It is known for its wide variety of flora and fauna and is perhaps one of the richest biodiversity parks of the temperate world. The freshwater which flows across Dachigam is an important source of sustenance for the people of Srinagar. This fact was recognized as early as 1910 by Maharaja Hari Singh and was a crucial factor leading to the preservation of Dachigam – then as a private hunting groun
d, and now as a National Park. Dachigam was declared a Sanctuary by Government Order No. 276/C in 1951 and was upgraded as National Park on 4th February 1981 by Government Order No. Between 1910 and 1934, ten villages were relocated outside the boundaries of the National Park. It is IUCN Management Category II National Park. It now provides home to the remnant biological diversity, threatened and endangered species of Kashmir. Dachigam National Park is located only 22 kilometers northeast of Srinagar, the capital city of the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. It covers an area of 141 km² consisting of some of the most scenic natural beauty present on earth. Dachigam National Park is situated between 34°04´ – 34°11´ N latitude and 74°54´ – 75°09´ E longitude. The main entrance to the park lies in the northwest direction near Harwan. The park is roughly rectangular in shape being approximately 22.5 km long and 8 km wide. The park has extreme topographical features and on this basis it has been divided into 2 sectors – Lower Dachigam in the West, which comprises one-third of the area of the park and Upper Dachigam in the East comprising rest of the park. The park has an altitudinal range of 1600-4250m above mean sea level. The National Park is locked by the natural boundary except in the north-west where it has been artificially fenced. Two steep ridges, one rising near Harwan reservoir and another to the west of New Theed form the natural boundaries of the park. The mountain ranges enclosing Dachigam are a part of the great Zanskar Range, which forms the north-west branch of the Central Himalayas. The folds of this range are thrown into a number of undulations enclosing narrow gullies and broader outflanked gullies locally known as “Nar”. The series of undulations present a variety of slope aspects, supporting an array of vegetal types. A number of rocky cliffs break the uniformity of the main slopes. On the northern ridge rises the Mahadev peak (3966 m.a.s.l) and amidst 4200m ridges nestles the Marsar lake. Complex crystalline rocks, granites, gneisses and schists form the core of the Zanskar Range. Sedimentary rocks consist of the slates, phylittes and schists with embedded crystalline limestone. Dachigam National Park is drained by Dachigam Nallah (also called Dagwan stream), which has its origin from Marsar lake. Marsar is a glacial oligotrophic alpine lake. The Dagwan river, after running through the entire length of Dachigam National Park for a distance of 29.75 km, opens out into Harwan reservoir. It is fed throughout its course by a network of mountain streams draining through numerous gullies. Two irrigation channels – Mawas Kol and Sharab Kol are also drawn from the river. It is worth mentioning that Dachigam National Park constitutes almost half of the catchment area of the world famous Dal Lake. Dachigam National Park is considered home to some of the unique Himalayan range of flora and fauna. It is teemed with flora and fauna of varied kinds, which includes about 20 species of mammals, 116 species of aves, 50 species of trees, 20 species of shrubs and 500 species of herbs.
