Bandipur National Park: an important Project Tiger reserve of southern Karnataka

Chital herd, Bandipur N.P

Bandipur National Park is one of India's best known protected areas and is an important Project Tiger reserve. It is located in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka in South India,

The park stretches over 874 square kilometres (337 sq mi), protecting the wildlife of Karnataka. Together with the adjoining Nagarhole National Park (643 km2 (248 sq mi)), Mudumalai National Park (320 km2 (120 sq mi)) and Wynad Wildlife Sanctuary (344 km2 (133 sq mi)), it forms the largest protected area in Southern India, totaling 2,183 km2 (843 sq mi). It is notable as the home to around seventy Bengal tigers and over three thousand Indian elephants (in 1997) Bandipur National Park is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster (6,000+ km²), including all of Bandipur National Park, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.

A sanctuary of 90 km2 (35 sq mi) was created at this site in the Bandipur Reserve Forest in 1931. As it was realised that this was too small for effective wildlife conservation, leading to the instituting of the Venugopala Wildlife Park at this site, extending over 800 km2 (310 sq mi). The Bandipur Tiger Reserve was established under Project Tiger in 1973 by carving out 880 km2 (340 sq mi) from the Wildlife Park. This park has boasted a constant rise in Tiger population since then. It is also famous for Sandalwood trees and rare species of Flora.





Bandipur National Park is located between 75° 12’ 17” E to 76° 51’ 32” E and 11° 35’ 34” N to 11° 57’ 02” N. Altitude of BNP is between 680 meters (2,231 ft) - 1,454 meters (4,770 ft) and is situated south of the Kabini river at the foothills of the Western Ghats.The rivers Kabini, Nagur and Moyar flow through the reserve. Winter minimum temperature is 10 degrees C., Summer maximum 28 degrees. The park is open throughout the year but the best time to visit is in monsoon from June to September when wildlife is plenty and forest is green. Greenery is quite lean when viewed from road but gets thicker as we proceed into the forest.

Bandipur National Park is situated south of the Kabini river at the foothills of the Western Ghats.The rivers Kabini, Nagur and Moyar flow through the reserve. Winter minimum temperature is 10 degrees C., Summer maximum 28 degrees. The park is open throughout the year but the best time to visit is in monsoon from June to September when wildlife is plenty and forest is green. Greenery is quite lean when viewed from road but gets thicker as we proceed into the forest.

There is a large population of Elephants in BNP. Significant numbers of Predator species of Mammals live in BNP including: Tiger, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Chevrotain, Dhole and Hyena. Prey species of grazing Ungulates including Gaur, Sambar (deer), Chital, Wild boar, Barking deer and Four-horned Antelope are common in B.N.P.

For farmers in the 200 villages along the Bandipur forest periphery, the National Park is a vast pasture for grazing cattle and for collection of firewood and other forest produce. The reserve holds nearly 1.50 lakh cattle. The Nugu wildlife sanctuary and Himavad Gopalaswamy range located in the north-west of the park are the most cattle infested. There are fears of possible transmission of diseases from cattle to wildlife. In 1968, large numbers of gaur were killed in an outbreak of rinderpest. Lantana bush introduced by British in 19th century in tea gardens has spread rapidly at the cost of other valuable herbs and saplings. This bush is thorny, attracts mosquitoes, is not eaten by any herbivores and rapid spread has caused other species of fauna to vanish which is staple food for wild life. Rapid spread of Parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus) has severely damaged bio-diversity and typical landscapes of this beautiful jungle is making way for this invasive weed.

Elephants which traditionally migrate from dry to moist zones now increasingly come into contact with human habitations and farms are often damaged. Sugarcane crops are particularly attractive to them. The National Highway 212 ( NH-212 ) passes through Bandipur national park . This road has been a major concern as speeding vehicles have killed many wild animals in spite of frequent warnings to travelers from the forest department officials and restriction on movement of vehicles in some stretches between 9 P.M to 6 A.M. This has raised fears of extinction of habitat of wild animals exclusively found in this national park.
src:wikipedia

Anshi National Park

Anshi National Park is located in Uttara Kannada district, in the Indian state of Karnataka, bordering the state of Goa. The 340 square kilometre park adjoins the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary, and together with six other protected areas in the states of Goa and Maharashtra, forms a protected forest area of over 2200 square kilometres.

