Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

The Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Baliguda subdivision of Odisha’s Kandhamal district. It’s classified as a moist deciduous forest in the Eastern Highlands. The sanctuary is home to 52 tribal settlements, including Kutia Kondh and Desia Kondh.
Madagoda 36.02 km2 (14 sq mi), Haripur 42.66 km2 (16 sq mi), Lassery72.96 km2 (28 sq mi), Bonduru3.67 km2 (1 sq mi), Supamaha7.55 km2 (3 sq mi), Killangi6.073 km2 (2 sq mi), Subarnagiri30.04 km2 (12 sq mi), and Guma14.04 km2 (12 sq mi) are among the designated and proposed reserve forests (5 sq mi). 340 The Kotgarh sanctuary covers the Kandhamal district’s Kotgarh jurisdiction, Tumudibandha range, and Daringbadi block.
Kotgarh has been selected to be one of the 14 elephant corridors planned for the safe mobility of elephants who frequently leave their homes in search of food and water.

Flora :
The sanctuary’s principal vegetation is dense damp deciduous forests with meadows. There are 650 plant species in the sanctuary’s floral diversity, including angiosperms, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi. Sal, Piasal, Sisoo, Kendu, Gamhar, Asan, Kusum, Harida, Bahada, Amala, Mango, Tamarind, Mahua, Jackfruit, Randhan, Kangada, Jamun, Salapo, Bheru, Arjun, Char, Dhaura, and Kochila are among the prevalent flora.
Many rare and endangered medicinal plants exist, including Abutilon Indicum, Cissus quadrangularis, Crateva Magna, Cycas sphaerica, Garcinia xanthochymus, Gloriosa superba, Justicia adhatoda, Litsea glutinosa, Oroxylum Indicum, Pueraria tuberose, Rauvolfiatetraphylla, Saraca asoca, Steriospermum suave.

Fauna :

Tigers, elephants, Gaur, Sambar deer, Spotted deer, Peafowl, Red jungle fowl, Blackbuck, Leopard, Sloth bear, Chital, and various bird and reptile species, including rare species like Boiga forsteni, can all be found in this sanctuary. The sanctuary’s major attraction is the Chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), or four-horned antelope.

Attractions :

Many nature lovers go to a wooden cottage in Belghar.

How to reach :
By Road: The NH-59 connects Baliguda to Berhampur and other Orissa cities.
By Rail: The nearest rail station is Berhampur, 180 kilometers from Muniguda, on the S.E. Railway.
By Air: The closest airport is at Bhubaneswar, 291 kilometers from Balliguda.

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