Indravati National Park
Encyclopedia
Indravati National Park is a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

 located in the Dantewada
Dantewada
Dantewada is a town and a nagar panchayat in the Dantewada district in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dantewada District....

 district of Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....

 state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It derives its name from the nearby Indravati River
Indravati River
Indravati River is a tributary of the Godavari River, located in central India. The river rises in the Eastern Ghats in Kalahandi Orissa, and flows west to join the Godavari, forming the boundary between Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh states at places....

. It is home to one of the last populations of rare wild buffalo.

Indravati National Park is the finest and most famous wildlife parks of Chhattisgarh. Also the only Tiger Reserve in the state, Indravati National Park is located in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. The Park derives its name from the Indravati River, which flows from east to west and forms the northern boundary of the reserve with the Indian state of Maharashtra. With a total area of approximately 2799.08 km2, Indravati attained the status of a National Park in 1981 and a Tiger Reserve in 1983 under the famous Project Tiger of India, to become one of the most famous tiger reserves of India.

Topography

The topography of the Park mainly comprises undulating hilly terrain with altitude ranging between 177 to 599 m above the sea level. The Park is famous for its unique and diverse wildlife and bird species including some of the most endangered species such as Wild Buffalos and Hill Mynas. A series of beautiful hill ranges with lush green vegetation and unique and varied wildlife make Indravati National Park a must visit for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers.

Flora

The flora in the Indravati National Park is mainly comprises tropical moist and dry deciduous type with predominance of the Sal, Teak and Bamboo trees. There are also rich patches of excellent grasslands providing much required fodder to Wild buffalos, Chital, Barking Deer, Nilgai, Gaurs and other herbivores of the park. The most commonly found trees in the park are Teak, Lendia, Salai, Mahua, Tendu, Semal, Haldu, Ber and Jamun.

Wildlife

Indravati National Park has one of the last populations of the endangered Wild Asian buffalo. The National park is also home to a variety of other ungulate species. Reported from the area are Gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...

 (Indian Bison), Nilgai
Nilgai
The nilgai , sometimes called nilgau, is an antelope, and is one of the most commonly seen wild animals of central and northern India and eastern Pakistan; it is also present in parts of southern Nepal. The mature males appear ox-like and are also known as blue bulls...

, Black Buck
Black Buck
For the mammal, see Blackbuck. For the RAF operation, see Operation Black Buck.In post-Reconstruction United States, Black Buck was a racial slur used to describe a certain type of African American men...

, Chausingha (Four-horned Antelope), Sambar
Sambar
Sambar may refer to:*Sambar , a kind of deer*Sambar , a lentil-based dish common in South India and Sri Lanka*Sambhar, Rajasthan, a city and a municipality in Rajasthan, India**Sambhar Salt Lake, a lake in Rajasthan...

, Chital
Chital
The chital or cheetal , also known as chital deer, spotted deer or axis deer is a deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and in small numbers in Pakistan...

, Indian Muntjac
Indian Muntjac
The Common Muntjac , also called the Red Muntjac, Indian Muntjac or Barking deer is the most numerous muntjac deer species. It has soft, short, brownish or greyish hair, sometimes with creamy markings. This species is omnivorous, feeding on fruits, shoots, seeds, birds' eggs as well as small...

, Indian Spotted Chevrotain
Indian Spotted Chevrotain
The Indian Spotted Chevrotain is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Tragulidae family found in India and possibly Nepal. It has a body length of 23 in , with a tail length of 1 in ; it weighs around 7 lb . It lives in rainforests and is nocturnal...

 and Wild Boar. Large predators are represented by Tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...

s, Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...

s, Sloth Bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...

s, Dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...

s (Wild Dog) and Striped Hyena
Striped Hyena
The Striped Hyena is a species of true hyena native to North and East Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Middle and Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...

s. Smaller mammals include Flying Squirrel, Porcupine, Pangolins, Rhesus Monkeys and Langurs among many others. The commonly found reptiles in the park are Freshwater Crocodile, Monitor Lizard, Indian Chameleon, Common Krait, Indian Rock Python, Cobra and Russell's Viper to name a few. The Park also gives shelter to the large variety of birds of which Hill Maina is the most important species here.

Transport

Indravati National Park is easily approachable from Jagdalpur
Jagdalpur
Jagdalpur is a city and a municipality in Bastar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the administrative headquarters of Bastar District and Bastar Division, and was the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Bastar. Jagdalpur and its surrounding area comprise a major part of the...

, the district head quarter of Bastar
Bastar
* Bastar state, a state founded in the 15th century that later became a princely state of British India* Bastar district, an administrative district of Chhatisgarh state in central India...

. The village Kutrue, the main entry point of the park, is situated at the distance of 22.4 km north of Jagdalpur- Bhopalpattanam road. The Kutrue link road is at the distance of 145.6 km from Jagdalpur. Raipur (486 km) is the nearest airport and Jagdalpur (168 km) is the nearest railhead from the Indravati National Park.

See also

  • National parks of India
    National parks of India
    This is a list of all national parks of India. India's first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park. By 1970, India only had five national parks...

  • Kanger Ghati National Park
    Kanger Ghati National Park
    Kanger Ghati National Park is a national park located near the Kholaba River in the district of Bastar, Chhattisgarh , India.The rare mouse deer makes its home in this national park....

  • Tourism in Chhattisgarh
    Tourism in Chhattisgarh
    Chhattisgarh is a new state but with an ancient civilization, which can be felt by visiting the historical remains in the state. The state is blessed by nature with magnificent water falls, mountains, forests and wildlife. The Green State of Chhattisgarh has 41.33% of its area under forests, and is...

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