 Manas
National Park is the second UNESCO world heritage site of
Assam; the other one being Kaziranga
National Park. The Manas National Park is situated on
the Himalayan foothills and extends to Bhutan where it is
known as the Royal Manas National Park. It was declared a
sanctuary in 1928 and became a National Park in the year 1990.
Manas is also a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve
and a Biosphere Reserve. The unparallel scenic beauty of the
densely forested National Park along with its rare wild life
makes a trip to Manas a truly enthralling experience.
The park is home for some of the most endangered
wildlife species which cannot be found anywhere else. These
include the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur
and Pygmy Hog.
There are 55 species of mammals recorded
in the sanctuary. The list includes tiger, Elephants, Indian
one-horned Rhinoceros, Gaurs, Asian Water Buffaloes, Barasingha,
Leopards, Clouded Leopards, Asian golden cat, Capped Langurs,
Assamese Macaques, Slow Loris, Hoolock Gibbons, Smooth-coated
Otters, Sloth Bears, Barking Deer, Hog Deer, Sambar Deer,
Chital etc.
Manas National Park is home for about 380
species of birds. The major species include Bengal Florican,
Giant Hornbills, Jungle Fowls, Bulbuls, Brahminy Ducks, Kalij
Pheasants, Egrets, Pelicans, Fishing Eagles, Serpent Eagles,
Falcons, Scarlet Minivets, Bee-Eaters, Magpie Robins, Pied
Hornbills, Grey Hornbills, Mergansers, Harriers, Ospreys,
Herons and many others.
Manas National Park also houses 50 species
of reptiles, and 3 species of amphibians.
Indian Rhinoceros was extinct from this
park due to heavy poaching during the Bodo insurgency period.
The Rhino was re-introduced in the park in 2007 and its number
is on the rise.
The Manas National Park derives its name
from the Manas River, which is one of the major tributaries
of the Brahmaputra River. Manas River passes through the west
of the national park and splits into two separate rivers,
the Beki and Bholkaduba. There are five other smaller rivers
that flow through the Manas National Park.
Initially the area of the Manas National
Park was 360 km². In 1951 and 1955 the area was increased
to 391 km². Manas Tiger reserve was created in 1973.
It was declared a World Heritage site in December 1985 by
UNESCO. In 1990 the area of the park was further enhanced
and it was declared as Manas National Park.
The park area is spread over five districts
of Assam i.e. Kokrajhar, Chirang, Buxa, Udalguri, and Darrang.
The park is divided into three ranges. The western range based
at Panbari, the central at Bansbari, and the eastern at Bhuiyapara.
The natural landscape of the Manas National
Park combines Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai formation along with
Riverine succession continuing up to Sub-Himalayan mountain
forest.
During the Monsoon months (June-September),
the National Park witnesses heavy shower which averages to
333 cm in a year. The temperature in the park may vary between
a low of 15 degrees to a high of about 35 degree Celsius.
There are elephant rides as well as jeep
safaris available for the tourists to visit inside the park.
Jeep safaris take you deeper into the jungle whereas the elephant
rides are restricted within a few kilometers. On the other
hand the elephant ride can give much better opportunity to
explore the terrain due to the versatile nature of the ride.
Boating in the Manas river is also quite popular. |
