mahanadi wildlife sanctuary.
Brief detail about mahanadi wildlife sanctuary.
Answers
Answer:
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is a reserved forest area that initially started as a game sanctuary where children took rides. The entrance to the sanctuary is located at Sukna which is about two & half hours drive from Darjeeling. If you are coming from New Jalpaiguri (NJP), it takes about 45 minutes to reach the gate. The sanctuary is spread over varying elevations and across 158 sq. km of forest area. The altitude varies from 500ft. at the southern area near Sukna and rising up to 4,300ft towards the northern area near a place called Latpanchar. On the east the sanctuary is bounded by the river Teesta and on the west by the Mahanadi river and Hill Cart Road.
The sanctuary is managed by Darjeeling Wildlife Division of Government of West Bengal. It is considered as the most important sanctuary of North Bengal. There are several forest villages that are part of the sanctuary including Kalijhora, Latpanchor, Punding, Sukna, Gulma, Toribari, Sevoke, Seventh Mile and Latlong. However the main entrance to the sanctuary is from Sukna (the gate is located near the Sukna toy train station and about 30 minutes from Siliguri).
If you drive straight down the main forest road, you will reach the banks of Mahananda river on which the sanctuary has been so named. The stream with mountains at the backdrop is a picturesque place. When we reached the river, the guide pointed towards the hill straight ahead at the opposite bank and said that the small hamlet Latpanchar is just on the other side of the hill.
Regular day safaris are offered in the sanctuary from the Sukna gate both in the morning and in the afternoon. However no vehicles are provided. You need to come with your own car, buy entry tickets, pay for a guide and camera, and get going. The total distance in the usual safari route is 8kms out of which 2kms is unpaved or dirt road. If you plan to enter the forest and take the safari, I suggest that you bring a large vehicle as the unpaved mountain pathways through the jungle will be difficult to negotiate with a small car. Petrol cars are preferred as they make less noise. It takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to complete the circuit. You need to come out before it's dark.
Answer:
The sanctuary sprawls over 159 km2 of reserve forest and was started as a game sanctuary in 1955. In 1959, it got the status of a sanctuary mainly to protect the Indian bison and royal Bengal tiger, which were facing the threat of extinction.
Akhil