Dear members of Pauri Garhwal Group,
Please find below two articles on the medicinal plants. I hope it will be of your interest. http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/pdf/1746-4269-2-32.pdf
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/pdf/1746-4269-1-11.pdf
With regards,
chandra prakash kala
Pauri Garhwal Group!
New Delhi / India
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paurigarhwal
htpp://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/
http://paurigarhwal.com/
Uttaranchal Uttarakhand Pauri Garhwal Garhwali Kumaoni
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Uttarakhand / Uttaranchal : Medicinal Plants
उत्तराखंड/उत्तरांचल Uttarakhand/Uttaranchal : Best Kumaoni Songs..!!
http://forum.esoft.in/other-languages-mp3-video/1684-best-super-hit-kumauni-songs.html
उत्तराखंड की आवाज़ !!
के । एस । रावत
पौडी गढ़वाल ग्रुप
नई डेल्ही
भारत
Uttarakhand/Uttaranchal : One more beautiful song by Narender Singh Negi and Preeti Ranakoti - Must Watch..!!
http://www.videogully.com/Uttarakhand__4qpm1cYeXNo.html
उत्तराखंड की आवाज़ !!
के । एस । रावत
पौडी गढ़वाल ग्रुप
नई डेल्ही भारत
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
लिटिल चैम्पियन गढ़वाल - उत्तराखंड या उत्तरांचल - Vashundhra Raturi..!!
लिटिल चैम्पियन गढ़वाल - उत्तराखंड या उत्तरांचल
लिटिल चैम्पियन गढ़वाल - उत्तराखंड या उत्तरांचल ....
वसुंधरा रतूरी जी नेटवर्क पर होने वाले सा रे गा माँ की लिटिल चैम्पियन मी सबसे बड़ी दावेदार है.... Keep it up Vashundhara.... For more information please visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paurigarhwal
http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/
http://www.paurigarhwal.com/
धन्यबाद !!
करण बीर सिंह रावत
पौडी गढ़वाल ग्रुप, उत्तरांचल, उत्तराखंड
Uttaranchal, Uttarakhand
ZEE NETWORK, GARHWALI, KUMAONI, PAURI GARHWAL, TEHRI GARHWAL, CHAMOLI GARHWAL, KUMAON, INDIA, NEW DELHI, CRICKET, LITTLE CHAMPION, SA RE GA MA
Friday, January 11, 2008
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Park, Uttaranchal, Uttarakhand, India..!!
Content Partner: United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (other articles)
Article Topics: Geography, Ecology and Ecotourism
This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Mark McGinley (other articles)
Last Updated: January 10, 2008
Geographical Location
Nanda Devi National Park (30° 41' to 30° 48'N and 79° 33' to 79° 46'E) is a World Heritage Site that lies in eastern Uttaranchal State, near the Tibetan border in the Garhwal (western) Himalaya, 300 kilometers (km) northeast of Delhi. The main entrance to the Park is via Lata and Tolma villages, some 25 km and 31 km respectively east of Joshimath township. It leads through the almost inaccessible gorge of Rishi Ganga to a basin surrounded by high mountain ridges and peaks except to the west, lying between 30°16' to 30° 32'N and 79° 44' to 80° 02'E. The Valley of Flowers is in the Paspawati valley 23 km north-northwest of Nanda Devi Park. It lies between 30° 41' to 30° 48'N and 79° 33' to 79° 46'E.
Date and History of Establishment
1862: The Paspawati valley was discovered by Colonel Edmund Smyth.
1931: The valley visited by the mountaineer F. Smythe who wrote a book publicising the “Valley of Flowers”
1936: The upper Nanda Devi basin was reached and described by mountaineers E.Shipton and N.Odell who climbed Nanda Devi
1939: The basin was established as the Nanda Devi Game Sanctuary by Government Order 1493/XIV- 28 of 7/01.
1962: Border disputes closed the area to traffic, altering the local economy.
1974-82: The Sanctuary was opened to mountaineering but the ensuing degradation led to its closure to all users.
1982: The Park was established as Sanjay Gandhi National Park by Notification 3912/ XIV 3-35-80, but was later renamed Nanda Devi National Park. Restrictions were imposed on the rights of nearby villagers.
The Valley of Flowers was declared a National Park by Government Order 4278/XIV-3-66-80 under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, for the conservation of its flora.
1986: The Nanda Devi National Biosphere Reserve was established (223,674 ha) with a 514,857 hectares (ha) buffer zone surrounding the two Parks.
2000: The Biosphere Reserve extended by the government to 586,069 ha which included both National Park core zones (62,462 ha + 8,750 ha, totaling 71,212 ha); the Valley was declared the second core zone of the expanded National Biosphere Reserve.
2004: The two core zones and buffer zone designated a United Nations Environmental, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve.
Areas
Nanda Devi: 62,462 ha. Valley of Flowers: 8,750 ha. The Parks share a 514,857 ha buffer zone within the Biosphere Reserve which is not within the World Heritage site.
Land Tenure
Uttaranchal State in Chamoli District. Administered by the Uttaranchal State Forestry Department of the National Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Altitude
Nanda Devi: 1,900 meters (m) (lower Rishi Gorge), 2,100 m (the basin) to 7,817 m (Nanda Devi West). Valley of Flowers: 3,350 m (valley floor) to 6,708 m (Gauri Parbat).
Physical Features
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi Mountain. (Source: Stanford Alpine Club)
The Park is in the catchment basin of the Rishi Ganga, an eastern tributary of the Dhauli Ganga which flows into a major tributary of the Ganges, the Alaknanda River, at Joshimath. The area is a vast glacial basin, divided by a series of parallel north-south oriented ridges. These rise to the encircling mountain rim formed by sixteen peaks above 6,000 m. The best known of these are Dunagiri (7,056 m) and Kalanka (6,931 m) to the north, Nanda Devi East (7,434 m) on the eastern rim, Nanda Khat (6,811 m) in the southeast and Trisul (7,127 m) in the southwest. Nanda Devi West lies on a short ridge projecting from Nanda Devi East into the basin. It is India's second highest mountain. The upper Rishi Valley, known as the Inner Sanctuary, is fed by the Changbang, North Rishi and North Nanda Devi glaciers from the north and by the South Nanda Devi and South Rishi glaciers from the south. An impressive gorge cuts through the Devistan-Rishikot ridge below the confluence of the North and South Rishi rivers. The Trisuli and Ramani glaciers flow into the lower Rishi Valley or Outer Sanctuary, below which the Rishi Ganga enters the narrow, deep, steep-sided and virtually inaccessible lower gorge.
The basin displays an array of periglacial and glacial forms which cover a wide range of phases of growth. The combinations of normal and perched glaciers on different rock types add to the interest of the basin. Most of the Park falls within the central crystallines, a zone of young granites and metamorphic rocks. Along the northern edge the Tibetan-Tethys is exposed, consisting of sandstones, micaceous quartzite, limestones and shales. The Tethys sediments form Nanda Devi itself and with many of the surrounding peaks, displays spectacular folding and evidence of thrust movements, while other mountains like Changbang are granite. The crystalline rocks of the Vaikrita Group and lower part of the Tethys sediments have been tentatively subdivided into four, the Lata, Ramani, Kharapatal and Martoli formations. Further geological details are given by Lamba (1987).
The Valley of Flowers
The Valley of Flowers National Park. (Source: Case Western Reserve University)
The Valley is 20 km northwest of Nanda Devi National Park across the wide valley of the Bhiundhar Ganga. It is one of two hanging valleys lying at the head of the Bhiundhar valley, the other being the shorter Hemkund valley which runs parallel some 10 km south. It runs east-west approximately 15 km by an average of 6 km wide, in the basin of the Paspawati river, a small tributary flowing from the Tipra glacier which descends from Gauri Parbat in the east. Its central valley, lying at about 3,500 m, is a gently inclined basin of some 1,000 ha of alpine meadows, the Kundalinisen plateau, the forested slopes of which rise sharply through moraines to rocky ridges, perpetually snow-covered peaks and glaciers which together cover 73% of the valley. Alpine meadows cover 21% and forests 6% of the rest. The high surrounding mountains are not impassable and open to the south at Ghangrea (3,072 m), 7 km downstream. There, the Paspawati meets the Lakshman Ganga, becoming the Bhiundhar Ganga which flows 15 km to Govindghat at its confluence with the Alaknanda, a tributary of the Ganges. The main surrounding peaks are Nar Parbat (5,245 m) to the northwest, Nilgiri Parbat (6,479 m) to the north, Rataban (6,126 m) across the Bhuindhar Pass, with Gauri Parbat (6,708 m) to the east and Saptasring (5,038 m) to the south. The Lakshman Ganga flows from Lokpal lake (4,150 m) in the Hemkund valley, a much visited place of pilgrimage. The well exposed bedrock comprises crystallines of the Vaikrita group with sedimentary, mica schist and shale rocks. The soils are acidic and retain moisture well.
