Nagarahole (Rajiv Gandhi) National Park

Other creatures that have made Nagarhole their home include Indian bison, porcupines, jackals, hyenas, sloth bears, and Nilgiri tahrs and Nilgiri langurs, among many more. The Kabini River and other smaller streams that meander through the forest give excellent views of the natural scenery as well as several possibilities to see diverse wildlife out for a drink.

The Lingayat monarchs of Kodagu controlled Nagarhole until the British colonial authorities achieved power in the 1850s. The existence of decrepit irrigation tanks indicates that agricultural pockets existed inside the natural terrain. The woods were progressively delineated and designated as government-owned protected forests beginning in the 1890s. The Nagarhole Game Sanctuary was established in 1955, covering an area of 285 square kilometres. The same was expanded in 1974, with more conserved forests from the Mysore district added to raise the total size to 644 square kilometres. In 1974, it was also designated as a National Park.

The Kabini dam inundated vast swaths of forest, forming a massive lake, some of which are now part of the national park. When the lake dries out during the dry season, only the main river is visible, and the ensuing wide plain produces an abundance of new grass. This microhabitat provides fresh grass when the rest of the park is drying out, and it is home to vast herds of elephants and other forest species, all of which are visible.

History

Previously, the park was the king of Mysore’s special hunting reserve. It was established as a wildlife refuge in 1955. It was designated a national park in 1983. In 1999, the park was designated as a tiger reserve. The park’s total size is approximately 643.39 Km2. Between 1947 and 1955, the Indian government’s objective was to extract as much timber as feasible and to raise as much food as possible. Tribal and non-tribal people were encouraged to inhabit Nagarahole’s ‘hadlus,’ to farm rice, and to offer inexpensive logging labour. There were no animal protection regulations in place, and predator hunting was openly encouraged. Although hunting big animals was made banned in 1955, deforestation and encroachment into the Park persisted.

Between 1870 and 1980, 14% of the current Park’s land was clear-cut to grow teak monocultures. Where these plantings failed, dense secondary woods have emerged. Both moist and dry deciduous woods were selectively logged until recently. The Nagarahole National Park gets its name from two Kannada words: naga, which means “snake,” and hole, which means “stream.” The name Nagarahole also comes from the meandering river that runs through the park. The combination of Naga, which means snake, and Hole, which refers to streams, correctly denotes a snake-infested location. The Nagarahole National Park is separated from the Bandipur National Park by the Kabini River. The park has a good tiger-predator ratio, as well as tigers and bison. The park has been renamed ‘Rajiv Gandhi National Park’ lately.

flora

Dominant floral species of the park are Rosewood, Teak, Sandalwood, Silver oak, Crocodile bark, Indian kino tree, Grewia tilaefolia, Axle-wood, Crepe myrtle, Kadam, Cotton tree, India gooseberry, Ficus, Horse nettles, Tick clover, Lantana, Bonesets, Golden shower tree, Clumping bamboo, Mathi (Terminalia tomentosa), Nandi (Lagerstroemia lanceolata), Honne (Pterocarpus marsupium) and Tadasalu (Grewia tilaefolia) etc.