is made up of hills 1,000-1,500 m (3,281-4,921 ft) high.

It is also home to one of the shrines of Lord Karthikeyan or Murugan, who is worshipped as the primary god in Tamil Nadu.

The range lies between the Cumbum Valley on the south, which is drained by the Vaigai River and its upper tributaries, and the Kongunadu region to the north. The northern slopes are drained by the Shanmukha River, Nanganji River, and Kodavanar River, which are tributaries of the Kaveri River. The range lies mostly within Dindigul district, except in the western portion, where it forms the boundary between Dindigul district and Theni district to the south. The hill station of Kodaikanal lies in the southern central portion of the range.

The lower elevations of the Palani Hills, between 250 and 1,000 m (820-3,281 ft), are part of the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests ecoregion. Above 1,000 m (3,281 ft), the deciduous forests transition to the evergreen South Western Ghats montane rain forests. In the highest portions of the range, above 2,000 m (6,562 ft), the montane rainforests give way to shola-grassland mosaic, made up of frost-tolerant montane grasslands interspersed with pockets of stunted shola forests.