Climate
Being an inner Himalayan valley, the Nanda Devi Basin has a distinctive microclimate. Conditions are generally dry with low annual precipitation, but there is heavy rainfall during the monsoon from late June to early September. Prevailing mist and low cloud during the monsoon keeps the soil moist, hence the vegetation is lusher than is usual in the drier inner Himalayan valleys. From mid April to June temperatures are moderate to cool (19 degrees Celsius (°C) maximum). The Valley of Flowers also has the microclimate of an enclosed inner Himalayan valley, and is shielded from the full impact of the southwest summer monsoon by the Greater Himalaya range to its south. There is often dense fog and rain especially during the late summer monsoon. Both Basin and Valley are usually snow-bound for six to seven months between late October and late March, the snow accumulating deeper and at lower altitudes on the shadowed southern than on the northern side of the valleys.
Vegetation
Nanda Devi
Forests are restricted largely to the Rishi Gorge and are dominated by West Himalayan fir Abies pindrow and Rhododendron campanulatum with Himalayan birch Betula utilis up to about 3,350 m. Forming a broad belt between these and the alpine meadows is birch forest, with an understory of rhododendron. Conditions are drier within the inner basin becoming almost xeric up the main glaciers. Beyond Ramani, the vegetation changes from forest to dry alpine communities, with scrub juniper Juniperus pseudosabina becoming the dominant cover. With altitude, junipers give way to grasses, prone mosses and lichens, and on riverine soils to annual herbs and dwarf willow Salix spp. Woody vegetation extends along the sides of the main glaciers before changing gradually to squat alpines and lichens.
A floristic analysis of the area based on the 1993 Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition is given by Balodi (1993). A total of 312 species, distributed over 199 genera and 81 families, has been recorded and preserved in the herbarium of the Northern Circle Botanical Survey of India. At least 17 of these are considered rare. Not in this list is Saussurea sudhanshui, newly described from the area. Within the larger area of the Biosphere Reserve some 793 species from 400 genera and 120 families were listed by the 1993 Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition. Eight nationally threatened species recorded include Nardostachys grandiflora, Picroehiza kurrooa (VU), Cypripedium elegans, C. himalaicum, Dioscorea deltoidea (VU) and Allium stracheyi (VU). Local people use a total of 97 species, 17 for medicine, 55 as food plants, 15 as fodder, 16 for fuel, 5 for tools, 8 for house building, 2 as fibers, 6 for miscellaneous uses, and 11 for religious purposes.
The Valley of Flowers
The flower Saussurea obvallata is collected by local villagers to be used as a religious offering to Nanda Devi and other deities. (Source: Harvard University Herbaria)
The valley has an unusually rich flora of over 600 species with many rarities. It lies in a transitional area between the Great Himalaya and Zanskar Mountains, and also between the eastern and western Himalayan phytographic regions. The valley has three main vegetation zones: sub-alpine between 3,200 m and 3,500 m which is the limit for trees, lower alpine between 3,500 m and 3,700 m, and higher alpine above 3,700 m. The habitats include valley bottom, river bed, small forests, meadows, eroded, scrubby and stable slopes, moraine, plateau, bogs, stone desert and caves. The lower surrounding hills in the buffer zone are thickly forested. The Forest Research Institute in 1992 recorded 600 species of angiosperms and 30 pteridophytes in the valley and surroundings, discovering 58 new records for the valley of which 4 were new for Himalayan Uttar Pradesh. Of these plants, 5 out of 6 species globally threatened are not found in Nanda Devi National Park or elsewhere in Uttaranchal: Aconitum falconeri, A. balfouri, Himalayan maple Acer caesium, the blue Himalayan poppy Mecanopsis aculeate and Saussurea atkinsoni. 31 species are classified as nationally rare. The dominant family is the Asteraceae with 62 species. Forty-five medicinal plants are used by local villagers and several species, such as Saussurea obvallata (brahmakamal) are collected as religious offerings to Nanda Devi and other deities. The site is designated a Centre of Plant Diversity.Characteristic of the sub-alpine zone are high altitude forests which help to retain moisture and snow and support a large number of floral and faunal communities. It is dominated by the uncommon Himalayan maple Acer caesium (VU), west Himalayan fir Abies pindrow, Himalayan white birch Betula utilis, and Rhododendron campanulatum with Himalayan yew Taxus wallichiana, Syringa emodi and Sorbus lanata Some of the common herbs are Arisaema jacquemontii, Boschniakia himalaica, Corydalis cashmeriana, Polemonium caerulium, Polygonum polystachyum (a rampant tall weed), Impatiens sulcata, Geranium wallichianum, Helinia elliptica, Galium aparine, Morina longifolia, Inula grandiflora, Nomochoris oxypetala, Anemone rivularis, Pedicularis pectinata, P. bicornuta, Primula denticulate and Trillidium govanianum. In trampled areas where past livestock congregated, Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachium is a rampant weed.
The valley’s lower alpine zone has greater moisture and deeper soil. A large number of herbaceous communities grow in great profusion and it supports the greatest diversity of alpine plants. Characteristic of the zone are dwarf shrubs, cushion herbs, grasses and sedges. Common and single-seed junipers Juniperus communis and J. squamata, Rhododendron anthopogon, Salix spp., Lonicera myrtillus, Cotoneaster microphyllus, and Rubus ellipticus are the major shrub species in this zone. The herbaceous flora gives a spectacular multicolored array of flowers during the growing season. Their growth cycle is very short, and they give way to other communities later in the season. The dominant herbs of this zone are Potentilla atrosanguinea, Geranium wallichianum, Fritillaria roylei, Impatiens sulcata, Polygonum polystachyum, Angelica archangelica, Selinum vaginatum. The common grasses of the zone are Danthonia cachemyriana, Calamogrostis emodensis, Agrostis pilosula and Trisetum spicatum; the main sedge species are Kobresia roylei and Carex nubigena.
The higher alpine zone is an area of pioneer species dispersed among moraines, boulders, and rocky slopes, dominated by scattered and stunted herbs with delicate flowers, mosses and lichens. The stable slopes on southern aspects typically have meadows of Kobresia sedge. On northern aspects and in sheltered areas are extensive shrubby patches of Rhododendron lepidotum, Cassiope fastigiata and Juniperus communis. The zone’s dominant species are Kobresia royleana, Trachydium roylei and Danthonia cachemyriana. There are also several colorful herbs like Saussurea simpsoniana, Potentilla argyrophylla, Geum elatum, Senecio spp., Bistorta affinis, Bergenia stracheyi and the blue Himalayan poppy.
Fauna
Nanda Devi
An account of the 14 known species of mammals is given by Tak & Lamba (1985) and Lamba (1987), 6 being nationally endangered. The basin is renowned for the abundance of its ungulate populations, notably bharal or blue sheep Pseudois nayaur, estimated to number 820 in 1977, 440 in 1981-1984 but 990 were sighted in 1993. Preliminary surveys suggest that Himalayan musk deer Moschus chrysogaster, mainland serow Capricornus sumatrensis (VU) and Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicu (VU) are also common, but are probably not as plentiful as they used to be due to hunting. However, numbers appear to have increased due to the closure of the Park to human activities since 1983. The goral Nemorhaedus goral does not seem to occur within the basin, although the species does occur near the Park. Snow leopard Uncia uncia (EN) is reported to have been "extraordinarily common" by Dang in 1961. This may reflect the relative ease with which the species is observed here and in the vicinity as it is very unlikely that the Park now supports a large snow leopard population because of its comparatively small size and the deep snow in winter. Other large carnivores are Himalayan black bear Selenarctos thibetanus (VU) and brown bear Ursus arctos, the existence of which has yet to be confirmed, and common leopard P. pardus. The only primate present is common langur Presbytis entellus although rhesus macaque Macaca mullata has been sighted outside the Park boundaries. Some 83 animal species were reported from the area of the national Biosphere Reserve by the Indian National MAB Committee.
