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| Great Himalayan Sanctuary
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Shopping |
What was earlier known as the Tirthan sanctuary
is now part of the Great Himalayan National Park, notified a
sanctuary on March 1, 1984 and covers an area of 1,736 sq km.
The park forms a part of the protected area that includes Rupi
Bhaba Sanctuary and Pin Valley National Park. A buffer area
of 316 sq km has been ear-marked at the western periphery. Re-named
the Jawaharlal Nehru Great Himalayan National Park in mid-1989,
it however continues to be best known by its original name.
Locals are allowed some privileges for land use and park resources.
Villagers have no rights over forest produce within the 52,602
ha. of the reserved forest area or the buffer zone where another
94,897 ha. also enjoys reserved forest status. Fruit-gathering,
collection of natural forest produce including dry wood, medicinal
plants and biomass for domestic purposes, as well as permission
to graze livestock are allowed in only a few areas.
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History / Geography |
What was earlier known as the Tirthan sanctuary
is now part of the Great Himalayan National Park, notified a
sanctuary on March 1, 1984 and covers an area of 1,736 sq km.
The park forms a part of the protected area that includes Rupi
Bhaba Sanctuary and Pin Valley National Park. A buffer area
of 316 sq km has been ear-marked at the western periphery. Re-named
the Jawaharlal Nehru Great Himalayan National Park in mid-1989,
it however continues to be best known by its original name.
Locals are allowed some privileges for land use and park resources.
Villagers have no rights over forest produce within the 52,602
ha. of the reserved forest area or the buffer zone where another
94,897 ha. also enjoys reserved forest status. Fruit-gathering,
collection of natural forest produce including dry wood, medicinal
plants and biomass for domestic purposes, as well as permission
to graze livestock are allowed in only a few areas.
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Legends |
An interesting story behind the origin of the
Manali town goes like this. Vaivastava, the seventh incarnation
of Manu once found a tiny fish in his bath. The fish asked to
be looked after and promised to be of great service in return.
Manu devotedly cared for the fish till the day it grew so huge
that he had to release it into the sea. Before leaving, the
fish, called Matsya, warned Manu of an impending deluge when
the entire world would be submerged in water. When the flood
came, Matsya, believed to be the first avtaar of Lord Vishnu,
towed Vaivastava and seven sages with him to safety. As the
water subsided, Manu's ark was found on a hillside and the place
was named Manali after him. Closer to the airport at Bhuntar
lies Bijli Mahadev, a Hindu temple on a mountain overlooking
the airport and all of Kullu town. According to legend, the
temple is destroyed by lightning once a year, and magically
rebuilt overnight. Bijli Mahadev in fact means 'Lightning of
the Great God'. 'Devi' worship is also practiced widely in the
valley and trees are festooned with precious iron objects stuck
into the bark as offerings to 'Devi', the goddess who can destroy
all before her.
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Conservation Notes |
Rare plants within the park are greatly over-exploited
for commerce. The use of several of these medicinal herbs like
Aconitum, Nardostachys, Dactyloirhiza and Jurinea is only 15-20
years old. Yew in its medicinal form, taxol, is sold in the
international market for as high as Rs 3 lakhs for four grams!
Plans by the World Bank to finance the construction of roads
into the hitherto untouched forest have accelerated exploitation.
There are proposals to extend the road along Sainj Valley by
a further 10 km right on to Shangarh. Another road from Gushaini
to Rolla is being planned. These roads will prove to be a death
sentence on this once remote biodiversity vault. Forest fires
caused by careless tourists or villagers are a problem. Locals
continue to graze livestock, collect timber, fuel wood, fodder
and minor forest produce. About 35,000 sheep and goats are estimated
to graze in the park each summer. About 2,500 people collect
herbs and guchchi or morel, Morchella esculanta from the area
every year. The ecosystem is thus teetering on the edge of survival
and the prognosis does not look good. The 2051 MW Parvati Hydroelectric
project is yet another death knell that has brought in its wake
the denotification of over 1000 ha. of the Great Himalayan National
Park, ostensibly for the 'benefit' of two villages, Kundhar
and Madan. Such plans threaten to destroy the integrity of the
park. The challenges may be much beyond the capacity of the
poorly equipped forest department.
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Suggested Reading |
• Sanctuary Asia Vol. XIX No 3, June 1999.
Great Himalayan National Park by Bittu Sahgal.
• Nature
Reserves of the Himalaya and the Mountains of Central Asia.
Compiled by Michael J B Green of the World Conservation Monitoring
Centre in collaboration with IUCN Commission on National Parks
and Protected Areas, 1993. This directory reviews the conservation
status of mountains of Central Asia and outlines various features
of parks including establishment, physical attributes, conservation
value and management, scientific research etc.
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Directory of National Parks and Sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh.
Management Status and Profiles by Shekhar Singh, Ashish Kothari
and Prathiba Pande, 1990. Specific to Himachal Pradesh, it carries
information on various parks along with a profile of the management
status complemented by useful maps.
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