WILD LIFE PARKS & SANCTUARIES IN HIMACHAL PARDESH

WILD LIFE PARKS &  SANCTUARIES

two national parks and 32 wild life sancturies are located in the diverse picturesque terrain of the pradesh. marvelous trekking routes with camping facilities in the wild attract the adventurers.

THE GREAT HIMALYAN NATIONAL PARK.

Located in the picturesque valley of kullu is spread over an area of 620sq.kms, musk deer ,choral, thar, bhoral, serow, brown bear, leopard and snow leopard inhabit these coniferous forests having alpine pastures and glaciers.

A trek through the park to raktesar, the origin of the sainj river and finally a halt at the end is an event to remember.

PIN VALLEY NATIONAL PARK .

Cold desert of spiti is the high altitude location of this national park forming the habitat of big herds of bhoral and exclusive snow leopard. only the physically tough can make it to the top.

MANALI SANCTUARY .

 Starting on a bridle path from manali log huts one can wander past the dhoongri temple to enter this heaven of dense deodar, kail, chestnuts, walnuts and maple forest to meet musk deer, monal and brown bear. camping overnight at hambadug or galiani thatch can be unforgettable delightful experience.

SIMBALBARA SANCTUARY ;.

Poanta valley of sirmour district is adorned by this easily accessible sanctuary. it lies studded in the dense forest having grassy glades and a perennial stream lying  nested in this greenery is a small rest house.  ghoral, sambhar and chital can be seen majestically moving about. best season for visiting the place is winter months.

CHAIL SANCTUARY .

 The popular hill resort chail situated at a height of 7,000.ft is breathtakingly adorned by deodar and oak forests  which form a part of the sanctuary  here. sambhar, ghoral and cheer pheasants are its inhabitants. barking deer and khalij pheasants can often be spotted at dusk and dawn.

KALATOPE KHAJIAR SANCTUARY .

 Trekking on well laid out forest trails from dalhousie one lands up in the scenic meadows of khajiar surrounded by thick forests.  this sanctuary has pheasants and serow.

KANAWAR SANCTUARY .

Parvati valley of kullu district is the habitat of himalayan thar high mountain precipices here are the dwelling areas of the big goat. comfortable stay at kasol rest house after a trek in deodar and fir forests can be very refreshing.

MAHARANA PARTAP SAGAR ( PONG DAM LAKE ) . 

The pong dam and the surrounding shallow waters of the lake provide a heavenly habitat to the migratory birds from siberian region innumerable ducks can be seen in these  swamps ,black buck, cheetal, cranes,pintails and othe r varieties of water birds are found in abundance.

DARANGHATI SANCTUARY 

Upper reaches of shimla district have an undisturbed forest area with abundant wild life, monal, trogopan,khalij pheasants, musk deer. ghoral and thar are the inhabitants of this sanctuary. the forest staff posted at dofda & sarahan can be approached for a guided tour of the area. the sanctuary has network of bridle paths to wander in.

KAIS SANCTUARY .

Spread over a splendid area of 12.61 sq.mts . this  sanctuary attracts the tourists for a brush with black bear, brown bear, pheasants, monal, koklas, tragopan and snow leopard.

                                    MUSEUMS

BHURI SINGH MUSEUM ( CHAMBA).

The museum named after one of the local rajas, raja bhuri singh was opened in 1908. the place has a rich collection of chamba paintings, bronze items, local jewellery,collection of  age old coins, arms, armour in addition to locally made artifacts . embroidered textile of chamba displayed here has no parallel.

KONGRA ART GALLERY (DHARAMSHALA,DISTT. KANGRA ).

The art gallery is housed in a newly constructed building near the old bus stand in kotwali bazar. inaugurated in 1990 the place can boast of a rare collection of kangra paintings of different artists of all ages in addition to sculptures, ancient pottery, tapestries and wooden carvings. the work of photographers, painters and sculptors adorn one  section of the  gallery.

ROERICH GALLERY  ( NAGGAR DISTT. KULLU).

Nicholas roerich known as ' russians artist with indian soul ' married to erstwhile cine star of india devika rani settled in this scenic hill top after the revolution of 1917. he cherished a dream of building bridges among people through the works of art. the gallery at naggar exclusively houses his canvases on which he has captured the varied moods of nature with rare combination of colours and his brush. the memory of these paintings has a  rare charm of lingering in the mind.

SOBHA SINGH GALLERY (ANDRETTA ,DISTT. KANGRA )

Partition of india brought this genius painter to the blessed valley of kangra. he spent the rest of his life in homely, functional studio in the cosy hamlet of andretta, portraits of sikh guru which appear to be absolutely articulate. sohni mahiwal, heer ranjha etc. adorn the walls of millions  of  houses all over the world in the form of reprints.

STATE MUSEUM ( SHIMLA)

A charming colonial structure named ' jirverman' above chaura maidan in shimla houses the state museum. richness of the himalayan heritage can be seen in the galleries displaying  pahari paintings, antique stone sculptures, arms & armour, assorted bronze pieces, dolls representing different areas & anthropological items.