Misplaced Pages

#912087

34-415: Located inside Gir forest , Gujarat, India. The Indian mega-epic Mahabharata's famous character Arjuna comes alive here so this place is famous because of him. Once traveling through this forest, Pandavas gets thirsty and Arjuna uses his bow to discover water from the earth. There is a Mahadev temple here called 'Banej'. The main temple is "Shri Kankeshwari Mataji" also known as "Shri Kankai Mataji". Mataji

68-460: Is 60 km from Junagadh, the most common base for making a visit, and 360 km from Ahmedabad. The main centre is at Sasan Gir that has a forest guest house maintained by the Forest Department, opposite the railway station. There are hotels and guest-houses at Sasan as well as nearby places. One can stay with nature by using these hotels. The temple can be accessed via private vehicles. It

102-555: Is alive and used as a bait) for the exercise, though thought to be a traditional practice, was not used this time. The reason believed to be behind this is the Gujarat High Court ruling of 2000 against such a use of animals. During the 2010 census 'The Cat Women of Gir Forest' counted more than 411 lions in the park, and 523 in 2015. The women who do the counting are from traditional tribes in neighbouring villages. There are over 40 women van raksha sahayaks, who seek only to protect

136-509: Is called as SILAMPU in Tamil language.) to get money. At the same time King pandian's queen lost her ornament. The guards found the same model of ornament at the hands of Kovalan, the guards produced him in the Court of King Pandian. The king ordered to hang him. The order was executed. On hearing the execution Kanaki appeared before the court and asked for justice. She proved that ornament is different from

170-614: Is closed from 16 June to 15 October every year, throughout the monsoon season. In the 19th century, the rulers of Indian princely states used to invite the British colonists for hunting expeditions. At the end of the 19th century, only about a dozen Asiatic lions were left in India, all of them in the Gir Forest, which was part of the Nawab of Junagarh 's private hunting grounds. British viceroys brought

204-474: Is located 43 km (27 mi) north-east of Somnath , 65 km (40 mi) south-east of Junagadh and 60 km (37 mi) south-west of Amreli . It was established in 1965 in the erstwhile Nawab of Junagarh 's private hunting area, with a total area of 1,410.30 km (544.52 sq mi), of which 258.71 km (99.89 sq mi) is fully protected as a national park and 1,151.59 km (444.63 sq mi) as wildlife sanctuary. It

238-408: Is located at 21°08′08″N to 70°47′48″E. During peak summer , surface water for wild animals is available at about 300 water points. When drought hits the area following poor rainfall, surface water is not available at a majority of these points, and water scarcity becomes a serious problem (mainly in the eastern part of the sanctuary). Ensuring the availability of water during peak summer is one of

272-622: Is mild on most days. There is one Kanaki temple in Kerala. In the Tamil language literature -one epic is there.. the name of the Epic is called Silapathikaram. In this epic, the main woman character is called Kanaki. She suffered in her married life. Her husband-KOVALN left her and lived with his paramour- a dancer for long time. After losing business he returned to his wife Kanaki. The couple left Chola Kingdom and reached Pandian kingdom. When he wanted to start his business again, she gave her ankle ornament (It

306-518: Is now considered the jewel of Gujarat's ecological resources. The seven major perennial rivers of the Gir region are Hiran , Shetrunji , Dhatarvadi , Shingoda , Machhundri , Ambajal and Raval . The four reservoirs of the area are at four dams, one each on Hiran, Machhundri, Raval and Shingoda rivers, including the biggest reservoir in the area, the Kamleshwar Dam , dubbed 'the lifeline of Gir'. It

340-884: Is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion . The 14th Asiatic Lion Census 2015 was conducted in May 2015. In 2015, the population was 523 (27% up compared to previous census in 2010). The population was 411 in 2010 and 359 in 2005. The lion population in Junagadh District was 268 individuals, 44 in Gir Somnath District, 174 in Amreli District, and 37 in Bhavangar District. There are 109 males, 201 females and 213 cubs. The lions can be seen by Jungle Safari which one can book online as well. Gir National Park

374-465: Is preferred that local taxi should be hired to visit the place. By rail: One can travel by rail to Junagadh from Ahmedabad or Veraval (Somnath) and then take a 65 km road trip on bus or taxi to Sasan Gir. By Air: The nearest airport is Rajkot but it is not well connected to major airports of India, hence the suitable Airport is Ahmedabad. One can take train or drive from Ahmedabad. The climate in Kankai

