Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam, India. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high-species diversity and visibility. Kaziranga has the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. It is also recognised as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species. Kaziranga National Park in Assam has to be the most beautiful and attractive place you can choose to visit in north-eastern India. An UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kaziranga's 470 sq kms of lush green flood plains is home to some of the most fascinating wildlife in Asia.The Burma Monsoon Forests of Kaziranga lies in the flood plains of the mighty Brahmaputra river at an altitude of 50 -80m . The habitat consists primarily of tall, dense grasslands interspersed with cane brakes, open woodlands, interconnecting streams and numerous lakes or 'beels'. The three primary types of vegetation are alluvial grasslands, tropical wet semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. The Park is divided into four ranges. The Agoratoli range covers the eastern part and covers woodland interspersed with grassland and water-bodies. The Kohora range covers the central part and is the most easily accessible from the range office at Kohora. The Baguri range covers the western part of the Park and has the highest rhinoceros density. Burhapahar, 4th range, covers the first additional area attached to the Park. Vegetation: Wet savanna grassland covers 65 - 70% of Kaziranga. The grassland comprises of tall elephant-grass, chief amongst which are Erianthus ravannae, Phragmites karka, Arundo donax, Saccharum elephantinus, Saccharum arundinaceum, Imperata cylindrica and Poinia ciliata. The forested portions consist of species such as Bombax ceiba, Albizzia odorotissima, Carreya arborea, Lagerstromia parviflora, Dillenia pentagyna and Zizyphus jujuba. Fauna: Everything about Kaziranga is large. From 5 meter tall elephant-grass to Greater Adjutants, Bengal Floricans, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Black-necked Storks, Greater One-horned Rhinoceros and Asian Elephants, size dominates the vast grasslands. The rarity and restricted range of most of these giants adds to the excitement and experience. Birds: Kaziranga is a birding paradise with a checklist of almost 500 species. Key species include Swamp Francolin, Pale-capped Pigeon, Bengal Florican, Great and Wreathed Hornbill, Jerdon's Baza, Slender-billed Vulture, Pallas’s Fishing Eagle , Greater Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Pied Harrier, Pied Falconet, Oriental Hobby, Black-necked Stork, Greater Adjutant, Hodgson’s Bushchat, White-vented Myna, Rufous-vented Prinia , Marsh Babbler, Jerdon’s Babbler, Black-breasted Parrotbill and Finn’s Weaver . There is a breeding colony of Spot-billed Pelicans near Koladuar in the Agoratoli area. Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, crisscrossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the park includes numerous small bodies of water. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, songs, and documentaries. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.
The history of Kaziranga as a protected area can be traced back to 1904, when Mary Victoria Leiter Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, visited the area.[3] After failing to see a single rhinoceros, for which the area was renowned, she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species which he did by initiating planning for a their protection.[4] On 1 June 1905, the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created with an area of 232 km2 (90 sq mi). Over the next three years, the park area was extended by 152 km2 (59 sq mi), to the banks of the Brahmaputra River. In 1908, Kaziranga was designated a Reserve Forest. In 1916, it was converted to a game sanctuary—The Kaziranga Game Sanctuary—and remained so till 1938, when hunting was prohibited and visitors were permitted to enter the park. The Kaziranga Game Sanctuary was renamed the Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950 by P. D. Stracey, the forest conservationist, in order to rid the name of hunting connotations.[6] In 1954, the government of Assam passed the Assam (Rhinoceros) Bill, which imposed heavy penalties for rhinoceros poaching. Fourteen years later, in 1968, the state government passed 'The Assam National Park Act of 1968', declaring Kaziranga a designated national park.[6] The 430 km2 (166 sq mi) park was given official status by the central government on 11 February 1974. In 1985, Kaziranga was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique natural environment.Kaziranga has witnessed several natural and human-made calamities in recent decades. Floods caused by overflowing of river Brahmaputra have led to significant losses of animal life.[8] Encroachment by humans along the periphery also has led to a diminished forest cover and a loss of habitat. An ongoing separatist movement in Assam by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has crippled the economy of the region, but Kaziranga has remained unaffected by the movement—in fact—instances of rebels from the United Liberation Front of Assam protecting the animals and, in extreme cases killing poachers, have been reported since the 1980s. The park celebrated its centenary with much fanfare in 2005, inviting descendants of Baroness and Lord Curzon for the celebrations.[4] In early 2007, elephants and two rhinoceros were relocated to Manas National Park, the first instance of relocation of elephants between national parks in India. Although the etymology of the name Kaziranga is not certain, there exist a number of possible explanations derived from local legends and records. According to one legend, a girl named Ranga, from a nearby village, and a youth named Kazi, from Karbi Anglong, fell in love. This match was not acceptable to their families and the couple disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again, and the forest was named after them.[12] According to another legend, Srimanta Sankardeva, the sixteenth century Vaisnava saint-scholar, once blessed a childless couple, Kazi and Rangai, and asked them to dig a big pond in the region so that their name would live on. Testimony to the long history of the name can be found in some records, which state that once, while the Ahom king Pratap Singha was passing by the region during the seventeenth century, he was particularly impressed by the taste of fish and on inquiry, he was told it came from Kaziranga. Kaziranga also could mean the "Land of red goats (Deer)", as the word Kazi in the Karbi language means "goat", and Rangai means "red". Some historians believe, however, that the name, Kaziranga, was derived from the Karbi word Kajir-a-rang, which means "the village of Kajir" (kajiror gaon). Among the Karbis, Kajir is a common name for a girl child, and it was believed that a woman named, Kajir, once ruled over the area. Fragments of monoliths associated with Karbi rule found scattered in the area seem to bear testimony to this assertion.
Kaziranga is located between latitudes 26°30' N and 26°45' N, and longitudes 93°08' E to 93°36' E within two districts in the Indian state of Assam—the Kaliabor subdivision of Nagaon district and the Bokakhat subdivision of Golaghat district. The park is approximately 40 km (25 mi) in length from east to west, and 13 km (8 mi) in breadth from north to south.[15] Kaziranga covers an area of 378 km2 (146 sq mi), with approximately 51.14 km2 (20 sq mi) lost to erosion in recent years.[15] A total addition of 429 km2 (166 sq mi) along the present boundary of the park has been made and designated with separate national park status to provide extended habitat for increasing the population of wildlife or, as a corridor for safe movement of animals to Karbi Anglong Hills.[16] :p.06 Elevation ranges from 40 m (131 ft) to 80 m (262 ft).[7] The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries, and the Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.:p.05 Kaziranga has flat expanses of fertile, alluvial soil formed by erosion and silt deposition by the Brahmaputra. The landscape consists of exposed sandbars, riverine flood-formed lakes known as, beels, (which make up 5% of the surface area), and elevated regions known as, chapories, which provide retreats and shelter for animals during floods. Many artificial chapories have been built with the help of the Indian Army to ensure the safety of the animals. Kaziranga is one of the largest tracts of protected land in the sub-Himalayan belt, and due to the presence of highly diverse and visible species, has been described as a "biodiversity hotspot".[19] The park is located in the Indomalaya ecozone, and the dominant biomes of the region are Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome and a frequently flooded variant of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome.
