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Orang National Park

The Orang National Park is a beautiful place, located in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of the state of Assam. The park is situated on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River, Assam. The Orang National Park is also known as Mini Kaziranga National Park and Rajiv Gandhi National Park.

In 1915, Orang was declared a Game reserve. Orang Game reserve was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1985. In 1992, the park was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary but this action had to be reversed due to public pressure against the renaming

The Sanctuary was declared as a National Park in 1999. Total area of the park is about 78.81 Km2. This place is situated amidst dense forests with tall trees and high grasslands and is the perfect place to stay in, for those who is looking for rejuvenation from the hustle and bustle of the city life. The Orang National park is the home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Orang National Park is a swampy, wooded area; it was inhabited by Orang people, who probably deserted it upon being by disease. There are 26 man-made ponds here, sub staining the belief that this region was once home to a particular community.

The park has a rich flora and fauna, including great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros, Leopard, Elephant, Sambar, Barking Deer, Tiger, varieties of water birds, Green Pigeon, Florican, Teal , Goose, etc.. It is an important breeding ground for varieties of Fishes. The park is also famous for its migratory birds like milky white pelicans. The river is also home to the rare Ganges Dolphin. The avifauna population is also quite rick with reported sighting of more than 220 species. There are migratory birds, water birds, predators, scavengers and game birds in the park.

Up to 1900, the park was inhabited by the local tribes. On account of an epidemic disease, the tribal population abandoned the area.
In 1915, Orang was declared a Game reserve (Notice No. 2276/R dated May 31, 1915). The game reserve came under the control of the wild life wing of the State Forest Department to meet the requirements of the Project Tiger.

This place is situated amidst dense forests with tall trees and high grasslands. Total area of the park is about 78.81 Km2. It lies on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River Assam. The whole park is encircled by inhabited villages thus subjecting it to biotic pressure. It has fox holes built by the villagers on its west.

Belsiri River and Dhansiri River border the park and join the Brahmaputra River. During the monsoon season, the park becomes a veritable flood plain with the many streams overlapping each other. These flood plains constitute 12 wetlands in the park, apart from the 26 man-made ponds, sub staining the belief that this region was once home to a particular community.

The total area of the park has been categorized into, Eastern Himalayan Moist Deciduous Forest, Eastern Seasonal Swamp Forest, Eastern Wet Alluvial Grassland, Savannah Grasslands, Degraded Grassland, Water body, Moist Sandy area and Dry Sandy area.

The elevation in the park varies from 45 metres to 70 metres. It is bounded on its south and east by islands and spill channels of the river. But the flat alluvial land is seen distinctly as two terraces, the lower terrace is of recent origin on the bank of the Brahmaputra River and the other is the upper terrace to the north, separated by a high bank running through the park

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