Tal Chhapar Sanctuary is a sanctuary located in the
Churu district of Northwestern
Rajasthan, in the
Shekhawati region of
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. It is known for
blackbucks and is also home to a variety of
birds. The sanctuary is 210 km from
Jaipur on the fringe of the Great Indian Desert and situated on road from
Ratangarh Ratangarh may refer to:
* Ratangarh, Bijnor - a village in Uttar Pradesh
* Ratangarh, Churu - a town in Rajasthan
* Ratangarh, Neemuch - a town in Madhya Pradesh
* Ratangarh, Datia
Ratangarh is a village in the district of Datia, in Madhya P ...
to
Sujangarh
Sujangarh is a city in the Churu district in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India. Sujangarh lies on the Churu city-Pali Highway ( NH 65) and Hanumangarh-Kishangarh Mega Highway. The town is well known for a second Tirupati Balaji Temple ...
. The Tal
Chhapar sanctuary lies in the
Sujangarh
Sujangarh is a city in the Churu district in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India. Sujangarh lies on the Churu city-Pali Highway ( NH 65) and Hanumangarh-Kishangarh Mega Highway. The town is well known for a second Tirupati Balaji Temple ...
Tehsil of
Churu District. It lies on the
Nokha-
Sujangarh
Sujangarh is a city in the Churu district in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India. Sujangarh lies on the Churu city-Pali Highway ( NH 65) and Hanumangarh-Kishangarh Mega Highway. The town is well known for a second Tirupati Balaji Temple ...
state highway and is situated at a distance of 85 km from
Churu and about 132 km from
Bikaner. The nearest railway station is Chappar which lies on Degana-Churu-Rewari line of North Western Railways. The nearest airport is Jaipur which is 215 km from Chappar.
Tal Chhapar is a refuge of the
blackbuck.
Geography and geology
The sanctuary is named after
Chhapar village which is located at 27°-50' North and 74°-25' East. It is a flat saline depression locally known as a "tal" that has a unique
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...
in the heart of the
Thar Desert. Perched at a height of 302 meters (990 feet) above sea level. Tal Chhaper Sanctuary, with almost flat tract and interspersed shallow low-lying areas, has open grassland with scattered ''
Acacia'' and ''
Prosopis'' trees which give it an appearance of a typical
savanna. The word "tal" means pond or ‘talab’ in Hindi. The rain water flows through shallow low-lying areas and collect in the small seasonal water ponds.
The geology of the zone is obscured by the wind blown over-burden. Some small hillocks and exposed rocks of slate and quartzite are found in the western side of the sanctuary. The area between hillocks and the sanctuary constitutes the watershed area of the sanctuary. The whole sanctuary used to be flooded by water during the heavy rains but with salt mining going on in the watershed, hardly any rain falling on the hillocks reaches the sanctuary. Near by villages are Jogalia, Jaitasar, Bidasar.
Flora and fauna
The forest of this region falls under major group "Tropical Forest" as per classifications of Indian forests by
Champion & Seth. The forest of sanctuary area again falls under the group "Topical Thorn Forest" and sub group 6B/C "Desert Thorn Forests".
The sanctuary area is mostly covered by grasses with a very few trees.
It lies on the passageway of many
migratory birds such as
harriers. These birds pass through this area during September. Birds commonly seen in the sanctuary are harriers,
eastern imperial eagle,
tawny eagle,
short-toed eagle,
sparrow
Sparrow may refer to:
Birds
* Old World sparrows, family Passeridae
* New World sparrows, family Passerellidae
* two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae:
** Java sparrow
** Timor sparrow
* Hedge sparrow, also known as the dunnock or hedg ...
, and
little green bee-eaters,
black ibis and
demoiselle cranes, which stay till March.
Skylarks,
crested larks,
ring doves, and brown doves are seen throughout the year.
Desert fox and
Wildcat can also be spotted along with typical
avifauna such as
partridge and
sand grouse
Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae , a family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes . They are traditionally placed in two genera. The two central Asian species are classified as '' Syrrhaptes'' and the other ...
.
Tal Chappar Sanctuary comes alive with the chirping of various migratory birds including
Montagu's harrier,
marsh harrier,
pale harrier, imperial eagle, tawny eagle, short toed eagle, sparrow hawk, skylark, crested lark, ring drove, brown dove, blue jay,
southern grey shrike The southern grey shrike is a former species of shrike that has been split or reassigned to the following:
* some southern subspecies of the great grey shrike, ''Lanius excubitor''
* Iberian grey shrike
The Iberian grey shrike (''Lanius meridion ...
