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.