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Manas National
ParkManas National Park is one such wild life retreat in India that has the
ability to hold a visitor spellbound. It is amongst the few foremost wild life
parks in India, which is under the watchful eye of the Project Tiger. With its
unique topography, rich flora and fauna and more interestingly its distance from
human habitation, Manas offers the perfect setting to experience the wilds in
there purest forms.
Spread over 519 sq. km of sheer greenery, on the
northern bank of Brahmaputra River in Assam, this scenic wild life park reflects
a fine fusion of Indian, Ethiopian, and Indo-Chinese influences in its magnificent
bio-diversity. The park is mainly drained by the picturesque Manas River that
demarcated India from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.
While the core
park area is a pristine wild life abode, the additional area is a collection of
eighteen reserve forests. Being an excellent abode to the dwindling tiger species,
Manas became the center of attraction for the wild life protectionists and in
1973 it was converted into a Tiger Reserve, with Manas Sanctuary as its core.
Later the sanctuary was extended by adding several forest reserves surrounding
the area. In 1990 Manas finally achieved the title of a National Park. Along with
being a world natural heritage site, it has been also declared as a biosphere
reserve owing to its beauty and importance to the environment.
Today
the Manas National Park boasts of some of the rare wild life species including
the tiger. A vast, relatively un-spoilt expanse of low-lying sal forests and small
meadows in midst of thickly forested hills criss-cross by a network of rivulets,
streams and drains mark the unique topography of the park. Imagine the sight of
a large number of deer grazing in some small glades of grass interspersed by mixed
deciduous forests or have a look at the wild buffalos from the safety and serenity
of a boat on river Manas. The more daring can opt for an elephant ride into the
densest areas of the forest or take a jeep ride to the danger zone, where you
will encounter the king tiger himself.
The major wild inhabitants of
Manas include are the tigers, elephants, the rare one horned rhinos, wild buffaloes,
leopards, clouded leopards and the amazing black panthers. Manas is also home
to endangered animal species like the Hispid Hare and the Pygmy Hog. The gaurs,
swamp deer, capped languor, golden languor, Assamese macaques, slow loris, smooth
Indian otters, sloth bears, barking deer, hog deer Chital and sambar are among
the other inhabitants of the jungle that you will come across while exploring
the park.
Manas is also a favorite abode for many local and migratory
birds. Some important birds found here include the jungle fowl, bulbuls, pelicans,
pheasants, fishing eagles, serpent eagles, egrets, falcons, bee eaters, herons,
mergansers, harriers pied hornbills and different species of hornbills.
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