Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area
in the India
n state of Maharashtra
. It is located at the meeting of three Tehsil
s of Sangli district
: Khanapur
, Walva and Palus
. The wildlife sanctuary is man-made; it is an artificially cultivated forest
without a perennial supply of water, and most of the wildlife species were artificially introduced
. It has an area of 10.87 km².
and southern thorn forest. Protection from grazing
and forest fire has resulted in good regeneration of dry deciduous species. The forest department introduced many plants in the area, including Tamarind
, Neem
, Nilgiri
, Acacia
, Agave
, and Khair
.
Large animals found in the sanctuary include several types of deer (Sambar Deer
, Blackbuck
s, Muntjac
, Chital
) as well as wild boar and peacocks. Small carnivores like hyena
, fox
and porcupine
s are also found in the area. A large number of insects, birds and reptiles such as pythons and other snakes are also present.
flowing through fields of sugarcane
and grapevines
. Also in the area are numerous shrines to Shiva
which were built during the Chalukya dynasty
, and the Krishna Valley Wine Park in Palus.
All mail, express and superfast trains stop at Sangli and Miraj railway stations. MSRTC buses, private cars and auto rickshaws are available from Sangli and Miraj to Sagareshwar.
Local passenger trains and few express trains stop at Kirloskarvadi and Takari stations. It is recommended to get down at Takari railway station and proceed to Sagareshwar. Many people reach Sagareshwar by walking from Takari station.
Take MSRTC buses from Sangli/Miraj and alight at Takari. Sagareshwar is 15 km from Palus bus station. You can walk down or take an auto rickshaw from Takari. It is recommended that you can take a private car from Sangli and reach Sagareshwar Hill Top Points.
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. It is located at the meeting of three Tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
s of Sangli district
Sangli district
Sangli district is a district of Maharashtra state in west-central India. Sangli city is the district headquarters. The district is 24.51% urban. Sangli and Miraj are the largest cities. The industrial town of Kirloskarwadi is also located in the Sangli District...
: Khanapur
Khanapur
Khanapur is a Town Council in Belgaum district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 26 km from Belgaum. The town is governed by the Khanapur Municipal Council. Khanapur taluka falls under Belgaum District. The town is on the Belgaum - Panaji National Highway 4A...
, Walva and Palus
Palus
Palus is a tehsil Sangli district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.PALUS is a nice village. Palus has an industrial area & a wine park. Palus MIDC is the biggest asset for Palus, which holds major component manufacturing. Kirloskar brothers ltd.is near to Palus. Palus tahashil have more famous...
. The wildlife sanctuary is man-made; it is an artificially cultivated forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
without a perennial supply of water, and most of the wildlife species were artificially introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
. It has an area of 10.87 km².
Flora and fauna
The sanctuary is forested, but with grassy hill slopes. The forests are southern dry mixed deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
and southern thorn forest. Protection from grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
and forest fire has resulted in good regeneration of dry deciduous species. The forest department introduced many plants in the area, including Tamarind
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
, Neem
Neem
Azadirachta indica is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta, and is native to India growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Its fruits and seeds are the source of neem oil...
, Nilgiri
Nilgiri tea
Nilgiri tea is generally described as being a dark, intensely aromatic, fragrant and flavoured tea grown in the southern portion of the Western Ghats mountains of Southern India...
, Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
, Agave
Agave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
, and Khair
Capparis decidua
Capparis decidua is commonly known as kerda, kair, karir, kirir, karril, etc. .- Tree characteristics :...
.
Large animals found in the sanctuary include several types of deer (Sambar Deer
Sambar Deer
The Sambar ' is a large deer native to southern and southeast Asia. Although it primarily refers to R. unicolor, the name "Sambar" is also sometimes used to refer to the Philippine Deer and the Rusa Deer...
, Blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened....
s, Muntjac
Muntjac
Muntjac, also known as Barking Deer and Mastreani Deer, are small deer of the genus Muntiacus. Muntjac are the oldest known deer, appearing 15–35 million years ago, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France, Germany and Poland....
, Chital
Chital
The chital or cheetal , also known as chital deer, spotted deer or axis deer is a deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and in small numbers in Pakistan...
) as well as wild boar and peacocks. Small carnivores like hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
and porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
s are also found in the area. A large number of insects, birds and reptiles such as pythons and other snakes are also present.
Tourism
The sanctuary is a popular tourist destination, with the peak tourism season being from August to February. The most popular tourist activity is hiking to the top of a hill in the sanctuary, from which one can see the Krishna RiverKrishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...
flowing through fields of sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
and grapevines
Vitis
Vitis is a genus of about 60 species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce...
. Also in the area are numerous shrines to Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
which were built during the Chalukya dynasty
Chalukya dynasty
The Chalukya dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty, known as the "Badami Chalukyas", ruled from Vatapi from the...
, and the Krishna Valley Wine Park in Palus.
About Sagareshwar
The Sagareshwar sanctuary has much religious, cultural and archaeological significance. The sanctuary derives its name from an ancient famous Shiva temple that attracts a large number of devotees. It actually consists of one large temple and a complex of 51 small temples, all from the Satvahana period. You will find the Kamal Bhairao temple, partially hewn from hard Basalt rock perched on the edge of a steep cliff. The entrance to the temple is through a narrow tunnel.How to reach Sagareshwar
- SangliSangliSangli is a city in the state of Maharashtra of India. Sangli is known as the Turmeric city for its vast production of Turmeric. Sangli is situated on the banks of river Krishna and is the largest market place for Turmeric in Asia and houses many sugar factories, which it is also noted for...
- 47 km - MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
- 380 km - PunePunePune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
- 220 km - BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
- 710 km
Nearest Railway Stations
- SangliSangliSangli is a city in the state of Maharashtra of India. Sangli is known as the Turmeric city for its vast production of Turmeric. Sangli is situated on the banks of river Krishna and is the largest market place for Turmeric in Asia and houses many sugar factories, which it is also noted for...
- 30 km - MirajMirajMiraj , is an historic town in southern Maharashtra, India. The history of the town dates back to the early 10th century, and the town is known for its rich tradition of Hindustani classical music and for religious harmony. It served as a stronghold and a strategic bastion because of its location...
rail junction - 34 km - Kirloskarvadi - 15 km
- Takari - 2 km
All mail, express and superfast trains stop at Sangli and Miraj railway stations. MSRTC buses, private cars and auto rickshaws are available from Sangli and Miraj to Sagareshwar.
Local passenger trains and few express trains stop at Kirloskarvadi and Takari stations. It is recommended to get down at Takari railway station and proceed to Sagareshwar. Many people reach Sagareshwar by walking from Takari station.
Nearest Bus Stations
- Sangli - 30 km
- Miraj - 34 km
- Kirloskarvadi - 14 km
- Palus - 15 km
- Takari - 2 km
- Deorashtre 0 km
Take MSRTC buses from Sangli/Miraj and alight at Takari. Sagareshwar is 15 km from Palus bus station. You can walk down or take an auto rickshaw from Takari. It is recommended that you can take a private car from Sangli and reach Sagareshwar Hill Top Points.