2.1 Study area
Palani is a famous religious tourist place in the southern part of India and a prominent taluk in Dindigul district. It lies between 10.45oN latitude and 77.51oE longitude covering an area of 666.95 sq.km excludes the hilly terrain. A study boundary covered by Coimbatore in the south-east, Madurai by north-west. A subdivision of the Western Ghats borders the background to the town, the Palani Hills, where on lies the slope station of Kodaikanal. The view inside the town is ruled by the two slopes, Sivagiri and Sakthigiri, on the previous of which lies the sanctuary. At the foot of the slopes lie a few lakes which drain to the Shanmuga river, a tributary of the Amaravathi River, which takes its source on the inclines of the Palani Hills. A study area located above the sea level at an elevation of 315m, an average annual temperature of 27.2oC, and annual rainfall is 630mm. The highest temperature was recorded about 29.6oC during April and May month.