Formerly
known as North Kamrup, Manas, in Assam, was declared a sanctuary in
1928. In 1985 it was accorded the status of World Heritage Site. The
park straddles two rivers, the Manas and its tributary the Hakua, along
the Assam-Bhutan border.
The
protected area extends into the Bhutan foothills. Manas houses 19 of
India's most endangered animal populations, home to the rare golden
langur and a sizeable tiger population. Its wetlands are essential for
the survival of the fast-vanishing hispid hare and pygmy hog. The fauna
to be found here include the rhino, wild buffalos, elephants, gaur,
swamp deer, capped langur and clouded leopard. The park, the eastern
range of the chital and habitat of the sambar deer, also boasts a rich
and diverse avian population. The main highlight is the giant hornbill,
two subspecies of which, the pied and grey varieties, are to be found
here.
The core area of Manas National Park is 360-km. Manas is
a very special biosphere, for it harbors twenty species of birds and
animals that are highly endangered. Among the highly endangered species
are the attractive Red Pandas, which are occasionally in the higher
elevation. Initially the park was a wildlife sanctuary but in 1990 it
was declared a national park. Hispid Hare, Pigmy Hog and Golden Langur
are some of the rare species of animals to be found in the park apart
from Tigers, Elephants, Rhinoceros, Wild Buffalo, Wild Boar, Sambhar,
Swamp Deer, and Hog Deer, which are easily spotted at this park.
Best
Time to VisitThe best season to visit Kaziranga is the winter-
approximately November to April. The weather’s hot and humid
through much of the rest of the year. In particular, avoid the monsoons
(June to September), when there’s heavy rainfall and the park often
gets flooded.
ClimateThe climate is warm and humid
(up to 76 per cent relative humidity) with most rain falling during the
monsoon season (May-September). The mean maximum summer temperature is
37°C and the mean minimum winter temperature is 11°C. Mean
annual rainfall ranges from 3332mm at Batabari to 4489mm at Kachugaon,
based on 11 and 17 years of records, respectively (Anon., 1974; Deb Roy,
n.d.).
FaunaA total of 55 mammals, 36 reptiles
and three amphibians have been recorded (Project Tiger, n.d.). Manas
harbours by far the greatest number (21) of India's Schedule I mammals
of any protected area in the country. Many are typical of South-east
Asian rain forest and have their westernmost distribution here. Mammals
include golden langur Presbytis geei (R), a recently discovered endemic
restricted to Manas and adjoining areas in Bhutan and numbering
approximately 305 in 1980, capped langur P. pileata, Hoolock gibbon
Hylobates hoolock, clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa (V), tiger Panthera
tigris (E) the second largest population in India numbering 80 in 1995,
although this figure is disputed (Milne, 1997), leopard P. pardus,
golden cat Felis temmincki (I), fishing cat F. viverrinus (K), leopard
cat F. bengalensis, marbled cat F. marmorata (K), binturong Arctictis
binturong, sloth bear Melursus ursinus (I), wild dog Cuon alpinus (V),
Ganges dolphin Platanista gangetica, Indian elephant Elephas maximus
(E), with up to 2,000 in the tiger reserve and more than 1,000 moving
freely between Indian and Bhutan Manas reserves, Indian rhinoceros
Rhinoceros unicornis (E), pygmy hog Sus salvanius (E), swamp deerC.
duvauceli (V), with approximately 450 individuals (Deb Roy, 1992),
sambar Cervus unicolor, hog deer C. porcinus, Indian muntjac Muntiacus
muntjak, water buffalo Bubalus arnee (V), probably representing the only
pure strain of this species in India, gaur Bos gaurus (V), giant
squirrel Ratufa indica, hispid hare Caprolagus hispidus (E) and Indian
pangolin Manis crassicaudata. Over 450 species of birds have been
recorded (Deb Roy, 1990) including the threatened Bengal florican
Houbaropsis bengalensis (E), great pied hornbill Buceros bicornis,
wreathed hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus and
other
hornbills. The Bengal florican population was estimated at 34 in 1984
for the national park (Ali et al., 1985) and 80 individuals with 24 male
territories were identified within the park during 1988 (Narayan et al.,
1989). Pied harrier Circus melanoleucos nested during 1988 and 1989, the
first confirmed record for India (Narayan et al., 1989). Uncommon
waterfowl species include spot-billed pelican Pelecanus philippinensis
(I), lesser adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus (V) and greater adjutant L.
dubius (E) (Scott, 1989). Reptiles include a variety of snakes (e.g.
vine snake Ahaetulla nasutas, flying snake Chrysopelea ornata, Assam
trinket snake Elaphe frenata and banded krait Bangarus fasciatus),
gharial Gavialis gangeticus (E) (possibly introduced from neighbouring
Bhutan or as a result of a captive breeding programme), and monitor
lizard Varanus sp. Assam roofed turtle Kachuga sylhetensis (K) has
recently been recorded (Sarma, 1988).
How to reach
- By Air
For Manas the nearest airport is Borjhar
airport, Guwahati. This airport is well connected with flights from
other major cities of the state.
- By Rail
The nearest railhead is Barpeta road, located
136-km from Guwahati.
- By Road
Kaziranga (Kohora) to Guwahati 217 km, Jorhat
96 km, Furkating 75 kms.