SECTION 10

#1732854722913

408-418: Is principal goddess (કુળદૅવી) to many castes in India; Like Vaishya Suthar (Vadhia and Padhiyar), Gurjar Suthar(Panchasara), Bhawsar (bahekar), Uneval Brahmins, Bhadreshwara-Vanza, Borkhetaria-Vanza Vaishya and some other castes. A smaller temple for Bhudarjee Dada, Mataji's brother is erected behind the main temple. This is at a walking distance from the main temple. Shingavada (શિગૌદા) river flows on one side of

442-461: The Asiatic lion , Indian leopard , jungle cat , striped hyena , golden jackal , Bengal fox , Indian gray mongoose , ruddy mongoose , and honey badger . Asiatic wildcat and rusty-spotted cat occur, but are rarely seen. The main herbivores of Gir are chital , nilgai , sambar , four-horned antelope , chinkara and wild boar . Blackbucks from the surrounding area are sometimes seen in

476-730: The Indian Crocodile Conservation Project in 1977 and released close to 1,000 marsh crocodiles into Lake Kamaleshwar and other small bodies of water in and around Gir. The plentiful avifauna population has more than 300 species of birds, most of which are resident. The scavenger group of birds has six recorded species of vultures . Some of the typical species of Gir include crested serpent eagle , Bonelli's eagle , changeable hawk-eagle , brown fish owl , Indian eagle-owl , rock bush-quail , Indian peafowl , brown-capped pygmy woodpecker , black-headed oriole , crested treeswift and Indian pitta . The Indian grey hornbill

510-448: The Nawab of Junagadh militarily occupied the states, Sardar Patel saw this as an aggression upon State of India and called for military response. However, Jawaharlal Nehru waited to first establish the validity of accession of principality of Babariawad to India. Once this was established with Lord Mountbatten , on 22 September 1947, they sent a telegram to Dewan of Junagadh clarifying

544-414: The animals of the park. Gir National Park and Sanctuary faces a number of threats to its ecosystem. Natural threats include recurrent drought, cyclones, and forest fires. Anthropogenic threats include over-grazing, encroachment, excessive traffic and resultant weed infestation. Tourism contributes to this environmental degradation , as does the mining carried out in the periphery. Pollution results from

578-524: The behaviour of the Asiatic lions and also practices artificial insemination . One such centre has been established in the Sakkarbaug Zoo at the district headquarters of Junagadh , which has successfully bred about 180 lions. A total of 126 pure Asiatic lions have been given to zoos in India and abroad. The census of lions takes place every five years. Previously indirect methods like using pugmarks of

612-544: The drastic decline of the lion population in Gir to the attention of the Nawab of Junagadh, who established the sanctuary. Today, it is the only area in Asia where Asiatic lions occur and is considered one of the most important protected areas in Asia because of its biodiversity. The Gir ecosystem with its diverse flora and fauna is protected as a result of the efforts of the government forest department, wildlife activists and NGOs. It

646-420: The eastern portion of the forest, which constitutes nearly half of the total area. Several species of acacia are found. Also found here are ber, jamun ( Syzygium cumini ), babul (acacia), flame of the forest, zizyphus , tendu and dhak. Also plants like karanj, umlo, amli, sirus, kalam, charal and an occasional vad or banyan tree are found. These broadleaf trees provide a cool shade and moisture content to

680-543: The legality of accession and to withdraw their troops from Babariawad . Further, Indian Army was ordered to go to Babariawad and get the territories in India's possession. The Nawab of Junagadh refused to vacate his troops from Babariawad and Mangrol . In October, 1947 Nawab of Junagarh fled with his family to Pakistan . The Indian Army finally entered and liberated Babariawad in November 1947 and stood on alert along borders of Junagadh and Mangrol for further orders. leading to

714-483: The lion were adopted for the count. However, during the census of April 2005 (which originally was scheduled for 2006, but was advanced following the reports and controversy over vanishing tigers in India), "Block-Direct-Total Count" method was employed with the help of around 1,000 forest officials, experts and volunteers. It means that only those lions were counted that were "spotted" visually. Use of "live bait " (a prey that

SECTION 20

#1732854722913

748-556: The major tasks of the Forest Department staff. More than 400 plant species were recorded in the survey of Gir forest by Samtapau & Raizada in 1955. The botany department of M.S. University of Baroda has revised the count to 507 during their survey. According to the 1964 forest type classification by Champion & Sheth , the Gir forest falls under "5A/C-1a—very dry teak forest" classification. Teak occurs mixed with dry deciduous species. The degradation stages (DS) sub-types are thus derived as: Teak bearing areas are mainly in