The park is a habitat of melanistic leopards, tigers and elephants, amongst other fauna.

The forest in the area was declared the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary on May 10, 1956. The state proposed carving out a section of the sanctuary to form the Anshi national park, and the proposal was implemented on 2 September 1987. The initial proposal covered 250 square kilometres. When the final notification of the park area was issued in 2002, it was extended by another 90 square kilometres.

Anshi and Dandeli were granted the status of Project Tiger sanctuaries in January 2007.

Anshi is Located in the Western Ghats range, Anshi's altitude varies from 200 m to 925 m above sea level. The park is situated in the North Western Ghats montane rain forests and North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests ecoregions, both of which are deemed endangered by the World Wildlife Fund.

The management of National parks and sanctuaries in the state is the responsibility of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild life). Anshi National Park and the adjoining Dandeli wildlife sanctuary together form the Dandeli Wildlife Division of the Karnataka Forest Department, headed by a Deputy Conservator of Forests.

Anshi National Park

Flora & Fauna:

The forests in the area are rich in flora and fauna. Trees and plants that can be found here include Bamboo, Bauhinia, Eucalyptus, Lantana, Silver Oak, Teak and Xylia xylocarpa.

A variety of Bonnet Macaque, deer (barking, mouse and spotted), Indian bison, Malabar Civet, Malabar giant squirrel, pangolin and sloth bear make their home in the forests of the park. Besides, the black panther, elephants and tigers are rare species found in the park.

Reptiles spotted in the park include the King Cobra, Krait, Python, Ratal snake and Viper.

Around 200 species of birds are recorded in the park. These include the Adjutant Stork, Ashy Woodswallow, Black-crested Bulbul, Blue-headed Pitta, Brahminy Kite, Broad-billed Roller, Crested Serpent Eagle, Great Hornbill, Golden-backed Woodpecker, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Sri Lanka Frogmouth and Yellow-footed Green Pigeon.

src:wikipedia

Sudarsan Patnaik: A Sand sculture Artist Created Sand Sculptures on Puri Beach

Sudarsan Patnaik says that people gather round to watch him create sand sculptures on the beach at Puri. Encouraged by the interest of passers-by, Pattnaik would go to the beach everyday for three hours each in the morning and evening.

Sudarsan Patnaik has since won prizes at international sand sculpture festivals around the world.

Sudarsan Patnaik's works are mostly based on current world issues, ranging from climate change to world peace.

“For last two years, everywhere I heard about the issues of global warming and climate change, so I started working on these issues,” he said.

Sudarsan Patnaik has produced several sand sculptures of US President Barack Obama. On November 2, 2008, he made a sand sculpture of US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.

On November 5, 2008, Sudarsan Patnaik created a sand sculpture congratulating President-elect Obama on his election victory.

src:yahoo group

Valley of Flowers National Park: An outstanding natural beauty

Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park, Nestled high in West Himalaya, is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. It is located in Uttarakhand state. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km².

The Valley of Flowers is an outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breathtakingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park is renowned.

Valley of flower is splashed with colour as it bloomed with hundreds different beautiful flowers, taking on various shades of colours as time progressed. Valley was declared a national park in 1982, and now it is a World Heritage Site. The locals, of course, always knew of the existence of the valley, and believed that it was inhabited by fairies.

While trekking towards valley of flowers, one can experience the beauty of shining peaks fully covered with snow. One can also see the beautiful view of surrounding greenery and various running streams with crystal clear water.

The valley is home to many celebrated flowers like the Brahma kamal, the Blue Poppy and the Cobra Lily. It is a much sought after haunt for flower-lovers, botanists and of course trekkers, for whom a sufficient excuse to embark on a mission to reach a place, is that it exists.



