Pothigai

Agasthyamalai Hills (Ashambu Hills)
Agasthyamalai, the highest of 26 peaks in these hills over 1,600 metres (5,200 ft)
Highest point
Elevation	1,868 m (6,129 ft)
Prominence	1,668 m (5,472 ft)
Coordinates	8°39′N 77°13′E / 8.650°N 77.217°E / 8.650; 77.217
Naming
Translation	Mountains of the medicine maker (Tamil)
Geography
Location	Kerala & Tamil Nadu, South India
Parent range	Western Ghats
Topo map	Trivandrum Area Map
Geology
Age of rock	Cenozoic, 100 to 80 mya
Mountain type	Fault Description
Climbing
Easiest route	trekking via Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary

Pothigai Hills
Highest point
Elevation	1,866 m (6,122 ft)
Coordinates	8°37′00.09″N 77°14′46.50″E / 8.6166917°N 77.2462500°E / 8.6166917; 77.2462500
Geography
Location	Thiruvananthapuram district, Tirunelveli district, Kanyakumari district, India
Parent range	Anaimalai Hills

The Pothigai Hills, also known as the Agasthiyar Malai are in the Ashambu Hills in the southern part of the Western Ghats of South India. Ancient tradition holds the mountains of Pothigai to be where the sage Agastya (Akattiyan) provided the first grammar for the Tamil language. This grammar was further fine tuned by one of his disciples in the Tolkāppiyam.

These hills contain areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. The hills contain outstanding examples of ecosystems and communities of plants and animals representing significant ecological and biological processes. The area contains important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including forests containing threatened species of outstanding value to science and conservation.

The western slope is located in the Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala state, eastern slope of Pothigai hills is in the Tirunelveli District, southern slope is located in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. At 1,866 meters, it is the highest peak in the rugged Ashambu hills, which have one of the richest concentrations of biodiversity in the Western Ghats. The area is known for its spectacular views, beautiful forests and waterfalls, ancient temples, and the river Tamirabarani, the lifeline of the region.

Agastyamalai is home to the Kanikkaran people, one of the oldest surviving hunter-gatherer tribes in the world.

The Ashambu Hills include the Indian Ecoregions of South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests above 500 metres (1,600 ft), South Western Ghats montane rain forests above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and shola-grasslands complex on peaks above 1,600 metres (5,200 ft).