, Indian spotted creeper, green bee eaters, black ibis and demoiselle cranes.
Image:Herd of Bucks.jpeg, Blackbucks
Image:Dicrurus macrocercus -Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India -immature-8.jpg, '' Dicrurus macrocercus''
Image:Aquila rapax.jpg, ''Aquila rapax
Aquila may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Aquila'', a series of books by S.P. Somtow
* ''Aquila'', a 1997 book by Andrew Norriss
* ''Aquila'' (children's magazine), a UK-based children's magazine
* ''Aquila'' (journal), an orni ...
''
Image:Antilope cervicapra Tal Chhappr.jpg, '' Antilope cervicapra''
Image:Falco_chicquera.jpg, ''Falco chicquera
The red-necked falcon (''Falco chicquera'') is a bird of prey in the falcon family with two disjunct populations, one in India and the other in Africa. This medium-sized falcon has bluish grey wings and upper body, a chestnut red cap with short c ...
''
Image:Ardeotis nigriceps -Rajasthan, India-6.jpg, '' Ardeotis nigriceps''
In the Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, a special type of grass is found. This grass is called ''Mothiya'' locally. The word "Mothiya" comes from the word "Moti" or from the Hindi word for pearl. The shape of the seed of this grass is like very fine round shaped pearls. Mothiya has a very sweet taste. People enjoy eating it, but it is found in very small quantities. Production is only a few kilograms every season. Mothiya is also food for blackbucks and birds which dig it from the earth with their starks.
Climate
This region is characterized by a distinct winter (from October to February), summer (March to June) and monsoon (July to September). The zone has a dry climate with a large variation in temperature wind blows south – west during summer. In May and June winds become very hot and that is called "loo" The maximum temperature reaches up to in June and the minimum temperature falls to in December – January. The Tal Chhapar Zone comes under the principal arid zone of the country. Rainfall in this region is highly erratic. There is a large variation in mean annual rainfall in this region. The average rainfall in this region is about 300 mm.
Facilities
There are two rest houses situated in the sanctuary area and being maintained by the forest department having four suites accommodation. These rest houses come under the control of Deputy conservator of forest, Churu. Anyone can contact for accommodation to DCF, Churu.
Chhapar –
Sujangarh
Sujangarh is a city in the Churu district in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India. Sujangarh lies on the Churu city-Pali Highway ( NH 65) and Hanumangarh-Kishangarh Mega Highway. The town is well known for a second Tirupati Balaji Temple ...
state highway divides the sanctuary area into two parts. In the sanctuary there are Kacha tracks which are used for inspection, patrolling & viewing the fauna of the sanctuary.
News
In February 2006, Tal Chhaper was included in the itinerary of the "Heritage on Wheel" train. Now tourists have the opportunity to visit the sanctuary twice in a week by train.
In March 2006, Rs. 2 crore and 82 lacs budget announced by Hon'ble C.M. in her budget speech 2006-07 for the development of Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, for 2006-07 to 2010-11 (a five-year plan). The forest department has improved the grassland ecosystem of Tal Chhapar by undertaking several soil and water conservation works.
Tal Chhaper Sanctuary was included in the tourism map of Rajasthan tourism. Hon’ble CM has announced a project in the budget speech 2006-07 for the development of the sanctuary as an eco-tourism and wildlife tourism spot. The project includes a five-year action plan amounting to Rs.2.82 crores for integrated development of the sanctuary. Budget provision for Rs.1.10 crores in the current financial year has been sanctioned. A high-level committee headed by Principal Secretary, Forest and comprising the famous architect Ms.
Revathi Kamath, fashion designer international fame Ms. Bibi Russel, commissioner Tourism and Chief wildlife warden visited the sanctuary to make a comprehensive and integrated development action plan. Rajendra Dadhich president Rajasthan Vikas Parisad, Mumbai also visited.
The sanctuary has become an important destination for the birders, who visit in large numbers during winters.
See also
*
Arid Forest Research Institute
References
{{reflist
External links
Churu district* Tal Chhapar on Rajasthan Tourism
Tal Chapar Wildlife on Flickr
1966 establishments in Rajasthan
Bird sanctuaries of Rajasthan
Protected areas established in 1966
Tourist attractions in Churu district
Wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan