Tiger Reserves of India
Detailed Profiles: Key Habitats & Rivers
Rajasthan
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve: Associated with the Banas River and bounded by the Chambal River.
- Ranthambhore: Located at the precise confluence of the Great Boundary Fault where the Aravalli and Vindhyan mountain ranges meet. Flanked to the north by the Banas River and to the east by the Chambal River. It forms an integral block of the western central Indian landscape.
- Sariska Tiger Reserve: Home to Neelkanth and Garh Rajor temples dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, which stand as remnants of Shiva and Jain architecture contemporaneous with the world-famous Khajuraho temples.
- Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve: Serves as a natural ecological extension of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve landscape.
Uttarakhand
Corbett Tiger Reserve: Associated with the Ramganga River.
- Corbett: Holds historical significance as India's first National Park. It was originally included as one of the nine initial core reserves established when Project Tiger launched in 1973.
Assam
Kaziranga, Nameri & Manas: Fed by major Himalayan river systems.
- Kaziranga Tiger Reserve: Bounded by the mighty Brahmaputra River. The river Diffalu, a direct tributary of the Brahmaputra, cuts through the core National Park area, while another key tributary, the Moradifalu, flows steadily along its southern boundary.
- Nameri Tiger Reserve: Situated along the basin of the Jia Bhoroli River.
- Manas Tiger Reserve: Positioned along the Manas River (a key Bhutanese river system). Created in 1973 at the inception of Project Tiger. The Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary is located within its official buffer zone. Crisscrossed by numerous rivers including the Sankosh, Saralbanga, Hel, Tanali, Courang, Sidli (Bhor) Aio, Manas, Beki, Pathimari, Kaladia, Tihunala, Morapagaldia, Nala, Braalia, Pbornodi, and Dhansiri. It is a designated UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, forms part of the Ripu-Chirang Elephant Reserve, and is adjacent to Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park within the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
Uttar Pradesh
Dudhwa Tiger Reserve: Fed by the Suheli and Mohana river systems.
- Dudhwa: This critical reserve structurally represents the unique, biodiverse Tarai-Bhabar marshy grassland habitat of the upper Gangetic plains bio-geographic province.
West Bengal
Sundarbans Tiger Reserve: Tidal estuary systems driven by the Matla and Bidyadhari rivers.
- Sundarbans: Formally included in the prestigious global list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1985. Subsequently, in 1989, the entire complex Sundarbans mangrove region was designated as a Biosphere Reserve.
State-Wise Directory of Tiger Reserves
| State | Total Reserves | Names of Tiger Reserves |
|---|---|---|
| Karnataka | 5 | 1. Bandipur 2. Dandeli-Anshi (Kali) 3. Nagarhole 4. Biligiri Ranganatha Temple 5. Bhadra |
| Uttarakhand | 2 | 6. Corbett 7. Rajaji |
| Maharashtra | 6 | 8. Pench (MH) 9. Tadoba Andhari 10. Bor 11. Sahyadri 12. Nawegaon Nagzira 13. Melghat |
| Bihar | 1 | 14. Valmiki |
| Mizoram | 1 | 15. Dampa |
| Madhya Pradesh | 7 | 16. Kanha 17. Sanjay-Dubri 18. Satpura 19. Bandhavgarh 20. Panna 21. Pench 22. Veerangana Durgavati (2023) |
| Assam | 4 | 23. Nameri 24. Manas 25. Kaziranga 26. Orang |
| Kerala | 2 | 27. Periyar 28. Parambikulam |
| Telangana | 2 | 29. Amrabad 30. Kawal |
| Tamil Nadu | 5 | 31. Anamalai 32. Mudumalai 33. Sathyamangalam 34. Kalakad Mundanthurai 35. Srivilliputhur Megamalai (2021) |
| Chhattisgarh | 3 | 36. Udanti Sitanadi 37. Achanakmar 38. Indravati |
| Andhra Pradesh | 1 | 39. Nagarjunsagar Srisailam |
| Jharkhand | 1 | 40. Palamau |
| West Bengal | 2 | 41. Buxa 42. Sunderbans |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 3 | 43. Kamlang 44. Namdapha 45. Pakke |
| Odisha | 2 | 46. Satkosia 47. Simlipal |
| Rajasthan | 5 | 48. Mukandra 49. Ramgarh Vishdhari (2022) 50. Ranthambore 51. Sariska 52. Dholpur-Karauli (2023) |
| Uttar Pradesh | 3 | 53. Dudhwa 54. Pilibhit 55. Ranipur (2022) |
High-Yield Interactive UPSC Quiz (Tiger Reserves Focus)
Q1. Which Tiger Reserve is located at the unique geological junction of the Great Boundary Fault where the Aravalli and Vindhyan ranges meet?
Correct Answer: B. Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is geologically situated at the unique confluence of the Aravalli and Vindhyan hill ranges along the Great Boundary Fault line.
Q2. With reference to the river systems flowing through key tiger reserves, consider the following matches:
1. Kaziranga Tiger Reserve — Diffalu River
2. Manas Tiger Reserve — Sankosh and Beki Rivers
3. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve — Ramganga River
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Correct Answer: A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Ramganga River is associated with Corbett Tiger Reserve; Dudhwa is instead fed by the Suheli and Mohana systems.