Shankaran recorded a total of 114 species of birds in 30 families during the 1993 Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition. Some 67 of these species were not recorded during earlier surveys. Abundant species recorded during May to June include crested black tit Parus melanolophus, yellow-bellied fantail flycatcher Rhipidura hypoxantha, orange-flanked bush robin Erithacus cyanurus, bluefronted redstart Phoenicurus frontalis, Indian tree pipit Anthus hodgsoni, vinaceous breasted pipit A. roseatus, common rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus, and nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes. Species richness was found to be highest in the temperate forests, with a significant decline in richness as elevation increased. Other expeditions for which bird lists are available include Reed (1979) and Tak & Kumar (1987). Lamba (1987) lists 80 species for the area but the distribution of some of these is restricted to lower altitudes in adjacent areas. Some 546 species are reported from the Biosphere Reserve area by the Indian National MAB Committee.
There is a lack of systematic surveys on invertebrate fauna. Baindur recorded 28 species of butterfly from six families during May-June 1993, including common yellow swallowtail Papilo machaon, common blue apollo Parnassius hardwickei, dark clouded yellow Colias electo, Queen of Spain Issoria iathonia, and Indian tortoiseshell Aglais cashmirensis.
The Valley of Flowers
[[Image:redfox.jpgleft300pxthumbThe red fox Vulpes vulpes is one of only 9 species that has been directly sighted in the Valley of Flowers. (Source: Marietta College)
The density of wild animals in the Valley is not high but all the animals found are nationally rare or endangered. 13 species of mammals are recorded for the Park and its vicinity although only 9 species have been sighted directly: common langur Presbytes entellus, flying squirrel Petaurista petaurista, Himalayan black bear Selenarctos thibetanus (VU), red fox Vulpes vulpes, Himalayan weasel Mustela sibirica, and Himalayan yellow marten Martes flavigula, goral Naemorhedus goral, Himalayan musk deer Moschus chrysogaste, Indian mouse deer Moschiola meminna, Himalayan thar Hemitragus jemlahicus (VU) and serow Capricornis sumatrensis (VU). The tahr is common, the serow, goral, musk deer and blue sheep are rare. The common leopard Panthera pardus is reported from lower parts of the valley closer to the villages. Local people have also reported evidence of Himalayan brown bear Ursus arctos and bharal or blue sheep Pseudois nayaur. A recent faunal survey in October 2004 has established the presence of snow leopard Uncia uncia (EN) in the national park.
The area is within the West Himalayan Endemic Bird Area but there have been no surveys specific to the Valley. 114 species were seen in 1993 in Nanda Devi Park. Species frequently seen in the valley include koklass pheasant Pucrasia macrolopha, the nationally listed monal pheasant Lophophorus impejanus, found in rhododendron thickets, scaly-bellied woodpecker Picus squamatus, greater yellow naped woodpecker P. flavinucha, great barbet Megalaima virens, blue throated barbet M. asiatica, snow pigeon Columba leuconota, spotted dove Streptopelia chinensis, lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus, Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis, yellow billed chough Pyrrhocorax graculus and red billed chough P. pyrrhocorax. The area is relatively poor in reptiles: most often seen are the high altitude lizard Agama tuberculata, Himalayan ground skink Leiolopisma himalayana and Himalayan pit viper Gloydius himalayanus. Along with the flowers are wild bees and many species of butterfly which need to be more researched. A few of the more evident species are lime butterfly Papilio demoleus demoleus, common yellow swallowtail Papilio machaon, common mormon Papilio polytes romulus, spangle Papilio protenor protenor and common blue apollo Parnassius hardwickei.
Cultural Heritage
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi, named after Devi (‘goddess’), consort of Shiva, is a manifestation of Parvati and has been revered since ancient times (Reinhard,1987). Hindus have deified the entire basin and every twelfth year devotees make the Nanda Devi Raj Jat pilgrimage to the foot of Trisul to worship their patroness the 'Bliss-giving Goddess' Nanda Devi (Kaur, 1982). The local people are the Bhotiya, an ethnic Tibetan group who lived by trading with Tibet via the Niti valley until the 1962 war with China, by transhumant herding up and down the valley, and on resources from the forests.
The Valley of Flowers
Seven kilometers south of the Park entrance, at Ghangrea, a track leads off to the Hemkund Sahib shrine sacred to Sikhs, and the Hindu temple to Lakshman, brother of Ram, beside Lake Lokpal. These have long been places of pilgrimage to both Sikhs and Hindus, and 400,000-500,000 pilgrims visit them every year. The valley itself was formerly used by migratory villagers for grazing two to three herds of 700-1,000 sheep and goats each and for 40-50 local cows and buffaloes. In 1862 the valley was chanced on by Colonel Edmund Smyth who praised the floral beauty of the region in various periodicals. This attracted Dr. T.G. Longstaff and A.L. Mumm to the Bhuyundar Valley in 1907. It was also found by the mountaineers F.Smythe and R.Holdsworth in 1931 while coming down from an expedition to Mt. Kamet. In 1937 Smythe revisited the valley and next year published The Valley of Flowers, bringing it to world attention. There is the tombstone of a botanist from Kew, Margrett Legge, who died here in 1939.
Local Human Population
Nanda Devi
The Park is uninhabited but the buffer zone is home to 19 communities, five in permanent and 14 transhumant settlements. The most prominent villages are Reni and Lata (114 families), on the north-western side, and in the Niti valley there are eight other villages, totalling 2,250 residents in 1997. 17 of these are inhabited by the Indo-Mongoloid Bhotiya tribe who comprise marchhas (traders) and tolchhyas (farmers) who practice rain-fed subsistence farming, make products from wool, draw resources from the forest and, before the area was closed off, grazed 4,000 goats and sheep in the alpine pastures of Dharansi and Dibrugheta. In1974, proposed Forestry Department clear-cutting of the local trees in Reni prompted the famous Chipko (hug the trees) movement among the villagers led by Gauri Devi, which spread across the region, halting government efforts to harvest the trees. The marchhas, no longer traders with Tibet, turned to a living as porters and guides. When the National Park was created in 1982 it was closed to all users, denying the villagers this trade as well as use of their native resources, which caused hardship and much resentment.
When the Biosphere Reserve was created in 1988, restrictions were extended to the buffer zone without prior consultation with the communities affected. Owing to their apprehensions about the Reserve there was a concerted protest from ten villages in the Niti valley in 1998 led by the villagers of Lata in the Jhapto Cheeno (swoop and grab) movement, against the Reserve management and the Forestry Department’s restrictions on mountaineering and grazing. In 2001 the Lata village council, set up the Nanda Devi Development Authority to convince the government to reconsider the ban on mountaineering so that the local community rather than outside interests might once again benefit from ecotourism. A trail has been created and the communities now receive a share in the fees from visitors while they support fire prevention and anti poaching activities, and provide guides and tourist accommodation. They also offer home stays, which are becoming increasingly popular amongst visitors.
The Valley of Flowers
The valley itself is uninhabited. The local people are mostly Bhotiya, non-tribal Rajput farmers and transhumant herdsmen, who winter their flocks at the area’s main permanent village of Pulna 12 km south of the Park and 1,750 m lower in elevation. Five and nine kilometers south of the Park entrance are the seasonal villages of Ghangrea (at 3,060bm) and Bhiundhar (at 2,240 m), occupied in summer to serve the pilgrims and tourists (when some 400 stalls line the pilgrim trail). The people of Bhiundhar who numbered about 330 in 1999, may no longer graze the valley and some families are still poor but others earn well from tourism and the pilgrimage and are very supportive of the Park. With support from the Forest Department, the local communities have formed Eco-Development Committees (EDCs). The EDCs at Bhyundhar and Govindghat provide support to the Park management and look after the waste disposal and management of visitor facilities along the trail outside the National Park. Over 70 tonnes of garbage was removed by these EDCs in the last two years alone.