The Valley of Flowers is internationally important on account of its diverse alpine flora, representative of the Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion. The rich diversity of species reflects the valley’s location within a transition zone between the Zaskar and Great Himalayas ranges to the north and south, respectively, and between the Eastern Himalaya and Western Himalaya flora. A number of plant species are internationally threatened, several have not been recorded from elsewhere in Uttarakhand and two have not been recorded in Nanda Devi National Park. The diversity of threatened species of medicinal plants is higher than has been recorded in other Indian Himalayan protected areas. The entire Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve lies within the Western Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA). Seven restricted-range bird species are endemic to this part of the EBA.

The Valley of Flowers was declared a national park in 1982. This part of Uttarakhand, in the upper reaches of Garhwal, is inaccessible through much of the year. The area lies on the Zanskar range of the Himalayas with the highest point in the national park being Gauri Parbat at 6,719 m above sea level.



Ramayan Legends says that this is the place where Hanuman searched for Sanjivani Booti to cure Lakshman,When he was injured by Indrajit(Meghnada),Son of Ravana.

The place had disappeared from the tourist map due to its inaccessible approach but in 1931 when Frank S. Smythe a British mountaineer lost his way while returning from a successful expedition to Mt.Kamet and he reached this valley which was full of flowers. He was so attracted towards the beauty of the place he named it as "Valley of Flowers". He authored a book called "The Valley of Flowers" which unveiled the beauty and floral splendours of the valley and thus threw open the doors of this verdant jewel to nature-enthusiasts all over the world.

In 1939 Miss Margaret Legge, a botanist deputed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh arrived at the valley for further studies. While she was traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, she slipped off and was lost for ever. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial near the spot. The memorial is still there.



The nearest airport is in Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 295 kilometers (183 miles) away, and the nearest railway station is in Rishikesh, 276 kilometers (170 miles) away. The closest you can get to The Valley of Flowers by road is Govind Ghat. This requires around a 10 hour drive to Joshimath, then another one hour to Gobindghat. From Gobindghat it is a 13-kilometer (8 mile) trek along a steep, narrow, but well defined mountain trail to base camp at Ghangaria. This will take between 4 and 8 hours, depending on your fitness. Ghangaria has Hotels with Electricity and Mobile towers. From Ghangaria Another 3 km Trek Leads to Valley.










src:wikipedia

Kerala: A Beautiful Place of India

Bekal - Kasargod District



Kannur - Kannur dist.



Uru (big boat)-Bepur, Calicut dist.



Silent valley - Palakkad Dist.




Thrissur Pooram -Thrissur dist.










Aaanayoottu, Thrissur dist.




AthiraPally WaterFalls, Chalakudy, Thrissur dist.












Backwaters, Kochi, Ernakulam dist.



Backwaters, Kochi, Ernakulam dist.

Kochi city, Ernakulam dist.



Idukki dist.

Idukki Arch Dam -Asia 's largest and India 's second arch dam.........








Thekkady wildlife sanctuary, Idukki..........



Elephants Roaming in Thekkady..............




Backwaters, Allappuzha dist.




Backwaters, Allappuzha dist.


Champakkulam Boat Race, Alappuzha




Trial run of world famous 'Nehru Trophy Boat Race'at Punnamadakkayal, Alappuzha..



Aaranmula Boat Race................




Kumarakom Lake , Kottayam dist.






Kumarakam Resort, Kottayam








Ponmudi - Trivandrum dist.




Veli lake - Trivandrum



Kovalam Beach ,Trivandrum

Kavadiar Palace -Trivandrum





Some more views.........


KaniKonna.. a flower tree


JackFruit


A Fishing View



Election Campaign Ending in Kerala...............


Thechi or Chetthy


Art Forms of Kerala............



ThiruvonaThoni............... during Onam


Flower carpet competition.... During Onam


Maramadi.... Bull Racing