The Rajaji National Park is located at the foothills of Himalayas and is spread across 820 sq.kms. It is spread over three districts of Uttarakhand, namely, Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal. It was formed in the year 1983 after three wildlife sanctuaries - Chilla, Motichur and Rajaji were merged together, into one.
The Rajaji National Park has been named after C.Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), who was a prominent leader during the freedom struggle. He was also the second and last Governor-General of the independent India and one of the first ever recipients of the Bharat Ratna award.
The eco-system of the park is quite varied. There are about 23 species of mammals which are found in the Rajaji National Park. The most abundant and famous of all the species is the Elephant. There are Tigers as well but are not very easy to spot. Then, there are other species, like Wild cats, Jackals, Sloth Bear, Leopards, Wild Boar, Himalayan yellow throated Marten, Sambar, Cheetal, Barking Deer, Langoor and Ghoral.
Rajaji National Park also boasts of 49 species of reptiles. Out of these, 28 are snakes, pythons and cobras including the infamous King Cobra. Then, there are some 12 species of Turtles and 9 species of Lizards present in the park as well.
