Indian Wildlife and National Parks
Because of its size, India is bestowed with immense natural bounty.Indian bio diversity has it’s significance in the world.India is among the 12 bio diversity areas of the world. Here we are trying to give an in depth insight to the animal and plant kingdom of India.Indian environments vary from snow-capped mountains , tropical rain forests , hot and cold deserts, fertile plains and valleys.These environments provide great variety of habitats for rich Indian animal and plant life.
Estimated amount of species in animal kingdom is around 77,000 and 45,000 species of plant kingdom.
Indian elephant and the Tiger are famous in the list.They live in the country’s forests and grassy plains and swamps,especially the wooded foothills of Himalayas.The other cats of India include four species panthers-the common leopard; the all black leopard; the rarely seen albino leopard;and the snow leopard, which are found only in the Himalayas. The Asiatic lion is now found only in the Gir Forest of Saurashtra, Gujarat.
The one horned rhinoceros is protected species confined to eight wildlife sanctuaries.The largest Indian wild-life sanctuary ,Kaziranga in Assam is a home of 400 rhinoceroses. The commonest species of monkeys found in India is the rhesus monkey and the Hanuman monkey,a kind of Langur. Wanderoo, another kind of monkey is found in small area of southern India.The gaur or Indian bison is wild buffalo.The nilgai, or blue bull, found in most areas of the country .The markhor and Asiatic ibex are two types of goats live in the Himalayas.India also kinds of wild antelope,bears,deers,gazelle,goats,pigs and sheep. The Karakul is a wild sheep on North Western India.
Domesticated animals include cattle,sheep,goats,water buffaloes, camels,mules, and in Himalayas,yaks.The Ganges Dolphin is the fresh water dolphin that lives in the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Indus rivers. It may be up to 3.6 meters in length.More than 85 per cent of these species 0f birds are residents within the country. The rest are migratory. Migrating birds reach India in September to November and fly back during March and April.
India has more than 400 species of reptiles. The gharial, a long-snouted animal related to the crocodile, lives in the waters of the Ganges,the Brahmaputra, the Indus, and the Mahanadi.India has some 400 species of snakes of which 80 are poisonous.
Statewise list of Indian National Parks
Click on corresponding state to list out the National Parks.
| Andhra Pradesh -Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eturnagaram | Mar-May | Eturnagaram(17Km) | Warangal(90) |
| Kawal | Feb-May | Jannaram(1) | Mancherial(60) |
| Nagarjunasagar Srisailam | Oct-June | Machesia(13) | Machesia(13) |
| Neelapattu | Nov-Mar | Sulurpetta(16) | Dorawai Satram(1) |
| Pakhal | Nov-June | Narsampet(10) | Warangal(45) |
| Papikonda | Nov-June | Rajahmundry(80) | Rajahmundry(80) |
| Pulicat | Oct-Mar | Sulurpetta(8) | Sulurpetta(8) |
| Arunachal Pradesh-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Itanagar | Oct-Apr | Itanagar(15) | Harmutty(22) |
| Mehao | Nov-Mar | Roing(10) | Tinsukia(120) |
| Assam-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Kaziranga | Nov-Mar | Bokahat(23) | Jorhat(95) |
| Manas | Nov-Mar | Barpeta Road(41) | Barpera Road(41) |
| Orang | Nov-Apr | Tezpur(85) | Tezpur(85) |
| Bihar-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Bhimbandh | Nov-Jun | Munger(50) | Jamui(212) |
| Dalma | Dec-Jun | Jamshedpur(12) | Jamshedpur(12) |
| Kalmur | Nov-Mar | Sasaram(50) | Sasaram(50) |
| Chhattisgarh-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Indravati | Jan-Apr | Jagdalpur(168) | Jagdalpur(168) |
| Goa-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Mahavir | Oct-Mar | Ponda(29) | |
| Cotigao | Oct-Mar | Madgaon(48) | Madgaon(48) |
| Gujarat-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Gir | Dec-Apr | Vereval(42) | Sasan(1) |
| Nal Sarovar | Nov-Feb | Viramgam(35) | Ahmadabad(64) |
| Marine | Nov-Jan | Jamnagar(7) | Jamnagar(7) |
| Velavedar | Nov-May | Yalabhipur(32) | Bhavnagar(64) |
| Haryana-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Sultanpur | Nov-Feb | Gurgaon(15) | |
