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Attraction
Mists
in winter and birdsong all year round, Nagarahole is
an ethereal wild haven that is home to elephants, wild dogs, gaur and tigers. A dense tropical
forest, situated between the Mysore plateau in Karnataka and the Nilgiri mountains of Tamil
Nadu, this tiger reserve gets its name from the Kannada words Naga -- snake and Hole - stream.
Many serpentine streams do indeed drain this exquisite jungle, which has now been renamed the
Rajiv Gandhi National Park. Situated in the picturesque districts of Kodagu (Coorg) and Mysore
in Southern Karnataka, the area borders the Bandipur National Park and the Kakankote Reserve
Forest to the south. Ecological continuity is thus also maintained between Mudumalai in Tamil
Nadu and Wynaad in Kerala.
Pasture-rich openings and strategically located wetlands
make this continuum one of the most vital tiger breeding habitats in south India. It is also a
crucial refuge for the Asian elephant and is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, a wilderness
in which daytime leopard sightings are possible. Three special tourism zones demarcated for
visitors, namely Nagarahole, Karapura and Bandipur are the focus of visitors and one-third of
the park is off-limits to both tourism and forestry operations.
Terrain
The national park comprises 643 sq kms of gently
undulating slopes and shallow valleys at an average elevation of 800-850 m. The highest point
is the Masalabetta peak (959 m) and the lowest, the Kabini river (701 m). Other rivers that flow
through the park include the Taraka, Nagarahole, Hebballa, Sarathi and Lakshmanateertha. This
vast network of water courses are supplemented by artificially created waterholes, together
responsible for the rich variety and density of wildlife.
The Kabini is by far the most important river and drains the
southern part of the park before entering the Cauvery. The dam that created the reservoir, which
now dominates the landscape and separates Bandipur and Nagarahole, was built in 1974. In addition
there are several perennial and seasonal streams and tanks, all of which drain into the four major
rivers. Hadlus, unique swamps, are vital ecological niches for numerous species.
History
Wild elephants and their capture in kheddahs or
corrals and their subsequent existence in the camp at Hebella for training as domestic
elephants was the forte of Captain Sanderson in 1873. Hyder Ali had tried and failed and is
said to have inscripted in stone that no one would be able to do so. Sanderson however set his
plan in motion in the Biligiranjan Hills. The old kheddahs at Mastigudi can still be seen.
Designated a sanctuary in 1955, Nagarahole was enlarged to
its present size in 1974 by combining the adjoining Mysore forests with the Nagarahole sanctuary.
Two towns, Nagarahole and Murkal, lie smack inside the reserve and as many as 6,000 people live
inside the park where they survive by cultivating small holdings and by collecting minor forest
produce.
Initially, while a part of the commission of Coorg, the
sanctuary was oriented to the sale of certain forest produce. Many villagers still graze their
livestock here and came into conflict with the forest authorities. A major fire destroyed huge
tracts of forest in 1992. The fires are believed to have been set by disgruntled locals, targetting
park officials who had arrested poachers. They received support from local farmers and graziers
who have always sought access to the nutritious grasses inside the forest, ever since the stocks
on the outside vanished. Fortunately, with protection, the forest has now regenerated
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