Visitors and Visitor Facilities
Nanda Devi
The trek to Nanda Devi base camp is considered to be one of the toughest in the world. When the Park was open between 1974 and 1983 it became the second most popular Himalayan destination after Everest, attracting large numbers of mountaineers and trekkers from all over the world; in 1982 there were some 4,000 visitors, mostly expedition members and porters. The Park was then closed to both tourists and villagers because of the disturbance caused: 1,000 kilograms of tourist litter were later removed by the Indian team who made the 13th ascent of the mountain in 1993. The Park was only reopened in 2003 for regulated tourism following the new ecotourism policy of the state of Uttaranchal. The trail up to Dibrugheta in the National Park was opened to a maximum of 500 tourists per year in a program for ecotourism regulated by the Forest Department with active support from local communities. In the year 2003 over 2,200 tourists visited the Park and nearby eco-zone. In 2004 (to the end of November), 184 tourists visited the Park and 1,638 tourists visited the eco-zone. Camping sites have been developed in several places and the villagers offer home stays, which are becoming increasingly popular amongst visitors. Further facilities for pilgrimage, cycling, camping, mountaineering courses and cultural tourism are planned. Joshimath, where there are hotels, is about 170 km north of the railhead at Rishikesh, and 220 km from Jolly Grant airport at Dehra Dun.
The Valley of Flowers
The valley is very accessible and some of the many pilgrims to the nearby shrines travel on to see it. In 1999, between 30 and 50 people visited the Park daily. In 2003-2004, nearly 4,000 were recorded: 3,600 from India and 300 from abroad. Visits occur between May and early October, on foot once within the Park and guided by youths from the village to see that the flowers are not trampled. There is a Forest Department post and interpretation centre at Ghangrea near the entrance with brochures, books and posters and where entry fees are charged. For the last two years this has been managed by members of the EDC who present slide and film shows for visitors.
There are sign boards in the park and guided nature trails including a 19-kilometer trek. Regulations for trekking are being prepared. No camping is allowed in the valley. But mountaineering is allowed subject to permit and regulation, on two peaks, Rataban and Ghauri Parbat. There are also trails out of the park to the southwest and through bear-infested forest and over glacial ice to the northeast. There are some 25 visitor resthouses, lodges and hotels at Ghangrea near the Park entrance and down the Bhiundhar at Govindghat on the Alaknanda, including a very large Sikh gurudwara. There are Forest Department guesthouses at both Ghangrea and Govindghat, and camping near Bhiundhar village. The site is about 200 km north of the railhead at Rishikesh, and 250 km from Dehra Dun airport.
Scientific Research and Facilities
Nanda Devi
The first recorded attempt to enter the sacred basin was by W.Graham in 1883, but he was unable to get beyond the gorge of the lower Rishi Ganga. Subsequent attempts by Dr T. Longstaff in 1907 and H. Ruttledge in 1926, 1927 and 1932 also failed. Finally, in 1934, Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman pioneered a route to the ‘Inner Sanctuary’ by forcing a passage up the upper gorge of the Rishi Ganga. Later, in 1936, H. Tilman and N. Odell made the first ascent of Nanda Devi, reputed the outstanding climb of the pre-War era. Their accounts of this natural sanctuary first drew attention to this spectacular mountain wilderness and led to its protection. A geological survey was conducted by Maruo in 1979. Among the first published observations on the wildlife of Nanda Devi are those of Dang (1961), Lavkumar (1977,1979) and for birds, Reed (1979). Surveys of the flora and mammalian fauna were carried out by the Botanical Survey of India and Zoological Survey of India respectively. The Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition conducted floral and faunal surveys and habitat assessments in 1993. Following the program of decadal monitoring of the region, a combined team of the Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India, G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Ecology & Development and Garhwal University conducted surveys in the region again in 2003. This research will contribute to the management of the Park.
The Valley of Flowers
The flora was surveyed and inventoried in 1987 by the Botanical Survey of India, in 1992 by the Forest Research Institute and in 1997 by the Wildlife Institute of India which found five species new to science. A research nursery and seed / rhizome / tuber bank for propagating rare plants and valuable medicinal herbs has been created at Musadhar near the entrance of the site. Rare and valuable medicinal plants are the subject of special programs. These include Aconitum heterophyllum, A. falconeri, Arnebia benthamii, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Gymnadenia orchides, Megacarpaea polyandra, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Podophyllum haxandrum and Taxus wallichiana. Research plots have been set up to determine the best way to control the spread of the tall smothering Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachium without damaging other plants or the surface of the soil. A first annual survey was conducted in 2004 and will be repeated annually.
Conservation value
Nanda Devi
The area is one of the most spectacular wildernesses in the Himalayas. The basin is dominated by the pyramidal peak of Nanda Devi, India's second highest mountain, and drained by the Rishi Ganga which has cut one of the finest gorges in the world. It supports a diverse flora, largely because of the wide altitudinal range, and a number of rare or threatened animals. Unlike many other Himalayan valleys, it is free from human settlement and owing to its inaccessibility has remained largely unspoilt, particularly the forests of the lower Rishi Valley. The Chipko campaign made the site a symbol of participatory conservation and ecotourism in India.
The Valley of Flowers
The Valley is one of the two core zones of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve which protects one of the most spectacular mountain wildernesses of the western Himalayas, among which the Paspawati valley is celebrated for its flowers. More than 500 species grow there in an area of less than 2,500 hectares. It is also the habitat of the endangered snow leopard, the serow and rare Himalayan musk deer.
Conservation Management
Nanda Devi:
The upper Rishi Ganga valleys (the Outer and Inner Sanctuaries) were long preserved by the difficulty of penetrating the lower Rishi gorge which remained unexplored until 1934. Hunting, the collection of medicinal plants and other forms of exploitation followed until the 1962 war with China closed the border. From 1945 to 1974 the region remained closed to foreign visitors. Traditionally, the alpine pastures around Dharansi and Dibrugheta were grazed by livestock from Lata, Tolma and Peng villages, and latterly from villages as far up the Niti valley as Malari. A spate of mountaineering and trekking followed the re-opening of the Reserve in 1974 but caused such disturbance to the environment, that, on scientific advice, trekking, expeditions and grazing were banned by authority of the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh. The 1983 ban covered grazing, hunting, harvesting herbs, wood-collection, mountaineering and trekking anywhere in the core area of the then projected Biosphere Reserve, including the whole National Park, Thus communities traditionally dependent on sheep rearing and local resources had to seek alternate pastures, change their vocations or emigrate. Over 25% left the valley.
A preliminary management plan was prepared but by 1988 this had not been sanctioned by the Chief Wildlife Warden. Included in the plan were recommendations concerning the ban on tourism and ways in which to provide employment for local people. Nandi Devi was earmarked as one of several protected areas for future inclusion under the Government of India's Project Snow Leopard. The Pindari and Sundadhunga valleys at the southern edge of the Nanda Devi massif were recommended for designation as a sanctuary to protect their reportedly large and viable ungulate and pheasant populations. In 1988, without local consultation, a long-projected national Biosphere Reserve was created to protect the region’s biodiversity, with Nanda Devi National Park as the core area. Following the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, restrictions were imposed on grazing and other human activities throughout the Biosphere Reserve with adjacent buffer areas remaining open for legitimate community needs. The condition of the flora and fauna greatly improved but the villagers’ crops and cattle began to suffer increased losses to wild animals for which compensation was hard to obtain. As a result more than 75% of the residents developed a very negative attitude towards the Reserve management.
The 1998 Jhapto Cheeno protest against the restrictions on grazing and mountaineering and against official indifference enlisted world-wide interest. Faced with state support for potential development of the basin by national and multinational interests, the villagers created the Nanda Devi Development Authority in 2001. Following this initiative, the Protected Area management began to promote local enterpreneurship and actively involve local communities which had previously been ignored, in conservation activities. These now receive a share in the trail management fees and help to prevent fires and poaching. By 1993 the Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition concluded that wildlife numbers were increasing and the ecosystem of the Park showed signs of recovery since its closure. This recovery and continued improvement in the biodiversity of the Park was re-confirmed in the decadal monitoring of the Park in 2003 carried out by the scientists of the Wildlife Institute of India, the Pant Institute of Himalayan Ecology & Development and Garhwal University. The demand to lift the restrictions on mountaineering is still raised occasionally, both by mountaineers for whom this region remains the final frontier and by villagers who see a potential for well paid employment as porters and guides.
With support from the MAB programme initiatives of the Indian government and the latest ecotourism policy of the newly created state of Uttaranchal, regulated tourism has been allowed. Community-based tourism plans for the villages around the Park (Lata, Tolma, Peng and Reni) have been prepared. Under these plans, capacity-building, the training and registration of local youths as guides, the creation of home stays for visitors, the establishment of local tour operator groups for eco- and cultural tours, the development of handicrafts and medical plant cultivation and the direct involvement of Women's Welfare Groups have all been introduced. As a result of these initiatives, over 2,200 tourists visited the Park and nearby eco-zone in 2003. Eco-Development Committees have been established in all the villages and PRA- (Participatory Rule Appraisal) based micro-plans have been prepared by them, supported with funds from various sources. This success was recognised in 2004 by an Ecotourism award, and by the presence of two local women at the Global Women’s Conference on Environment at Nairobi.
