Valmiki National Park is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

and

tiger reserve Project Tiger is a wildlife conservation movement initiated in India to protect the endangered tiger. The project was initiated in 1973 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the Government of India. As of March 2025, there ...

in the

West Champaran District West Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India, located just west of Birgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km2(2,019sq mi). It is a part of Tirhut Division. The district headquart ...

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

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 ...

covering . It is the only

in Bihar.

History

The extensive forest area of Valmikinagar was owned by the

Bettiah Raj The Bettiah Raj was a chieftaincy in the Mughal province of Bihar. The area of the Bettiah Raj was about 2000 sq. miles and it generated an annual land revenue of more than 2 million rupees. Its territory was mainly situated within the sarka ...

and Ramanagar Raj until the early 1950s. It was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1978. Valmiki National Park was established in 1990. Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park is the 17th Tiger Reserve of the country.

Geography

Valmiki National Park is located in

West Champaran district West Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India, located just west of Birgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km2(2,019sq mi). It is a part of Tirhut Division. The district headquart ...

. In the north, it is bordered by Nepal's

Chitwan National Park Chitwan National Park is the first national park of Nepal. It was established in 1973 as the Royal Chitwan National Park and was granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 1984. It covers an area of in the Terai of south-central Nepal. It ra ...

and in the west by

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. Its total forest area comprises about , out of which the Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary is and spread of the National Park is about area. The landscape of Valmiki National Park encompasses foothills of the

Sivalik Hills The Sivalik Hills, also known as Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas. The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva'. The hills are known for their numerous fossils, and are also home to the Soanian Middle Pale ...

with a mosaic of the

cliffs In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are com ...

ridges A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

and gorges,

hills A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as mountains. Hills fall und ...

streams A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long, large stream ...

and

valleys A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ve ...

, dense forests, open woodlands, grasslands, swamps and riverine fringe. Situated in

Gangetic plains The Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the Northern Plain or North Indian River Plain, is a fertile plain spanning across the northern and north-eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. It encompasses northern and eastern India, eastern Pakist ...

bio-geographic zone of the country, the forest has combination of

bhabar Bhabar or Bhabhar is a region south of the Lower Himalayas and the Sivalik Hills in Garhwal and Kumaon, India. The Bhabhar region contains some of the largest cities of Kumaon and Garhwal: Dehradun, Haridwar, Haldwani, Rishikesh, Ramnagar ...

and terai tracts. Boulder and pebble deposits by the Himalayan rivers in foothills characterized the Bhabar tract while the finer sediments deposits feature Terai lands. Older

alluvium Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

with sandy soil with variegated clay and loose boulder deposits and artesian flows;

lateritic Laterite is a soil type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by intensive and prolo ...

formations on higher contours and newer Alluvium on southern parts with reissuing springs akin to artesian flows. Criss-crossing and meandering rivers, streams and rivulets, man-made canals; swamps and grasslands are featured on these lands. River Gandak forms the western boundary of Valmiki wildlife sanctuary. It enters in India at Valmikinagar, where two rivulets Sonha and Pachnad joins it, forming a holy confluence ‘Triveni’. Harha – Masan River system originates from the Valmiki Forests and forms

Burhi Gandak River The Burhi Gandak River is a tributary of the Ganges. It is also known as the Sikrahna river. The Burhi (“Old”) Gandak flows parallel to and east of the Gandak River in an old channel. Course The Burhi Gandak originates from Chautarwa Chaur n ...

further south. River Pandai flows into Bihar from Nepal in the eastern end of the Sanctuary and meets Masan.

Flora

A lake in Darua Bari near Valmiki Tiger Researve

As per Champion and Seth classification, there are seven forest types: * Bhabar – Dun Sal Forest * Dry Siwalik Sal Forest * West Gangetic Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest * Khair – Sissoo Forest * Cane Brakes * Eastern Wet Alluvial Grassland * ''

Barringtonia ''Barringtonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lecythidaceae first described as a genus with this name in 1775. It is native to Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The genus name ...

'' Swamp Forest Due to diverse topographical and edaphic factors, the reserve harbors varied vegetation types. The Botanical Survey of India has categorized seven vegetation types within the limits of the national park: * Moist mixed deciduous * Open – land vegetation * Sub-mountainous semi-evergreen formation * Freshwater swamps * Riparian fringes * Alluvial grasslands and high hill savannah * Wetlands The important tree species are sal ''(

Shorea robusta ''Shorea robusta'', the sal tree, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions. Evolution Fossil evidence from lig ...

)'', karam ''(Adina cardifolia)'', asan ''(

Terminalia tomentosa ''Terminalia elliptica'' (sin. ''Terminalia tormentosa'') is a species of ''Terminalia'' native to southern and southeast Asia in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.Sal and Saaj Deforestation in West Nepal"Te ...

