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About
Bannerghata National Park
For a
walk on the wild side, look no further than the southern outskirts of
Bangalore city, where you can find everything from
avifauna to panthers in the Bannerghatta National Park.
The 25,000 acre park is home to panthers, lions, tigers and a large
variety of birds. Indulge your sense of adventure with a lion and
tiger safari. You could also wander through the Zoological Garden,
with its canopy of shady and sturdy trees, find a quiet resting spot
beside a pond and watch waterfowl frolic. The zoo boasts an amazing
reptile collection; a snake park lets you get up close and personal
with the scaly, slithery creatures. A children’s corner provides an
added attraction. Trekking enthusiasts will enjoy Uddigebande (3.5 kms.)
a natural rock formation called Hajjamana Kallu (3 kms.) and Mirza
Hill (1.5 kms.)
Established in 1971,
the Bannerghata National Park, in Karnataka, lies twenty two kms from
Bangalore. It covers an area of 104 sq kms, including ten reserve
forests of Anekal Range of the Bangalore Forest Division. The
surrounding scenic hills are covered with many ancient temples. At the
park one can find an astonishing range of flora and fauna which
include trees like sandal, neem, ta marind,
jalari, chujjullu, zizyphus among others.
The Bannerghata National Park project comprises the National Park, the
Safari Park with a Herbivore Safari and a Lion Safari, Picnic Corner,
Crocodile Farm, Serpentarium, Pets Corner, and a Museum besides a Park
of pre-historic animals.
The
beautiful Suvarnamukhi stream running through the park, originates in
the Suvarnamukhi hills. These hills spread out to a huge rock, about a
kilometre long. The Champaka Dharna Swamy temple built in the
Dravidian style of the Hoysala age, lies at the foot of the rock. The
temple enshrines an image of Vishnu with his consorts Sridevi and
Bhudevi. The Suvarnamukhi hill also houses a small shrine dedicated to
Narasimha, and two kms away is the Suvarnamukhi pond. The waters of
this pond are believed to have curative powers.
A trip to Bannerghata National Park is truly an unforgettable
experience for nature, history, botany and wildlife buffs |
