Kaziranga National Park is a national park and World Heritage Site in the Golaghat, Sonitpur, Biswanath and Nagaon districts of the Indian state of Assam. Located on the edge of the Brahmaputra River, it encompasses dense tropical moist broadleaf forests interspersed with tall elephant grass and marshland surrounding numerous beels. This habitat hosts populations of the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo, swamp deer, tiger and fishing cat. It is recognized as an Important Bird Area and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.
Kaziranga National Park has been the theme of several books, songs, and documentaries. It celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.
Etymology Although the etymology of the name Kaziranga is not certain, there exist a number of possible explanations derived from local legends and records. According to one legend, a girl named Rawnga, from a nearby village, and a youth named Kazi, from Karbi Anglong, fell in love. This match was not acceptable to their families, and the couple disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again, and the forest was named after them.
Testimony to the long history of the name can be found in some records, which state that once, while the Ahom king Pratap Singha was passing by the region during the seventeenth century, he was particularly impressed by the taste of fish, and on asking was told it came from Kaziranga. Kaziranga also could mean the "Land of red goats (Deer)", as the word Kazi in the Karbi language means "goat", and Rangai means "red".
History
The history of Kaziranga as a protected area can be traced back to 1904, when Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston visited the area. After failing to see an Indian rhinoceros, for which the area was renowned, she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species, which he did by initiating planning for its protection. On 1 June 1905, the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created with an area of .
Kaziranga Game Sanctuary was renamed Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950 to rid the name of hunting connotations.
Kaziranga National Park has experienced several natural and human-made calamities including major floods caused by the overflow of the Brahmaputra, leading to significant losses of wildlife.Kaziranga Factsheet (Revised) , UNESCO, Retrieved on 2007-02-27 In 2024, six dead rhinos along with hundreds of deer were tallied as drowned by the rising water.
A separatist movement in Assam led by the United Liberation Front of Asom has crippled the economy of the region. However, Kaziranga National Park has remained unaffected by the movement; indeed, instances of rebels from the United Liberation Front of Assam protecting the wildlife and killing poachers have been reported since the 1980s.
Geography
Kaziranga is located between latitudes 26°30' N and 26°45' N, and longitudes 93°08' E to 93°36' E within three districts in the Indian state of Assam—the Kaliabor subdivision of Nagaon district, Bokajan subdivision of Karbi Anglong and the Bokakhat subdivision of Golaghat district.
The park is approximately in length from east to west, and in breadth from north to south. Kaziranga covers an area of , with approximately lost to erosion in recent years. A total addition of along the present boundary of the park has been made and designated with separate national park status to provide extended habitat for increasing the population of wildlife or, as a corridor for safe movement of animals to Karbi Anglong Hills. The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries, and the Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.
The landscape consists of exposed sandbars, riverine flood-formed lakes known as, beels, and elevated regions known as, chapories, which provide retreats and shelter for animals during floods. Many artificial chapories have been built with the help of the Indian Army to ensure the safety of the animals. Kaziranga is one of the largest tracts of protected land in the sub-Himalayan belt, and due to the presence of highly diverse and visible species, has been described as a "biodiversity hotspot".
Climate
During this season, beels and nullahs (water channels) dry up. The rainy monsoon season lasts from June to September, and is responsible for most of Kaziranga's annual rainfall of . During the peak months of July and August, three-fourths of the western region of the park is submerged, due to the rising water level of the Brahmaputra. Each time a flood comes, 70%-80% percent of the national park is inundated for 5–10 days at a time. The flooding causes most animals to migrate to elevated and forested regions outside the southern border of the park, such as the Mikir Hills. 540 animals, including 13 rhinos and mostly hog deer perished in unprecedented floods of 2012. However, occasional dry spells create problems as well, such as food shortages and occasional forest fires.
Seasonal variations in the vegetation and habitat of the animal is notable in the park. During winter the shallow beels and nullahs (small water channel) dry up and the growth of short grasses cover up their beds. The grasses also grow around the perennial beels. With the end of the monsoon season, herbivorous animals, especially the rhinoceros, rush into these areas for grazing. In the other parts of the park, the tall coarse grasses dry up by the month of December and January and are then control-burnt by the park staff. After such burning, some animals begin to concentrate in the burnt patches and relish the ash and the partially burnt stems of the reeds. With few winter showers fresh grass blades shoot up in the burnt patches attracting larger number of animals to these areas. With the onset of the summer season, the grasses in the burnt patches grow up quickly and the tender shoots turn into coarse blades, which no longer attract the animals. The temperature also rises, and the animals prefer to remain near the water sources, especially around the numerous perennial beels and water streams inside the park. During the monsoon, the shallow beels and the nullahs start to get filled up, first by the monsoon showers and later by the floodwaters. The animals gradually start moving towards higher grounds, which are situated around the forests. When the flood water covers most of the areas, the animals migrate to the nearby Karbi Anglong Hills and other adjoining areas.