The Valley of Flowers
The Park is a natural laboratory for the conservation and study of the western Himalayan flora. When it became a National Park in 1982 livestock grazing ceased and restrictions were imposed on nearby villagers. However, the Park’s staff have begun to train them by building up their capacity as wardens and plantsmen, trekking and mountaineering guides. As wardens they are trained in implementing regulations and handling offenders, in the use of instruments and fire arms, in high altitude survival strategies and resolving conflicts with wild animals and intruding hunters; as plantsmen they are trained in plant identification, field biodiversity monitoring, identifying and restoring rare plants and rehabilitating their habitats. All are provided with better facilities and equipment. The nursery at the entrance of the site is researching ways to mitigate the pressure on rare and valuable plants and in cooperation with the Eco-Development Committee of Bhiundhar villagers have been encouraged to grow them on. The EDCs also clear the waste and manage visitor facilities along the trail outside the National Park. In 2002-2003 in cooperation with the villagers’ Eco-Development Committee and Forest Committee of Bhiundhar the Forestry Department oversaw the clearing of 50 tons of litter and removed 120 temporary stalls from the pilgrim trail from Govindhar to Hekmund. The Committee is also spreading awareness of the need to suppress the rampant Himalayan knotweed.
Management is done within the 2003-2013 plan for Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve which is implemented annually in consultation with local, district and state bodies but does not manage the Parks directly. A new ten-year management plan for the Valley of Flowers Park is due for completion in 2005 based on the following objectives:
The protection, in-situ and ex-situ conservation and monitoring of the flora and fauna;
Restoration of and research into the flora and fauna;
Management of the habitats of the park for endangered flora and fauna
Development, upkeep and litter-clearing of trek routes and basic facilities for park visitors with active support and participation of the local communities.
Education of local people about the biodiversity and protection of the park;
Generating opportunities in the local community for sustainable livelihoods and building their capacity for responsible ecotourism.
Key indicators for monitoring the state of conservation in the park are:
The status of rare and endangered flora such as the populations of Saussurea obvallata, Meconopsis aculeata, Cypripedium cordigerum, Dactlyorhiza hatagirea, Aconitum spp. in permanent plots;
The assessment of cover at past camps and trails by invaders like Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachyum, Rumex nepalensis, Impatiens sulcata and Osmunda claytoniana;
Signs of threats to the wild flora and fauna from illegal herb collection and poaching;
Regeneration of birch and fir in landslide areas below 3,300 m.
Management Constraints
Nanda Devi
Hundreds of tons of litter, felling of trees and even cultural vandalism created by expeditions, along with the introduction of sheep and goats to the inner basin, reached serious proportions before the closure of the Park. However, by 1993, after ten years of closure, the wildlife had recovered and increased in numbers. Regular patrolling inside the Park during winters is very challenging. The two access routes into the inner basin are difficult to maintain because of the terrain and heavy snow fall, and manning the newly created checkpost at Lata Kharak throughout the year is also a challenge. Although their participation in ecotourism has been secured, their training for the work needs continued development. The number of staff has gone up but is still inadequate. A few of the wildlife staff have been trained at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, but they lack the necessary support for mountaineering equipment to patrol the higher reaches of the Park year-round.
The Valley of Flowers
The main management issues are, within the Valley, control of invasive knotweed and, on the way to the Park, tourist and pilgrim litter. This piles up by the tonne from the thousands of tourists that visit the shrines: 300,000 plastic bottles a year and 500-600 kilograms of human and mule dung per day. The local people have now combined to clear this. A past threat to the forests surrounding the pilgrim route was the destruction of trees for firewood but this is now forbidden. Within the Park some 1,000 ha of meadow are infested with the tall fast growing Himalayan knotweed which controls erosion but crowds out the subalpine flora. Its increase where livestock used to congregate is related to the prohibition of grazing. While livestock overgraze and over-enrich the soil, they may enhance floral diversity by limiting the growth of taller more vigorous plants. Its eradication and regular monitoring is expected to be a major expense. There is no pollution and little danger from avalanches except on the approach road from Govindghat. There is, nevertheless, a constant threat from local poachers, especially to the snow leopard, and to ungulates when they come down to the valleys in winter; also from local indifference to wildlife conservation. This is aggravated by lack of adequate funding for the training needed for high altitude monitoring.
Comparison with Similar Sites
The Valley is similar to Nanda Devi National Park, but has many more and more northerly plant species and is much more accessible. Entering the other Park requires time and mountaineering skills; it remains a wilderness rightly protected as a Strict Nature Reserve. At present there is only one World Heritage site in the mountains between Assam and northern Pakistan - the far larger mountainous Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal, but there are such large differences in scale and terrain as to make close comparison unrealistic. There may be comparable valley sites in the nearer Himalayas which remain largely unknown due to the difficulty of access and the strategic sensitivity of the region. There are 17 protected areas in the west Himalaya, covering 11.6% of the biotic province. There are certainly some alpine valleys such as Ralam, Pindari, Sunderdhunga, Khatling and Harkidoon, which may originally have been comparable in number of plant species but all have been degraded by overgrazing and medicinal plant collection. Three adjacent valleys of Khiron, Khakbusandi and Bedini-Ali have much less diversity. Nearby protected areas in Uttaranchal which include valleys are Gangotri and Govind National Parks, Kendarnath, Ascot and Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuaries and, in Himachal Pradesh, Sangla Wildlife Sanctuary. But none has a comparable floristic richness, and in so compact an area. The valley’s 600 species of plants comprise 25% of the vascular plants found in the Chamoli district though it is only 1.3% of its area. The valley is also celebrated in literature, both Indian and English, for its beauty, its flowers and the associated religious sites.
Staff
Nanda Devi
In 2004 a staff of 89 was deployed: one Director/Conservator of Forests, one Deputy Conservator of Forests, one Sub divisional Forest Officer, two Range Officers, two Deputy Range Officers, five Asst. Wildlife Wardens, six foresters, 22 Wildlife Guards, 17 Forest Guards and 21 part-time watchers. Out of these, 22 field staff have been deployed at the Park from the Biosphere Reserve establishment.
The Valley of Flowers
One Divisional Forest Officer, one Range Officer, 2 Foresters, 4 wildlife guards, 2 buffer forest guards.
Budget
Nanda Devi
Approximately Rs20 lakhs (Rs20,000,000/US$44,500) in 2003-2004. US$75,000 from the budget for Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is given to the Park.
The Valley of Flowers
This comes from the national Ministry of Environment and Forests. An annual average expenditure of Rs17.5 lakhs (Rs1,750,000 / US$39,000) was recommended over a ten year period from 2000-2009. US$45,000 from the budget for Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is allocated to the Park.
IUCN Management Category
Nanda Devi National Park: Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)Valley Of Flowers National Park: II (National Park)
International Designations
2004: Both Parks designated as core zones of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man & Biosphere Programme (586,069 ha).
Natural World Heritage Serial Site
1988: Nanda Devi National Park inscribed on the World Heritage List under Natural Criteria iii and iv. 2005: Extended to include the Valley of Flowers National Park.
Article Topics: Geography, Ecology and Ecotourism
This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Mark McGinley (other articles)
Last Updated: January 10, 2008
Geographical Location
Nanda Devi National Park (30° 41' to 30° 48'N and 79° 33' to 79° 46'E) is a World Heritage Site that lies in eastern Uttaranchal State, near the Tibetan border in the Garhwal (western) Himalaya, 300 kilometers (km) northeast of Delhi. The main entrance to the Park is via Lata and Tolma villages, some 25 km and 31 km respectively east of Joshimath township. It leads through the almost inaccessible gorge of Rishi Ganga to a basin surrounded by high mountain ridges and peaks except to the west, lying between 30°16' to 30° 32'N and 79° 44' to 80° 02'E. The Valley of Flowers is in the Paspawati valley 23 km north-northwest of Nanda Devi Park. It lies between 30° 41' to 30° 48'N and 79° 33' to 79° 46'E.
Date and History of Establishment
1862: The Paspawati valley was discovered by Colonel Edmund Smyth.
