Kaziranga National Park

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Lore & Background

The history of Kaziranga as a protected area began in 1904, when Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston, visited the area. After failing to see an Indian rhinoceros, for which the area was renowned, she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species, which he did by initiating planning for its protection. On 1 June 1905, the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created with an area of 232 km². It was renamed Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950 to rid the name of hunting connotations. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005. The park has experienced several natural and human-made calamities including major floods caused by the overflow of the Brahmaputra. In 2024, six dead rhinos along with hundreds of deer were tallied as drowned by the rising water. A separatist movement in Assam led by the United Liberation Front of Asom has crippled the economy of the region, but Kaziranga has remained unaffected; indeed, instances of rebels from the United Liberation Front of Assam protecting the wildlife and killing poachers have been reported since the 1980s. Although the etymology of the name Kaziranga is not certain, there exist a number of possible explanations. According to one legend, a girl named Rawnga and a youth named Kazi disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again, and the forest was named after them. Kaziranga also could mean the 'Land of red goats (Deer),' as the word Kazi in the Karbi language means 'goat,' and Rangai means 'red.'

Reader's Guide

Kaziranga is one of the largest tracts of protected land in the sub-Himalayan belt, and due to the presence of highly diverse and visible species, has been described as a 'biodiversity hotspot.' The park contains significant breeding populations of 35 mammalian species. It has the distinction of being home to the world's largest population of the Indian rhinoceros (2,401), wild water buffalo (1,666) and eastern swamp deer (468). Significant populations of large herbivores include Indian elephants (1,940) and sambar (58). Kaziranga was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2007. It is one of the few wild breeding areas outside Africa for multiple species of large cats, such as Bengal tigers and Indian leopard. Other felids include the jungle cat, fishing cat and leopard cat. It is also the only place in India and the world where a Golden tiger was spotted in the wild. The landscape consists of exposed sandbars, riverine flood-formed lakes known as beels, and elevated regions known as chapories, which provide retreats and shelter for animals during floods. Four main types of vegetation exist: alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests. The park has been the theme of several books, songs, and documentaries.

Did You Know?

• Kaziranga was created as a Proposed Reserve Forest on 1 June 1905, after Mary Curzon persuaded her husband to protect the dwindling Indian rhinoceros.
• In 2024, six dead rhinos along with hundreds of deer were tallied as drowned by rising floodwaters from the Brahmaputra River.
• Kaziranga is the only place in India and the world where a Golden tiger has been spotted in the wild.
• The park accounts for about 57% of the world population of wild water buffalo.
• Rebels from the United Liberation Front of Assam have been reported protecting wildlife and killing poachers in Kaziranga since the 1980s.