Historical background

The Westerners had reached the Nanda Devi region long ago. In 1883, a person called W W Garden had reached here en route his expedition to the Nanda Devi but it was largely a failed effort. In the mid 1930s, after Tilman and N E Odell explored and scaled the Nanda Devi and opened the route before the rest of the world, others began to frequent the spot and soon the Nanda Devi wildlife spot turned out into a game sanctuary. In the 1950s organized expeditions started for the Nanda Devi. In 1982, the Indian government declared the region as a national park and later granted it the special status of Biosphere Reserve.

Geography and climate

The Nanda Devi National Park encompasses Nanda Devi sanctuary (a glacial basin surrounded by mountain peaks) and is drained by the Rishi Ganga River, which joins Alkananda River near Joshimath. The national park along with the Valley of Flowers National Park located to the north-west and a further buffer zone of 5,149 square kilometres, make up the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (2,23,674 hectares in area). The park is located at an elevation between 2,100 and 7,817 metres above the sea level. Being a part of the Garhwal Himalayas, Nanda Devi National Park is surrounded by mountains on all sides except in the west where it is flanked by an inaccessible gorge. Being in the high altitudes, Nanda Devi National Park enjoys a distinct climate. The region remains snow-covered for six months while for the rest of the year, the climate remains dry with the period between June-August receiving heavy rainfall.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand is located in the north of India. It is a mountainous state is bordered by Uttar Pradesh in the south, Nepal in the east, Tibet in the north and Himachal Pradesh in the north-west and Haryana in the west. Uttarakhand is a new state that was carved out from Uttar Pradesh in 2000. State capital is Dehradun.

Geography of Uttarakhand

93 per cent of Uttarakhand’s geography is mountainous while 65 per cent is covered with forest areas. In the north, the state has borders with the Greater Himalayas. The Himalayan ecosysytem makes the region ideal for a great flora and fauna diversity. Two of India’s important rivers, the Ganga and Yamuna originate from the glaciers of Uttarakhand. The vegetation type in the state changes with the elevation. The highest altitudes are dominated by glaciers with little or no green while tropical forests are mainly found in the lower rungs of the landscape. Uttarakhand is home to a great many national parks.

Nanda Devi Sanctuary can be divided into two parts, namely the Inner and the Outer. The former occupies roughly the eastern two-third of the total area besides containing Nanda Devi peak and the two major glaciers flanking it, the Uttari Rishi Glacier and the Dakkihni Rishi Glacier. These are fed by the smaller Uttari Nanda Devi and Dakkhni Nanda Devi Glaciers respectively. The Outer Sanctuary, on the other hand, occupies the western third of the total sanctuary. It is separated from the Inner Sanctuary by high ridges, through which flows the Rishi Ganga. It is split in two by the Rishi Ganga.

Nanda Devi flora

Birch, rhododendron, juniper, fir are some of the main vegetation types that are found in this park. The forest cover of the park is mainly concentrated in the Rishi Ganga Gorge area. Conditions are much drier in the inner sanctuary while vegetation is almost zero near Nanda Devi Glacier. From Ramani, only Alpine vegetation is visible. Over 300 flora species are found in the park of which 17 are considered to be rare.

Fauna

Himalayan Tahr, snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, common langur, Himalayan musk deer, bharal and brown bear are the common animals found in this park. Besides, birds like warblers, rose finches, ruby throats are also spotted.

Time to visit

April to October is the best time to visit the park.

Other attractions around Nanda Devi National Park

• Joshimath, which lies at a distance of around 23 km from the Nanda Devi National Park, is an important stop in any expedition trip to the Garhwal Himalayas.
• Badrinath
• Valley of Flowers

• Hemkund Sahib
• Nanda Devi peak. There are also peaks like Hanuman, Dunagiri, Rishi Pahar, Mangraon, Bamchu, Sakram, Deo Damla, Latu Dhura, Nanda Ghunti, Nanda Kot, Hardeol and others

• Valley of Parks National Park
• Rishi Ganga Gorge
• Peaks like

How to reach

By air
Dehradun is the nearest airport at around 295 km away. Regular flights connect Dehradun with New Delhi.