)'', bahera ''(

Terminalia bellirica ''Terminalia bellirica'', known as baheda, bahera, behada, beleric or bastard myrobalan (Arabic: beliledj بليلج, borrowed from Middle Persian Balilag), Persian بلیله (Balileh), Sanskrit: Vibhītaka बिभीतक, Aksha is a large ...

)'', asidh ''(Lagestromia parviflora)'', simal ''(Salmelia malaberica)'' and satsal ''(Dalbergia latifolia)''. In hilly regions, piyar ''(

Buchanania lanzan ''Buchanania lanzan'', commonly known as charoli nut, almondette, Cuddapah almond, calumpong, Hamilton mombin, is a deciduous tree in the family Anacardiaceae. The charoli tree is native to the Indian subcontinent, South Central China, and much ...

)'', mandar ''(

Dillenia aurea ''Dillenia'' is a genus of evergreen or semi-evergreen trees and shrubs in the flowering plant family Dilleniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of southern Asia, Australasia, and the Indian Ocean islands. The genus is named after ...

)'', banjan ''(

Anogeissus latifolia ''Terminalia anogeissiana'' is a species of small to medium-sized trees native to the Indian subcontinent only. Its common names are axlewood (English), ''bakli, baajhi, dhau, dhawa, dhawra, dhawda'', or ''dhaora'' (Hindi). It is one of the mo ...

)'', bhelwa ''(

Semecarpus anacardium ''Semecarpus anacardium'', commonly known as the marking nut tree, Malacca bean tree, marany nut, oriental cashew, dhobi nut tree and varnish tree, is a native of India, found in the outer Himalayas to the Coromandel Coast. It is closely related ...

)'', harra ''(

Terminalia chebula ''Terminalia chebula'', commonly known as black- or chebulic myrobalan, is a species of ''Terminalia'', native to South Asia from Pakistan, India and Nepal east to southwest China (Yunnan), and south to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Vietnam.Flora of ...

)'', bodera ''(Eugenia operculata)'' occur. There is a special attraction of cane brakes in Madanpur Forest block. There is a small isolated patch of chir pine ''(

Pinus roxburghii ''Pinus roxburghii'', commonly known as chir pine or longleaf Indian pine, is a species of pine tree Native plant, native to the Himalayas. It was named after William Roxburgh. Description ''Pinus roxburghii'' is a large tree reaching with a ...

)'' forest in Raghia Forest block at the elevation of . Grasses are represented by munj (''

Tripidium bengalense ''Tripidium bengalense'', synonym ''Saccharum bengalense'', with the common names munj sweetcane, baruwa sugarcane or baruwa grass, is a plant of the genus '' Tripidium'' native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh an ...

'', kans ''(

Saccharum spontaneum ''Saccharum spontaneum'' (wild sugarcane, kans grass) is a grass native throughout much of tropical and subtropical Asia, northern Australia, and eastern and northern Africa. It is a perennial grass, growing up to three meters in height, with s ...

)'', elephant grass ''( Typha elephantina)'', narkat ''(

Phragmites karka ''Phragmites karka'', the tall reed or common reed, is a species of flowering plant in the Poaceae, grass family. It is native to West Africa. Other Names Distribution This species has a widespread distribution that includes West Africa, S ...

)'', '' Vitiveria zizanioides'', ''

Imperata cylindrica ''Imperata cylindrica'' (commonly known as cogongrass or kunai grass ) is a species of Perennial plant, perennial rhizomatous grass native to tropical and subtropical Asia, Micronesia, Melanesia, Australia, Africa, and Southern Europe. It has al ...

'', choranth ''(

Heteropogon contortus ''Heteropogon contortus'' is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia, Oceania, and southwestern North America. The species has also become a naturalised weed ...

)'', sabai ''(

Eulaliopsis binata ''Eulaliopsis binata'', the sabaigrass or Chinese alpine rush, is a perennial plant belonging to the grass family that is grown in many Asian countries like China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. It i ...

)''. Common climbers are mahulan ''( Bauhinia vahlii)'', mahai ''(Butea parviflora)'', panilat ''(Vitis repanda)'', ramdatwan ''(Smilax parviflora)'' and arar ''(Acacia pinnate)''. Medicinal plants include satawar ''(

Asparagus racemosus ''Asparagus racemosus'' (satavar, shatavari, or shatamull, shatawari) is a species of asparagus native from Africa through southern Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, to northern Australia. It grows tall and prefers to take root in gravell ...

)'', safed Musli, dudhkoraiya (''Holarrahena antidysenterica''), amla ''(

Phyllanthus emblica ''Phyllanthus emblica'', also known as emblic, emblic myrobalan, myrobalan, nelikai, Indian gooseberry, Malacca tree, amloki or amla, is a deciduous tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Asia. Descript ...