1931: The valley visited by the mountaineer F. Smythe who wrote a book publicising the “Valley of Flowers”
1936: The upper Nanda Devi basin was reached and described by mountaineers E.Shipton and N.Odell who climbed Nanda Devi
1939: The basin was established as the Nanda Devi Game Sanctuary by Government Order 1493/XIV- 28 of 7/01.
1962: Border disputes closed the area to traffic, altering the local economy.
1974-82: The Sanctuary was opened to mountaineering but the ensuing degradation led to its closure to all users.
1982: The Park was established as Sanjay Gandhi National Park by Notification 3912/ XIV 3-35-80, but was later renamed Nanda Devi National Park. Restrictions were imposed on the rights of nearby villagers.
The Valley of Flowers was declared a National Park by Government Order 4278/XIV-3-66-80 under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, for the conservation of its flora.
1986: The Nanda Devi National Biosphere Reserve was established (223,674 ha) with a 514,857 hectares (ha) buffer zone surrounding the two Parks.
2000: The Biosphere Reserve extended by the government to 586,069 ha which included both National Park core zones (62,462 ha + 8,750 ha, totaling 71,212 ha); the Valley was declared the second core zone of the expanded National Biosphere Reserve.
2004: The two core zones and buffer zone designated a United Nations Environmental, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve.
Areas
Nanda Devi: 62,462 ha. Valley of Flowers: 8,750 ha. The Parks share a 514,857 ha buffer zone within the Biosphere Reserve which is not within the World Heritage site.
Land Tenure
Uttaranchal State in Chamoli District. Administered by the Uttaranchal State Forestry Department of the National Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Altitude
Nanda Devi: 1,900 meters (m) (lower Rishi Gorge), 2,100 m (the basin) to 7,817 m (Nanda Devi West). Valley of Flowers: 3,350 m (valley floor) to 6,708 m (Gauri Parbat).
Physical Features
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi Mountain. (Source: Stanford Alpine Club)
The Park is in the catchment basin of the Rishi Ganga, an eastern tributary of the Dhauli Ganga which flows into a major tributary of the Ganges, the Alaknanda River, at Joshimath. The area is a vast glacial basin, divided by a series of parallel north-south oriented ridges. These rise to the encircling mountain rim formed by sixteen peaks above 6,000 m. The best known of these are Dunagiri (7,056 m) and Kalanka (6,931 m) to the north, Nanda Devi East (7,434 m) on the eastern rim, Nanda Khat (6,811 m) in the southeast and Trisul (7,127 m) in the southwest. Nanda Devi West lies on a short ridge projecting from Nanda Devi East into the basin. It is India's second highest mountain. The upper Rishi Valley, known as the Inner Sanctuary, is fed by the Changbang, North Rishi and North Nanda Devi glaciers from the north and by the South Nanda Devi and South Rishi glaciers from the south. An impressive gorge cuts through the Devistan-Rishikot ridge below the confluence of the North and South Rishi rivers. The Trisuli and Ramani glaciers flow into the lower Rishi Valley or Outer Sanctuary, below which the Rishi Ganga enters the narrow, deep, steep-sided and virtually inaccessible lower gorge.
The basin displays an array of periglacial and glacial forms which cover a wide range of phases of growth. The combinations of normal and perched glaciers on different rock types add to the interest of the basin. Most of the Park falls within the central crystallines, a zone of young granites and metamorphic rocks. Along the northern edge the Tibetan-Tethys is exposed, consisting of sandstones, micaceous quartzite, limestones and shales. The Tethys sediments form Nanda Devi itself and with many of the surrounding peaks, displays spectacular folding and evidence of thrust movements, while other mountains like Changbang are granite. The crystalline rocks of the Vaikrita Group and lower part of the Tethys sediments have been tentatively subdivided into four, the Lata, Ramani, Kharapatal and Martoli formations. Further geological details are given by Lamba (1987).
The Valley of Flowers
The Valley of Flowers National Park. (Source: Case Western Reserve University)
The Valley is 20 km northwest of Nanda Devi National Park across the wide valley of the Bhiundhar Ganga. It is one of two hanging valleys lying at the head of the Bhiundhar valley, the other being the shorter Hemkund valley which runs parallel some 10 km south. It runs east-west approximately 15 km by an average of 6 km wide, in the basin of the Paspawati river, a small tributary flowing from the Tipra glacier which descends from Gauri Parbat in the east. Its central valley, lying at about 3,500 m, is a gently inclined basin of some 1,000 ha of alpine meadows, the Kundalinisen plateau, the forested slopes of which rise sharply through moraines to rocky ridges, perpetually snow-covered peaks and glaciers which together cover 73% of the valley. Alpine meadows cover 21% and forests 6% of the rest. The high surrounding mountains are not impassable and open to the south at Ghangrea (3,072 m), 7 km downstream. There, the Paspawati meets the Lakshman Ganga, becoming the Bhiundhar Ganga which flows 15 km to Govindghat at its confluence with the Alaknanda, a tributary of the Ganges. The main surrounding peaks are Nar Parbat (5,245 m) to the northwest, Nilgiri Parbat (6,479 m) to the north, Rataban (6,126 m) across the Bhuindhar Pass, with Gauri Parbat (6,708 m) to the east and Saptasring (5,038 m) to the south. The Lakshman Ganga flows from Lokpal lake (4,150 m) in the Hemkund valley, a much visited place of pilgrimage. The well exposed bedrock comprises crystallines of the Vaikrita group with sedimentary, mica schist and shale rocks. The soils are acidic and retain moisture well.
Climate
Being an inner Himalayan valley, the Nanda Devi Basin has a distinctive microclimate. Conditions are generally dry with low annual precipitation, but there is heavy rainfall during the monsoon from late June to early September. Prevailing mist and low cloud during the monsoon keeps the soil moist, hence the vegetation is lusher than is usual in the drier inner Himalayan valleys. From mid April to June temperatures are moderate to cool (19 degrees Celsius (°C) maximum). The Valley of Flowers also has the microclimate of an enclosed inner Himalayan valley, and is shielded from the full impact of the southwest summer monsoon by the Greater Himalaya range to its south. There is often dense fog and rain especially during the late summer monsoon. Both Basin and Valley are usually snow-bound for six to seven months between late October and late March, the snow accumulating deeper and at lower altitudes on the shadowed southern than on the northern side of the valleys.
Vegetation
Nanda Devi
Forests are restricted largely to the Rishi Gorge and are dominated by West Himalayan fir Abies pindrow and Rhododendron campanulatum with Himalayan birch Betula utilis up to about 3,350 m. Forming a broad belt between these and the alpine meadows is birch forest, with an understory of rhododendron. Conditions are drier within the inner basin becoming almost xeric up the main glaciers. Beyond Ramani, the vegetation changes from forest to dry alpine communities, with scrub juniper Juniperus pseudosabina becoming the dominant cover. With altitude, junipers give way to grasses, prone mosses and lichens, and on riverine soils to annual herbs and dwarf willow Salix spp. Woody vegetation extends along the sides of the main glaciers before changing gradually to squat alpines and lichens.
A floristic analysis of the area based on the 1993 Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition is given by Balodi (1993). A total of 312 species, distributed over 199 genera and 81 families, has been recorded and preserved in the herbarium of the Northern Circle Botanical Survey of India. At least 17 of these are considered rare. Not in this list is Saussurea sudhanshui, newly described from the area. Within the larger area of the Biosphere Reserve some 793 species from 400 genera and 120 families were listed by the 1993 Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition. Eight nationally threatened species recorded include Nardostachys grandiflora, Picroehiza kurrooa (VU), Cypripedium elegans, C. himalaicum, Dioscorea deltoidea (VU) and Allium stracheyi (VU). Local people use a total of 97 species, 17 for medicine, 55 as food plants, 15 as fodder, 16 for fuel, 5 for tools, 8 for house building, 2 as fibers, 6 for miscellaneous uses, and 11 for religious purposes.
