THE MOUNTAIN MONARCH

Western Ghats' grassland guardian has emerged from the shadows, but may not stay for long

- K A SHAJI

Few beings would know the Western Ghats as well as the Nilgiri tahr. For centuries, the ungulate has freely roamed the windswept shola forests interspersed with grassland habitats. The stocky, well-built goat, with distinctive curving horns and surefooted gait, is perfectly adapted to steep cliffs and alpine meadows. Males, known as saddlebacks for the silvery patch along their spine, are particularly striking against the deep green backdrop: when the first light hits the slopes above Rajamala hills, one can watch them step out from behind grass tussocks.

In many ways, the Nilgiri tahr symbolises the hill tracts that form its only habitat. In ancient Tamil Sangam literature the ungulate, called varayādu or mountain goat, is celebrated as a symbol of endurance and longing in the Kurinji landscape. Sangam poems describe wild goats leaping across stones in the blue hills, and later epics like Silappathikaram refer to spirited goats of the high country.