Introduction Kudremukh also spelled Kuduremukha is a mountain range and name of a peak located in Chikkamagaluru district, in Karnataka, India. Kudremukh is famous for its scenic beauty and it is a major tourist hub.The name Kuduremukha literally means 'horse-face' (in the Kannada language) and refers to a particular picturesque view of a side of the mountain that resembles a horse's face. Kuduremukh is Karnataka's 3rd highest peak after Mullayangiri and Baba Budangiri.The Kudremukh National Park (latitude 1301'00" to 1329'17" N, longitude 7500'55' to 7525'00" E) is the second largest Wildlife Protected Area (600.32 km) belonging to a tropical wet evergreen type of forest in the Western Ghats.Lanform formationThe Western Ghats are not true mountains but rather faulted edge of an upraised plateau. the Western Ghats are aThe major hill range starting from the north is the Sahyadhri (the benevolent mountains) range. This range is home to many hill stations, including Matheran, Lonavala-Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Amboli Ghat, Kudremukh and Kodagu. result of a domal uplift, the underlying rocks are ancient - around 2000 million year old. The southern and western sides of the park form the steep slope of the Western Ghats ridge line, with the altitude varying from 100 m - 1892 m (peak). The northern, central and the eastern portions of the park constitute a chain of rolling hills with a mosaic of natural grassland and shola forests. Kudremukh receives an average annual rainfall of 7000 mm, largely due to the forest types of mainly evergreen vegetation that can be found here.In detail the Peninsular India split from Gondwanaland about 150 m.y.a. and started moving north. The northward drift which lasted about 100 million years finally ended with the peninsula colliding with the Asian mainland 45 m.y.a. Major geological transformations took place as the peninsula moved northwards and drifted over the present day Reunion islands - localised volcanic centre in the earths lithosphere 200-300 km across, which has remained active for several million years.It moved up in this drift and the heat beneath generated basaltic magma which rose into lithosphere causing an uplift by crustal arching. It was this event which happened some 120-130 m.y.a. that resulted in the uplift of the Western Ghats and tilted the Indian Plate in easterly direction. Subsequently, there were a series of volcanic eruptions until around 65 m.y.a. giving rise to the extensive Deccan Traps. These volcanic episodes to a large extent moulded the Northern Western Ghats.These are mountains of denudation rather than deformation.

Soils vary from humus rich peat in the montane areas to laterite Mineral Mineral content The Kudremukh deposit on the West Coast in Chickmagalur district is also important because it is intensively of magnetite. Kudremukh means the face of a horse, as the profile of the mountain near Mangalore resembles it. This is no ordinary mountain but a rich lode of iron ore. It is one of the largest iron ore deposits of the world and the largest in Asia. Average daily production of ore is 70,000 tons.Kudremukh has rich deposit of iron ore. Open cast mining is a highly destructive activity and Kudremukh is one of the worst places to have situated such an operation. Because of its biological importance Kudremukh was declared a National Park in 1987, thus bringing it under the purview of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which disallows any non-forestry activity, including mining, within a protected area.FaunaThe Kudremukh range was declared a Tiger Reserve, as part of the Bhadra Tiger Sanctuary by the Union Environmental Minister, Government of India A diverse assemblage of endangered large mammals is found in the park supporting three large mammal predator species such as the Tiger, Leopard and Wild Dog. The important Tiger prey base found within the Park is Gaur, Sambar, Wild Pig, Muntjac, Chevrotain, Bonnet Macaque, Common Langur and the Lion-tailed Macaque.Kudremukh and its surrounding forests comprise one of the largest blocks of tropical rainforests in the Western Ghats and harbour many rare and endemic species including the lion tailed macaque and great pied hornbill.The wet climate and the tremendous water retentive capacity of the shola grasslands and forests have led to the formation of thousands of perennial streams in the region converging to form three major rivers of the region, Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi which form an important lifeline for the people of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Lobo's house is an old abandoned farm on the upper reaches of Kuduremukha. VegetationThe hills, which bear the brunt of the severe monsoon winds, preclude any tree growth added to that the region is known for its rich low grade magnetite soil which primarily inhibits plant growth. As a result, the landscape is covered with grass. The valleys which are tucked in, have reasonable protection from wind and a deep soil profile, as a result of which stunted evergreen forests exist creating a unique microclimate, rich with mosses, orchids, etc. The whole scenery of grassland interspersed with narrow strips of forests provides a fantastic vista.The flora in Kudremukh National Park consists of mostly evergreen and semi-evergreen forests near the coastal plains on the western portion and the shoal-grassland habitat at elevations above 1400m on the Western Ghats.The Sholas (Grasslands): In the Western Ghats natural grasslands are found above1,500 m with 2500 5000 mm rainfall in Bababudangiris, Kudremukh, Nilgiris,Anaimalais, Palnis and Cardamom hill ranges. The grasslands which are also called asshrub savannas or the sholas are characterized by number of herbaceous and shrubbyspecies mixed with grasses . The tree genera that are endemic to the Western Ghatsinclude Blepharistemma, Erinocarpus, Meteoromyrtus, Otenephelium, Poeciloneuronand Pseudoglochidioncommercial cropssuch as coffee, cardamom, areacanut, tapioca, ground nut, and rubber cause the deforestation or agricultural crops such as paddy, jowar and ragi are being raised. influence The outstanding universal values of the Western Ghats are manifested in theregions unique and fascinating influence on large-scale biophysical and ecological 3processes over the entire Indian peninsula. The high mountains of the WesternGhats and their characteristic montane forest ecosystems influence the Indianmonsoon weather patterns that mediate the warm tropical climate of the region,presenting one of the best examples of the tropical monsoon system on the planet.The Ghats act as a key barrier, intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds thatsweep in from the south-west during late summer. This results in exceptionallyheavy rainfall on the western and upper slopes, reaching up to 400 mm in a day inareas such as Kudremukh and Agumbe (one of the highest 24-hour rainfall valuesanywhere in the world) and an annual rainfall of between 2,000 and over 6,000 mmin most of these areas (locally, up to 10,000 mm in a few places).