Description of the attraction
In the northern part of the suburb of Mumbai is the wonderful Sanjay Gandhi National Park, formerly before India's independence, known as Krishnagiri. In 1974 it received the name Borivali, and in 1981 it was renamed in honor of the deceased son of Indira Gandhi Sanjay.
The park is located on the hills surrounding the city. In its center are the famous Kanheri Caves - a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, created in the 1st century. Also in the park there are two beautiful lakes: Vihar and Tulsi.
The park is a lush forest that is home to a wide variety of plants, with a total of about 1000 species. The area becomes especially picturesque during the flowering of karvia - a beautiful plant that blooms once every 8-10 years. The last time this happened was in 2008, and the next flowering period is expected only in 2016.
Among this lush vegetation, several species of deer can be found, including axis and muntjacs, rhesus monkeys, porcupines, musangs, dark-necked (Indian) hares, sambars, leopards, hyenas, four-horned antelopes, Indian deer, crocodiles and monitor lizards. When visiting the reserve, you must be extremely careful, as on its territory there are a large number of snakes, including poisonous ones, such as the bamboo keffiyeh, which lives only in India, the chained viper and the Ceylon boyga.
Previously, Bengal tigers also lived in the park, but, unfortunately, at the moment there is no official confirmation of this fact, although their tracks are sometimes found. But the management of the reserve is deliberately changing this situation and getting the status of a habitat for these endangered animals for the park.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park is one of the most popular nature reserves in Asia. Most tourists are attracted by the opportunity to participate in the famous lion safari and observe these animals from a fairly close distance. In general, the park is visited by about 2 million tourists per year.
