INTRODUCTION
Located in the Indian state of Orissa,
the Bhitar Kanika National Park is one of the few marine parks in
India. The flora and fauna of this park has a lot of similarity to
the Sunderbans in West Bengal except that there are no tigers here.
The park was established to protect the saltwater crocodile and
other marine inhabitants of the region. The park has special status
of Crocodile Sanctuary and it was notified in 1975.
Initially, as in the other wildlife sanctuaries
in India, Bhitar Kanika was also the preserve of the royal family of
Raj Kanika who had made this region their private hunting ground.
LOCATION
The Bhitar Kanika National Park is located in the
Baleshwar district of Orissa at a distance of around 190 km from
Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. It is a secluded mangrove
area on the delta of the river Brahmahani in Orissa. The park
extends from the latitude 86°45' in the North to the longitude
87°01' in the East. The region has a good road network that connects
it with other places in Orissa.
CLIMATE
There are high variations in the temperature in
this region and temperature varies between a maximum of 34°C in the
summers (March to May) to a minimum of 13°C in the winters.
Temperature drops considerably in the month of November. The best
period to visit this park is from November to February.
ATTRACTIONS
Flora
Marine vegetation is the highlight of Bhitar
Kanika, which abounds in littoral swamp forests. The rich
biodiversity of Bhitar Kanika supports mangroves, trees like sundari,
thespia, casuarinas, and grasses like the indigo bush.
Fauna
Rare species of fauna abound in the Bhitar Kanika
National Park. The park can be primarily visited for its marine
wildlife including birds, estuarine crocodiles, and sea turtles. As
the park is situated along the Gahiramatha coast, thousands of
marine species come here to lay eggs during the nights in winters.
Major attractions here are olive ridley turtles, wild pigs, rhesus
monkeys, and chitals. Another attraction here are crocodiles and a
saltwater crocodile-breeding centre has been established by the
Orissa Government.
Avifauna includes the white-necked sea eagle and
fish eagle among other avifauna species.
PLACES NEARBY
Situated around 60 km to the northwest of Bhitar
Kanika are the isolated hills of the Assia range-Lalitagiri and
Ratnagiri. These hills possess the ruins of the most unique
Buddhist monastic complex in the world.
Other important tourist destinations near Bhitar
Kanika are Kendrapada, Konark, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
REACHING THERE
By
Air
Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport from Bhitar
Kanika at a distance of around 190 km. There are regular flights
that connect Bhubaneswar with other places in India.
By
Rail
Bhadrak, at a distance of 77 km, is the nearest
railway station connected to Bhubaneswar, Calcutta, and many other
places with regular trains.
By
Road
Chandabali, at a distance of around 35 km, is the
nearest town and connected to most of the places in the state by a
good road network. There are many buses between Calcutta and
Chandabali, which cover the whole distance in 14 hours.
By
Ferry
A ferry takes one and a half hours to reach
Nalitapatia from Chandabali. One can take boats from Nalitapatia to
Dangmal situated at a distance of 6 km.
STAYING THERE
Forest rest houses are available at Dangmal,
Ekabula and Gupti without any proper food and other civic amenity.
One needs to make advance bookings for accommodation in these rest
houses due their limited availability. |