Flora
Four main types of vegetation exist in this park.Talukdar, B. (1995). Status of Swamp Deer in Kaziranga National Park. Department of Zoology, Guwahati University, Assam. These are alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests. Based on Landsat data for 1986, percent coverage by vegetation is: tall grasses 41%, short grasses 11%, open jungle 29%, swamps 4%, rivers and water bodies 8%, and sand 6%.Kushwaha, S.& Unni, M. (1986). Applications of remote sensing techniques in forest-cover-monitoring and habitat evaluation—a case study at Kaziranga National Park, Assam, in, Kamat, D.& Panwar, H.(eds), Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Using Remote Sensing Techniques. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing / Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun. pp. 238–247
Thick evergreen forests, near the Kanchanjhuri, Panbari, and Tamulipathar blocks, contain trees such as Aphanamixis polystachya, Talauma hodgsonii, Dillenia indica, Garcinia tinctoria, Ficus rumphii, Cinnamomum bejolghota, and species of Syzygium. Tropical semi-evergreen forests are present near Baguri, Bimali, and Haldibari. Common trees and shrubs are Albizia procera, Duabanga grandiflora, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Crateva unilocularis, Sterculia urens, Grewia serrulata, Mallotus philippensis, Bridelia retusa, Aphania rubra, Leea indica, and Leea umbraculifera.Jain, S.K. and Sastry, A.R.K. (1983). Botany of some tiger habitats in India. Botanical Survey of India, Howrah. p71.
There are many different aquatic floras in the lakes and ponds, and along the river shores. The invasive water hyacinth is very common, often choking the water bodies, but it is cleared during destructive floods. Another invasive species, Mimosa invisa, which is toxic to herbivores, was cleared by Kaziranga staff with help from the Wildlife Trust of India in 2005.Silent Stranglers, Eradication of Mimosas in Kaziranga National Park, Assam ; Vattakkavan et al.; Occasional Report No. 12, Wildlife Trust of India, pp. 12–13. Retrieved on 2007-02-26
Fauna
Kaziranga contains significant breeding populations of 35 mammalian species, The park has the distinction of being home to the world's largest population of the Indian rhinoceros (2,401), wild water buffalo (1,666)'Wild buffalo census in Kaziranga', The Rhino Foundation for Nature in NE India, Newsletter No. 3, June 2001 and eastern swamp deer (468). Significant populations of large herbivores include Indian elephants (1,940), sambar (58). Small herbivores include the Indian muntjac, Indian boar and Indian hog deer. Kaziranga has the largest population of the Wild water buffalo anywhere accounting for about 57% of the world population.Choudhury, A.U. (2010) The vanishing herds: the wild water buffalo. Gibbon Books, Rhino Foundation, CEPF & COA, Taiwan, Guwahati, India The Indian rhinoceros, royal Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo and swamp deer are collectively known as 'Big Five' of Kaziranga.
Kaziranga is one of the few wild breeding areas outside Africa for multiple species of large cats, such as Bengal tigers and Indian leopard. Kaziranga was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2007 . Other felids include the jungle cat, fishing cat and leopard cat. It is also the only place in India and the world, where a Golden tiger was spotted in the wild.
Small mammals include the rare hispid hare, Indian gray mongoose, small Indian mongooses, large Indian civet, small Indian civets, Bengal fox, golden jackal, sloth bear, Chinese pangolin, Indian pangolins, hog badger, Chinese ferret-badger, and particoloured flying squirrel. Nine of the 14 primate species found in India occur in the park. Prominent among them are the Assamese macaque, capped and golden langur, as well as the only ape found in India, the hoolock gibbon. The binturong and the Asian small-clawed otter were recorded in the park in the year 2024.
Kaziranga has been identified by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area. It is home to a variety of migratory birds, water birds, predators, scavengers, and game birds. Birds such as the lesser white-fronted goose, ferruginous duck, Baer's pochard duck and lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black-necked stork, and Asian openbill stork migrate from Central Asia to the park during winter. Riverine birds include the Blyth's kingfisher, white-bellied heron, Dalmatian pelican, spot-billed pelican, Nordmann's greenshank, and black-bellied tern. Birds of prey include the rare eastern imperial, greater spotted eagle, white-tailed eagle, Pallas's fish eagle, grey-headed fish eagle and the lesser kestrel.Choudhury, A.U. (2003) Birds of Kaziranga: a check list. Gibbon Books & Rhino Foundation, Guwahati, India
Kaziranga was once home to seven species of vultures, but the vulture population reached near extinction, supposedly by feeding on animal carcasses containing the drug Diclofenac. Only the Indian vulture, slender-billed vulture, and white-rumped vulture have survived. Game birds include the swamp francolin, Bengal florican, and pale-capped pigeon.