The Valley of Flowers
The flower Saussurea obvallata is collected by local villagers to be used as a religious offering to Nanda Devi and other deities. (Source: Harvard University Herbaria)
The valley has an unusually rich flora of over 600 species with many rarities. It lies in a transitional area between the Great Himalaya and Zanskar Mountains, and also between the eastern and western Himalayan phytographic regions. The valley has three main vegetation zones: sub-alpine between 3,200 m and 3,500 m which is the limit for trees, lower alpine between 3,500 m and 3,700 m, and higher alpine above 3,700 m. The habitats include valley bottom, river bed, small forests, meadows, eroded, scrubby and stable slopes, moraine, plateau, bogs, stone desert and caves. The lower surrounding hills in the buffer zone are thickly forested. The Forest Research Institute in 1992 recorded 600 species of angiosperms and 30 pteridophytes in the valley and surroundings, discovering 58 new records for the valley of which 4 were new for Himalayan Uttar Pradesh. Of these plants, 5 out of 6 species globally threatened are not found in Nanda Devi National Park or elsewhere in Uttaranchal: Aconitum falconeri, A. balfouri, Himalayan maple Acer caesium, the blue Himalayan poppy Mecanopsis aculeate and Saussurea atkinsoni. 31 species are classified as nationally rare. The dominant family is the Asteraceae with 62 species. Forty-five medicinal plants are used by local villagers and several species, such as Saussurea obvallata (brahmakamal) are collected as religious offerings to Nanda Devi and other deities. The site is designated a Centre of Plant Diversity.Characteristic of the sub-alpine zone are high altitude forests which help to retain moisture and snow and support a large number of floral and faunal communities. It is dominated by the uncommon Himalayan maple Acer caesium (VU), west Himalayan fir Abies pindrow, Himalayan white birch Betula utilis, and Rhododendron campanulatum with Himalayan yew Taxus wallichiana, Syringa emodi and Sorbus lanata Some of the common herbs are Arisaema jacquemontii, Boschniakia himalaica, Corydalis cashmeriana, Polemonium caerulium, Polygonum polystachyum (a rampant tall weed), Impatiens sulcata, Geranium wallichianum, Helinia elliptica, Galium aparine, Morina longifolia, Inula grandiflora, Nomochoris oxypetala, Anemone rivularis, Pedicularis pectinata, P. bicornuta, Primula denticulate and Trillidium govanianum. In trampled areas where past livestock congregated, Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachium is a rampant weed.
The valley’s lower alpine zone has greater moisture and deeper soil. A large number of herbaceous communities grow in great profusion and it supports the greatest diversity of alpine plants. Characteristic of the zone are dwarf shrubs, cushion herbs, grasses and sedges. Common and single-seed junipers Juniperus communis and J. squamata, Rhododendron anthopogon, Salix spp., Lonicera myrtillus, Cotoneaster microphyllus, and Rubus ellipticus are the major shrub species in this zone. The herbaceous flora gives a spectacular multicolored array of flowers during the growing season. Their growth cycle is very short, and they give way to other communities later in the season. The dominant herbs of this zone are Potentilla atrosanguinea, Geranium wallichianum, Fritillaria roylei, Impatiens sulcata, Polygonum polystachyum, Angelica archangelica, Selinum vaginatum. The common grasses of the zone are Danthonia cachemyriana, Calamogrostis emodensis, Agrostis pilosula and Trisetum spicatum; the main sedge species are Kobresia roylei and Carex nubigena.
The higher alpine zone is an area of pioneer species dispersed among moraines, boulders, and rocky slopes, dominated by scattered and stunted herbs with delicate flowers, mosses and lichens. The stable slopes on southern aspects typically have meadows of Kobresia sedge. On northern aspects and in sheltered areas are extensive shrubby patches of Rhododendron lepidotum, Cassiope fastigiata and Juniperus communis. The zone’s dominant species are Kobresia royleana, Trachydium roylei and Danthonia cachemyriana. There are also several colorful herbs like Saussurea simpsoniana, Potentilla argyrophylla, Geum elatum, Senecio spp., Bistorta affinis, Bergenia stracheyi and the blue Himalayan poppy.
Fauna
Nanda Devi
An account of the 14 known species of mammals is given by Tak & Lamba (1985) and Lamba (1987), 6 being nationally endangered. The basin is renowned for the abundance of its ungulate populations, notably bharal or blue sheep Pseudois nayaur, estimated to number 820 in 1977, 440 in 1981-1984 but 990 were sighted in 1993. Preliminary surveys suggest that Himalayan musk deer Moschus chrysogaster, mainland serow Capricornus sumatrensis (VU) and Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicu (VU) are also common, but are probably not as plentiful as they used to be due to hunting. However, numbers appear to have increased due to the closure of the Park to human activities since 1983. The goral Nemorhaedus goral does not seem to occur within the basin, although the species does occur near the Park. Snow leopard Uncia uncia (EN) is reported to have been "extraordinarily common" by Dang in 1961. This may reflect the relative ease with which the species is observed here and in the vicinity as it is very unlikely that the Park now supports a large snow leopard population because of its comparatively small size and the deep snow in winter. Other large carnivores are Himalayan black bear Selenarctos thibetanus (VU) and brown bear Ursus arctos, the existence of which has yet to be confirmed, and common leopard P. pardus. The only primate present is common langur Presbytis entellus although rhesus macaque Macaca mullata has been sighted outside the Park boundaries. Some 83 animal species were reported from the area of the national Biosphere Reserve by the Indian National MAB Committee.
Shankaran recorded a total of 114 species of birds in 30 families during the 1993 Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition. Some 67 of these species were not recorded during earlier surveys. Abundant species recorded during May to June include crested black tit Parus melanolophus, yellow-bellied fantail flycatcher Rhipidura hypoxantha, orange-flanked bush robin Erithacus cyanurus, bluefronted redstart Phoenicurus frontalis, Indian tree pipit Anthus hodgsoni, vinaceous breasted pipit A. roseatus, common rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus, and nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes. Species richness was found to be highest in the temperate forests, with a significant decline in richness as elevation increased. Other expeditions for which bird lists are available include Reed (1979) and Tak & Kumar (1987). Lamba (1987) lists 80 species for the area but the distribution of some of these is restricted to lower altitudes in adjacent areas. Some 546 species are reported from the Biosphere Reserve area by the Indian National MAB Committee.
There is a lack of systematic surveys on invertebrate fauna. Baindur recorded 28 species of butterfly from six families during May-June 1993, including common yellow swallowtail Papilo machaon, common blue apollo Parnassius hardwickei, dark clouded yellow Colias electo, Queen of Spain Issoria iathonia, and Indian tortoiseshell Aglais cashmirensis.
The Valley of Flowers
[[Image:redfox.jpgleft300pxthumbThe red fox Vulpes vulpes is one of only 9 species that has been directly sighted in the Valley of Flowers. (Source: Marietta College)
The density of wild animals in the Valley is not high but all the animals found are nationally rare or endangered. 13 species of mammals are recorded for the Park and its vicinity although only 9 species have been sighted directly: common langur Presbytes entellus, flying squirrel Petaurista petaurista, Himalayan black bear Selenarctos thibetanus (VU), red fox Vulpes vulpes, Himalayan weasel Mustela sibirica, and Himalayan yellow marten Martes flavigula, goral Naemorhedus goral, Himalayan musk deer Moschus chrysogaste, Indian mouse deer Moschiola meminna, Himalayan thar Hemitragus jemlahicus (VU) and serow Capricornis sumatrensis (VU). The tahr is common, the serow, goral, musk deer and blue sheep are rare. The common leopard Panthera pardus is reported from lower parts of the valley closer to the villages. Local people have also reported evidence of Himalayan brown bear Ursus arctos and bharal or blue sheep Pseudois nayaur. A recent faunal survey in October 2004 has established the presence of snow leopard Uncia uncia (EN) in the national park.
The area is within the West Himalayan Endemic Bird Area but there have been no surveys specific to the Valley. 114 species were seen in 1993 in Nanda Devi Park. Species frequently seen in the valley include koklass pheasant Pucrasia macrolopha, the nationally listed monal pheasant Lophophorus impejanus, found in rhododendron thickets, scaly-bellied woodpecker Picus squamatus, greater yellow naped woodpecker P. flavinucha, great barbet Megalaima virens, blue throated barbet M. asiatica, snow pigeon Columba leuconota, spotted dove Streptopelia chinensis, lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus, Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis, yellow billed chough Pyrrhocorax graculus and red billed chough P. pyrrhocorax. The area is relatively poor in reptiles: most often seen are the high altitude lizard Agama tuberculata, Himalayan ground skink Leiolopisma himalayana and Himalayan pit viper Gloydius himalayanus. Along with the flowers are wild bees and many species of butterfly which need to be more researched. A few of the more evident species are lime butterfly Papilio demoleus demoleus, common yellow swallowtail Papilio machaon, common mormon Papilio polytes romulus, spangle Papilio protenor protenor and common blue apollo Parnassius hardwickei.
