Nagzira National Park – The National Park

Nagzira National Park – The National Park

The national park is considered as an oasis in the easternmost part of Maharashtra, the Vidarbha region. The national park is an important connecting link for the movement of tigers between Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) and Indravati Tiger Reserve (Chhattisgarh). The national park covers an area of about 655 sq. kms (253 sq. miles). It is divided into two main sections, with Navegaon Wildlife Sanctuary in the north and Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in the south. The landscape is characterized by undulating terrain with gentle hills and valleys.

It is surrounded by dense forests, grasslands, and water bodies, creating a diverse habitat for various wildlife species. The national park has two perennial tanks, one in Nagzira and the other in Thadezari. These two tanks guarantee a source of water to wildlife throughout the year. The sanctuary was visited by 30,000 tourists annually. The best time to visit this national park is during winter (Oct-Feb). The park is closed during monsoon (Jun-Sep). The park remains closed on Thursdays.

Flora:

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/02/nagzira-national-park-flora.html

Fauna:

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/02/nagzira-national-park-fauna.html

Nagzira Lake:

Nagzira Lake is situated at the heart of the Nagzira National Park. It is a significant water body in the national park and provides a source of water for the wildlife in the area. The lake is surrounded by lush greenery and offers a serene environment for nature lovers. Birdwatching and boating are also popular activities around Nagzira Lake.

Museum and Interpretation Center:

It is located inside Nagzira Tourist Complex and used for conservation education of the visitors. Varieties of stuffed birds can be seen here in showcases. Photographs on wildlife, pugmarks, hoot-prints, plaster casts, animal models and butterflies are displayed in the museum. The interpretation center is used as an auditorium to screen informative films and slides on wildlife, forests, and nature.

Watch Towers & Cabins:

There are five watch cabins and five watchtowers located within the sanctuary. These watch towers and cabins are observing the wildlife in the sanctuary.

Nagzira National Park – The Fauna

Nagzira National Park – The Fauna

There are about 34 species of mammals, 166 species of birds including migratory land and water birds, 36 species of reptiles and about 4 species of amphibia and several fishes in this national park.

Mammals:

There are nearly 34 species of mammal belonging to about 8 natural orders and 16 families are seen in this national park, out of which about 14 species are of endangered status. Some of the notable mammals found here are Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, jungle cat, small Indian civet, Asian palm civet, Indian wolf, golden jackal, sloth bear, honey badger, Indian giant flying squirrel, gaur, four-horned antelope, spotted deer, sambar deer, nilgai, Indian spotted chevrotain, elephant, and Indian pangolin.

Reptiles:

There are about 36 species of reptiles belonging to 2 natural orders and 11 families out of which about 6 species are of endangered status namely Indian rock python, Dhaman, Indian cobra, Russell’s viper, checkered keelback and Bengal monitor lizard.

Invertebrates:

The invertebrate fauna includes a number of butterflies and other insect species. There are about 49 butterfly species belonging to 9 families, can be found in this national park. The most prominent butterflies include the common rose, common Mormon, lime butterfly, common sailor, common Indian crow, and black rajah.

Birds:

There are about 166 species belonging to about 16 different orders and 47 families are found in this national park. About 15 species of migratory birds and 42 species of local migrants are reported from this national park. The bar-headed goose is a winter migrant from Ladakh and Tibet and inhabits Chorkhamara tank located adjoining the national park. There are 13 bird species of endangered status are reported here including Indian peafowl and the birds belonging to the Accipitridae family. Some of the birds found here are Red-collared Dove, Spotted Dove, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Black-Winged Kite, Egret and Cormorant.

Amphibians:

There are about four species of amphibians in this national park. Some of them are tree frogs, bull frogs, six-toed frogs, an uncommon toad, and Ramanella Montana.

Fishes:

The Nagzira lake and the other waterbodies in and around this national park abound in many varieties of fresh water fishes.

