Thekkady (Idukki district) is the location of the Periyar National Park, which is an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India. Situated close to the Kerala -Tamil Nadu border town of Kumily, it is located about 257 km (160 miles) from Trivandrum, 140 km from Madurai Airport, 185 km from Cochin International Airport and 114 km from Kottayam railway station.

The sanctuary is famous for its dense evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savanna grass lands. It is home to herds of elephants, sambar, tigers, gaur, lion-tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs.

The Periyar Wildlife sanctuary is spread across 777 km sq. (300 sq. miles), of which 360 km sq. (139 sq. miles) is thick evergreen forest. The Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the park. The greatest attraction of Periyar are the herds of wild elephants that come down to play in the lake.

Attractions:

Periyar wildlife sanctuary:

The sanctuary is spread over an area of about 777sqkm and comprises of a thick evergreen forest with exotic wild life. The sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve sometime in 1978. It has an artificial lake formed by the Mullai Periyar Dam, built across the Periyar river.
Murikkady:This place consists of spice and coffee plantations. It is about 5 km from Thekkady.
Chellar Kovil:This is located about 15km from Kumily and leads to the Cumbum district of Tamil Nadu. This place has a lot of waterfalls and cascades.
Mangala Devi Temlple:It is situated about 15km from Thekkady and sits at an altitude of 1337m above the sea level. It is only open during the Chitra Pournami festival.