)'' and piper ''(

Piper longum Long pepper (''Piper longum''), sometimes called Indian long pepper or ''pippali'', is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. Long pepper has a taste simil ...

)''.

Fauna

Mammals

The wildlife in the forest of Valmiki National Park are the

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...

Jhala Jhala (Hindi: झाला, ) is a term in Hindustani classical music which denotes the fast-paced conclusions of classical compositions or raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a mus ...

, Y. V., Qureshi, Q., Sinha, P. R. (Eds.) (2011)
''Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010.''
National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. TR 2011/003 pp-302

Indian rhinoceros The Indian rhinoceros (''Rhinoceros unicornis''), also known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros, great Indian rhinoceros or Indian rhino, is a species of rhinoceros found in the Indian subcontinent. It is the second largest living rhinocer ...

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 ...

Asiatic black bear The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It is distributed from southeast ...

and

sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus''), also known as the Indian bear, 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 ...

Reptiles

The reptiles in Valmiki National Park are pythons,

king cobra The king cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') is a species complex of snakes Endemism, endemic to Asia. With an average of and a record length of , it is the world's longest venomous snake and among the heaviest. Under the genus ''Ophiophagus'', i ...

banded krait The banded krait (''Bungarus fasciatus'') is an extremely venomous species of elapids endemic to Asia, from Indian Subcontinent through Southeast Asia to Southern China. With a maximum length exceeding , it is the longest krait with a distinguis ...

and sand boa.

Gharial The gharial (''Gavialis gangeticus''), also known as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian in the family (biology), family Gavialidae and among the longest of all living crocodilians. Mature females are long, and males . Adult males ...

s occur in River Gandak.

Birds

At present 241

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

species have been reported to be present in Valmiki National Park, including

kalij pheasant The kalij pheasant (''Lophura leucomelanos''), or simply kalij, is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from Nepal, Pakistan to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies ...

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New ...

paradise flycatcher The paradise flycatchers (''Terpsiphone'') are a genus of birds in the family Monarchidae. The genus Range (biology), ranges across Africa and Asia, as well as a number of islands. A few species are bird migration, migratory, but the majority are ...

, grey shrike,

tree pipit The tree pipit (''Anthus trivialis'') is a small passerine bird that breeds throughout most of Europe and the Palearctic as far east as the East Siberian Mountains. It is a long-distance migrant, migrating in winter to Africa and southern Asia. ...

white-eyed warbler The Sierra Leone prinia (''Schistolais leontica''), also known as the white-eyed prinia, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is thickets and forest ...

green barbet The green barbet (''Cryptolybia olivacea'') is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family (African barbets). It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. It occurs in forests from sea level to . Its isolated populations are ...

wader 245px, A flock of Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflats in order to foraging, ...

ibis The ibis () (collective plural ibises; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word f ...

es,

storks Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout Beak, bills. They belong to the family (biology), family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, suc ...

pitta Pittas are a family, Pittidae, of passerine birds found in Asia, Australasia and Africa. There are 44 species of pittas, all similar in general appearance and habits. The pittas are Old World suboscines, and their closest relatives among other ...

plovers Plovers ( , ) are members of a widely distributed group of wading birds of subfamily Charadriinae. The term "plover" applies to all the members of the subfamily, though only about half of them include it in their name. Species list in t ...

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. ''Gallinago'' snipe have a nearly ...

Oriental pied hornbill The oriental pied hornbill (''Anthracoceros albirostris'') is an Indo-Malayan pied hornbill, a large canopy-dwelling bird belonging to the family Bucerotidae. Two other common names for this species are Sunda pied hornbill (''convexus'') and Mala ...

white-eared night heron The white-eared night heron (''Oroanassa magnifica'') is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae. It is found in southern China and northern Vietnam. (In 2018 it was also reported in Valmiki National Park, India) . It is threatened by habitat l ...

emerald dove The emerald dove or common emerald dove (''Chalcophaps indica''), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding Columbidae, pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcon ...

, several

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

spotted owlet The spotted owlet (''Athene brama'') is a small owl which breeds in tropical Asia from North Pakistan to Southeast Asia. A common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation, it has adapted to living in cities. They roost in ...

and

nightjars Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called bugeaters, their primary source of food b ...

. There are five types of

green pigeon ''Treron'' is a genus of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae. It contains 30 species distributed across Asia and Africa, they all are remarkable for their green plumage that lead to their common name green pigeons, which comes from a carotenoid ...

s and common wood pigeon.

Butterflies

The jungle of Valmiki National Park abounds in

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s, caterpillars and butterflies, including the common Mormon, great Mormon, glassy tiger, great eggfly, club beak, grey pansy, lime butterfly and common crow.

References

External links

{{Authority control Tiger reserves of India National parks in Bihar Protected areas of Bihar Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests West Champaran district 1976 establishments in Bihar Protected areas established in 1976