782-567: The other threats include floods, fires and the possibility of epidemics and natural calamities. Gir nonetheless remains the most promising long-term preserve for them. During a prolonged drought from 1899 to 1901, lions attacked livestock and people beyond the Gir Forest. After 1904, the rulers of Junagadh compensated livestock losses. Today, the lions in Gir National Park rarely attack people. The Lion Breeding Programme creates and maintains breeding centres. It also carries out studies of

816-413: The queen's ornament. Kanaki's ornament contained pearls. The King understood injustice done to a woman. King told that her husband was not a thief, but he king himself was thief. On the shock, he lost his life. She burnt the temple city of Madurai in the anguish..She reached near Kerala (now-Tamil Nadu border)A temple has been erected in memory of her. Her moral character was highly appreciated. The principle

850-618: The railway lines that run through the peripheral zone. The narrow genetic base in the large mammals is also an issue of growing concern. Nawab of Junagarh Nawab of Junagarh or Junagadh refers to the now defunct ex-lineage of rulers of the princely Junagarh State in British Raj , nowadays Junagadh district in the state of Gujarat in India . There are still several forts and palaces in India which were owned by princely Junagarh family but after Partition of India , this property

884-739: The region. As part of the afforestation programme casuarina and prosopis have been planted along the coast borders of gir. The forest is an important biological research area with considerable scientific , educational, aesthetic and recreational values. It provides nearly 5 million kilograms of green grass by annual harvesting , which is valued approximately at ₹ 500 million (US$ 7.12 million). The forest provides nearly 123,000 metric tons worth of fuel wood annually. The count of 2,375 distinct fauna species of Gir includes about 38 species of mammals , around 300 species of birds, 37 species of reptiles and more than 2,000 species of insects . The carnivores group mainly comprises

918-425: The sanctuary before sunset. Banej is the nearby religious place one can visit, around 15 km from Shree Kankai Temple. This is a very famous place surrounded by trees, wild animals and nature. Tulsishyam is another religious place nearby worth visiting There is a bus from Junagadh every day that leaves at 8am, stays one hour at the temple, and departs on the return journey at 9:45am. By road: Gir National Park

952-502: The sanctuary. Among the smaller mammals, porcupine and hare are common, but the pangolin is rare. The reptiles are represented by the mugger crocodile , Indian cobra , tortoise and monitor lizard which inhabit the sanctuary's bodies of water. Snakes are found in the bush and forest. Pythons are sighted at times along the stream banks. Gir has been used by the Gujarat State Forest Department which formed

986-448: The temple. Sometimes visitors can see lions near the temple or near the river as it's an open habitat for lions, second only to Africa. Every year thousands of devotes and tourist visit this temple. The temple also provides meals for devotees and tourist. (Please verify this information with the temple trust). Donations to the temple trust are always welcome. Being located in the middle of Gir Sanctuary, as per norms, tourists have to exit

1020-603: Was claimed by the Indian Government . Given below is the list of Nawabs who ruled in the princely Junagarh State before the Partition of India . After the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, the title of Nawab of Junagarh has no official status. It still carries respect in Pakistan and is used as a courtesy title. The Partition of India in 1947 resulted in the exile of Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III , who

1054-411: Was done by Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth , the principal of Rajkumar College, Rajkot and R.S. Dharmakumarsinhji sometime between 1948 and 1963; and a further survey, in 1968, recorded that since 1936 numbers had fallen to 162. Even though the Gir Forest is well protected, there are instances of Asiatic lions being poached . They have also been poisoned in retaliation for attacking livestock. Some of

Kankai - Misplaced Pages Continue

1088-447: Was not found from the last census of 2001. The Asiatic lion 's habitat is dry scrub land and open deciduous forest. The lion population increased from 411 individuals in 2010 to 674 in 2020, and all of them live in or around Gir National Park. In 1900 it was estimated that the population was as low as 100, and the Asiatic lion was declared a protected species. A census in 1936 recorded 289 animals. The first modern-day count of lions

1122-513: Was one man one woman. She lived for a man in her life. This temple is Called KANAKI temple. Every year a kind of festival is celebrated at the Kanaki Temple by the people of Southern Tamil Nadu. Gir Forest National Park Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary , also known as Sasan Gir , is a forest, national park , and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat , India. It

1156-488: Was the last ruling Nawab of Junagadh . The Nawab, being Muslim, was in favor of declaring the state as part of newly created Muslim majority Pakistan . For this purpose he signed the documents for incorporation of its state in Pakistan, in response rulers of two states that were subject to the suzerainty of Junagadh— Mangrol and Babariawad —reacted by declaring their independence from Junagadh and acceding to India. In response,

#912087