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Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka
Nagarhole National Park
Part of the lushly-forested Deccan Plateau, Bandipur, in Karnataka,
offers a rich and varied wildlife habitat. It is a part of
a larger national park, which also includes the neighbouring
wildlife sanctuaries, of Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu and Wynad
in Kerala. This sanctuary is one of the 15 sanctuaries selected
across India for Project Tiger, a scheme launched in 1973,
by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, to save the tiger and
its habitat. Located on the highway connecting Mysore and
Ooty, at the foothills of the western Ghats, Bandipur is truly
a common man's getaway.
In 1931, Bandipur was a sanctuary spanning an area of only
90 sq kms. In 1941, it was stretched to about 800 sq kms and
named the Venugopal Wildlife Park after the royal deity, Venugopala,
worshipped by the Maharajas of Mysore. Today, Bandipur National
Park, together with the Mudumalai Sanctuary in the south,
the Nagarhole National Park in the north-west and the Wynad
Sanctuary of Kerala in the south-west, forms the Nilgiri Biosphere
Reserve.
Covered with a mix of deciduous forests, evergreen forests
and scrub, and well - irrigated by the Moyar river, Bandipur
has a fairly open forest area, making it easy for vistors
to spot wildlife. This sanctuary sprawls over an area of 880
sq. kilometres. The prominent fauna of this reserve, include
the Asian elephant, gaur, sambar, chital, spotted deer, barking
deer, mouse deer, four horned antelope, wild boar, black naped
hare, Indian porcupine and the elusive tiger.According to
a 1993 census, there are 66 tigers and more than 1900 elephants.
Bandipur is also inhabited by a variety of birds.
The river Moyar, one of the three rivers flowing through the
Park, acts as a boundary between the Park and the Mudumalai
Sanctuary. The Moyar gorge is 260 metres deep and provides
a fabulous view of the surroundings.
When to visit
It is warm for most part of the year in this area. During
the months of October to March, the weather is cool and pleasant.
The ideal time for viewing the wildlife, is during May and
June, and again from September to November.
How to get there
The nearest town is Gundulpet, 20 kilometres away. The nearest
railhead is at Nanjangud, 55 kilometres away, and the nearest
airport is 80 kilometres away, at Mysore. The best way to
visit this sanctuary, would be to make a day trip from Mysore.
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