Chap. I.] geneual sketch oi'' aiiea. 13 



interesting-. Of the Darmahpoor Mountains there is little to be said. 



They form a long- ridge, with breaks, stretching from Topoor* to the 



great Mookanoormullay, (generally known as the 

 Darmalipoor. J ' \b J 



Darmahpoor hill,) which is the highest as well 

 as most northerly part of the simple long- extended ridge. The eleva- 

 tion of the Mookanoor hill cannot be less than 3,000 feet above sea 

 level, and is probably very considerably more. Only the central part 

 of the range is inhabited by a few Mnllayalies, who cultivate castor oil 

 and other dry crops on a small plateau on the western side of the ridge. 

 The Shevaroys, the loftiest mountains within the area we are describ- 

 ing", present, when seen from the south, south-east, 



Shevaroys. ' ' 



and south-west, a peculiarly massive appearance, 

 but when seen from the north or north-east, they are found to be deeply 

 indented by several valleys. This is especially the case on the north side, 

 where there are two great bay-like valleys which run far into the mass of 

 the mountain group. These are, the valley of the Topoor river, up which 

 the Mulliapooram Ghat leads to the small station of Ercadu or Yercaud ; 

 and that of the Vaniaur river, a tributary of the Punniar, which drains 

 by far the greater part of the Shevaroys. By this great ravine the 

 mountain mass is deeply bisected for more than three quarters of its 

 whole length, for the ravine commences about a mile north of Yercaud, 

 and soon attains great depth. The back bone of the western of the 

 two great lobes into which the mass of the Shevaroys is divided by the 

 Vaniaur ravine, is formed by the '' Green Hills" ridge, and is by far the 

 most elevated portion, and also forms the water shed of the whole mountain 

 mass, t The other lobe may aptly be designated as the Chentilloo lobe 



* Topoor village lies about a mile beyond the western limit of Map No. 79, and a 

 little to the south of the well-known pass of that name. 



t The Shevaroys, if the generally assumed altitude of the summit of the Green 

 Hills (5,260 feet) above sea level be correct, would appear to be the loftiest mountains in 

 the Peninsula eastward of the Meridian of 78'^ longitude (cast of Greenwich). 



(235) 



