Day 121 - Kaziranga

Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts in the state of Assam. It was declared a Reserve Forest in 1905. The park consists of an area of 429.93 sq km with a buffer area of 429.40 sq km.During the British reign, Lady Curzon on a safari expressed concern at the prevalence of hunting in the park. In 1926, hunting was banned in Kaziranga and in 1974 it was declared a National Park. Kaziranga is also famous for the Important Bird Area by Bird life International for conservation of avifaunal species. Some of the bird species which can be spotted here are herons, storks, pelicans, imperial eagles.


How to reach here:

By Air: The closest airport is located in the town of Tezpur. There are scheduled flights from places such as Kolkata to Tezpur. Tezpur is located at a distance of around 60 kilometers from the park.

By Rail: The closest major rail head is located at Guwahati.


Places you must visit:

Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Kaziranga has large bio-reserves of tall elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical moist broad leaf forests. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a Reserve Forest. The park is maintained by the Assam Forest Department and Wildlife Trust of India along with the International Fund for Animal Welfare who have set up rehabilitation centers for distressed animals. Kaziranga is also famous for the Important Bird Area by Bird life International for conservation of avifaunal species. Some of the bird species which can be spotted here are herons, storks, pelicans, imperial eagles, etc.

Gohpur town is one of the historic places of Assam, as it was the birthplace of the famous freedom fighter Kanaklata Barua. Major attractions of this town are Gohpur Reserve Forest, Dhandi Devalay and Bor Pukhuri. 

Tea Gardens are another major attraction among tourists visiting Kaziranga National Park. The tea gardens of Hathkhuli, Methoni, Difalu, Behora and Borchapori are the prominent ones.

Deoparbat Ruins, also known as Deopahar, are the archaeological remains of an ancient temple. The statues of this temple are scattered on a hill top, from where visitors can get a view of the Numaligarh tea estate and nearby Karbi Anglong hills.

Kakochang Waterfalls is a popular tourist spot.

Panbari Reserve Forest in Golaghat District is located near Kaziranga National Park. The base for entering this reserve forest is Kohara. Tourists visiting this forest can spot rare species of birds, including crested goshawk, rufous-gorgeted flycatcher and crow-billed drongo. Some of the other birds that can be spotted are pied falconet, great Indian hornbill, speckled piculet, inornate warbler and slaty-bellied tesia. 

Kalyani Mandir is a temple located at Dipora, which falls under the Halem Revenue Circle. The principle deity of this temple is Goddess Kalyani. As per the local belief, King Arimatta was the founder of this temple.