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The Renuka Sanctuary is a nature sanctuary. It is situated in Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh and is connected to a network of roads. It covers about 4.028 square kilometres. Also known as Renuka Reserve Forest, it has been formally declared a sanctuary (abhayaranya). A further area of roughly about 3 square kilometres that lies outside the sanctuary has been declared as a buffer area.
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The area is well recognized by its religious, aesthetic and cultural value. Renuka is an abode of temples of the mother-and-son duo of Renuka and Lord Parshuram. Mythologically Renukaji is an incarnation of Goddess Durga. She was the wife of Rishi Jamadagni. Parshuram believed to be the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was the youngest of the five sons of the couple.
Renuka was considered extremely beautiful. Sahastarva, the emperor, wanted to marry her and once when Parshuram was away, he killed Rishi Jamadagni and his four sons to marry Renukaji. To escape the clutches of the emperor Renukaji jumped into small pond, known by the name of the Ramsarover at that time, and vanished into it. Ever since the lake is worshiped as Renuka lake. [1]
The sanctuary falls in the bio-geographical zone IV and biogeographical province IV as per the classification done by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). According to forest types classification, the area falls under group 5B/C2 i.e. dry mixed deciduous forest and group 5/051 i.e. dry sal forest.
The forest bears a mixed crop of Anogeissus , Lucinea , Terminalia , Khair , Shisham, carrie mangos, Cordia and a number of climbers in moist depressions.
The fauna includes the leopard, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer,[ specify ] jackal,[ specify ] hare,[ specify ] jungle cat, palm civet,[ specify ] porcupine,[ specify ] blue jay, black partridge, drongo,[ specify ] hill crow, scarlet minivet, bulbul,[ specify ] common coot,[ specify ] and green pigeon.[ specify ]
Renukaji Zoo is the oldest zoo in Himachal Pradesh. It was started in 1957 with rescued, stray and deserted wild animals. The first animal brought here was a male spotted deer named Moti. To accommodate the increasing number of animals, an open park was conceived and the park was established in 1983. Black buck and nilgai were brought from Pipli Zoo. A pair of mithun, gifted by Rajiv Gandhi, the prime minister of India in 1985, were brought from Arunachal Pradesh and another was brought from Nagaland in 1986. A pair of lions was brought to the zoo from Zunagarh in 1975.
The periphery of the area is fenced by inter-channeled chain fence to restrict the illegal entry of villagers to the area. At present the lion safari, zoo, aviary and sanctuary are under control of the administrative control of the Shimla Wildlife Division. [2]
Parashurama, also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the Chiranjivis (Immortals), who will appear at the end of the Kali Yuga to be the guru of Vishnu's tenth and last incarnation, Kalki.
The Dudhwa National Park is a national park in the Terai belt of marshy grasslands in northern Uttar Pradesh, India. It stretches over an area of 490.3 km2 (189.3 sq mi), with a buffer zone of 190 km2 (73 sq mi). It is part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in the Kheri and Lakhimpur districts. The park is located on the Indo-Nepali border in the Lakhimpur Kheri District.
Kalesar National Park and adjacent Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary (13,209 acres are protected areas in Kalesar of Yamunanagar district of Haryana state in India, 46 kilometres from Yamunanagar city, 122 kilometres from Chandigarh. Kalesar National Park was established in 2003. Kalesar National Park and Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary are contiguous to Simbalbara National Park in Himachal Pradesh and Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand. Kalesar is a popular destination for leopards, panthers, elephants, red jungle fowl and bird-watching. This forested area in the Shivalik foothills is covered primarily with sal with smattering of Semul, Amaltas and Bahera trees as well. Wildlife jeep safaris are available on 3 tracks. Park is closed July to September and during the remaining months visiting hours are 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 7 pm during summers, and 7 am to 11 am and 3.30 pm to 6 pm during winters.
Renuka, also known as Yellamma, is a Hindu goddess worshipped predominantly in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and the western state of Maharashtra. She is the mother of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of god Vishnu. She acquired the status of a mother goddess before eventually being associated with the legend of Parashurama.
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, renamed in 2015 Shahid Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary, is a bird sanctuary located in Unnao district on the Kanpur-Lucknow highway in Uttar Pradesh, India consisting of a lake and the surrounding environment. It is one of the many wetlands of Northern India. The sanctuary provides protection for 250 species of migratory birds mostly from CIS countries, but the numbers have been dwindling since the 1990s, most having relocated to newer areas in Himachal and Rajasthan. The sanctuary also houses a deer park, watchtowers and boats.