By rail
The nearest rail station is Rishikesh, located at a distance of 276 km. Rishikesh is accessible from Joshimath. Dehradun, Haridwar, and Kathgodam are other major railway stations to enter Uttarakhand.

By road
Bus service is available from New Delhi to major points in Uttarakhand from where Joshimath can be reached. Joshimath is 253 km by road from Rishikesh. One has to trek along metalled roads from Joshimath to reach the park. Treks can be undertaken only during summer. Metalled roads are there till Joshimath from where one has to trek to reach this place. Lata village, located at around 23 km from Joshimath, is the entry point to the park.

Other attractions and activities in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand is a paradise for tourism activities. Some of the top attractions of this state are:

• Exemplary sand and wood works at Chandpur Fort, pandukeshwar, Devi Madin, Devalgarh Temple and others
• Tourist attractions at Dehradun, Mussoorie, Haridwar, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Rishikesh, Nainital, Almora, gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Ranikhet and others
• Fairs like Hatkalika Fair, Tapkeshwar Fair, Kunjapuri Fair, Surkhanda Devi Mela, Lakhawar Village Fair, Mata Murti Ka Mela, Uttarayani Mela, Kasar Devi fair, Nanda Devi mela and others.
• National parks like Govind National Park, Corbett national Park, Gangotri National Park.
• Activities like trekking, river-rafting, mountaineering, skiing, para-gliding and others.

Accommodation

Hotels are available in Joshimath:

• GMVN Tourist Bungalow
• Dronagiri Hotel
• Hotel Snow Crest
• Hotel Mount View

Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (formerly known as Anamali Wildlife Sanctuary) is located south of the Anamalai Hills extending to the Pollachi, Vaalparaai and Udumalpet taluks in Coimbatore district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. The park is named after Indira Gandhi, the late prime minister of India, who paid a visit to the area in 1961. The park, which was set up in 1976, is also called ‘Topslip’, a village in the park and also its main visitor centre. The name ‘Topslip’ has come from the old local practice of rolling down teak timber logs from over the hills. The park is spread over an area of 958 square kilometers and is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. The park features various water bodies like Konalar, Varagaliar, Karuneerar, Chinnar and Amaravathi and reservoirs like Sholayar, Aliyar, Amaravathi, Kadambarai and others. The park is also home to various tribal communities like Malasar, Muduvar, Pulayar, Eravalar who contribute towards preserving the forest. The sanctuary, along with the Palni Hills form the Annamalai Conservation Area. Indira GandhiNational Park is an elephant sanctuary and was declared a Project Tiger sanctuary in 2008. The Government of India’s ministry of environment and forest and Tamil Nadu forest department look after the park’s administration.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is located at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. It has Kerala in the west, Andhra Pradesh and the Union Territory of Pondicherry in the north and Karnataka in the north-west. Bay of Bengal lies to its east and Indian Ocean in the south. The island nation of Sri Lanka lies off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu has an area of 1,30,358 square kilometers. Chennai is the state capital.

Climate

The climate of Tamil Nadu ranges between dry sub-humid to semi-arid. The state is heavily dependent on monsoon rains and hence can be hit by droughts when monsoon fails.

Geography of Indira Gandhi National Park

The sanctuary/park which is covered by large tracts of forest has an elevation between 285-2,280 metres above the sea-level. Mean annual rainfall in the park varies between 500 mm in the south-west to 4,500 mm in the north-east. The park has 12 major peaks like Akkamalai (2,483 metres). The climate here reaches a maximum of 27 degree Celsius during summer and minimum of 2 degree Celsius during winter.

Flora

The park features flora types that is typically found in the South-Western Ghats. The diverse terrain and rainfall support a rich vegetation growth here. Over 2,000 plant species are found here of which about 400 are medicinal in nature. The park has tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, tropical montane, thorn forests and grasslands. Tropical wet evergreen forest is found at the altitude between 600-1,600 metres while tropical montane forests are found at higher elevation and are interspersed with montane grasslands.

