The state of Odisha is located in the eastern part of India. The geographical terrain of this state is characterized by mountain ranges, valleys, plateaus, rolling uplands, rivers, lakes, beaches and plains. These, along with temples based on Indo Aryan Nagara style of architecture, Buddhist and Jain pilgrimage centers, hill station, etc have not only beautified this state, but also draw a number of tourists. Odisha also has National Parks. These national parks are described below.
Simlipal National Park
Simlipal National Park is located at the center of Mayurbhanj district in the north-eastern part of Odisha.
This park was designated as a tiger reserve in 1973 and a sanctuary in 1979. It has a protected area of about 845.70 square kilometers and total area of about 2750 square kilometers. This park is adorned with hills, thick wooden slopes, ridges, luxuriant grassland and waterfalls. This park serves as a home to a wide array of plants, out of which 82 species are of orchids. It also houses medicinal and aromatic plants. This park provides suitable habitat to species like leopard, gaur, elephant, langur, barking and spotted deer, porcupine and turtle. Some of the birds traced here are grey hornbill, Indian pied hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill and Indian trogon. Reptiles are also part of this park.
Bhitarkanika National Park
Bhitarkanika National Park is situated in the Kendrapara district of Odisha. This park was initiated in September 1998 and is spread over an area of about 145 square kilometers. A noteworthy aspect of the park is a mangrove swamp that lies at a fertile delta made by the Brahmani, Baitarni and Dhamara rivers. This mangrove forest occupies about 672 square kilometers. It houses over 215 species of birds including winter migrants from central-Asia and Europe. Some of the other inmates of the park are wild pigs, rhesus monkeys, spotted deer, sambar, wild boar, fishing cat and a variety of residents and migratory birds.
Nandankanan National Park
Nandankanan National Park is located about 20 kilometers from Bhubaneshwar. The park was established in 1960. The park has a total area of about 4.37 square kilometers and protected area of about 3.62 square kilometers. It serves as a home to about 67 varieties of mammals, 18 varieties of reptiles and 81 species of birds. A noteworthy aspect of the park is a salt water lake termed as `Kangia`. It occupies about 50 hectares. Enhancing the tourism aspect of the park are facilities like boating, lion safaris, a nocturnal animal house, reptile park, aerial ropeway and cable car.
