SUNDARBANS MANGROOVE
AT
WEST BENGAL
Sundarbans means "beautiful forests," but the region may also have been named after the large number of Sundari trees that grow there in the salty coastal waters.The Sunderbans are a part of the world's largest delta, formed by the mighty rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Situated on the lower end of Gangetic West Bengal, the Sunderbans is criss-crossed by hundreds of creeks and tributaries.
It is one of the most attractive and alluring places remaining on earth, a truly undiscovered paradise. The Sunderbans is the largest single block of tidal, halophytic mangrove forests in the world. The name can be literally translated as beautiful jungle. The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in the Sunderbans. The Sunderbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is spans a vast area covering 4.264 sq. km in India alone. It is the largest Tiger Reserve and National Park in India.
The Sunderbans forest is home to more than 250 tigers. The Royal Bengal Tigers have adapted themselves very well to the saline and aqua environs and are extremely good swimmers. As you enter the adventurous wild land of the Sunderbans, you will be thrilled to see the chital deer and rhesus monkey.
The aqua fauna of Sunderbans include a variety of fish, red fiddler crabs, and hermit crabs. There are crocodiles, which can be often seen along the mud banks. Sunderbans National Park is also noted for its conservation of the Ridley Sea Turtle. An incredible variety of reptiles is also found in Sunderbans – these include king cobra, the rock python and the water monitor. The endangered river terrapin, Batagur baska, is found on the Mechua Beach, while barking deer are found only on Haliday Island in the Sunderbans.
Tiger (Panthera tigris), Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Water monitors (Varanus salvator), Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), and Jackal (Canis aureus) are among the many wingless inhabitants found in this ecoregion.Bird species include little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger), Open-bill stork (Anastomus oscitans), Common pochard (Aythya ferina), White stork (Ciconia ciconia), and Common redshank (Tringa totanus).
Giant honeybee (Apis dorsata) is another native to this area. Although they once roamed here, today the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and the Wild buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) have been extirpated.
The Sunderbans is only accessible by waterways. The nearest railhead is Port Canning, from where organized group trips start. There are several other entry points, but Port Canning is most popular.
The other route is through Basanti that is connected by bus service to Kolkata. From here, one can take boats to Sajnekhali. One can also come via Port Canning and Gosaba or from Sonakhali to Sajnekhali. From Kolkata, there are Sunderban trains to Canning and buses to Namkhana, Raidighi, Sonakhali, and Najat, from where motor launch services are available for Sunderbans.
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