| Himachal Pradesh-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Great Himalayan | Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct |
Kullu(60) | |
| Jammu Kashmir-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Dachigam | Aug-Dec | Srinagar(20) | Jammu (315) |
| Kishtwar | May-Oct | Kishtwar(60) | Jammu (245) |
| Jharkhand-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Hazaribagh | Oct-Apr | Hazaribagh(20) | Kodarma (50) |
| Palamau | Oct-May | Daltenganj(25) | Daltenganj(25) |
| Karnataka-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Bandipur | No specific | Gundulupet(20) | Nanjangud (55) |
| Bhadra | Oct-May | Shivamoga(30) | Tarikere(20) |
| Billigiri | Oct-May | Chamrajnagar(60) | Chamrajnagar (60) |
| Dandeli | Dec-May | Dandeli(2) | Darwad(40) |
| Nagarhole | Oct-Apr | Kutta(7) | Mysuru(96) |
| Ranganathittu | Jun-Sep | Mysuru(16) | Mysuru(16) |
| Kerala-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Eravikulam | Nov-Apr | Munnar(16) | Kochi(143) |
| Neyyar | No specific | Kattakada(10) | Trivandrum(32) |
| Parambikulam | Feb-Apr | Pollachi(48) | Pollachi (48) |
| Periyar | Sep-May | Kumily(4) | Kottayam(114) |
| Silent Valley | Sep-Mar | Manoarkkad(32) | |
| Madhya Pradesh -Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Bandhavgarh | Feb-Jun | Umaria(35) | Satna(112) |
| Bori | Oct-Jun | Pachmarhi(32) | Itarsi(75) |
| Kanha | Feb-Jun | Mandla(65) | Jabalpur(160) |
| Pachmarhi | Apr-June Oct-Dec |
Pachmarhi(1) | Piparia(5) |
| Pench | Mar-June | Seoni(30) | Seoni(30) |
| Sanjay | Feb-May | Sidhi(60) | Jaora(20) |
| Maharashtra-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Melghat | Feb-Jun | Umaria(35) | Satna(112) |
| Taboda | Nov-Jun | Chandrapur(45) | Chandrapur(45) |
| Manipur-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Keibul Lamjao | Dec-May | Imphal(32) | Dimapur(229) |
| Meghalaya-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Nongkhyllem | Oct-May | Guwahati(65) | Guwahati(65) |
| Mizoram-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Dampa | Nov-Mar | Phaileng(10) | Silchar(290) |
| Orissa-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Bhitarkanika | Oct-May | Chandabali(35) | Bhadrakh(77) |
| Chilika | Dec-Mar | Balugaon | Balugaon |
| Satkosia Gorge | Nov-May | Anugul(58) | Taicher(76) |
| Simlipal | Feb-Jun | Baripada(50) | Jamshedpur(140) |
| Ushakothi | Oct-May | Sambalpur(35) | Sambalpur(35) |
| Punjab-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Abohar | All season | Firozpur | Firozpur |
| Rajasthan-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Desert | Sep-Mar | Jaisalmer(32) | Jaisalmer(32) |
| Keoladeo Ghana | All season | Bharatpur(2) | Bharatpur(2) |
| Kumbhalgarh | Mar-May,Sep-Nov | Sardi(7) | Falna(25) |
| Ranthambore | Oct-Apr | Sawai Madhopur(4) | |
| Sariska | Nov-Jun | Alwar(36) | |
| Sikkim-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Khangchendzonga | Apr-May,Aug-Oct | Chungthany(20) | Shiliguri |
| Tamil Nadu-Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Indira Gandhi WLS | Feb-June | Pollachi(25) | Pollachi(25) |
| Kalakad | Jan-Mar | Nanguneri(15) | Nanguneri(15) |
| Mudumalai | Mar-June,Sep-Oct | Gudalur(16) | Ooty(64) |
| Point Calimere | Nov-Jan | Vedarniyam(11) | Kodikkarai |
| Vedantangal | Oct-Feb | Madhuranthakam(15) | |
| Uttarakhand/Uttaranchal -Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Jim Corbett National Park | Feb-May | Ramnagar(19) | Ramnagar(19) |
| Govind | May-Oct | Mussoorie(160) | Dehra Dun(190) |
| Kedarnath | Apr-Oct | Gopeshwar(4) | Rishikesh(220) |
| Rajaji | Oct-Jan | Haridwar(10) | Haridwar(10) |
| Valley of Flowers | Govindghat | Rishikesh | |
| Uttar Pradesh -Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Dudwa | Dec-Jan | Gudwa(10) | Gudwa(10) |
| Kaimur | Oct-Feb | Robertsganj(3) | Robertsganj(3) |
| West Bengal -Indian Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park | Seasons | Nearest City | Nearest Railway station |
| Jaldapara | Nov-Apr | Madarihat(1.6) | Madarihat(1.6) |
| Sajnakhali | Jul-Sep | Gosaba(20) | Canning(76) |
| Sunderbans | Dec-Feb | Gosaba(50) | Canning(105) |