Srivilliputtur sits at the foot of the Western Ghats in the dry south of Tamil Nadu, and its great gift to the world is a tower. The temple of Andal, a female saint of the Vaishnava tradition, has a gopuram of eleven tiers that rises above the town and is used as the emblem of the Tamil Nadu government. Inside, the rituals continue much as they have for centuries, and the town's other famous product is palkova, a sweet milk fudge, said to be better here than anywhere else. A bite of it and a glass of strong tea is a good break on a hot day.
The wildlife sanctuary the label names covers the hills above the town and has now been combined with the neighbouring Megamalai sanctuary into a tiger reserve. It is the home of the grizzled giant squirrel, a large, shy animal with a long bushy tail that lives in the tops of the trees, and the area also holds elephants, gaur, sambar and a rich collection of birds. The terrain climbs from dry deciduous forest to moist evergreen and then to high grassland, and the streams that run off it feed the plains.
The ghat roads here climb steeply in bends that reward careful riding, with sudden views of the Tamil plain and distant haze, and on a clear morning the farms and temples of the plain look like a map. Landslides in the monsoon can close sections, and the roads are narrow and shared with bullock carts, buses, goats and tractors, so ride within yourself. Gravel and potholes are common after the rains.
Services are scarce in the hills, so fill up in Cumbum or Gudalur, the nearest larger towns, before you climb. Gudalur has a bazaar and food stalls, and a plate of idli with coconut chutney is enough to set you up for a morning. Entry to the sanctuary needs permission from the Forest Department, so ask in advance if you plan to leave the road. The best months are from October to February, when the days are cool and dry.