Renuka lake is in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh in India and it is 672 m above the sea level. It is the largest lake in Himachal Pradesh, with a circumference of about 3214 m. This lake was named after the goddess Renuka and is designated as Ramsar site since November 2005.
Chail Sanctuary is located at Chail, a hill station which is home to sambar, goral and cheer pheasants at Blossom and Jhaja. Barking deer and kalij pheasants are seen during dusk and dawn. The best time to visit is from March to October.
The Manali Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The sanctuary starts about 2 km from Manali. It is the catchment of Manalsu khad. A path from Manali log huts and Dhungri temple passes through dense Deodar, Kail, Horse chestnut, Walnut and Maple forests. Musk deer, Monal and Brown bear, Leopard and Snow leopard are some of the common animals seen here. Herds of Ibex are seen migrating in the glacier zone in summers. The area of the sanctuary is about 31.8 square kilometres. The following area was declared as a sanctuary on 26 February 1954, under the Punjab Birds and Wild Animals Protection Act of 1933.
The Daranghati Sanctuary is located in Rampur Bushahr, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. It has undisturbed forest areas. Monal, Tragopan, Koklas and Kalij are the pheasants found here. Some of the common animals found here are Musk deer, Goral and Thar. Forest staff posted at Dofda and Sarahan is there for advice and guidance.
Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary, or simply Kalatop Sanctuary, is a 30.69 km² animal sanctuary at Kalatop and Khajjiar in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The sanctuary area is well laid out for trekking trails both at Kalatop and Khajjiar. There is a dense deodar and fir forest covering 19.63 km² of the sanctuary, which is about 6 km from Dalhousie. Pheasants, serow and black bear are some of the common animals found here. The sanctuary lies in the path of the Ravi River, and is surrounded by coniferous and oak forests.
Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuary is in Bardhaman, West Bengal, India. The animals found include spotted deer and common langur.
Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary lies on the east side of the Uhl River in Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh. It was notified in 1999 and covers an area of 132.37 km2 (51.11 sq mi). The slopes of the sanctuary are covered with Alpine forest. It is home to various species of animals and birds.
The Deer Park, Hisar, on Hisar-Dhansu in Hisar city of Haryana state in India has an area of 19 hectares including a 6-acre plot for producing fodder for the deer. Park as 4 species, blackbuck, chital spotted deer and 6 sambar. It also doubles up as the wildlife rescue clinic for the treatment injured wild animals and birds brought here by the people, which are released back in to the wild after the recovery.
The state of Andhra Pradesh is considered one of the rich 123 bio-diversified states in India. Natural vegetation (flora) and animal life (fauna) depend mainly on climate, relief, and soil. Krishna and Godavari are the two largest rivers flowing through the state. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department deals with protection, conservation and management of forests.
Parshuram Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage sites situated on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit River and 21 km north of Tezu in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Dedicated to the deity Parashurama, the popular site attracts pilgrims from Nepal, from across India,including the nearby states of Manipur and Assam. Over 70,000 devotees and sadhus take a holy dip in its water each year on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, in the month of January.
Gopalpur Zoo is situated in Gopalpur village, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh in India, en route the Dharmshala – Palampur road. It is surrounded by Dhauladhar Range of the Himalayas. The zoo is adorned with maple trees, horse chestnut trees, chil and greenery . The major attractions of the zoo are: Asiatic lion, leopard, Himalayan black bear, sambar deer, barking deer, goral, wild pigs, Bhutan Grey Peacocks, Cheer Pheasant, Red Jungle Fowl peacocks, vultures, eagles, etc.
Simbalbara National Park is a national park in India, located in the Paonta Valley of Sirmour District, Himachal Pradesh, along its border with Haryana. It is also known as Col. Sher Jung National Park. The vegetation consists of dense Sal forests with grassy glades. The protected area was created in 1958 as the Simbalbara Wildlife Sanctuary with 19.03 km². In 2010, 8.88 km² were added to it and it was made into a National Park, covering an area of about 27.88 square kilometres (10.76 sq mi). There is a perennial stream in the valley. The Travel and Tourism department of Himachal Pradesh has preserved the park in its natural form.