Nagzira National Park – The Flora

Nagzira National Park – The Flora

The forest is covered with southern tropical dry deciduous forests. It consists of a mix of dry deciduous forests, moist deciduous forests, and bamboo forests. This national park serves as a living repository of various economical, medicinal, aromatic, ornamental plant species. Around 200 species of medicinal and economical importance are seen in this national park. However, there is no record of any endemic or rare species from this national park. Bamboo and teaks are often present on the slopes. Grassland can be seen near Nagzira, but it is of small size and anthropogenic in origin. The most common weeds seen in this national park are Lantana camera (Ghaneri) which is an exotic shrub and Parthenium spp. (Congress grass) which is an exotic herb.

The major tree, herbs, shrubs, and climber species found in this reserve are Terminalia tomentosa, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Anogeisus latifolia, Pterocarpus marsupium, Dispyrus melanoxylon, Tectona grandis, Bombax ceiba, Lannea grandis, BoswelIa serrata, Adina cordifolia, Xylia xylocarpa, along nallas Terminalia arjuna, Syzygium cumini, Schleichera oleosa, Terinalia Chebula, Holarrhena antidysentrica, Wrightia tinctoria. Woodfordia fructicosa, Helicteres isora, Combretum decandrum, Zizyphus oenoplia, Calycopteris floribunda, Butea superba, Bauhinia vahlii, Smilax macrophylla, Mucuna pruriens, Acacia pinnata, Themeda quadrivalvia, Iseilema laxum, Apluda varia, Eragrostis tennella, Cynodon dactylon, Imperata cylindrica, Vetiveria zizyniodes, Heteropogan contortus, Schima nervosum, and Bamboo.

Nagzira National Park, Maharashtra

Nagzira National Park, Maharashtra

Nagzira National Park is a national park and wildlife sanctuary located in Arjuni (Sadak), Goregaon & Tirora Taluks of Gondia District and Sakoli, Bhandara, Lakhni Taluks of Bhandara District in the Indian State of Maharashtra. The national park is considered as an oasis in the easternmost part of Maharashtra, the Vidarbha region. The national park is an important connecting link for the movement of tigers between Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) and Indravati Tiger Reserve (Chhattisgarh).

History

The forests in the vicinity of the Bhandara were once ruled by the Gond kings. The forests was declared as wildlife sanctuary in 1970. The sanctuary was brought under the charge of Deputy Conservator of Forests, Nagpur in the year 1984. The Navegaon Wildlife Sanctuary and Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary were merged together to form the Navegaon Nagzira National Park in 2012 by the government of Maharashtra and came under Project Tiger. There is a temple of Naag (Snake) which is exactly in the middle of Nagzira and a temple of Mahadev. Nagzira got its name from this temple and zira (zara) in Marathi means a perennial source of water that comes out from a hill in pongezara, Nagzira.

The National Park

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/02/nagzira-national-park-national-park.html

Safari

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/02/nagzira-national-park-safari.html

Contact

Nagzira National Park

District- Bhandara, Maharashtra, India 441801

Mobile: +91 92054 37990

Email: contact@nagzirawildlifesanctuary.com

Email: info@nagzirawildlifesanctuary.com

Connectivity

The Pitezari Tourist Gate is located at about 12 Kms from Sakoli Bus Stand, 13 Kms from Sakoli, 24 Kms from Soundad Railway Station, 43 Kms from Tirora, 44 Kms from Tirora Railway Station, 52 Kms from Bhandara, 52 Kms from Deori, 52 Kms from Gondia, 54 Kms from Gondia Junction Railway Station, 118 Kms from Nagpur Airport. The Pitezari Tourist Gate is situated at about 12 Kms to the north of Sakoli Bus Stand on the Bhandara to Deori route (National Highway 53). ST buses from Nagpur, Gondia and Bhandara ply up to Sakoli. Tourists need to take a taxi from Sakoli to reach the national park.

Location

Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Supe – The Wildlife Sanctuary

Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Supe – The Wildlife Sanctuary

The sanctuary is one of the smallest wildlife sanctuaries, with an area of about 5.14 sq. kms of reserved forests from Supe and Kutwalwadi villages of Baramati Tehsil in Pune District. The sanctuary is a popular hotspot for birdwatching. Tourists are allowed to drive their vehicles inside the sanctuary as well as to walk. The forest department has two tents within the sanctuary area. Accommodation options available in the vicinity are in Supe, outside the sanctuary. The best time to visit is from late August to February when the weather is not very harsh. Summers are hot and humid and there is heavy rainfall during monsoon.

