The Sundarbans National Park is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve located in the Sundarbans delta in Indian state of West Bengal. This region is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves of the Bengal tiger. It is also home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile.Islands such as Goasaba, Sandeshkali and Basanti form the northern boundary of the Sundarbans whereas on the south lies the Bay of Bengal; the Matla and Bidya Rivers form the eastern boundary and the to the west side of the Sunderbans National Park is the international boundary of Bangladesh.
Sundarbans National Park is located in World’s largest Delta formed by the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghana. The Sundarbans Wildlife Sanctuary is the world’s largest estuarine sanctuary. The Sundarbans is not only a National Park but also a tiger reserve, a World Heritage site and a Biosphere reserve. The name Sundarban has been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in abundance in the Sundarbans National Park.
The Sundarbans National Park is home to a large number of Royal Bengal tigers and also abounds in olive Ridley turtles, salt water crocodiles, Gangetic dolphins, spotted deer, fishing cats, wild boars, monitor lizards, otters, rhesus macaques, snakes, lobsters, numerous varieties of fishes, shrimps, crabs, worms and a host of avian life such as kingfishers, herons, woodpeckers, storks, Brahmin ducks, ibises, arghilahs, water fowl, egrets etc.
The Sundarbans National Park has a wide variety of plant life too. Inside the Sundarbans there are mangrove scrub, salt water mixed forest, littoral forest, brackish water forest and swamp forest. The large floral population in Sundarbans includes trees like Dhundal, Genwa, Garjan, Passur and Kankara. Besides the above-mentioned trees, the tall and wide Goran trees cover a large part of the Sundarbans. It is interesting to note that twenty-six of the fifty broad mangrove types found in the world thrive in the Sunderbans National Park.
More Attractions in Sundarbans
Sajnakhali Sanctuary
The Sajnakhali sanctuary, known for its rich bird population, is considered a part of the Sunderbans National Park. Some of the bird species in Sajnakhali sanctuary are Kingfisher, Sea Eagle, Plovers, Lap-Wings, Whimbrels, Curfews, occasional Pelican and Sandpipers.
Bhagabatpur
Bhagabatpur is home to a hatchery of the largest estuarine crocodiles in the world.
Piyali
Known as the gateway to Sundarbans, Piyali is about 72 kms from Kolkata by road and is close to Sajnekhali, Netidhopani and Sudhanyakhali by waterways. The Piyali River flows through the green paddy fields and joins river Matla.
Climate
The average maximum and minimum temperature is 34 °C and 20 °C respectively. Rainfall is heavy with high humidity as high as 80% as it is close to the Bay of Bengal. The monsoon lasts from mid-June to mid-September. Prevailing wind is from the north and north-east from October to mid-March and south west westerlies prevails from mid-March to September. Storms which sometimes develop into cyclones are common during the month of May and October.
By Air
The nearest airport from Sundarbans is Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. Kolkata is about 112 km from Sundarbans.
By Rail
Canning is nearest railhead, which is about 48 km from Sundarbans.
By Road
You can reach Sundarbans by road also. You can get buses from Kolkata for Namkhana (105-kms), Raidighi (76-kms), Sonakhali (100-kms), Najat (92-kms) and Canning (64-kms). All the above mentioned places are near the Sunderbans and have easy access to waterways.
- By KOL News , Written on February 12, 2010
