Manas
National Park
(Assam-
INDIA)
Manas
National Park situated
Manas
National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (Assamese:
মানস
ৰাষ্ট্ৰীয় উদ্যান) is a Wildlife Sanctuary, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger
Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve in Assam, India. Located in the Himalayan
foothills, it is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park[1]
in Bhutan.
The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare,
Golden Langur
and Pygmy Hog.Manas
is famous for its population of the Wild water buffalo.[2]
It is such a beautiful site to behold and see consisting from river to animal,
flora to aparatis and earth
Origin
of the name
The name of the park is originated from
the Manas River,
which is named after the serpent goddess Manasa. The Manas
river is a major tributary of Brahmaputra
River, which passes through the heart of the national park.
Geography
Political Geography: The park area falls
in five districts: Kokrajhar, Chirang,
Baksa,
Udalguri, and Darrang
in the state of Assam in India.
A view of mountains from the park
The park is divided into three ranges.
The western range is based at Panbari, the central at Bansbari
near Barpeta Road,
and the eastern at Bhuiyapara near Pathsala.
The ranges are not well connected; while two major rivers need to be forded in
going from the centre to the Panbari, there is a rough trail (the daimAri road)
connecting the central to the eastern range. Most visitors come to Bansbari and
then spend some time inside the forest at Mathanguri on the Manas river at the
Bhutan border.
Physical Geography: Manas is located in
the Eastern Himalaya foothills. The park is densely
forested. The Manas river is the main river, a major tributary of Brahmaputra
river. The Manas River flows through the west of the park, further it splits
into two separate rivers, the Beki and Bholkaduba. Manas and five other small
rivers flow through the National Park which lies on a wide low-lying alluvial
terrace below the foothills of the outer Himalaya. The river also acts an
international border dividing India and Bhutan. The bedrock of the savanna area
in the north of the park is made up of Limestone and sandstone, whereas the
grasslands in the south of the park is made up of deep deposits of fine
alluvium. The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai formation along with
riverine succession continuing up to Sub-Himalayan mountain forest making it one
of the richest biodiversity areas in the world. The park is 950 km². in
area and situated at a height of 61m to 110m above mean sea level.
Climate: The minimum temperature is
around 15 degree C and maximum temperature is around 37 degree C.Heavy rainfall
occurs between May and September and the annual average rainfall is around
333 cm.