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Sight
Seeing
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Sunderban National Park lies southeast of Kolkata in
the 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Home to the
Royal Bengal tiger; the national park is a part of the
world's largest delta formed by the Ganga and Brahmaputra.
Sunderban is also known for its unique mangrove forest
ecosystem.
The park is a tiger and biosphere reserve and has been
designated as world heritage site by UNESCO. It extends
about 260 km along the
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Bay
of Bengal from the Hooghly River Estuary (India) to the Meghna
River Estuary in Bangladesh. The forest passes into a mangrove
swamp along the coast. The southern region, with numerous
wild animals and crocodile-infested estuaries, is virtually
devoid of habitation.
The
core area of Sunderban National Park is bound by Matla River
on the West, Haribhanga on the east and Netidhopani and Gosaba
on the north. The buffer zone, which extends over an area of
885 sq km, also includes Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary. Halliday
Island and Lothian Island wildlife sanctuaries lie to the west
of Sunderbans but do not form a part of the tiger reserve. Sunderban
National Park is not a part of any recognized tourist circuit.
However, one can combine a trip to Kolkata with Sunderban. A
cruise through the largest estuarine delta in the world is a
thrilling experience. If you are lucky, you can get a glimpse
of the majestic tiger. The park is also home to other wildlife
like the chital, crocodile, monkeys, estuarine and marine turtle,
dolphins and various kinds of birds. Going further into Sunderban,
you can also discover the rich tribal folklore. There are woodcutters,
honey collectors and fishermen out in the wild working for their
survival. While out in the park one needs to be careful as far
as the tigers are concerned, and remember the age-old adage,
'Here the Tiger is always watching you. The total area of is1,330
sq km (park); 2,585 sq km (reserve) It is situated in the altitude
0-10 m above sea level. Here most of the habitants speak Bengali,
Hindi. The annual mean rainfall is 1,108 mm (Canning) [approx.].
Maximum Temperature in the Summer is 42° C and minimum temperature
in the winter is 9.2° C.
History
The word "Sunderban" is derived from the word "Sundari"(a
kind of large mangrove trees grows there) and "Ban"
(Forest). In one word Sunderban means the forest of Sundari
Tree.
The
1,330 sq km area of Sunderbans was established as a National
Park on May 4, 1984. The Sunderbans had earlier been designated
as a Tiger Reserve in December 1973. After this, a wildlife
sanctuary was created in 1977.
Best Season, Climate, and Clothing
Due to its proximity to the Bay of Bengal, Sunderban experiences
very high humidity. Rainfall is quite heavy during monsoon,
which last from mid-June to mid-September. After the monsoons,
fair weather prevails until mid-March. The best season to
visit the Sunderban is between December and February.
Moving through the largest estuarine delta in the world is
quite a thrilling experience. The flora and fauna of the region
are the major attractions here. The mangrove forest presents
a unique ecosystem. The wildlife includes the world famous
Royal Bengal Tiger, a major attraction in the tiger reserve.
Some of the other attractions include chital, crocodile, monkeys,
estuarine and marine turtle, dolphins and various kinds of
birds. The Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project besides being a hatchery
and a sanctuary is the home to the biggest estuarine crocodiles.
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Sajnekhali
Bird Sanctuary
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The
Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary is situated on the confluence
of Matla and Gumdi within the buffer zone that extends
over an area of 885 sq km. Here you can have a look at
the wide variety of birds, the most popular among them
being the spotted billed pelican, cotton teal, herring
gull, Caspian tern, grey heron, large egret, night heron,
white ibis, kingfisher, brahmini kite and paradise flycatcher
can also be found here. |
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Among
the birds of prey are osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Pallas's
fish eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus), white-bellied sea eagle
(Haliaeetus leucogaster), grey-headed fishing eagle (Ichthyophaga
ichthyaetus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), Oriental
hobby (Falco severus), northern eagle owl (Bubo bubo) and
brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis).
Flora
& Fauna
The
reserve comprises a core zone, afforestation zone and restoration
zone and an agri-operation zone. The core zone of 1,300 sq.
km represents the National Park and the rest of the area is
used for the forestry operations. The variety of the forests
that exist in Sunderban include mangrove scrub, littoral forest,
saltwater mixed forest, brackish water mixed forest and swamp
forest.
The
flora includes genwa, dhundal, passur, garjan and kankra.
The goran trees, whose average height varies between 1.8 metres
and 3.6 metres, cover almost the entire region.
The
tigers form the major source of attraction in the reserve
here. The 1980 census put the population of tiger in this
reserve close to 400. Besides the tiger, you can have a look
at the Gangetic dolphin, little porpoise, fishing cat, Indian
fox, jungle cat, small Indian civet, common grey mongoose,
spotted deer, wild pig, Indian flying fox, rhesus monkey and
pangolin.
Sunderban
is also the breeding ground of a large variety of birds. Out
here, you get to see heron, egret, cormorant, fishing eagle,
white-bellied sea eagle, seagull, tern and kingfisher. The
migratory birds like whimprel, black-tailed godwit, little
stint, eastern knot, curlew, sandpiper, golden plover, pintail,
white-eyed pochard and whistling teal also flock this place.
The place is also home to the wide variety of aquatic and
reptile life forms that include Olive Ridley sea turtle, hardshelled
batgur terrapin, pythons, king cobra, chequered killback,
monitor and lizards.
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Bhagabatpur
Crocodile Project
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The
Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project besides being a hatchery
and a sanctuary is the home to the biggest estuarine
crocodiles. You can access this place through Namkhana.
Weekend
Trips/Excursions
Excursions
around the Sunderban National Park take you to the habitats
of the other 'residents' of the Sunderban. You can witness
a large variety of birds, animals and reptiles. At Sajnekhali
Bird Sanctuary, you get to see birds like
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spotted billed pelican, cotton teal,
herring
gull, Caspian tern, grey heron, large egret and others. The
Halliday Island is the home to the barking deer while Kanak
is the nesting place of Olive Ridley turtles. You can have
a look at the ruins of a 400-year-old temple at Netidhopani
and relax out at a beautiful tourist complex at Piyali.
Netidhopani
The
beauty of the mangrove forests and the presence of a large
variety of wildlife in this region seem to have attracted
even the Gods to this place. At Netidhopani you can have a
look at the ruins of a 400-year-old temple. The legends that
prevail here lend a mysterious touch to the atmosphere.
Halliday
Island
The
Halliday Island Wildlife Sanctuary along with Lothian Island
Wildlife Sanctuary lies to the south of Sunderban. The sanctuaries
are not the part of the tiger reserve. Halliday is the last
retreat of the Barking Deer.
Kanak
Kanak
is one of the nesting beaches of Olive Ridley Turtles in Sunderban.
The turtles migrate to the shallow coastal waters from a long
distance to breed. The turtles are believed to travel upriver
as far as 100 km from the sea mouth into the Sunderban.
Piyali
A
beautiful resting place, Piyali is a gateway to the Sunderban
situated at a distance of 72 km from Kolkata.
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