In fact a recent tiger monitoring has said that this could perhaps be the place where you would get the larges tiger population in the southern part of India. This monitoring conducted by the forest department goes a long way to making Wayanad an accepted tiger paradise here. Karnataka’s Bandipur tiger Reserve tops the tiger habitats in India and Wayanad comes a close second. It is located adjacent to the Bandipur Sanctuary.

Spanning over an area of around 344.44 square kilometres, the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is a portion of the Nilgir Biosphere Reserve and has had at least 80 tigers alongwith the tiger cubs.

The main method that was used to find out the tiger population is by camera trapping. This is a method in which the tigers are identified from the photographs. There were around 32 cameras that were installed and used at a time and they were spread in the forest range of the sanctuary. the entire monitoring took around four months to complete and it was an exhaustive study of the tiger population in this heavenly region in Kerala.

Around 1,200 photographs of wild cats were taken and recorded and then there were professionals who analyzed these photographs with the help of a scientific framework. In the year 2010, the Ministry of Forest and Environment showed a data that showed that the tiger population was around 1,706 . In the year 2006 it was 1,411 thus showing a significant increase. The habitat is very natural and healthy and the entire topography and landscape of Wayanad helps the tigers to live here comfortably and thus flourish. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve has the sanctuary as its main part and it is inclusive of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and the Rajiv Gandhi National park in Karnataka alongwith the Bandipur national in the same state. The entire sanctuary is spread over an area of around 3000 square kilometres.The big cats or tigers could be easily protected due to the fact that the Mudumalai and the Bandipur sanctuaries were adjacent and thus could have an intermingling.

Poaching was rampant here in this region some years back. Today the entire region is protected well due to the efforts of the Government in maintaining a vigilant watch on the poachers and organizing stringent measures to nab the poachers in action. Anti poaching camps were set up and patrolling was intensified thus helping in banishing poaching and also in encouraging the herbivore to thrive here.

Thus the healthy habitat become even more comfortable for the tigers and the forest officials were more than happy to protect it. So the area had to be declared a tiger sanctuary so that outsiders would stay off and the species would be well protected.

The efforts to declare Wayanad as a Wildlife Sanctuary have helped in proving that this is indeed a great tiger haven in India. the data that showed the level of tiger population here is very important and the fact that this is the reason the region is so well protected is a case in mention. Declaring the Wayanad region as a reserve would surely help in managing the entire tiger population and the area. this would also enhance the management of the tiger population in the Nilgiri Biosphere.

The tiger population is declining in India and with places like Wayanad it is a relief that this is not going to be so. With Wayanad having the best surroundings and conditions for the tiger to survive, the fact that it is going to be the best sanctuary for the wild cats is enough to keep the wildlife enthusiasts happy.

Wayanad with its beautiful ambience and natural surroundings is thus surely a magnificent region for a tiger sanctuary.

When the Pandavas were in exile they wanted to pray to Lord Shiva and it was Bhima out of the Pandavas who was asked to bring a Siva Linga. When Bhima could not reach the penance place with the required Shiv Ling at the time specified it was Dharmaraja who got a Linga made out of a log of Neem installed.

Popularly called the Pancheswaram or the amalgamation of around five temples, the complex has th Sidheshwaram, Sangameswaram, Kapileswaram, Malleswaram and Someswaram.

The Sangameswara temple had the Srisailam Dam built near the temple and then the temple was taken down and then rebuilt over a hill near Kurnool. Kanchi Kama Koti Swami supervised the entire construction of the temple. The entire place is today progressing as a huge picnic spot and today it is a religious centre and a great pilgrim spot.

This has a greatly serene ambience and also a tranquil atmosphere. The best sight of the entire city of Kurnool is viewed from the hill top and the total sight is really breath taking and awe inspiring. There is a very old Dargah that lies next to the place where there are two trees one above the other. As we enter the city from a long distance this lovely picnic spot for the people living in and near the city of Kurnool.

The temple of Shiva is in the region of Bhavani and is around 16 kms from the railway station of Erode. This temple is also known by another name called Dakshin Prayag. The River Kaveri meets the River Bhavani here in this lovely pilgrim spot. The confluence of these two majestic rivers and also the River Amuda is what makes up the holy place with the lovely sight of the rivers flowing in this pilgrim land. So the pilgrims coming here look forward to taking a bath in this lovely religious land or the sangamam which means confluence. So the p lace here is known as the lord of the sangamam or Sangameswara. Pilgrims perform a lot of rituals on the banks of these rivers. It is said that a bath at this lovely sangamam totally purifies the entire mind and body.

Sangameswara is a very attractive temple and is a total storehouse of beautiful craftsmanship and enthralls the pilgrim with its sheer magnificence and the simple granite slabs make up the entire structure of this lovely temple filled with the best of ancient grandeur.

Lord Sangameswara is thus found here facing the River Kaveri and when a pilgrim circumambulates here the sight of the Dakshina Moorthy, Vinayaga, Vishnu, Muruga, Nataraja and Durga is totally a mesmerizing sight and a pleasure for the pilgrim. There are around 63 Nayanmars here and they find a great place within the temple. The Amman here is called the Veda Nayagi and she is a powerful goddess and Her statue decked in total finery and the entire mandapam which leads to her sannidhi is a sight to behold. It has a lot of ornamental work and there are lot of decorations on the ceiling and pillars too.

There is a beautiful peepul tree here on the banks of all the rivers and also many Vinayagar and Nagas under it. The pilgrims offer their prayers here and take a bath in the river and then go to the main temple of Sangameshwara.

India is a land of temples and is filled with the best travel sights. So the state of Karnataka is a lovely land to be in and a visit to this place is enhanced by the sheer magnificence of the Sangameshwara temple and thus it is a popular pilgrim destination in this part of India.