Balpakram is located in South Garo Hills district in

Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Balpakram is famous for its forest covered canyon-cum-gorge, which is now part of a National Park. The park also includes the Balpakram plateau and adjacent forests.Choudhury, A.U. (2009). Balpakram –Meghalaya’s heritage IBA. ''Mistnet'' 10 (4): 11-13. The area lies in the southern part of Meghalaya. Garos, the local tribe inhabiting the region, believe this hill to be the sort of resting place for departed souls. This belief is due to many strange yet natural formations, physical and biological, found in the area. The place is also known for rare flora and fauna species and marine fossils. Balpakram is a hotspot of biodiversity in Meghalaya. Balpakram has a remnant population of the endangered

wild water buffalo The wild water buffalo (''Bubalus arnee''), also called Asian buffalo, Asiatic buffalo and wild buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as ''Endangered'' in the IUCN Red List since 198 ...

''Bubalus arnee''. An interesting feature of the area is its small population of the

red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...

that has generated curiosity across the world. Balpakram is an important habitat of the

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...

. The park has the last remaining herds of the gaur or Indian bison in Meghalaya. Elsewhere in the state only stray animals are found. There are eight species of cats, ranging from tiger to

marbled cat The marbled cat (''Pardofelis marmorata'') is a small Felidae, wild cat native from the eastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia, where it inhabits forests up to an elevation of . As it is present in a large range, it has been listed as Near Threatene ...

. Balpakram has a diverse primate population having seven species. The rare

stump-tailed macaque The stump-tailed macaque (''Macaca arctoides''), also called the bear macaque, is a species of macaque native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. In India, it occurs south of the Brahmaputra River, in the northeastern part of the country. Its range ...

is rarely seen but the pig-tailed macaque is often encountered.

Hoolock The hoolock gibbons are three primate species of genus ''Hoolock'' in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae, native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Southwest China. Description Hoolocks are the second-largest of the gibbons, after ...

s are well distributed all over the park except the grassy plateau. Balpakram is also an Important Bird Area.Islam, Z. & rahmani, A. (2004). IBAs in India. BNHS & BirdLife Int., Mumbai & Cambridge It is an important tourist destination and is accessible from Guwahati via Tura and Baghmara as well as via Shillong and Ranikor. Besides the untouched forest in the gorge and the picturesque plateau, the panoramic view of Tanguar Haor, a Ramsar Site in northern Bangladesh are noteworthy features of Balpakram.

References

{{coord missing, Meghalaya Geography of Meghalaya Important Bird Areas of India