Tribe that lives by sunlight: The hidden world of Kerala's isolated Cholanaikkans Entry into their habitat is restricted, and interactions with the outside world are carefully mediated by government authorities to protect a fragile culture that could be irreversibly altered by sustained contact. AdvertisementKartiki AroraNew Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 19, 2025 20:24 ISTPosted By: Vivek KumarDeep inside the dense green folds of Kerala’s Nilambur forest lives one of India’s smallest, rarest, and most isolated tribal communities, the Cholanaikkans. Their world begins where modern maps fade and familiar landmarks disappear, unfolding far from roads, cities, and mobile signals. Access to their lives is tightly regulated. Entry into their habitat is restricted, and interactions with the outside world are carefully mediated by government authorities to protect a fragile culture that could be irreversibly altered by sustained contact. advertisementHidden within a protected forest zone, the Cholanaikkans live in near-complete isolation, in a space where modern ideas of time, routine, and progress hold little relevance.
