Dachigam National Park
Encyclopedia
Dachigam National Park is located 22 kilometers from Srinagar
, Jammu and Kashmir
. It covers an area of 141 square kilometers. The name of the park literally stands for "ten villages" which could be in memory of the ten villages that were relocated for its formation.
The park has been a protected area since 1910, first under the care of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir and later under the observation of the concerned government authorities. It was initially created to ensure clean drinking water supply for the city of Srinagar. It was finally upgraded and declared a National Park
in the year 1981.
. The variation in altitude is vast, ranging from 5500 ft to 14000 ft above mean sea level. Due to this vast variation, the park is very clearly demarcated into an upper and lower region. The terrain ranges from gently sloping grasslands to sharp rocky outcrops and cliffs. Part of the park lies above the tree line and this area displays its own kind of natural beauty with bare rock mountains and crevices.
, or the Kashmir Stag
.
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
, Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
. It covers an area of 141 square kilometers. The name of the park literally stands for "ten villages" which could be in memory of the ten villages that were relocated for its formation.
The park has been a protected area since 1910, first under the care of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir and later under the observation of the concerned government authorities. It was initially created to ensure clean drinking water supply for the city of Srinagar. It was finally upgraded and declared a National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in the year 1981.
Topography
Dachigam National park is located among the high mountains of the mighty western HimalayasHimalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. The variation in altitude is vast, ranging from 5500 ft to 14000 ft above mean sea level. Due to this vast variation, the park is very clearly demarcated into an upper and lower region. The terrain ranges from gently sloping grasslands to sharp rocky outcrops and cliffs. Part of the park lies above the tree line and this area displays its own kind of natural beauty with bare rock mountains and crevices.
Flora
The mountainsides below the tree line are heavily wooded. Most of this coniferous forest consists of broad leaf species. Interspersed between these are alpine pastures, meadows, waterfalls and scrub vegetation with deep gullies, locally known as Nars, running down the mountain face. Most of the grasslands and meadows, except in the harsh winters, are covered with brightly coloured flowers. Located high among its interiors is the Marsar lake from which flows the Dagwan river. This river flows all the way down to, and past, the lower region where it runs along the only proper road in the park and is also famous for its fish population, the trout.Fauna
The main animal species that Dachigam is most famous for is the HangulKashmir stag
The Kashmir stag , also called hangul, is a subspecies of Red Deer native to northern Pakistan and India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir where it is the state animal.-Description:...
, or the Kashmir Stag
Kashmir stag
The Kashmir stag , also called hangul, is a subspecies of Red Deer native to northern Pakistan and India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir where it is the state animal.-Description:...
.
- HangulKashmir stagThe Kashmir stag , also called hangul, is a subspecies of Red Deer native to northern Pakistan and India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir where it is the state animal.-Description:...
- Musk DeerMusk deerMusk deer are artiodactyls of the genus Moschus, the only genus of family Moschidae. They are more primitive than the cervids, or true deer, in not having antlers or facial glands, in having only a single pair of teats, and in possessing a gall bladder, a caudal gland, a pair of tusk-like teeth...
- LeopardLeopardThe leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
- Himalayan Gray Langur
- Leopard CatLeopard CatThe leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...
- Himalayan Black Bear
- Himalayan Brown BearHimalayan Brown BearThe Himalayan Brown Bear , also known as the Himalayan Red Bear, Isabelline Bear or Dzu-Teh, is a subspecies of the Brown Bear. The bear is thought to be the source of the legend of the Yeti....
- JackalJackalAlthough the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...
- Hill Fox
- Himalayan Weasel
- Yellow-throated Marten
- Jungle CatJungle CatThe jungle cat is a medium-sized cat and considered the largest remaining species of the wild cat genus Felis. The species is also called the swamp lynx but is not closely related to the lynxes....
- Long-tailed MarmotLong-tailed MarmotThe long-tailed marmot or golden marmot is a species of marmot in the Sciuridae family.It is found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan....
- OtterOtterThe Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
Birds
- Cinnamon SparrowCinnamon SparrowThe Russet Sparrow , also called the Cinnamon or Cinnamon Tree Sparrow, is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. A chunky little seed-eating bird with a thick bill, it has a body length of . Its plumage is mainly warm rufous above and grey below...
- Black BulbulBlack BulbulThe Black Bulbul , also known as the Himalayan Black Bulbul, Asian Black Bulbul or Square-tailed Bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in southern Asia from India east to southern China. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, established by Nicholas...
- Himalayan MonalHimalayan MonalThe Himalayan Monal, Lophophorus impejanus also known as the Impeyan Monal or Impeyan Pheasant or Danphe is a bird of genus Lophophorus of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as the Danfe, and the state bird of Uttarakhand.Traditionally, the...
- Golden OrioleGolden OrioleThe Eurasian Golden Oriole or simply Golden Oriole is the only member of the oriole family of passerine birds breeding in northern hemisphere temperate regions...
- MinivetMinivetThe minivets are passerine birds belonging to the genus Pericrocotus in the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae. There are about 13 species, occurring mainly in forests in southern and eastern Asia. They are fairly small, slender birds with long tails and an erect posture. Many species have bright...
- Pygmy Owlet
- WoodpeckerWoodpeckerWoodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
- BabblerOld World babblerThe Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
- RedstartRedstartRedstarts are a group of small Old World birds. They were formerly classified in the thrush family , but are now known to be part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae...
- WagtailWagtailThe wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. They are small birds with long tails which they wag frequently. Motacilla, the root of the family and genus name, means moving tail...
- Koklass Pheasant
- ChoughChoughThe Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
- Orange BullfinchOrange BullfinchThe Orange Bullfinch is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in India and Pakistan.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ....
- Kashmir FlycatcherKashmir FlycatcherThe Kashmir Flycatcher, Ficedula subrubra, is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. At one time it was considered to be a subspecies of the Red-breasted Flycatcher, Ficedula parva....
- Tytler's Leaf Warbler
- Streaked LaughingthrushStreaked LaughingthrushThe Streaked Laughingthrush is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan....
- Himalayan Rubythroat
- WallcreeperWallcreeperThe Wallcreeper is a small passerine bird found throughout the high mountains of Eurasia. It is the only member of the genus Tichodroma.-Taxonomy and etymology:...
- Black-and-Yellow Grosbeak
- Himalayan Griffon VultureHimalayan Griffon VultureThe Himalayan Vulture or Himalayan Griffon Vulture is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European Griffon Vulture, G. fulvus....
- Bearded Vulture
- Red-billed Blue MagpieRed-billed Blue MagpieThe Red-billed Blue Magpie, Urocissa erythrorhyncha is a species of bird in the crow family Corvidae. It is about the same size as the European Magpie but has a much longer tail, the longest tail of any corvid. It is 65-68 cm long and weighs 196-232 grams .-Description:The head, neck and breast...
- TitmouseTitmouseThe tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa...