Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park

Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park is a protected area located in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi, Valparai and Udumalpet taluks of Coimbatore District and Tirupur District, Tamil Nadu.

The park is named after former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi who visited the park on 7 October 1961.The Anamalais were under intense tea or coffee plantations after deforestation of the natural forests. Most native inhabitants either refused to work or were inefficient workers, labour for plantations was brought from the plains of Tamil Nadu to clear forests and grow coffee.

The Park and the Sanctuary is under consideration by UNESCO as part of The Western Ghats World Heritage site.

Mean annual rainfall is between 500 millimetres (20 in) in the south western fringes This Sanctuary is an important watershed for the agricultural economy and power supply in other parts of Tamil Nadu.
Major reservoirs like Parambikulam Reservoir, Aliyar Reservoir, Thirumurthi Reservoir, Upper Aliyar Reservoir, Kadambarai, Sholayar Dam and Amaravathi Dam are fed by the perennial rivers which originate from the Sanctuary.

IGWS was declared a Project Tiger sanctuary in 2008.Elephants were earlier trained and used at Anamalai for timber operations till felling of trees was stopped in 1972. The elephant camp has become a popular public attraction.