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Sunderban National Park :India February 14, 2006

Located in the Ganga delta in West Bengal, spanning the Hooghly inthe west and Teulia river in the east, Sunderbans was declared a National Park in 1984. The park covers a vast stretch of mangrove swamp, lush forested islands and small rivers near the Bay of Bengal. Most of the region comprises estuarine mangrove forests and swamps which supports an ecosystem specially adapted to great salinity.

Towards the south of Calcutta, the rivers Ganga and Hoogly divide itself into many distributaries. The speed of water is reduced and the river deposits its silt just as it is about to merge into the sea. In due course, the accumulated silt takes the shape of islands on the mouth of the rivers. These are the famous Gangetic deltas. They provide an ideal atmosphere and environment for the Sundari trees to grow. Spread over an area of almost 10,000 sq kms (now shared by Bangladesh and India), the Sunderbans are home to many exquisite animals and birds. The Indian Government has declared this 1330 sq kms of area as a national park.

Some believe that the name Sunderbans is derived from ‘Sundri’ - a plant found in the local mangroves - and ‘bans’ meaning forest. Others believe the name means ‘beautiful forest’ (’sunder’ = beautiful, and ‘bans’ = forest). The Sunderbans, extending over an area of 1,000,000 hectares, is the world’s largest delta, formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghana rivers. The region has extensive mangrove forests and the contours are in a constant state of flux, caused by the monsoon flooding each year. Roughly a third of the delta is water, consisting of rivers, channels and tidal creeks up to 5 kilometers wide. The Sunderbans falls both within the India and Bangladesh, the latter having the larger share of the delta. On the Indian side there is a national park overlooking the Bay of Bengal.

The Sloth Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Dhole, Jackal, Yellow Throated Martem, Himalayan Palm Civet, Indian Grey Mongoose, Common Otter, Porcupine, Clack-taped Hare are the other attractions of this area. It is possible to see elephants all over the park too. There are four species of deer residing over here. These are the Chital, the well-known Spotted Deer, Para, Kakka, and the Barking Deer. The Goat Antelopes are represented by the Ghoral.

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