Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that can help answer the question.
Query: Where is the Sanjay Gandhi National Park?
Sanjay Gandhi National Park is an 87km2 (34sqmi) protected area near Mumbai in Maharashtra State in India.[4] It was formerly known as Borivali National Park.[5][6] It is notable as one of the major national parks existing within a metropolis limit and is one of the most visited parks in the world.[6]
SGNP view from Highest Point Trail Mini waterfall inside a park within national park premise Villages in the park Mahatma Gandhi Memorial
Sanjay Gandhi (14 December 1946 – 23 June 1980) was an Indian politician and the son of Indira Gandhi. He was a family member of the Nehru-Gandhi family. During his lifetime he was widely expected to succeed his mother as head of the Indian National Congress, but following his early death in a plane crash his elder brother Rajiv became their mother's political heir, and succeeded her as Prime Minister of India after her assassination. Sanjay's widow Maneka Gandhi and son Varun Gandhi are leading politicians in the BJP.
The rich flora and fauna of Sanjay Gandhi National Park attracts more than 2 million visitors every year. Tourists also enjoy visiting the 2400-year-old Kanheri caves sculpted out of the rocky cliffs which lie within the park.
Varun Gandhi was born in Delhi on 13 March 1980 to Sanjay Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi. He is the grandson of former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi and the great-grandson of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Varun was born soon after Indira Gandhi regained power in the 1980 general elections. Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash when Varun was three months old in June 1980. Indira was assassinated when Varun was four years old on 31 October 1984. Before his death Sanjay Gandhi had expressed his interest in raising his children in accordance to his Zoroastrian religion.
Varun attended Rishi Valley School and Modern School C.P. New Delhi and the British School, New Delhi, where he ran for a position on the student council.
The karvi shrub, as it is locally called in the Marathi language, sometimes also spelled as karvy in English, only blooms once in eight years in a mass flowering covering the forest floor in a lavender blush. It grows in abundance in the Western Ghats hills near Mumbai including throughout the Sanjay Gandhi National Park as in other parts of its natural range. In Sanjay Gandhi National Park its latest blooming took place in 2008, and it is scheduled to bloom here again in 2016. Termed by nature enthusiasts as 'nature's miracle' its maximum bloom can be seen on some of the inner paths and trails that lie undisturbed in the park. It survives best on the vast sloping expanses of the hillsides, with the Kanheri caves area of the park being one of the best places to observe large areas of blooms.[12][13]
There are several public walking trails in the park. The popular Ashok Van trail winds up through thick forest to a dense cluster of Ashoka trees that are a welcome half way resting spot. One can return by Gaumukh trail to an open place of volcanic rock to return to the Kanheri caves. A more ambitious route is the 'View Point' trail to the highest point in Mumbai, for a panoramic view of the city and a view of the three lakes of the city – Tulsi Lake, Vihar Lake and Powai Lake. New jungle trails at Sanjay Gandhi National Park allow visitors to see the more unexplored parts of the park. They are the 4km (2.49mi) Shilonda Trail, the 5km (3.11mi) Malad Trail, and the 6km (3.73mi) Yeoor Trail. Trails access cost is Rs. 25 per person.[25]
In September 1976, Sanjay Gandhi initiated a widespread compulsory sterilization program to limit population growth. The exact extent of Sanjay Gandhi's role in the implementation of the program is somewhat disputed, with some writers holding Gandhi directly responsible for his authoritarianism, and other writers blaming the officials who implemented the program rather than Gandhi himself.
This is also a small station on the Vanrani trail.
Sanjay Gandhi national park has played home to many poachers in the recent years. Usually, leopards are attacked. In many cases these animals had been poisoned, and claws or other valuable body parts were cut off and sold. Poaching could soon wipe out Mumbai's leopard population.
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park area has a long written history dating back to the 4th century BCE. In ancient India, Sopara and Kalyan were two ports in the vicinity that traded with ancient civilisations such as Greece and Mesopotamia. The 45km (28mi) land route between these two ports was partially through this forest.[7]
of "Sanjay Gandhi National Park Borivalli, Mumbai".
You would be able to see deer in their allotted cages. The train passes through the jungle area where we can see hutments where people dwell. Deer are also seen near these hutments walking in the jungle.
Singh had lent support to Sanjay Gandhi when that member of the Nehru-Gandhi family had chosen to contest the Amethi constituency in the elections of 1980. The Amethi area has strong links to the Nehru-Gandhi family and at that time the neighbouring constituency of Rae Bareli was held by Sanjay's mother, Indira Gandhi. He subsequently became a friend of Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded Sanjay as the representative for Amethi.
The park has faced a number of similar problems to those faced by national parks elsewhere in the world, involving conflicts between natural and human interests.
Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan (, also known as Sanjay Gandhi Botanical and Zoological Garden or Patna Zoo) is located off Bailey Road in Patna, Bihar, India. The park was opened to the public as a zoo in 1973. The park is Patna's most frequented picnic spot, with more than 36,000 visitors on New Year's Day alone in 2011.
1980: The park was established as Sanjay Gandhi National Park by Notification 3912/ XIV 3-35-80; grazing and mountaineering stopped;
The Karvi bush as it is locally known grows in abundance in the western ghat hills near the metropolis of Mumbai including throughout the Sanjay Gandhi National Park as in other parts of its natural range. In Sanjay Gandhi National Park its latest bloomings took place in 2000, then in 2008, and it is scheduled to bloom there again in 2016. Termed by nature enthusiasts as 'nature's miracle', its maximum bloom can be seen on some of the inner paths and trails that lie undisturbed in the park. It survives best on vast slopey expanses on the hillsides with Kanheri caves area of the national park being one of the best places to observe large blooming expanses.
The park was further expanded to a total area of 82.25 squarekm in 1981. The park was renamed Sanjay Gandhi National Park in 1996, after Sanjay Gandhi, the son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The same year, some forests from the Thane division were merged into the park, further expanding its total area to 103.84 square km.[1]
The vegetation on the hill slopes draining into the lake is thick and lush, undisturbed and of mixed moist deciduous type. The lake and its catchment are protected by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Sanjay Gandhi National Park Authority.
As the lake is situated inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the flora and fauna reported for the park would be relevant to the lake. However, fresh water crocodiles Mugger or Marsh crocodiles ("Crocodilus palustris") are known to inhabit the lake in sustainable numbers. As it is difficult to sight them in the lake, the park has set up a Crocodile Park’ to view the reptiles of different sizes
The park's main entrance is located in Borivali, 0.9km (0.56mi) east of Borivali railway station, which is approximately 40km (25mi) north of southern tip of Mumbai city, with suburban trains running every 5 minutes. From Borivali station, one can walk or hire an auto rickshaw to reach Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It is well connected with all parts of Mumbai and Maharashtra by road. The Western Express Highway (NH 8) passes by the park entrance. Buses are available on holidays and Sundays from Mumbai to the park. Also, chartered vehicles can be hired for groups to visit the park.
Yeoor is a hilly area in Thane city of Maharashtra state in India. Situated in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, it is known for its panthers and wildlife and is popularly known as "Mumbai's National Park"
Kasambe, R. (2012): Butterfly fauna of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai. Bionotes. 14 (3): 76–80
Local conservation NGOs such as the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)[13] and World Wide Fund for Nature - India (WWF-India)[14] bring groups of urban residents from Mumbai and elsewhere, sometimes in collaboration with other organisations, for regular guided nature education walks in the nature trails of Sanjay Gandhi National Park[26][27] and organise special trips when the rare karvi flowers are in full bloom which only happens once every eight years.[12]
The park can also be accessed from Goregaon (BNHS, Film City).