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About Palamau National
Park
Palamau is one of the popular national parks of India. Palamau is
situated within the lndo-Malayan re alm
and is rich in flora and fauna, though the area is prone to severe
droughts. There are 107 villages in the buffer area and three in the
core with a human population of 65,000 and a livestock population of
45,000. The core is distributed into two parts, the actual core and
the recently inducted 'satellite core'. The park was brought under
Project Tiger in 1973 and is among the first nine Tiger Reserves of
the country. The core area was declared a National Park in September
1989.
The Palamau National Park is located in the eastern Indian state of
Bihar and is in the western part of the Chotanagpur plateau. The
region extends from the latitude 23°25'-23°55' in the North to the
longitude 83°50'-84°25' in the East. Palamau is one of the often
visited national parks of India.
The climate of this region is extreme with the maximum temperature
going well over 40°C in summers. In total contrast to this, winters
are quite cold with the minimum temperature dipping to 3°C. The
monsoon months are from July to mid September.
Tourist Attractions
The vegetation in this region comprises moist deciduous and dry
deciduous forests and includes sal and bamboo as the major components.
The western part of the Reserve is composed of dry deciduous forests
and the other part shows characters of moist mixed deciduous nature.
The entire area has a good distribution of bamboo breaks. The
herbarium recently prepared by the Tiger Reserve authorities records a
good number of medicinal plants.
At the last count, there were around 44 tigers in the park. Other
important inhabitants of the sanctuary are wolves, hares, chital,
nilgai, monkey, common langur, gaur, leopard, and sambar. Elephants
are also seen in large numbers in the park. There are several other
national parks of India renowned for their elephant population.
The world's first tiger-census, based on pugmark count, was done in
the Palamau forests in 1932. One can drive through patches of dense
sal and bamboo forests in the park. Tiger, panther, sloth bear, gaur,
Indian porcupine, wolf, wild boar, dhole (wild dogs), chinkara, sambar,
mouse deer and pangolin find refuge in these forests. Elephants appear
during the monsoon with the availability of water. During the rest of
the months, the water sources dry up and the park faces acute
water-scarcity. The park is spread over a core area of 250 square
kilometers and is also known as the Betla National Park. Peafowl, red
jungle fowl, and partridges are the common birds here.
A ride into the Tiger Reserve is quite exciting, if not always
rewarding. One can hire a guide and a jeep from the forest department.
The core of the forest is not open to tourists. Watch towers and
ground hides have been created to see the wildlife in relative
stillness and safety.
There are two large forts looming in lonely isolation deep in the
forests. These forts are said to have been built by the Adivasi kings
of the Chero dynasty. Raja Medhni Raj, the ruler of Chotanagpur began
the construction and the task of completing the forts was left to his
son Pratap Raj while the father battled with invaders. The main
sentinel of the old fort is visible high up on the hill. It has
defences in three directions, and three main gates, the largest named
Singh Dwar (Lion Gate). The Nagpuri Gate has two inscriptions in
Sanskrit and Persian. On the imposing main gate of the lower fort,
some embellishments in blue tile are still intact. The architecture is
very Islamic which speaks of Daud Khan's conquest. During the British
times a sum was paid regularly for the upkeep of the forests and a lot
of excavation and restoration was carried out. |
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Place Around Palamau National Park
In the surrounding areas of
the Palamau Wildlife Sanctuary is Ranchi around 140 km away. The city
was, during the British Raj, the summer capital of Bihar state and is
now all set to become the capital of the newly proposed Jharkhand
state.
The Hazaribagh National Park close by has an ecosystem and inhabitants
similar to that of Palamau, but is smaller in size.
Netarh at,
the 'Queen of Chotanagpur' is situated at an elevation of 3,700 feet
above sea level. Here, one is exposed to abundant lush greenery and
great landscape.
How to Reach?
Air: Ranchi, situated around 140 km away, is the nearest
airport with regular air connections to Delhi, Calcutta, Patna and
Lucknow.
Rail: The nearest important railway station is Daltongunj,
connected to many places in the region with regular trains. Ranchi and
Gaya are also convenient railway stations for the tourists coming from
Delhi and Calcutta respectively.
Road: The sanctuary is well connected to other cities in the
region by regular buses run by the state transport corporation and
private companies.
Where to Stay?
Just like other national parks of India, Palamau national
park too offers comfortable accommodation option to the visitors.
There are quality accommodation facilities available at Betla. The
options include a three star hotel, tourist lodges, log huts, and tree
houses. One can have the unique experience of living in a doll-like
tree house in the forest. It is made of wood and has fully furnished
bedroom suites. It overlooks a watering hole a few yards away where
the animals gather in the summers to quench their thirst and frolic in
the clump of trees next to it. The tourist complex also offers a lodge
with fully furnished rooms as well as a canteen.
Tourism-of-India.com provides complete information on tourism in
Palamau National Park. Tourism-of-India.com offers package tours in
order to make your visit to Palamau National Park Pleasant |
