National Parks

A National park is a natural park used to preserve any animal species or animals in common. These are generally reserves of seminatural, natural, or developed land with an idea of wildlife conservation. India is home to several national parks that are a part of tourism and recreational activities. One of the main characteristics of a national park is the natural state of its flora and fauna and landscapes. India is a rich nation in terms of biodiversity. The total animal species in India has significant figures of 12% birds, 6% reptiles and 7% mammals which require national parks for proper conservation.

List of famous National parks in India

India has various National parks with global recognition. Here is a list of the most famous 15 national parks in India, successfully conserving various endangered species. 

These are some of the famous national parks in India. However, national parks like Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Gir, Ranthambore are famous for conserving specific animals or species. Jim Corbett is known for tigers, Gir is famous for Lions      and likewise for all others. Let’s dive into these four national parks mentioned above and discover interesting facts.

Jim Corbett National Park

The famous Jim Corbett National Park is located in Nainital, Uttarakhand. It is the first national park of India established in 1936 during the British empire and was originally named Hailey National Park. It has an area of 520.8 KM square, consisting of riverine belts, hills, grasslands, marshy depressions and a large lake. In Jim Corbett National Park, the winter nights are cold with bright and sunny days and the monsoon season is from July to September. The main attraction of Jim Corbett National Park is the Bengal tiger for the most and 488 other species of plants and animals. In 1956, after Indian Independence, it was renamed Jim Corbett National Park.

Gir National Park

The Gir National Park is also known as Sasan Gir, situated in Gujarat near Talala Gir. It is a 1412 km square National Park with 258 km square of the fully protected dedicated national park and the rest is a wildlife sanctuary. It was established in 1965 as a private hunting area for the Nawab of Junagarh. It is famous for its Asiatic Lions      and it is closed for tourism from mid-June to mid-October every year. However, the best time to visit is between December and March. However, photographers prefer the time of April and May for best wildlife photography.

Kaziranga National Park

The Kaziranga National Park of Assam covers an area of 430 km square. This National Park is situated alongside the river Brahmaputra. You can easily see a glimpse of wild elephants and rhinoceros from national highway 37 which passes through the National Park. Kaziranga houses the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros and wild elephants. It is one of the most natural ecosystems left undetected by human presence, with the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinos. It was declared a National park in 1974.

Ranthambore National Park

Ranthambore National Park is situated in 1334 KM square in Rajasthan. It is bounded by two rivers from its sides, Banas and Chambal from North and South respectively. Ranthambore National Park was earlier established as Sawai Madhopur game sanctuary in early 1955 with 282 km square. Later, it was declared as Project Tiger Reserves in 1973, becoming a National Park on 1 November 1980.

Conclusion

There are more than 100 national parks in India. India manages to be rich in terms of wildlife, which can be seen in the diversity in national parks. Indian National parks have given rise to the number of several endangered species like the Bengal tiger in Jim Corbett  and the Asiatic lion in Gir. Wildlife sanctuaries and National parks are two different methods of conservation, and with this article, we have shed light on different national parks of India and significantly distinguished them from wildlife sanctuaries.