Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Infobox_protected_area | name = "'Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary| iucn_category = IV


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location = Uttarakhand, India
nearest_city = Almora
lat_degrees =29
lat_minutes =37
lat_seconds =56
lat_direction =N
long_degrees =79
long_minutes =20
long_seconds =15
long_direction =E
area =45.59 km²
established =1988
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visitation_year =
governing_body =Department of Forest UttarakhandBinsar is a beautiful, quiet and wild Himalayan destination with rich natural surroundings among dense forest. Binsar is perched on top of the Jhandi Dhar hills. This place is situated 33 km north of the Almora town in the Uttarakhand state of India.

From Binsar one can see the 300 km panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks like Kedarnath Peak, Shivling, Trisul and majestic Nanda Devi from a place called 'Zero Point'.

Binsar was the summer capital of the Chand Kings, who ruled over Kumaon, from 11th to 18th centuries AD. Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1988, for the conservation and protection of the shrinking broad leaf oak ("Quercus") forests of the Central Himalayan region, and it inhabits 200 bird species.

Geography

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over 45.59"km²" and situated at an altitude varying 900 to 2500 "metres" with an average height of 2412 "mts". Binsar is rich in its flora and fauna. Binsar is also noted for mythological warefare between King of Binsar and Golu Devata. Due to some confusion Golu Devata was beheaded and his trunk fell at Gairad Dana Golu near Binsar national Park and his head felled at Kaparkahan near Binsar. Both The places has ancinent temples of Lord Golu.

Fauna

These includes leopard ("Panthera Pardus"), "Nemorhaedus goral" (goral), Chital ("Axis axis") Musk deer , Serow ("Capricornis sumatiensis") , Jungle Cat ("Felis chaus"), "Sus scrofa", Black Bear, red fox, pine marten,Fox "(Vulpes vulpes)", Langur "(Presbytis entellus"), monkey ("Macaca mulatta") ,Porcupine, amongst others. It has been declared an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International with over 200 species including Tits, Forktail, Nuthatches, Blackbirds, Flying Squirrel ("Petaurista petaurista"),Parakeets, Laughingthrush, Magpies, Kalij Pheasant ("Lophura leucomelana"), Eagles, Monal, Koklas , Barking Deer("Muntiacus muntjak"), Woodpeckers and a range of others. Binsar is also home to many reptiles and innumerable invertebrates including a wide range of Butterflies.

Flora

The place has Pine forest at the lower level and Oak and Rhododendron at the higher altitude. This place is abundant in alpine flora, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, hanging mosses and many other species of wild flowers. Other main plants of this sanctuary are Kaphal ("Myrica esculenta") , "Pinus roxburghii", "Engelhardtia spiicata", "Macaranga pustulata", "Quercus gloca", "Quercus incana", "Quercus leucotricophora"(Banjh), "Quercus semicarpifolia", "Quercus dilatata", Cedrus deodara", "Alnus napalensis", "Aesculus indica", "Pinus wallichiana" ,"Quercus lanuginosa" and "Quercus floribunda", etc.

Places of Interest

Khali Estate

Binar has been an acclaimed hill resort of India. Binser is the trekkers paradise. There is an estate near Binsar called Khali estate, it was once the home of Sir Henry Ramsay, who was the commissioner of Kumaun from 1856 to 1884 and popularly called by British authors as 'King of Kumaun'. He also built his bungalow at Binsar. Vijay Laxmi Pandit, the sister of Jawahar Lal Nehru, also lived here. Khali is also a place at Binsar where Jamna Lal Bajaj of Gandhi-Seva-Trust started 'Shailashram'.

Bineshwar Mahadev

Bineshwar Mahadev temple is situated at the distance of 8 "km" it was built by King Kalyan Chand. Binsar is named after Bineshwar Mahadev. Bineshwar Mahadev is an aspect of Lord Shiva.

Archaeological Spots

The Binsar hills are rich in ancient relics. Near Dinapani on the Almora-Binsar road, there is a point called "Pariyadeva-Pashan" where there is a long stone with cup-marks. According to Historians these cup Shaped marks belong to Megalithic Age.

Binsar Sanctuary Museum

Binsar has a museum about the flora and fauna of the region and provide good and valuable information about the Sanctuary.

See also

* List of Quercus species

Places of Interest Nearby

* Chitai
* Kausani
* Ranikhet