Gangotri National Park – Erakina

The national park is a lovely area, surrounded by thick coniferous forests, magnificent meadows, and stunning glaciers. Its vegetation and animals are abundant due to its unusual geographic location. A day spent among the national park’s vivid wildlife will transport you to a state of tranquillity and peace far removed from the stresses of everyday life. 

Gangotri National Park 

Gangotri National Park is a national park in Uttarakhand, India, that covers around 2,390 kilometer square. Its habitat includes coniferous forests, alpine meadows, and glaciers. Gaumukh is located in Gangotri Glacier, which is the Ganga River’s source. The river Ganga’s rushing pearl-like water paving its way from its glacial beginning creates a stunning scene that will leave you speechless. In 1989, the Gangotri National Park was formed.

One of the most interesting features of this park is that it has the Ganga’s source. The park is named after Gangotri, a massive glacier that melts in large amounts to feed water to India’s most sacred river. 

Flora

At lower levels, the park contains Western Himalayan Subalpine Conifer forests, while at higher heights, it contains Western Himalayan alpine shrubs and meadows. The vegetation includes chir pine deodar, fir, spruce, oak, and rhododendrons make up the vegetation.

Fauna

The snow leopard can be found in Gangotri National Park. So far, the park has been home to 15 mammal species and 150 bird species, including Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus), brown bears (Ursus arctos), musk deer (Moschus Chrysogaster), blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), Himalayan tahrs (Hemitragus jemlahicus), Himalayan monals (Lophophorus impejanus), Koklass (Pucrasia macrolopha), Himalayan snowcock (Tetraogallus himalayensis), pheasants, partridges, doves, and pigeons.

Tourism 

The months of April through October are the busiest for visitors to the national park. Dehradun is the railway and airport hub. The national park is 210 kilometres from the nearest railway station and 220 kilometres from the nearest airport. The next town is Harsil (30 kilometres). 

Geography 

Gangotri National Park is located in the upper basin of the Bhagirathi River in the Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand state, India (Long. 78°45′ to 79°02′ East and Lat. 30°50′ to 31°12′ North). The international border with China runs along the northern park boundary. It is part of the Biogeographical Zone 2A West Himalaya and spans 2,390 kilometers square, including a significant stretch of snow-capped mountains and glaciers. The Gaumukh Glacier, which is the source of the Ganges, is located within the park. The Gangotri, after which the park is named, is one of Hinduism’s holiest sanctuaries. Between Govind National Park and Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, the parking area provides a viable continuity. The area is characterised by high peaks, deep gorges, precipitous cliffs, jagged glaciers, and narrow valleys. The elevation gradients range from 1,800 to 7,083 metres, which represents the varied biomes, which range from subtropical communities to alpine meadows.

Ecology

The physical and biological characteristics of Gangotri National Park are typical of high-altitude ecosystems, with significant influence from Trans Himalayan components. Alpine scrub dominates the environment, while kharsu oak and betula forests can be found in places at lower and higher elevations, respectively. The mountain walls are steeper and distinctly broken up by landslides over the entire way from Gangotri to Gaumukh. These landslides appear to have isolated forest sections, including alpine vegetation, irreparably. The impact of these natural phenomena on the forest and its dependent creatures must be documented to determine the park’s long-term wildlife value. Although dry, the ground vegetation in this area suggests a significant level of ground biomass, with documented ground vegetative cover ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent (average = 25 percent).