Dudhwa National Park

Dudhwa National Park is a popular national park, which falls in the region of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The major part of the Dudhwa National Park is a tiger reserve and is precisely located in the Terai region of state in India. The national park is sprawled over an area of around 680 sq km, with a defense zone of almost 190 sq km. The reserve nestles on the India-Nepal border at the foothills of Himalayas in the plains of Terai, incorporating marshes, grasslands and thickly covered forest.

This national park was established in 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary for Swamp Deer, became an official national park in 1977 and a tiger reserve in the year 1988. The park has become popular with the untiring efforts of the conversationalist Arjan Singh, who worked as an instrumental in the creation and preservation of Dudhwa and making it as a sanctuary of swamp Deer.

Undoubtedly, in the region of Dudhwa, the limelight is spotted on to the swamp deer. Here one can find the largest number of swamp deer also known as ‘barasingha’ grazing in the wet grasslands, particularly in the Sathiana and Kakraha regions.

In summer’s crocodiles make a common view basking around the sandy banks of the Soheli-Neora River and with luck, swimming otter and perhaps a rhino wallowing in the mud. Banke Tal is another popular haunt. Egrets, cormorants, herons and several species of waterfowl, including mallards, geese and teal can be spotted here. The drive from Dudhwa to Sathiana is a splendid excursion: the avenue lined with stunning sal and huge, intricate termite mounds. The national park is also called as the tiger’s country for the reason it is an abode to almost all the species of tigers, including the endangered ones also.

The Sharada River and its tributaries nurtures and provide water to this wildlife habitat. The park’s northern side is enclosed by Mohana Arm and towards its south the park is flanked by Suheli River and both eventually surge into the Ganges.

Here the land also incorporates agricultural crops mainly sugarcane, which encloses the forest. Along with it teak, sisam and eucalyptus, were all planted in this region, no matter they are alien to the region. The region is copiously flourished with flora and fauna and also houses some of the endangered species of both flora and fauna.

The other excursion from this national park is Frog temple, which has been built by the former Maharajas of the Oyal State. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and incorporates a unique architecture and is constructed in the shape of a large frog at its base! It is situated in Oyal village, which is just cat a distance of 10 km from Hargaon, on the journey to Lakhimpur-Kheri and Dudhwa.