Introduction

Kudremukh also spelled Kuduremukha is a mountain range and name of a peak

located in Chikkamagaluru district, in Karnataka, India. Kudremukh is famous for its
scenic beauty and it is a major tourist hub.
The name Kuduremukha literally means 'horse-face' (in the Kannada language) and
refers to a particular picturesque view of a side of the mountain that resembles a
horse's face. Kuduremukh is Karnataka's 3rd highest peak after Mullayangiri and
Baba Budangiri.
The Kudremukh National Park (latitude 1301'00" to 1329'17" N, longitude
7500'55' to 7525'00" E) is the second largest Wildlife Protected Area (600.32 km)
belonging to a tropical wet evergreen type of forest in the Western Ghats.

Lanform formation
The Western Ghats are not true mountains but rather faulted edge of an upraised
plateau. the Western Ghats are aThe major hill range starting from the north is the
Sahyadhri (the benevolent mountains) range. This range is home to many hill
stations, including Matheran, Lonavala-Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani,
Amboli Ghat, Kudremukh and Kodagu. result of a domal uplift, the underlying rocks
are ancient - around 2000 million year old. The southern and western sides of the
park form the steep slope of the Western Ghats ridge line, with the altitude varying
from 100 m - 1892 m (peak). The northern, central and the eastern portions of the
park constitute a chain of rolling hills with a mosaic of natural grassland and shola
forests. Kudremukh receives an average annual rainfall of 7000 mm, largely due to
the forest types of mainly evergreen vegetation that can be found here.
In detail the Peninsular India split from Gondwanaland about 150 m.y.a. and started
moving north. The northward drift which lasted about 100 million years finally
ended with the peninsula colliding with the Asian mainland 45 m.y.a. Major
geological transformations took place as the peninsula moved northwards and
drifted over the present day Reunion islands - localised volcanic centre in the
earths lithosphere 200-300 km across, which has remained active for several
million years.
It moved up in this drift and the heat beneath generated basaltic magma which rose
into lithosphere causing an uplift by crustal arching. It was this event which
happened some 120-130 m.y.a. that resulted in the uplift of the Western Ghats and
tilted the Indian Plate in easterly direction. Subsequently, there were a series of
volcanic eruptions until around 65 m.y.a. giving rise to the extensive Deccan Traps.
These volcanic episodes to a large extent moulded the Northern Western Ghats.

These are mountains of denudation rather than deformation.

Soils vary from humus rich peat in the montane areas to laterite
Mineral
Mineral content
The Kudremukh deposit on the West Coast in Chickmagalur
district is also important because it is intensively of magnetite.
Kudremukh means the face of a horse, as the profile of the
mountain near Mangalore resembles it. This is no ordinary
mountain but a rich lode of iron ore. It is one of the largest iron
ore deposits of the world and the largest in Asia. Average daily
production of ore is 70,000 tons.Kudremukh has rich deposit of
iron ore. Open cast mining is a highly destructive activity and
Kudremukh is one of the worst places to have situated such an
operation. Because of its biological importance Kudremukh was
declared a National Park in 1987, thus bringing it under the
purview of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which disallows any nonforestry activity, including mining, within a protected area.
Fauna
The Kudremukh range was declared a Tiger Reserve, as part of
the Bhadra Tiger Sanctuary by the Union Environmental Minister,
Government of India A diverse assemblage of endangered large
mammals is found in the park supporting three large mammal
predator species such as the Tiger, Leopard and Wild Dog. The
important Tiger prey base found within the Park is Gaur, Sambar,
Wild Pig, Muntjac, Chevrotain, Bonnet Macaque, Common Langur
and the Lion-tailed Macaque.
Kudremukh and its surrounding forests comprise one of the
largest blocks of tropical rainforests in the Western Ghats and
harbour many rare and endemic species including the lion tailed
macaque and great pied hornbill.

The wet climate and the tremendous water retentive capacity of

the shola grasslands and forests have led to the formation of
thousands of perennial streams in the region converging to form
three major rivers of the region, Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi
which form an important lifeline for the people of Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh. Lobo's house is an old abandoned farm on the
upper reaches of Kuduremukha.
Vegetation
The hills, which bear the brunt of the severe monsoon winds,
preclude any tree growth added to that the region is known for its
rich low grade magnetite soil which primarily inhibits plant
growth. As a result, the landscape is covered with grass. The
valleys which are tucked in, have reasonable protection from wind
and a deep soil profile, as a result of which stunted evergreen
forests exist creating a unique microclimate, rich with mosses,
orchids, etc. The whole scenery of grassland interspersed with
narrow strips of forests provides a fantastic vista.
The flora in Kudremukh National Park consists of mostly evergreen
and semi-evergreen forests near the coastal plains on the western
portion and the shoal-grassland habitat at elevations above
1400m on the Western Ghats.
The Sholas (Grasslands): In the Western Ghats natural grasslands
are found above
1,500 m with 2500 5000 mm rainfall in Bababudangiris,
Kudremukh, Nilgiris,
Anaimalais, Palnis and Cardamom hill ranges. The grasslands
which are also called as
shrub savannas or the sholas are characterized by number of
herbaceous and shrubby

species mixed with grasses . The tree genera that are endemic to
the Western Ghats
include Blepharistemma, Erinocarpus, Meteoromyrtus,
Otenephelium, Poeciloneuron
and Pseudoglochidion
commercial crops
such as coffee, cardamom, areacanut, tapioca, ground nut, and rubber cause the
deforestation or agricultural crops such as paddy, jowar and ragi are being raised.
The outstanding universal values of the Western Ghats are manifested in the

influence

regions unique and fascinating influence on large-scale biophysical and ecological 3

processes over the entire Indian peninsula. The high mountains of the Western
Ghats and their characteristic montane forest ecosystems influence the Indian
monsoon weather patterns that mediate the warm tropical climate of the region,
presenting one of the best examples of the tropical monsoon system on the planet.