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Tal Chhapar Sanctuary is a sanctuary located in the Churu district of Northwestern
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
, in the
Shekhawati Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. The region was ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs. Shekhawati is located in North Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Jhunjhunu district, Jhunjhunu, part ...
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 so ...
. It is known for
blackbuck The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the shoulder. Mal ...
s and is also home to a variety of
birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
. The sanctuary is 210 km from
Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
on the fringe of the Great Indian Desert and situated on road from Ratangarh to Sujangarh. The Tal
Chhapar Chhapar is a small town and a municipality in Churu district in the state of Rajasthan, India. Chhapar and Tal chhapar is located in the Churu district of Northwestern Rajasthan in the Shekhawati region of India. It is 210 km from Jaipur ...
sanctuary lies in the Sujangarh Tehsil of Churu District. It lies on the Nokha- Sujangarh state highway and is situated at a distance of 85 km from Churu and about 132 km from
Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Formerly the capital of ...
. 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 The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the shoulder. Mal ...
.


Geography and geology

The sanctuary is named after
Chhapar Chhapar is a small town and a municipality in Churu district in the state of Rajasthan, India. Chhapar and Tal chhapar is located in the Churu district of Northwestern Rajasthan in the Shekhawati region of India. It is 210 km from Jaipur ...
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 syste ...
in the heart of the
Thar Desert The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's Li ...
. 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 ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
'' and ''
Prosopis ''Prosopis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It contains around 45 species of spiny trees and shrubs found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Western Asia, and South Asia. They often thrive in ari ...
'' trees which give it an appearance of a typical
savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
. 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 A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...
& 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 Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...
such as harriers. These birds pass through this area during September. Birds commonly seen in the sanctuary are harriers,
eastern imperial eagle The eastern imperial eagle (''Aquila heliaca'') is a large bird of prey that breeds in southeastern Europe and extensively through West and Central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, the Middle East and South ...
,
tawny eagle The tawny eagle (''Aquila rapax'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family ''Accipitridae''. Its heavily feathered legs mark it as a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as booted eagles.Helbig, A. J., Kocum, ...
,
short-toed eagle The short-toed snake eagle (''Circaetus gallicus''), also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus na ...
, sparrow, and
little green bee-eater The Asian green bee-eater (''Merops orientalis''), also known as little green bee-eater, and green bee-eater in Sri Lanka, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family. It is resident but prone to seasonal movements and is found widely distri ...
s,
black ibis The red-naped ibis (''Pseudibis papillosa'') also known as the Indian black ibis or black ibis is a species of ibis found in the plains of the Indian Subcontinent. Unlike other ibises in the region it is not very dependent on water and is often f ...
and demoiselle cranes, which stay till March.
Skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
s,
crested lark The crested lark (''Galerida cristata'') is a species of lark widespread across Eurasia and northern Africa. It is a non-migratory bird, but can occasionally be found as a vagrant in Great Britain. Taxonomy and systematics The crested lark was ...
s, ring doves, and brown doves are seen throughout the year. Desert fox and
Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
can also be spotted along with typical
avifauna Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...
such as
partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They a ...
and sand grouse. Tal Chappar Sanctuary comes alive with the chirping of various migratory birds including
Montagu's harrier Montagu's harrier (''Circus pygargus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu. Taxonomy The first formal description of Montagu's harrier was by the Swedish na ...
,
marsh harrier The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds. They are found almost worldwide, excluding ...
,
pale harrier The pale or pallid harrier (''Circus macrourus'') is a bird migration, migratory bird of prey of the harrier (bird), harrier subfamily. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek. ''Circus'' is from ''kirkos'', referring to a bird of p ...
, imperial eagle, tawny eagle, short toed eagle, sparrow hawk, skylark, crested lark, ring drove, brown dove, blue jay, southern grey shrike, Indian spotted creeper, green bee eaters, black ibis and demoiselle cranes. Image:Herd of Bucks.jpeg,
Blackbuck The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the shoulder. Mal ...
s Image:Dicrurus macrocercus -Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India -immature-8.jpg, '' Dicrurus macrocercus'' Image:Aquila rapax.jpg, '' Aquila rapax'' Image:Antilope cervicapra Tal Chhappr.jpg, ''
Antilope cervicapra The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the shoulder. Male ...
'' Image:Falco_chicquera.jpg, '' Falco chicquera'' Image:Ardeotis nigriceps -Rajasthan, India-6.jpg, ''
Ardeotis nigriceps The great Indian bustard (''Ardeotis nigriceps'') or Indian bustard, is a bustard found on the Indian subcontinent. A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of t ...
''
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 Chhapar is a small town and a municipality in Churu district in the state of Rajasthan, India. Chhapar and Tal chhapar is located in the Churu district of Northwestern Rajasthan in the Shekhawati region of India. It is 210 km from Jaipur ...
Sujangarh 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 Revathi S. Kamath (1955-2020) was an Indian architect and planner based in Delhi. She is a pioneer of mud architecture in India. In addition to this, she is also credited with building the tallest stainless steel structure in India. Early life ...
, 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 Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI) is a research institute situated in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The institute conducts scientific research in forestry in order to provide technologies to increase the vegetative cover and to conserve biodi ...


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