Rajaji National Park
Encyclopedia
Rajaji National Park is an Indian national park that encompasses the Shivaliks, near the foothills of the Himalayas
. It is spread over 820 km²., and three districts of Uttarakhand
: Haridwar
, Dehradun
and Pauri Garhwal
. In 1983, three wildlife sanctuaries in the area namely, Chilla
, Motichur and Rajaji sanctuaries were merged into one .
Rajaji National Park has been named after C. Rajagopalachari
(Rajaji), a prominent leader of the Freedom Struggle, the second and last Governor-General
of independent India and one of the first recipients of India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna
(in 1954).
, in particular those of the Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
ecoregion
. The forest ecosystem
s of the Rajaji National Park are quite varied and diverse. A general survey of the forests reveals some important types of plant associations: Shorea, Mallotus and Adina community; Shorea, Terminalia and Bridelia community; Dalbergia, Acacia community; Syzygium, Phoebe and Drypetes community. The tropical forest ecosystems of the park have many unique characteristics, which have both scientific as well as practical significance for development. Based on the physiognomy and floristic composition, the permanent vegetation of the park can be grouped into following six types:
1. Sal forest
2. Mixed forest
3. Riverine forest
4. Scrub forest
5. Grassland
6. Sub-tropical pine forest
- and 315 species of birds are found in Rajaji . The most prominent avian species include pea fowl, woodpeckers, pheasants, kingfishers and barbets, supplemented by a number of migratory species during the winter months. Besides that, the rivers which flow through the park harbour fish such as trout and mahseer.
The park has the largest population of Elephants in Uttarakhand. It also has a good number of Tigers and Leopards. Both elephants and tiger are here, at the North-Western limit of their distribution in India. Wild animal species found in Rajaji National Park include:
The park also houses over four hundred bird species including the Great Pied Hornbill, Himalayan Pied Kingfisher and the fire tailed sunbird. This area is the first staging ground after the migratory birds cross over the Himalayas into the Indian subcontinent.
, Kotdwar and Haridwar
: the Ramgarh Gate and Mohand Gate are within 25 km of Dehradun; the Motichur, Ranipur and Chilla Gates are about 9 km from Haridwar; Kunao Gate is 6 km from Rishikesh; and Laldhang gate is 25 km from Kotdwar. Saharanpur
, which is conveniently linked by train
to other parts of India, is another attractive point to reach the Mohand area of the Park, in nearly an hour by road.
.
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. It is spread over 820 km²., and three districts of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
: Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
, Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
and Pauri Garhwal
Pauri Garhwal
Pauri Garhwal is a district in Uttarakhand state of India. Its headquarters is at Pauri. Pauri Garhwal district is ringed by Haridwar, Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Almora and Nainital districts from three sides. The southern boundary of Pauri Garhwal district touches with the...
. In 1983, three wildlife sanctuaries in the area namely, Chilla
Chilla
In Hindustani classical music, chilla or chilla katna is a stage of training or ritual where the student is fully isolated from the outside world and lives for music only. Some musicians spend long periods of their training in varying degrees of isolation and describe these as their chilla; for...
, Motichur and Rajaji sanctuaries were merged into one .
Rajaji National Park has been named after C. Rajagopalachari
C. Rajagopalachari
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari , informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, independence activist, politician, writer and statesman. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India...
(Rajaji), a prominent leader of the Freedom Struggle, the second and last Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of independent India and one of the first recipients of India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna
Bharat Ratna
Bharat Ratna is the Republic of India's highest civilian award, awarded for the highest degrees of national service. This service includes artistic, literary, and scientific achievements, as well as "recognition of public service of the highest order." Unlike knights, holders of the Bharat Ratna...
(in 1954).
Flora
Rajaji National Park contains tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forestsTropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
, in particular those of the Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
The Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of northern India. It lies on the alluvial plain of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, with an area of , covering most of the state of Uttar Pradesh and adjacent portions of Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
. The forest ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s of the Rajaji National Park are quite varied and diverse. A general survey of the forests reveals some important types of plant associations: Shorea, Mallotus and Adina community; Shorea, Terminalia and Bridelia community; Dalbergia, Acacia community; Syzygium, Phoebe and Drypetes community. The tropical forest ecosystems of the park have many unique characteristics, which have both scientific as well as practical significance for development. Based on the physiognomy and floristic composition, the permanent vegetation of the park can be grouped into following six types:
1. Sal forest
2. Mixed forest
3. Riverine forest
4. Scrub forest
5. Grassland
6. Sub-tropical pine forest
Fauna
Inhabiting the dense green jungles that form the park are an impressive array of creatures - 23 species of mammals - including tigers, leopards, elephants, deer, jungle cat, wild boar and sloth bearSloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
- and 315 species of birds are found in Rajaji . The most prominent avian species include pea fowl, woodpeckers, pheasants, kingfishers and barbets, supplemented by a number of migratory species during the winter months. Besides that, the rivers which flow through the park harbour fish such as trout and mahseer.
The park has the largest population of Elephants in Uttarakhand. It also has a good number of Tigers and Leopards. Both elephants and tiger are here, at the North-Western limit of their distribution in India. Wild animal species found in Rajaji National Park include:
- Asian ElephantAsian ElephantThe Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
- Bengal TigerBengal TigerThe Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
- LeopardLeopardThe leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
- Jungle Cat
- Striped HyenaStriped HyenaThe Striped Hyena is a species of true hyena native to North and East Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Middle and Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
- The Goat-like Goral
- Himalayan yellow throated marten
- Indian Hare
- Sloth BearSloth BearThe sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
- Himalayan Black Bear
- King CobraKing CobraThe king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
- Jackal
- Barking Deer
- Sambhar
- Wild boar
- Rhesus macaqueRhesus MacaqueThe Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
- Indian langur
- Indian Porcupine
- Monitor lizard
- Python
The park also houses over four hundred bird species including the Great Pied Hornbill, Himalayan Pied Kingfisher and the fire tailed sunbird. This area is the first staging ground after the migratory birds cross over the Himalayas into the Indian subcontinent.
Access
Rajaji Park, which has several gates, is accessible from DehradunDehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
, Kotdwar and Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
: the Ramgarh Gate and Mohand Gate are within 25 km of Dehradun; the Motichur, Ranipur and Chilla Gates are about 9 km from Haridwar; Kunao Gate is 6 km from Rishikesh; and Laldhang gate is 25 km from Kotdwar. Saharanpur
Saharanpur
Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal Corporation in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur District as well as Saharanpur Division...
, which is conveniently linked by train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
to other parts of India, is another attractive point to reach the Mohand area of the Park, in nearly an hour by road.
Incidents
Rajaji National Park was in the news in April 2010, when a forest fire which started on the fringes of the park, spread out over a large area and threatened the Chandi Devi TempleChandi Devi Temple, Haridwar
Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Chandi Devi in the holy city of Haridwar in the Uttarakhand state of India. The temple is situated atop the Neel Parvat on the Eastern summit of the Sivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas...
.