The farthest part of India in the northeast is named after
the rising sun. Rightly so, because it is here every morning
that the first rays of sunlight strike the Indian subcontinent
heralding a new dawn of activity and expectations. This
is the state of Arunachal Pradesh endowed with natural and
cultural attributes, which make it verily a fantasyland.
Here, forests and wilderness predominate in exuberance,
extent, density and diversity, which is indeed rare and
unique.
While the whole setting is fabulous, one area stands out
far above the rest on account of its natural beauty and
supreme wilderness. This is the area at the extreme end
of Changland district In Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar
(Burma) on two sides and watered by the Noa-Dehing and Namdapha
Rivers.
Himalayan Background
Another unique feature of Namdapha is its location at
the junction of the Indian subcontinent's bio-geographic
region and the Indo-China bio-geographic region. The whole
area is part of the eastern Himalayas, which were formed,
in the tertiary age across the gateway linking the Indian
landmass with the pale Artic and the Indo Malayan realms.
It was through this gateway, prior to the formation of
the mighty Himalayas that several faunal elements from both
the aforesaid realms gained entry into the Indian subcontinent
in the remote past which has undoubtedly added to India's
spectacular biological diversity. Besides, its location
at the farthest end of the country where it forms the national
border with Myanmar on two sides, gives a certain strategic
significance, which is on going and will always remain so.
Fauna
The faunal assemblage in Namdapha is equally staggering.
Of a total of 135 kind of land mammals found in India, as
many as 75 kinds are represented in Namdapha which no other
reserve in the country can match. An admixture of several
Indo-Chinese and some Palearctic elements is clearly evident.
Perhaps the richest assemblage is in the order carnivora
with 22 kinds identified in Namdapha and it is surely the
only protected area in the world having four big Cats- Tiger,
Leopard, Snow Leopard and Clouded Leopard.
In herbivores also, the variety is amazing considering
that apart from several Deer species, Namdapha is home to
the bison as much as to the Himalayan Tahr and the Bharal.
Besides, it has all the three Goat Antelopes found in India
- Goral, Serow and Takin.
Primates
Amongst primates, it is the habitat of the rare and endangered
Hoolock Gibbon, the only Ape species found in India. The
different species of flying squirrels include one that is
endemic which has been named as the Namdapha Flying Squirrel.
Avifauna
The bird life in Namdapha is easily the most dazzling
with numerous beautiful species of Avifauna. Some notable
ones are the great Indian Hornbill - Arunachal's state bird
- the rare white winged wood duck, several colourful Pheasants
and other species.
This is Nature and wilderness in its pure, pristine form,
which must be safeguarded for posterity under any circumstances.
The plain truth is that there is no other Namdapha and no
human ingenuity can possibly remake even an iota of it if
any part is lost or destroyed.
How to Get There
A major factor contributing to the wilderness of Namdapha
is its remoteness and inaccessibility.
Air:
The nearest point of entry via air is the airport
at Dibrugarh , Assam .
Rail:
The rail station is situated at Tinsukia in Assam.
Road:
From Tinusukia or Dibugarh, the journey to Miao, headquarters
of the National Park and the Tiger Reserve, has to be done
by road, over a distance of 150-km. Then, a forest road
stretching over around 28-km gives access to the protected
area up to a place called Deban, which has a lovely forest
rest house and some other accommodation for the field staff.
Beyond this area there is no road as such and all movement
inside the reserve has to be on foot through dense forest
and steep hill ranges with streams and rivers flowing in
between.
