Rivers

The Western Ghats are also the source of a lot of the rivers that supply water to millions of
people.
The three major rivers that originate in the Western Ghats and flow to the east and traverse a
great distances right across the peninsula are:-
1. The Godavari 2. The Krishna 3. The Kaveri
They are all mature, that is, they are so ancient.There are other smaller streams that also
originate in the Western Ghats and flow east to join the Bay of Bengal. These are
Tambraparni (arises in the Agasthyamalai Hills) and Vaigai (originates in the Varushanad
Hills).
The western side of the Sahyadris is characterised by a very large number of short
perennial/non-perennial torrential west-flowing rivers.
From Gujarat to Kerala these short, swift west-flowing rivers plunge towards the coastal strip
they often pass through deep gorges creating spectacular waterfalls.The west side rivers
which flow into the Arabian Sea do not form deltas, but only estuaries, which are channels
where the fresh water of the rivers mix with the tidal sea waters.
The west side streams are too numerous to be listed. Kerala alone has 44 west-flowing
streams.

Climate
The climate in the Western Ghats varies with altitudinal gradation and distance from the
equator. The climate is humid and tropical in the lower reaches tempered by the proximity to
the sea. Elevations of 1,500 m (4,921 ft) and above have a more temperate climate. The
average annual temperature is around 15 °C (59 °F). In some parts frost is common, and
temperatures reach the freezing point during the winter months.
The winds from Arabian Sea climb the slopes of the Western Ghats from 900-1200 m. Soon,
they become cool, and as a result, the windward side of the Western Ghats receive very
heavy rainfall. The area including Agumbe, Tamhini in Maharashtra are often referred to as
the "Cherrapunji of southwest India".After crossing the Western Ghats, these winds descend
and get heated up. This reduces humidity in the winds. As a result, these winds cause little
rainfall in the eastern regions.

Tribals
The hill tribes or Adivasis (original inhabitants) as they are called, account for barely 5% of the
area population in the Western Ghats. The tribals have coexisted with nature for centuries in
quiet harmony with rich traditional knowledge and cultural life.
The Western Ghats also harbour a large diversity of human cultures - in the less than 20,000
sq. km. of Kerala Western Ghats there are more than 38 distinct tribal communities.
In Nilgiris ,before 1818,they were the preserve of four tribes: The Kotas, who gave their name
to Kotagiri, made tools and music; the Badagas, who cultivated the land, the forest dwelling
Kurumbas who collected honey and wood and also performed sorcery; and the Todas, who
with their herds of sacred buffalo, provided milk and ghee.
Kani is a tribe living in the Western Ghats area of Kerala.The Kani have a rich tradition of
using wild plants found in the region for health reasons.Knowing that the Kani knew the forest
area better than anyone, scientists employed some of them as guides. While traversing
through the rough terrain, the team was surprised that after several hours their Kani guides
did not feel tired, while they themselves were constantly feeling fatigued. Curious as to why,
the observed their guides and saw them continuously munching black fruits of some plants.
Seeing their exhaustion, the Kani guides offered some of the fruit to them.Upon eating the
fruit, the team immediately felt full of energy and vitality.
However after a great deal of pressure, the Kani led the team to a plant known locally as
“arogyapacha”.

Religion
There are a number of references to the Sahyadris in the ancient epics of Ramayana and
Mahabharata as well as in some of the Puranas. In Ramayana they are described as
majestic, great mountain with its many brightly coloured peaks, its brightly flowering woods,
and forest tracts of sandalwood. Both Ramyana and Mahabharata belong to the post Vedic
period.
However, the Rig Veda, the most ancient text available, does not feature this mountain range
as possibly during that time the peninsular part of India was a dense forest and remained
largely inaccessible and unknown to the Vedic people.
From the earliest times, the mountains have been considered the abode of Gods and revered
and worshipped. There are hundreds of shrines and temples built atop the hills and
innumerable caves and monuments dedicated to the divine all over the Western Ghats.
The most famous Buddhist monument in the Sahyadris are the Buddhist caves at Ajanta
and Ellora near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
About 10 kms from Vagamon is Kurusimala, a pilgrim centre for Christians, that recreates
Christ's final journey - the Way of the Cross - in a series of picture tableaux.
Baba Budan or Dattatreya Pitha, a laterite cave, considered holy by both Muslims and Hindus.

Conservation
The Western Ghats were once covered in dense forests.Unique geography and good rainfalls
ensured that the ghats were always heavily forested, till the British decided to cut them down
and use the land for agriculture, including tea plantations. Though the tea plantations, like the
ones in Nilgiris look stunningly beautiful, nature paid a heavy price for their creation and
many endemic and rare varieties of plants were forever lost in the process.
Today, a large part of the range has been logged or converted to agricultural land for tea,
coffee, rubber and oil palm, or cleared for livestock grazing, reservoirs and roads.
The growth of populations around protected areas and other forests has also led to habitat
destruction and human-wildlife conflict like elephant wandering on farmland, tigers preying on
the local farmers cattle.
Now ,There are numerous protected areas designated by the Government of India in the
Western Ghats. They include two bio reserves and thirteen National Parks.The large number
of protected areas indicates concern for conservation.
Indian government have also been designated holistic conservation programmes as Project
Elephant and Project Tiger .
The tiger cannot be saved in isolation. Saving the tiger involves the maintenance of a viable
population of its prey species - the herbivore animals. For the herbivores to survive it has to
be ensured that the vegetation of the forests is rich and varied. Thus saving tiger means
saving an entire ecosystem.