Rajakumari: The Mathikettan Shola National Park, with its pleasant climate, cool breezes and stunning natural beauty, is beckoning visitors to the high ranges even as the state is sweating under the blazing sun. Though the nearby water sources have already dried up, the brooks and lakes at Mathikettan Shola are alive and thriving. A part of the national park which is sprawled in 12.817 square kilometres shares its borders with Tamil Nadu. In 1897, the Travancore government declared it as reserve forest.
Mathikettan Shola that was declared as a national park on 21st November 2003 was retained as a forest area, by evicting the rest of the settlers here. Various forest preservation projects transformed Mathikettan Shola into the lungs of the high range. During the day time, the temperature in the high ranges is extremely high. However, a cool blanket of mist covers Mathikettan Shola and the nearby places even when the sun is at the peak.
Hundreds of families from Pooppara, Shanthanpara, Pethotti and Thondimala areas depend on the water sources in Mathikettan Chola for drinking water. Wild animals like elephant, bison, sambar deer, Indian muntjac and tiger could be spotted in Mathikettan Shola where you could find lush meadows which are rarely seen in forests. The forest department organizes trekking trips for visitors up to 9 kilometres into the dense forest.