Dipterocarpus indicus, Dipterocarpus bourdilloni, Strombosia ceylanica and Ochlandra reeds are the trees found at low elevations. At medium elevations, Cullenia exarillata, Mesua ferrea, Palaquium ellipticum are the predominant flora types. The moist deciduous forest mainly comprises Lagerstroemia microcarpa, Tectona grandis and Dillenia pentagyna while the dry deciduous forest is marked by Albizia amara, Acacia sp. and Gyrocarpus jacquini. Hopea parviflora, Vateria indica, Mesua ferrea, Cullenia excels, Alstonia scholaris, Calophyllum tomentosum, Mangifera indica, Podocarpus wallichianus Machilus macrantha, Evodia meliaefolia, Ailanthus, Malabaricum and Eucalyptus grandis are common tree types found in this forest area. Teak, cinchona, rubber, bamboo, coffee and tea plants can be found in various parts of the sanctuary.

Fauna

Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a great many fauna species, some of which falling under the ‘threatened’ tag. Tiger, elephant, Asiatic wild dog, lion-tailed macaque, brown mongoose, Malabar spiny Dormouse, rusty-spotted cat, sloth bear, sambar deer, smooth-coated otter, Nilgiri langur are some of the animals found in the park. Asian elephant and the Nilgiri tahr are two major attractions of this park. Besides, the giant squirrel, Indian leopard and Indian pangolin fall among the near-threatened mammals. This apart, golden jackal, barking deer, wild boar, bonnet macaque, Asian palm civet, Small Indian civet, Strip-necked mongoose, Ruddy mongoose, Grey slender loris, Indian crested porcupine, Indian giant squirrel, three-striped palm squirrel are spotted in Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary. Reptiles like frogs, pythons, vipers, kraits, vipers, grass snakes, flying lizards, forest lizards, turtles, tortoises are also seen here. There are also over 300 butterfly species in Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park.

Avifauna

The park is home to over 200 bird species (of which 16 are endemic to the Western Ghats)  Gandhi including cormorants, teals, darters, quails, jungle fowls, Indian peafowls, parakeets, harriers, orioles, shrikes, warbler, woodpecker, falcons, kites, egrets, kingfishers, storks, hawk eagles, owls and nightjars. Nilgiri wood pigeon, Ceylon frogmouth, Pied hornbill, White-bellied shortwing, Nilgiri pipit are some of the rare birds found here. The endemic species include Wynaad laughingthrush, India rufous babblers, white-bellied treepies and grey-headed bulbul. The main birding zone in the park is at Top Slip.

Other attractions

• Parmbikulam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Manjampatti Valley
• Eravikulam National Park in Kerala
• Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

Time to visit

The The ideal time to visit the park is between May to June and October to February.

Reaching Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park

By air
Coimbatore is the nearest airport at a distance of 75 km.

By rail
Pollachi is the nearest railway station. Pollachi is connected with Coimbatore and Dindigul by railway.

By road
Pollachi (the range headquarters) is the nearest town to the park. It can be reached from Coimbatore (40 km). One can collect the visitor’s permit and then travel by road to Top Slip (35 km) which is the entry point to the park, Udumalpet (40 km) or Vaalparai (65 km). Regular bus service operates between Coimbatore and Pollachi. Cars/taxis are also available from Pollachi. Chennai is 532 km from Coimbatore.

Accommodation

• Forest Rest Houses at Topslip Varagaliar, Amaravathi and Sethumadai
• Ambuli Illam Guesthouse, at Topslip
• Mt. Stuart Resthouse
• Public Works Department (PWD) rest houses at Udumalpet and Amaravathi
• Electricity Board (TNEB) rest house at Attakatti. Accommodation is usually limited to only one or two nights at a location
• Hotels at Coimbatore like Hotel Vaidurya, Hotel Alankar, Park Inn Hotel, Sakthi Hotel, Surya International, Hotel Rathna Residency, Hotel Sri Lakshmi

For visitor Information

Contact

The Wildlife Warden
Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary,
178, Meenkarai Road,
Pollachi – 642 001.
Tel: 04259 222-5356