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National Parks of India: Jim Corbett, Kaziranga & Gir

National Parks in India represent Category II protected areas under the International Union for Conservation of Nature classification, legally constituted under Section 35 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. State governments possess statutory authority to declare an area a National Park through official notification if its ecological, floral, faunal, or geomorphological value demands strict preservation. The statutory distinction between a National Park and a Wildlife Sanctuary (governed under Sections 18 and 26A) centers on human rights: while a sanctuary allows certain customary activities—such as regulated livestock grazing and collection of minor forest produce sanctioned by the Chief Wildlife Warden—a National Park enforces complete inviolate protection where human settlement, cattle grazing, and resource extraction are prohibited.

Rigid legal procedures govern the alteration of boundaries for any declared National Park. Under Section 35(5) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, reinforced by Supreme Court rulings in the T.N. Godavarman litigation, no boundary modification can occur without recommendation from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). India's protected network originated in 1936 with the declaration of Hailey National Park (presently Jim Corbett National Park) in Uttarakhand. Today, the system spans wide ecological zones, ranging from Hemis National Park in Ladakh—India's largest national park, covering over 4,400 square kilometers of trans-Himalayan terrain—to South Button Island National Park in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, covering approximately 0.03 square kilometers as the smallest.

India's national parks protect iconic wildlife species in specialized biomes. Examples include Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur, the world's only floating national park, where floating biomass mats called phumdis support the brow-antlered deer or sangai (Rucervus eldii eldii); Kaziranga National Park in Assam, sustaining the largest population of the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis); Gir National Park in Gujarat, preserving the only wild population of the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica); and Silent Valley National Park in Kerala, shielding the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) in undisturbed evergreen rainforests. In civil services and allied government tests, questions regularly examine NBWL clearance mandates, statutory differences between Sections 35 and 18, Eco-Sensitive Zone buffer norms, and flagship species distributions.
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  1. #1
    Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, is India’s oldest national park.
  2. #2
    Kaziranga National Park in Assam holds the world’s largest population of the Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros.
  3. #3
    Gir National Park in Gujarat is the sole natural habitat of the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica).
  4. #4
    Hemis National Park in Ladakh is India’s largest national park by area and a prime sanctuary for snow leopards.
  5. #5
    Keibul Lamjao National Park on Loktak Lake in Manipur is the world's only floating national park, preserving the endangered brow-antlered deer (Sangai) on phumdis.
  6. #6
    Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal is a mangrove biosphere reserve and tiger sanctuary home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
  7. #7
    Manas National Park in Assam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and tiger reserve situated in the Himalayan foothills along the Manas River basin.
  8. #8
    Silent Valley National Park in the Nilgiri Hills of Kerala protects one of the last undisturbed tracts of South Western Ghats montane rain forests and the lion-tailed macaque.
  9. #9
    Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, located at the junction of the Aravalli and Vindhya ranges, is renowned for its historic 10th-century fortress and diurnal Bengal tigers.
  10. #10
    Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh was the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, Bhoorsingh the Barasingha (swamp deer).
  11. #11
    Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh spans an altitude of 1,500 to 6,000 metres and was inscribed as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 2014.
  12. #12
    Periyar National Park in Kerala surrounds an artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam on the Periyar River, functioning as a prominent elephant and tiger reserve.
  13. #13
    Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, established in 1982, was India's first declared marine protected area, encompassing 42 islands and diverse coral reefs.
  14. #14
    Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh spans tropical to alpine biomes and harbors all four large feline species: tiger, leopard, snow leopard, and clouded leopard.
  15. #15
    National parks in India are notified under Section 35 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which strictly prohibits all domestic livestock grazing and private commercial resource exploitation.

Subject Specialist Commentary

Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board

Educator's Insight
National Parks in India are declared under Section 35 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, providing the highest degree of statutory ecological protection where grazing and commercial activities are completely banned. Starting with Hailey National Park (now Jim Corbett) in 1936, India's network protects diverse ecosystems, from the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans to the high-altitude habitats of snow leopards in Hemis National Park.
For competitive tests, focus on species-specific habitats and unique geography. UPSC prelims often asks about Keibul Lamjao in Manipur, the world's only floating national park famous for the endangered Sangai deer on floating phumdis. A common MCQ trap is confusing Kaziranga in Assam, known for one-horned rhinos, with Gir in Gujarat, the only home of the Asiatic lion. Keep Silent Valley in mind for lion-tailed macaques during last-minute revision.

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