Gorumara National Park (Pron: ˌgɔ:rʊˈmɑ:rə; ''Gorumara Jatio Uddan'') is a

National Park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

in northern

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

, India. Located in the

Dooars The Dooars or Duars ( as, দুৱাৰ, duar, rkt, দুৱাৰ, duar, bn, দুয়ার, duyar) () are the alluvial floodplains in eastern-northeastern India that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and north of the ...

region of the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

n foothills, it is a medium-sized park with

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

s and

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. Gorumara National Park was established in 1992. It is primarily known for its population of

Indian rhinoceros } The Indian rhinoceros (''Rhinoceros unicornis''), also called the Indian rhino, greater one-horned rhinoceros or great Indian rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red Li ...

. The park has been declared as the best among the protected areas in India by the

Ministry of Environment and Forests The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian government ministry. This ministry is headed by Secretary Rank senior most IAS officer. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister ...

for the year 2009.Centre says Gorumara best among the wild
''The Telegraph''. Retrieved 1 January 2022. , the park is open for the tourists after staying closed for months due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

History

Having been a

reserve forest A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

since 1895, ''Gorumara'' was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1949, on account of its breeding population of

. It was granted official status as an Indian National Park on 31 January 1992. Originally the park was as small as 7 km². Since then Gorumara has grown by incorporating neighbouring lands to about 80 km².

Geography

Political geography

The park is located in the

Malbazar subdivision Malbazar subdivision is an administrative division of the Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Subdivisions Jalpaiguri district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions: Administrative units M ...

Jalpaiguri district Jalpaiguri district () is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The district was established in 1869 during British Raj. The headquarters of the district are in the city of Jalpaiguri, which is also the divisional headquarters of No ...

, in the state of

in India.

Physical geography

Gorumara is located in the

Eastern Himalayas ] The Eastern Himalayas extend from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. The climate of this region is influenced by the monsoon of South Asia from June to Septemb ...

' submontane

Terai , image =Terai nepal.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption =Aerial view of Terai plains near Biratnagar, Nepal , map = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , biogeographic_realm = Indomalayan realm , global200 = Terai-Duar savanna a ...

belt. This region has rolling forests and riverine grasslands, and is known as the

. The park is located on the

flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

s of the Murti River and Raidak River. The major river of the park is the

Jaldhaka Jaldhaka (also referred to as Jhalong) is a small town in the Gorubathan CD block in the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of the Kalimpong district in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies on the bank of Jaldhaka River. Geography Locatio ...

river, a tributary of the

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

river system. In this regard, Gorumara is a significant

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

area between the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

and

river systems. The park is very close to

Jaldapara National Park Jaldapara National Park (Pron: ˌʤʌldəˈpɑ:rə) is a national park situated at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in Alipurduar, Alipurduar District of northern West Bengal, India, and on the banks of the Torsa River. Jaldapara is si ...

and

Chapramari Wildlife Reserve Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary (formerly Chapramari Wildlife Reserve, pron: ˌʧʌprəˈmɑ:rɪ or ˌʧæprəˈmɑ:rɪ) is close to the Gorumara National Park. Chapramari is about 30 kilometres from Chalsa and Lataguri in northern West Bengal, ...

. The park is in area.

Climate

The temperature ranges from from November to February, from March to April and from May to October. Rainfall mostly occurs between mid-May to mid-October and average annual rainfall is .

Human history

There is no history of human habitation in the park. The park forest bungalow dates back to the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

era, and contains a well-maintained log book from its inception, which makes for interesting reading. However Gorumara is encircled by many ethnic villages. More than 10,000 resident forest villagers derive their income from sources including employment in forest department activities, ecotourism, etc. Some of the villages are Sarswati, Budhuram, Bichabhanga, Chatua, Kailipur and Murti Forest Village. Baby with Mother Rhino

Wildlife

Biomes

The park falls in the Indomalayan realm. Inside the park, the primary

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

s and their corresponding to the

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

s are: * Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands of the

tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is dominated by grass and/or shrubs located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and t ...

biome *

Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests The Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion of Bangladesh and India. The ecoregion covers an area of , comprising most of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Biha ...

of the

tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discon ...

biome Both of these are typical of the

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

–

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

–India

submontane region.

Flora

Typical flora include: * Sal forests with common

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...

rain tree Rain tree is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Albizia saman'', a tree in the family Fabaceae, native to a range extending from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil *''Brunfelsia'' a genus of shrubs and small trees in the family Sola ...

(Shirish or

Albizia saman ''Samanea saman'', also sometimes known as the rain tree, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, now in the Mimosoid clade and is native to Central and South America. Its range extends from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil ...

lebbeck), and

Bombax ''Bombax'' is a genus of mainly tropical trees in the mallow family. They are native to western Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the subtropical regions of East Asia and northern Australia. It is distinguished from the gen ...

