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Valmiki National Park




Place:- Valmiki Nagar, West Champaran district, Bihar
Best season - The best time to visit Valmikinagar is between October and June. A number of rest houses manned by the Irrigation Department are usually available.
Nearest Town - Bettiah ( 80km)
Main attraction:- Tiger, One horned rhinoceros
To Reach : Valmikinagar can be reached via Bettiah, with Patna as the nearest airport (105km).
Where to Stay :- Irrigation department maintains rest houses which are affordable and value for money within the reserve. You can find budget and mid-range hotels near Gandhi Nagar and on National Highway 64.

Valmiki National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the West Champaran district of Bihar state.Valmiki Sanctuary was established as the 18th tiger reserve in 1990 and ranks fourth in the density of tiger population. The park is bounded by the Royal Chitwan National Park of Nepal in the north and the river Gandak on the western side with the Himalayan Mountains as a backdrop. Adjacent to the sanctuary, in the forests in Chitwan National Park of Nepal, is the historic Valmiki Ashram. 
 
 
Valmiki Ashram near Valmiki Nagar holds great religious importance for Hindus. According to popular belief, it was the ashram of sage Valmiki and wrote the Ramayana here. Various temples, which are located in the periphery of 3 - 4 kms around the Valmiki Ashram, are the Jatashankar Temple, Nardevi Temple and Kaleshwar Temple, surrounded by green forest in the backdrop of the Himalayan Mountains. Triveni Temple is located across the Gandak barrage in the Nepal territory at a motorable distance of 2-3 kms from Gandak barrage.
 
 
Valmiki Ashram is located at a distance of about 7 kms from Valmikinagar, the Gandak barrage, in the deep forest of Chitwan National Park in Nepal. Rishi Valmiki had written the great epic, “Ramayana”, here. Various points of interest around the ashram are: Birthplace of Luv & Kush (the two sons of Lord Ram and his divine wife- Sita); Sita’s ‘Falahar’ eating place; Meditation place of the great Sage-Valmiki; the place where the Ashwamedh horse was tied; Amrit Kuan; Vishnu Chakra; Gagristhan and the Hawan Kund.

Close to Valmikinagar is Triveni, which is a holy place for Hindus. The name is derived from the fact that three river, namely – Naraini, Sohna and Pachnad- merge here, to form Gandak, soon after they emerge from the hills. Triveni is also believed to be the site at which the fight commenced between the Lords of Forest and Water (Gaj and Grah or the Elephant and the Crocodile).

While roaming in the national park, visitors will come across enormous collection of flora and fauna which draws the attention of many people. The forest here is dense and moist and a large amount of the park is covered with tall green trees. There are several trees here, but among them the most common that visitors can find are the wet grasslands, reed beds, cane, and Sal.

There are two rivers that flow through the park – Gandak and Masan River. The Gandak River with the Himalayan range in the distance offers a great view and is a haven for photographers. There is a healthy diversity of animals along with tigers in the tiger reserve like leopards, fishing cats, deers, black bucks and rhesus monkeys.

Apart from the beautiful nature and unusual bird species, the Valmiki National Park is popular for wild animals that are an icon of Bihar wildlife. The park consists of moist Sal bearing forests, dry Sal bearing forests, moist mixed deciduous forests without Sal, cane and tropical seasonal swamp forests containing reed beds and wet grasslands. The species found in the park include tiger, sloth bear, wolf, various species of deer, serow, leopard, python, peafowl, chitals, sambars, nilgais, leopards, hyenas, Indian civets, Jungle cats, Hog deer, wild dogs etc. One horned rhinoceros and Indian bison often migrate from Chitwan to Valmikinagar. There are 8 villages in the buffer area but no habitation in the core area.

Archaeologically rich places in and around Valmikinagar are Lauriya Nandan Garh and Someshwar Fort. There is a lion pillar of Ashoka at Lauriya Nandan Garh, which is a single block of polished sand stone. The pillar is 32’- 9.5” in height with a diameter of 35.5” at the base and 26.2” at the top. This pillar is over 2000 year old and in excellent condition.

Nandan Garh is a huge mound composed of bricks and is about 80 feet high. According to the authoritative source, it is an Ashoka Stupa, in which ashes of Lord Buddha’s funeral pyre are enshrined. Someshwar Fort is situated in Narkatiyaganj sub-division, near Nepal border, on top of Someshwar Hill at 2884 ft. above M.S.L. It is in a ruined state but its remains are well defined.
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Item Reviewed: Valmiki National Park Rating: 5 Reviewed By: Ashish Shukla