The World’s Only Floating National Park-Keibul Lamjao National Park
Manipur is a land of secrets and the Keibul Lamjao National Park is just one of them. It is the “World’s Only Floating National Park.” It is just as true as it sounds. It is a national park that floats on the Loktak Lake!
When we visited Manipur, we knew that Loktak Lake was a must-see destination in the state. It is north-east India’s largest lake. We had seen so many images of the lake’s floating phumdis and read about its uniqueness, that it was the biggest attraction of Manipur for us. However, little did we know that there is another secret destination at the southern end of the park that is as fascinating as the lake. It is the Keibul Lamjao National Park.
Surrounded by hills and fishing villages, the Loktak Lake is located about two hours away from Imphal, the capital of Manipur. The lake is known for its phumdis which are floating islands composed of soil and organic matter in various stages of decomposition. Phumdis vary in size and shape and some are stable enough for the construction of small huts on them. These phumdis float on the surface of the Loktak Lake and when viewed from above, appears like rings of vegetation in the blue waters of the lake.
On the southern end of Loktak Lake, these phumdis have accumulated over centuries to create a large grassy marshland of around 40 square km. The grassland is home to a large number of aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial species including the Sangai, a subspecies of the Eld’s deer or brow-antlered deer, an endangered species. The Sangai is the state animal of Manipur. It is found only in this marshy grassland of Loktak Lake. It was almost declared extinct in 1951 before it was rediscovered in 1953.
Recognising the importance of protecting the Sangai’s natural habitat, the government of Manipur declared its homeland as a sanctuary in 1955 which was upgraded to a national park after 22 years. The park was named Keibul Lamjao or the “vast land of the tiger”. Despite the name, no tigers roam the park!
Today, the national park can be easily visited. You need to obtain your permits at the gate of the park and can carry your own vehicle inside the park. We visited the Keibul Lamjao in February. The weather was quite pleasant at that time. We booked a tour from Hotel Imphal to the national park. Once we entered the gates of the park, a guide of the park got into our vehicle and guided us through a low-hilly terrain to the top of a hillock. There, we parked our vehicle and were guided to a watchtower from where we could see the vast expanse of the grassy marshland of the Keibul Lamjao National Park that has an area of 40 square kilometers.
As our eyes scoured the dense grassy vegetation of the park trying to spot its most prized inhabitant, our guide suddenly burst out in excitement. He pointed his fingers to where he could see the rare and elusive Sangai deer. The animals were so perfectly camouflaged in the vegetation that it took us some time to adjust our eyes to spot not one or two, but three Sangai deer, busy munching the soft grasses of the park. The Sangai, as our guide explained to us, is perfectly adapted to walk on the marshland created by the accumulated phumdis. It requires a phumdi of at least 75 cm thickness to support its weight.
When the guide offered us to take a boat ride through the floating national park, we could not contain our excitement. We climbed down the hillock to where the boats awaited us at the mouth of a narrow canal cutting through the phumdi vegetation. Our guide used a long bamboo pole to manoeuvre the narrow waterway. As we moved on, we observed the phumdi vegetation from up close. We were even provided the opportunity of stepping out of the boat onto the marshland at a place where our guide found it safe to land. It was a unique feeling indeed! The muddy ground below our feet felt a bit wobbly and we could feel the water pressure below.
As we moved on, our guide explained about the need to save the Sangai. He told us how the natural habitat of the Sangai was in danger due to the flooding of the Loktak Lake because of the construction of Icthai Barrage downstream of the lake. The Forest Department of the Manipur Government worked hard to find a solution to the problem. They used bamboo shafts to pin the phumdis to the ground so that they did not move away and disintegrate due to increased water-levels in Loktak Lake. Their labor bore fruit and the habitat of the Sangai is now safe once more, at least for the time being.
The Sangai Festival is held every year in November which is one of the best times to visit Manipur and its floating national park. The festival is held to attract tourists to the state and exhibit its natural beauty and rich, cultural heritage on a global platform.
After our boat ride through the national park and learning about its unique story, we felt very happy that we had decided to visit this park. It is unlike any other national park in the world. Its habitat and inhabitants are all unique. It is truly one of the treasures that the world must conserve. For visitors looking for a new experience and an offbeat destination and also for those who love nature’s myriad forms, a visit to the Keibul Lamjao is a “bucket list must”!
To learn more about tourist destinations in Manipur, please visit:
1. Manipur tour-part 1-Kangla Palace
https://oishimaya.blogspot.com/2019/02/manipur-tour-part-1-visit-to-historic.html
2. Manipur tour-part 2-Shree Govindajee Temple
https://oishimaya.blogspot.com/2019/02/manipur-tour-part-2-visit-to-shree.html
https://oishimaya.blogspot.com/2019/02/manipur-tour-part-3-visit-to-sadu-chiru.html
Manipur is a land of secrets and the Keibul Lamjao National Park is just one of them. It is the “World’s Only Floating National Park.” It is just as true as it sounds. It is a national park that floats on the Loktak Lake!
