Agasthyamalai Hills

The Agasthyamalai Hills also called the Ashambu Hills, lie at the extreme southern end of the Western Ghats mountain range along the western side of South India. There are at least 26 peaks over 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) among these hills. The hills are notable as the habitat for over 2,000 species of medicinal plants and as the abode of the Vedic sage Agasthya, founder of the Siddhar practitioners of Rasayana herbal medicine, who is often depicted holding a mortar and pestle. These hills contain areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. The hills contain outstanding examples of ecosystems and communities of plants and animals representing significant ecological and biological processes. The area contains important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including forests containing threatened species of outstanding value to science and conservation.