Everything you ought to know about Gir National Park
One of the most renowned wild life sanctuaries of India, the Gir National Park is the home to the Royal Kings, Asiatic Lions. Situated in the Sasan Gir area of Gujarat, this place is a touch of East Africa in India. About 65 kms away from the Junagarh district the national park covers a total area of 1412 square kilometres of which about 260 kms is the core area of the forest.
Previously it used to be the private hunting grounds of the
Nawabs of Junagarh leaving only about 20 lions left in 1913, however, the
Government of India declared the forest as a national park in 1965 in order to
conserve the natural habitat and home of the Asiatic lions which currently has
increased to over 500 lions roaming freely in the area.
Some major attraction of Gir National Park
Animals: Apart
from the being the home of the mighty Asiatic Lions, the park is also home to
over 300 leopards especially in the Saurashtra region. Sambar, the largest
Indian deer is also found in this area apart from the members of the cat
family. The other famous breed of deer called Chowsingha, which is the world’s
only four horned antelope, is unique to this area. Hyena and Indian Fox are
also found in the Gir national forest.
Reptiles: The Park,
owing to its climatic and geographical variations is the home to around 40
species of reptiles ranging from snakes to amphibians. Dangerous snake species
such as King Cobra, Russell’s Vipers and
Saw-scaled vipers are found in abundance in this region. Marsh crocodiles can
be seen at Kamleshwar, which is a huge reservoir located inside the national
park.
Birds: The dry
and deciduous region is also the home to more than 200 species of birds including
the endangered species of raptors like the Indian long-billed vultures, which
attracts thousands of tourists every year along with the great lions. The place
has been declared an important site for birds by the Indian Bird Conservation Network.
Tribals: The
region is also the home to the Siddi Tribes who have descended from the Bantu
Tribes of the Southeast Africa spreading across the wildlife sanctuary who were
bought to the country as slaves by the Portugese. Their originals customs
includes the Goma music and dance form which popularly known as Dhamaal Dance is also a visitors
delight.
How to reach
Railways: To
Junagarh or Rajkot which are well connected to stations in Gujarat and other
major stations across the country and take a taxi or bus from those place.
Roadways: To reach
by roadways, one has to reach Somnath and then from there it’s about 50 kms to
the national park.
Airways:
Owing to its famous beach, the Diu Airport is
well connected to the rest of the country. From there the visitor has to reach the
park by roadways via Somnath.
 
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