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History |
120 kms from Mysore
and 247 kms from Bangalore and 30 kms from K. Gudi, the Biligirirangana range of
hills is picturesquely situated between the Cauvery and the Kapila rivers. At a height of
5,091 ft above sea level, this hill stretches from north to south for about 16 kms. The
lower hills to the west are covered with moist deciduous forest, where elephants are
plentiful. The vegetation turns to dry deciduous forest towards the west and south.
Remnants of the rainforest survive in Biligiri, one patch of which is considered sacred by
the Sholaga people, who are the earliest inhabitants of the |
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area. Until recently their tiny hamlets dotted these forests. Soligas are the
indigenous people of the Biligiri Rangan (BR) Hills. Approximately 5,000 Soligas live
inside the sanctuary in 30 `podus' or settlements, scattered throughout the sanctuary.
Another 11,000 Soligas live in areas surrounding the sanctuary. Soligas traditionally
engaged in hunting and shifting agriculture. They also collected a wide range of NTFPs,
initially for their subsistence needs, but later for forest contractors as well. Shifting
agriculture has been discouraged since the late 19th century. With the declaration of the
area as the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary in 1974, shifting
agriculture and hunting were completely banned. The Soligas were allocated small pieces of
land where they could practice settled agriculture. However, the extraction of non-timber
forest products continued, though under the aegis of tribal cooperatives: Large-scale
Adivasi (tribal) Multi-purpose Societies (LAMPS). The LAMPS were created as vehicles for
tribal development, particularly to ensure full return on their collections of NTFPs to
which they were given sole rights.
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