Flora:

The sanctuary is mostly made of dry deciduous scrub forest of Acacia catechu (Khair), Acacia sp. (Hivar), Dalbergia latifolia (Sisoo), Ziziphus mauritiana (Ber), Carissa opaca (Karwand), Alysicarpus bupleurifolius, Cyathocline purpurea, Eriocauion diane, Merremia emarginata, Cucumis melo, Cyperus kyllingia, Striga densiflora, Mareilea minuta trees and interspersed grasslands.

Fauna:

The sanctuary is home to large variety of birds such as Indian roller, black-winged kite, grey hornbill, grey partridge, Eurasian collared dove, white-throated kingfisher, ashy-crowned sparrow lark, shrike, laughing dove, blue-cheeked bee-eater, Indian silverbill, Gray Francolin, Red-wattled Lapwing, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Short-Toed Snake Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Indian Bush-Lark, Bay-backed Shrike, Southern Gray Shrike and migratory species like European Roller and Montagu's harrier could be seen during winter. The main animal species found in this sanctuary are Indian Gazelle (Chinkara), Striped Hyena, Indian gray wolf, Indian Jackal, Indian fox, and Indian Hare (black-naped hare).

Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Supe, Maharashtra

Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Supe, Maharashtra

Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located near Supe Village in Baramati Taluk in Pune District in the Indian State of Maharashtra. The sanctuary is situated at the tri-junction of three Tehsils of Pune District, namely, Baramati, Daund and Purandar. The sanctuary was officially declared as a sanctuary on August 19, 1997. The sanctuary is one of the smallest wildlife sanctuaries, with an area of about 5.14 sq. kms.

The Wildlife Sanctuary

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/02/mayureshwar-wildlife-sanctuary-supe-wildlife-sanctuary.html

Connectivity

The sanctuary is located at about 2.5 Kms from Supe Bus Stand, 16 Kms from Kedgaon, 17 Kms from Kedgaon Railway Station, 32 Kms from Daund, 32 Kms from Daund Junction Railway Station, 39 Kms from Baramati and 71 Kms from Pune Airport. The sanctuary is situated on the Supe to Kedgaon route.

Location

Yedshi Ramling Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary – The Wildlife Sanctuary

Yedshi Ramling Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary – The Wildlife Sanctuary

The sanctuary is situated in the Balaghat mountain range of the Western Ghats (Sahyadri).  The sanctuary covers an area of about 22.83 sq. kms. This sanctuary serves as a vital habitat for various plant and animal species, contributing to the preservation of biodiversity and the ecological balance of the region. The Barsi Light Railway line built in 1907 connecting Kurduwadi to Latur passes through the sanctuary. The best time to visit Yedshi Ramling Wildlife Sanctuary is from October to June. There is a forest rest house at Yedshi. There is a railway rest house on Durgadevi hilltop near Ramling temple.

Flora:

The forest in the reserve is comprised of South tropical (regional) arid deciduous forests and thorny forests. Most of the forest area is hilly wooded land with patches of scrub land. The common trees found are Apta, Sag, Sandalwood, Guggul / Salai, Neem, Bhera, Garadi, Savar, Ain, Bor, Dhaman, Sitaphal, Saada, Moh, Medshing, Behda, Acacia catechu (Khair), Acacia leucophloea (Hiwar), Acacia nilotica (Babul), Aegle marmelos (Bel), Albizzia lebbek, Albizzia procera, Anogeissus latifolia (Dhawda), Butea monosperma (Palas), Boswellia serrata (Salaia), Ficus and Terminalia species. The common shrubs found in this reserve are Vites negundo, zizyphus species, Cassia auriculata (tarwad), Carissa carandas, Helicteres isora (Murudsheng) and Ghaneri shrubs. Apart from these, the forest department has planted a large number of trees like Bor, Shisam, Subabhul, Glyricidia here.

Fauna:

The main fauna found in this reserve are leopard, hyaena, wild cat, sloth bear, black buck, jackal, wolf, fox, monitor lizards, cobra, krait, python, rat snake, monkey, porcupine, barking deer, chinkara, and hares. The sanctuary recorded more than 100 species of birds. Some of the birds found here are peacock, black duck, and ashy crowned sparrow lark.