When we visited Manipur, we knew that Loktak Lake was a must-see destination in the state. It is north-east India’s largest lake. We had seen so many images of the lake’s floating phumdis and read about its uniqueness, that it was the biggest attraction of Manipur for us. However, little did we know that there is another secret destination at the southern end of the park that is as fascinating as the lake. It is the Keibul Lamjao National Park.
Surrounded by hills and fishing villages, the Loktak Lake is located about two hours away from Imphal, the capital of Manipur. The lake is known for its phumdis which are floating islands composed of soil and organic matter in various stages of decomposition. Phumdis vary in size and shape and some are stable enough for the construction of small huts on them. These phumdis float on the surface of the Loktak Lake and when viewed from above, appears like rings of vegetation in the blue waters of the lake.
On the southern end of Loktak Lake, these phumdis have accumulated over centuries to create a large grassy marshland of around 40 square km. The grassland is home to a large number of aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial species including the Sangai, a subspecies of the Eld’s deer or brow-antlered deer, an endangered species. The Sangai is the state animal of Manipur. It is found only in this marshy grassland of Loktak Lake. It was almost declared extinct in 1951 before it was rediscovered in 1953.
Recognising the importance of protecting the Sangai’s natural habitat, the government of Manipur declared its homeland as a sanctuary in 1955 which was upgraded to a national park after 22 years. The park was named Keibul Lamjao or the “vast land of the tiger”. Despite the name, no tigers roam the park!
Today, the national park can be easily visited. You need to obtain your permits at the gate of the park and can carry your own vehicle inside the park. We visited the Keibul Lamjao in February. The weather was quite pleasant at that time. We booked a tour from Hotel Imphal to the national park. Once we entered the gates of the park, a guide of the park got into our vehicle and guided us through a low-hilly terrain to the top of a hillock. There, we parked our vehicle and were guided to a watchtower from where we could see the vast expanse of the grassy marshland of the Keibul Lamjao National Park that has an area of 40 square kilometers.
As our eyes scoured the dense grassy vegetation of the park trying to spot its most prized inhabitant, our guide suddenly burst out in excitement. He pointed his fingers to where he could see the rare and elusive Sangai deer. The animals were so perfectly camouflaged in the vegetation that it took us some time to adjust our eyes to spot not one or two, but three Sangai deer, busy munching the soft grasses of the park. The Sangai, as our guide explained to us, is perfectly adapted to walk on the marshland created by the accumulated phumdis. It requires a phumdi of at least 75 cm thickness to support its weight.
When the guide offered us to take a boat ride through the floating national park, we could not contain our excitement. We climbed down the hillock to where the boats awaited us at the mouth of a narrow canal cutting through the phumdi vegetation. Our guide used a long bamboo pole to manoeuvre the narrow waterway. As we moved on, we observed the phumdi vegetation from up close. We were even provided the opportunity of stepping out of the boat onto the marshland at a place where our guide found it safe to land. It was a unique feeling indeed! The muddy ground below our feet felt a bit wobbly and we could feel the water pressure below.
As we moved on, our guide explained about the need to save the Sangai. He told us how the natural habitat of the Sangai was in danger due to the flooding of the Loktak Lake because of the construction of Icthai Barrage downstream of the lake. The Forest Department of the Manipur Government worked hard to find a solution to the problem. They used bamboo shafts to pin the phumdis to the ground so that they did not move away and disintegrate due to increased water-levels in Loktak Lake. Their labor bore fruit and the habitat of the Sangai is now safe once more, at least for the time being.
The Sangai Festival is held every year in November which is one of the best times to visit Manipur and its floating national park. The festival is held to attract tourists to the state and exhibit its natural beauty and rich, cultural heritage on a global platform.
After our boat ride through the national park and learning about its unique story, we felt very happy that we had decided to visit this park. It is unlike any other national park in the world. Its habitat and inhabitants are all unique. It is truly one of the treasures that the world must conserve. For visitors looking for a new experience and an offbeat destination and also for those who love nature’s myriad forms, a visit to the Keibul Lamjao is a “bucket list must”!
To learn more about tourist destinations in Manipur, please visit:
1. Manipur tour-part 1-Kangla Palace
https://oishimaya.blogspot.com/2019/02/manipur-tour-part-1-visit-to-historic.html
2. Manipur tour-part 2-Shree Govindajee Temple
https://oishimaya.blogspot.com/2019/02/manipur-tour-part-2-visit-to-shree.html
3. Manipur tour-part 3-Sadu Chiru Waterfall
https://oishimaya.blogspot.com/2019/02/manipur-tour-part-3-visit-to-sadu-chiru.html
4. Manipur tour-part 5-Remembering Netaji And Azad Hind Fauz In Manipur
5. Manipur Tour Part 6: The Loktak Lake, A True Marvel Of Manipur
6. Manipur Tour-Part 7: Visiting The World's Oldest Living Polo Ground In Imphal
No comments:
Post a Comment