Biodiversity of Vagamon located in the Idukki district of Kerala, and quite close to the rather popular hill station of Munnar, Rajamala Hills is a wonderful escape from the humdrum city life. Without the typically crowded feeling of a hill town, this often overlooked piece of heaven is the perfect getaway you can wish for.
Wildlife enthusiasts can look forward to the rare Nilgiri Tahr which is a type of mountain goat. Also worth a visit is the Rajamala Wildlife Sanctuary which is a portion of the much larger Eravikulam National Park which is 97 square kilometres in area.
Another charming fact about this little town of Rajamala is the Neelakurinji flowers which are blue coloured blossoms that bloom only once in 12 years. If you are here to see that magnificent blue carpet in this region, you will find a lot of other tourists also.
Before Rajamala Hills found its present day fame, it was a game preserve. Managed privately by the Kanan Devan Hills Produce Company, the area came under the control of the Government of Kerala in 1971 when the Resumption of Lands Act was passed in 1971.
A few years later, in 1975, the place was established as the Eravikulam-Rajamala Wildlife Sanctuary. This was done primarily to preserve the Nilgiri tahr, a species that was endangered and whose habitat needed protection. Finally, in 1978, the status of this land was elevated to that of a national park.
