Pant wildlife sanctuary Rajgir

The climate is normal for the Nalanda district. There are three distinct seasons in this zone, Summer (March to May) when temperature remains 44 °C-20 °C, winter (October to February) When temperature remains 28 °C-6 °C,Monsoon (June to September) When rainfall is 1860mm.

This wildlife sanctuary represements a remment patch of forests nestled in the picturesque Rajgir hills within the South Gangetic plain .This Sanctuary lies between latitudes 24°55’ and 25°05’ N and longitude 85°6’ and 85°30’ E in the Nalanda District of Bihar and extends over an area of 3584 hectares or 35.84Sq. km and the protection this forest was notified as Pant wildlife sanctuary Rajgir in 1978.[1]

The landscape of Pant wildlife sanctuary Rajgir is uneven terrain raenclosed by five mountains Ratnagiri, Vipulgiri, Vaibhargiri, Songiri and Udaygiri.

The forests of this sanctuary intercept rainfall and help recharge ground water aquifer, protect rivers and streams against siltation by minimising soil erosion and the sanctuary has ecologically important species of Flora and Fauna, with mixed deciduous forest. Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), Chital (Axis deer or Spotted deer), Junglefowl (Gallus gallus murghi), Porcupine (Hystrix indica), Hare (Lepus nigricollis), Langur (Semnopithecus entellus), Monkey (Macaca mulatta), Jackal (Canis aureus) are the species of vital importance in this Sanctuary, besides some of the endangered species like Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), Python (Python molurus) etc. are also found in the Sanctuary. The sanctuary has substantial faunal diversity with 28 species of large mammals, 183 species of birds, 39 species of reptiles, 11 species of amphibians, 13 species of fish and 51 species of butterfly, many of whom are threatened.[2]

Pant Sanctuary landscape is also significant from historical and archaeological perspective. It is necessary to conserve and protect the area, the extent and boundaries around the protected area of the Sanctuary as Eco-Sensitive Zone from ecological and environmental point of view and to prohibit industries or class of industries and their operations and processes in the said Eco-Sensitive Zone. The extent of Eco-Sensitive Zone varies from 100 metres to three kilometre from the boundary of the Sanctuary and the area of Eco- Sensitive Zone is 2954.5 hectares or 29.545 Sq. km.[3]

It is administered by Nalanda forest division under the Nalanda district Administration, Bihar.

Rajgir Zoo Safari is an under construction Safari park at Rajgir in Indian state Bihar. Chief minister of Bihar Nitish kumar laid foundation stone on 17 January 2017. The aim is to complete it by the end of 2019. It will build over land of 480 acres and estimated budget is RS 177 Crores. Here the animals will not be in cages but they will be free to roam over a forest area and visitors will be allowed to watch them from the secured environment-friendly vehicle. It will be located between the Vaibhgiri and Songiri mountain in the forest area and about half a kilometre from the Rajgir-Gaya road which is adjacent to the Pant wildlife sanctuary Rajgir at foothills of Jethian hill.[4]

• Rajgir
• Nalanda district
• Rajgir Zoo Safari
• Protected areas of Bihar
• Fauna of Bihar
• Flora of Bihar