(also known as silk cotton tree or Shimul) *

Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

groves, terai grassland vegetation and tropical riverine reeds Gorumara is home to numerous tropical orchids. Gorumara National Park Panorama

Fauna

The park has recorded fifty species of mammals, 194 species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s, 22 species of reptiles, 7 species of

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

s, 27 species of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

, and other macro and micro fauna.

Mammals

The park is rich in large herbivores including

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...

sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation. ...

chital The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...

, and sambar deer. Small herbivores include

barking deer Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

hog deer ''Axis'' is a genus of deer occurring in South and Southeast Asia. As presently defined by most authorities, four species are placed in the genus. Three of the four species are called hog deer. The genus name is a word mentioned in Pliny the Eld ...

and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

. There is a comparative lack of large carnivores, with the only big cat being the leopard. The park is not home to any resident population of

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...

s, Indian wild dogs, or Indian wolves. Tigers are, however, occasionally spotted here. It does have numerous small carnivores including various civets, mongooses and small cats. The park has a large resident population of

, but the critically endangered

pygmy hog The pygmy hog (''Porcula salvania'') is the rarest species of pig in the world today, and is the only species in the genus ''Porcula''. It is also the smallest species of pig in the world, with its piglets being small enough to fit in one's pock ...

has been reported from the park. It also has numerous rodents, including

giant squirrel Oriental giant squirrels are cat-sized tree squirrels from the genus ''Ratufa'' in the subfamily Ratufinae. They are a distinctive element of the fauna of south and southeast Asia. Species There are four living species of oriental giant squirre ...

s. The rare

hispid hare The hispid hare (''Caprolagus hispidus''), also called Assam rabbit and bristly rabbit, is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, its habitat is highly fragmented with an ...

has also been reported from the park.

Birds

Birds at the Gorumara National Park include submontane forest birds like the scarlet minivet,

sunbird Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly ...

, Asian paradise flycatchers, spangled drongo, and Indian hornbill. Numerous

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...

s and

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...

s inhabit the park.

Peafowl Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are ref ...

s are very common. The park is on the

flyway A flyway is a flight path used by large numbers of birds while migrating between their breeding grounds and their overwintering quarters. Flyways generally span continents and often pass over oceans. Although applying to any species of migrat ...

migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...

including the rare

brahminy duck The ruddy shelduck (''Tadorna ferruginea''), known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a member of the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, in length with a wingspan of . It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the ...

Reptiles and amphibians

The park is home to a large number of snakes, venomous and non-venomous, including the

Indian python The Indian python (''Python molurus'') is a large python species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is also known by the common names black-tailed python, Indian rock python, and Asian r ...

, one of the largest snakes in the world, and the king cobra – the world's largest

venomous snake Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or g ...

Conservation issues

The major conservation focus of the park is to maintain a viable breeding community of

es. However, the lack of large predators has caused significantly worrying skews in the populations of large herbivores in the park. The rhinoceros male:female ratio, usually 1:3, shot up to 1:1 – resulting in male dominance fights and deaths. The

population also doubled in recent years, with risk of

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

Poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

was a major issue in the park in the 1970s and 1980s, but now Gorumara is one of the parks least threatened by poaching, with well-equipped rangers and with villagers benefiting from park visitors. However, grazing from fringe villages, and man-made brush fires are major issues at the park. A recent issue at the park is the increasing number of train accidents involving elephants on railway lines near the park. Three elephants were killed in separate incidents on the same day in May 2006 in train mishaps.

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...

and park authorities are presently trying to address the problem

Park-specific information

Activities

The best way to watch wildlife at the park is to use powerful binoculars, with night vision facilities at night, from the numerous well-located watchtowers at the park. The watchtowers are: *''Jatraprasad Watch Tower'': Named after a legendary elephant *''Rhino Observation Point'': Watch tower in front of the Gorumara forest bungalow *''Chandrachur Watch Tower (Old Khunia Watch Tower)'': Near the Murti forest bungalow *''Chukchuki Bird-watching Point'': Good for birding Rhino Point Watch Tower

There are no ranger-led or otherwise four-wheel drive vehicle or elephant-back forays into the jungle. Hiking is permitted on metalled roads, but is slightly unsafe considering the population of elephants, gaur and rhinoceros present in the park. The park is closed in the

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

season from 16 June to 15 September. The best time to visit Gorumara is from November to March. One can also visit the adjoining forest villages to get acquainted with the lifestyle and culture of the villagers. A live show of the ethnic tribal dance can be seen every evening in Budhuram Forest Village. One can visit the Lataguri Nature Interpretation Centre for an interpretive exhibit of the local natural history.

Lodging

The park forest bungalow is an old wooden rustic cottage which has a watchtower overlooking the salt reservoir. Accommodations are also available in River Wood Forest Retreats, a 4 star resort overlooking the Gorumara national park and Murti River and at Gorumara Elephant Camp at Dhupjhora. One can stay in newly constructed cottages in the Kalipur village at the fringe of Gorumara built by the State Forest Department. There are many private resort at

Lataguri Lataguri is a census town in the Mal CD block in the Malbazar subdivision of the Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Lataguri is located outside the Gorumara National Park on National Highway No. 31. ...

and Ramsai.

Approach

*Nearest airport:

Bagdogra Bagdogra is a settlement in the Naxalbari CD block in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the Greater Siliguri Metropolitan Area. The Bagdogra is well connected by air to six ...

, Darjeeling district, West Bengal about 80 km away *Nearest railhead: broad gauge: New Maynaguri railway station, New Mal Jn & Chalsa, Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal are approx 18 km. from the park. Important railstation:

New Jalpaiguri New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station (station code NJP) established in 1960, is an A1 category broad gauge and narrow-gauge railway station under Katihar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway zone. It is the largest as well as the ...

. *Nearest highway: NH 717 (Old NH-31) between Chalsa and

Mainaguri Mainaguri is a town and a municipality in the Jalpaiguri Sadar subdivision of the Jalpaiguri district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is known as the "Gateway of the Dooars" and is a regionally significant tourist destination for "Jalp ...

passes over

, the entrance to the park. *Nearest town: On the one side

is 8 km from the park's entrance & Ramsai is other part of the National Park. *Nearest city:

(Maynaguri) is 17 km from the park. The city of

Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is loca ...

is 42 km to the south of the park. *Best way to reach:

is connected with any part of India by Rail rought. Tourist can hire a taxi or use the public bus to reach

or Ramsai. Buses starts from

Siliguri Siliguri, ) is a major tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms "Twin Cities" with the neighboring district capital of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. Known as the ' ...

( NJP) every 15 minutes for

. It is 90 minutes journey. There are plenty of buses from Maynaguri to

or Ramsai or tourist can reach New Maynaguri railway station by train ( 13141

Teesta Torsha Express The Teesta Torsha Express is a train in West Bengal, India which is named after two famous rivers River Teesta and River Torsha of North Bengal. One of the oldest trains between Kolkata & North Bengal, it runs between Sealdah (SDAH) & New Ali ...

, 15959

Kamrup Express The ''Kamrup Express'' is a daily Express train which connects Howrah (Kolkata) in West Bengal with Dibrugarh, a major town in upper Assam. Originally the train ran between Howrah and Guwahati (which is the district headquarters of Kamrup di ...

, 12377-05725

Padatik Express The 12377 / 12378 ''Padatik Superfast Express'' is a daily Superfast train which runs between Sealdah in West Bengal and in West Bengal via New Jalpaiguri Junction (Siliguri) in West Bengal. The train covers a distance of . The train belong ...

- link). It is 20 minutes journey to Lataguri or Ramsai from Maynaguri. 13149 Kanchankannya Ex. reaches New Mal Jn every day. Bus or Taxi may be used by travelers to reach lataguri. NJP or

—→

Malbazar Malbazar, also known as Mal, is a town and a municipality in Jalpaiguri district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Malbazar subdivision. It lies about 65 km from Jalpaiguri and 55 km from Siliguri. It li ...

—→

or Ramsai

Other visitor attractions

* Ethnic Forest Village Tourism * Nature Interpretation Centre

Image gallery

File:Bullock cart inside the park.jpg, Bullock cart for tourist File:Tree house inside the park.jpg, Tree house for tourist File:National Highway penetrating the park.jpg, National Highway 717 penetrating the park File:Gorumara Deep Forest Arnab Dutta.JPG, A road inside the park File:Walking way to Medla Watch Tower.jpg, Tourists are walking towards Medla watch tower File:Parasitic plant in Garumara.jpg, Parasitic plant File:Road Way for tourist.jpg, Road Way for tourist in Gorumara National Park File:Group of Rhinos.jpg, Group of Rhinos File:Sunrise from Garumara National Park.jpg, Sunrise from Garumara National Park

References

Ministry of Forests and Environment Protected Areas website
* Gorumara National Park Brochure, (2005) published by Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife Division-II, Jalpaiguri Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal.
Says wild elephants of Gorumara are worshiped as Mahakala by some of the locals
{failed verification, date=October 2020 Tourist attractions in Jalpaiguri district National parks in West Bengal Protected areas established in 1949 1949 establishments in West Bengal