Cultural Heritage
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi, named after Devi (‘goddess’), consort of Shiva, is a manifestation of Parvati and has been revered since ancient times (Reinhard,1987). Hindus have deified the entire basin and every twelfth year devotees make the Nanda Devi Raj Jat pilgrimage to the foot of Trisul to worship their patroness the 'Bliss-giving Goddess' Nanda Devi (Kaur, 1982). The local people are the Bhotiya, an ethnic Tibetan group who lived by trading with Tibet via the Niti valley until the 1962 war with China, by transhumant herding up and down the valley, and on resources from the forests.
The Valley of Flowers
Seven kilometers south of the Park entrance, at Ghangrea, a track leads off to the Hemkund Sahib shrine sacred to Sikhs, and the Hindu temple to Lakshman, brother of Ram, beside Lake Lokpal. These have long been places of pilgrimage to both Sikhs and Hindus, and 400,000-500,000 pilgrims visit them every year. The valley itself was formerly used by migratory villagers for grazing two to three herds of 700-1,000 sheep and goats each and for 40-50 local cows and buffaloes. In 1862 the valley was chanced on by Colonel Edmund Smyth who praised the floral beauty of the region in various periodicals. This attracted Dr. T.G. Longstaff and A.L. Mumm to the Bhuyundar Valley in 1907. It was also found by the mountaineers F.Smythe and R.Holdsworth in 1931 while coming down from an expedition to Mt. Kamet. In 1937 Smythe revisited the valley and next year published The Valley of Flowers, bringing it to world attention. There is the tombstone of a botanist from Kew, Margrett Legge, who died here in 1939.
Local Human Population
Nanda Devi
The Park is uninhabited but the buffer zone is home to 19 communities, five in permanent and 14 transhumant settlements. The most prominent villages are Reni and Lata (114 families), on the north-western side, and in the Niti valley there are eight other villages, totalling 2,250 residents in 1997. 17 of these are inhabited by the Indo-Mongoloid Bhotiya tribe who comprise marchhas (traders) and tolchhyas (farmers) who practice rain-fed subsistence farming, make products from wool, draw resources from the forest and, before the area was closed off, grazed 4,000 goats and sheep in the alpine pastures of Dharansi and Dibrugheta. In1974, proposed Forestry Department clear-cutting of the local trees in Reni prompted the famous Chipko (hug the trees) movement among the villagers led by Gauri Devi, which spread across the region, halting government efforts to harvest the trees. The marchhas, no longer traders with Tibet, turned to a living as porters and guides. When the National Park was created in 1982 it was closed to all users, denying the villagers this trade as well as use of their native resources, which caused hardship and much resentment.
When the Biosphere Reserve was created in 1988, restrictions were extended to the buffer zone without prior consultation with the communities affected. Owing to their apprehensions about the Reserve there was a concerted protest from ten villages in the Niti valley in 1998 led by the villagers of Lata in the Jhapto Cheeno (swoop and grab) movement, against the Reserve management and the Forestry Department’s restrictions on mountaineering and grazing. In 2001 the Lata village council, set up the Nanda Devi Development Authority to convince the government to reconsider the ban on mountaineering so that the local community rather than outside interests might once again benefit from ecotourism. A trail has been created and the communities now receive a share in the fees from visitors while they support fire prevention and anti poaching activities, and provide guides and tourist accommodation. They also offer home stays, which are becoming increasingly popular amongst visitors.
The Valley of Flowers
The valley itself is uninhabited. The local people are mostly Bhotiya, non-tribal Rajput farmers and transhumant herdsmen, who winter their flocks at the area’s main permanent village of Pulna 12 km south of the Park and 1,750 m lower in elevation. Five and nine kilometers south of the Park entrance are the seasonal villages of Ghangrea (at 3,060bm) and Bhiundhar (at 2,240 m), occupied in summer to serve the pilgrims and tourists (when some 400 stalls line the pilgrim trail). The people of Bhiundhar who numbered about 330 in 1999, may no longer graze the valley and some families are still poor but others earn well from tourism and the pilgrimage and are very supportive of the Park. With support from the Forest Department, the local communities have formed Eco-Development Committees (EDCs). The EDCs at Bhyundhar and Govindghat provide support to the Park management and look after the waste disposal and management of visitor facilities along the trail outside the National Park. Over 70 tonnes of garbage was removed by these EDCs in the last two years alone.
Visitors and Visitor Facilities
Nanda Devi
The trek to Nanda Devi base camp is considered to be one of the toughest in the world. When the Park was open between 1974 and 1983 it became the second most popular Himalayan destination after Everest, attracting large numbers of mountaineers and trekkers from all over the world; in 1982 there were some 4,000 visitors, mostly expedition members and porters. The Park was then closed to both tourists and villagers because of the disturbance caused: 1,000 kilograms of tourist litter were later removed by the Indian team who made the 13th ascent of the mountain in 1993. The Park was only reopened in 2003 for regulated tourism following the new ecotourism policy of the state of Uttaranchal. The trail up to Dibrugheta in the National Park was opened to a maximum of 500 tourists per year in a program for ecotourism regulated by the Forest Department with active support from local communities. In the year 2003 over 2,200 tourists visited the Park and nearby eco-zone. In 2004 (to the end of November), 184 tourists visited the Park and 1,638 tourists visited the eco-zone. Camping sites have been developed in several places and the villagers offer home stays, which are becoming increasingly popular amongst visitors. Further facilities for pilgrimage, cycling, camping, mountaineering courses and cultural tourism are planned. Joshimath, where there are hotels, is about 170 km north of the railhead at Rishikesh, and 220 km from Jolly Grant airport at Dehra Dun.
The Valley of Flowers
The valley is very accessible and some of the many pilgrims to the nearby shrines travel on to see it. In 1999, between 30 and 50 people visited the Park daily. In 2003-2004, nearly 4,000 were recorded: 3,600 from India and 300 from abroad. Visits occur between May and early October, on foot once within the Park and guided by youths from the village to see that the flowers are not trampled. There is a Forest Department post and interpretation centre at Ghangrea near the entrance with brochures, books and posters and where entry fees are charged. For the last two years this has been managed by members of the EDC who present slide and film shows for visitors.
There are sign boards in the park and guided nature trails including a 19-kilometer trek. Regulations for trekking are being prepared. No camping is allowed in the valley. But mountaineering is allowed subject to permit and regulation, on two peaks, Rataban and Ghauri Parbat. There are also trails out of the park to the southwest and through bear-infested forest and over glacial ice to the northeast. There are some 25 visitor resthouses, lodges and hotels at Ghangrea near the Park entrance and down the Bhiundhar at Govindghat on the Alaknanda, including a very large Sikh gurudwara. There are Forest Department guesthouses at both Ghangrea and Govindghat, and camping near Bhiundhar village. The site is about 200 km north of the railhead at Rishikesh, and 250 km from Dehra Dun airport.
Scientific Research and Facilities
Nanda Devi
The first recorded attempt to enter the sacred basin was by W.Graham in 1883, but he was unable to get beyond the gorge of the lower Rishi Ganga. Subsequent attempts by Dr T. Longstaff in 1907 and H. Ruttledge in 1926, 1927 and 1932 also failed. Finally, in 1934, Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman pioneered a route to the ‘Inner Sanctuary’ by forcing a passage up the upper gorge of the Rishi Ganga. Later, in 1936, H. Tilman and N. Odell made the first ascent of Nanda Devi, reputed the outstanding climb of the pre-War era. Their accounts of this natural sanctuary first drew attention to this spectacular mountain wilderness and led to its protection. A geological survey was conducted by Maruo in 1979. Among the first published observations on the wildlife of Nanda Devi are those of Dang (1961), Lavkumar (1977,1979) and for birds, Reed (1979). Surveys of the flora and mammalian fauna were carried out by the Botanical Survey of India and Zoological Survey of India respectively. The Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition conducted floral and faunal surveys and habitat assessments in 1993. Following the program of decadal monitoring of the region, a combined team of the Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India, G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Ecology & Development and Garhwal University conducted surveys in the region again in 2003. This research will contribute to the management of the Park.
The Valley of Flowers
The flora was surveyed and inventoried in 1987 by the Botanical Survey of India, in 1992 by the Forest Research Institute and in 1997 by the Wildlife Institute of India which found five species new to science. A research nursery and seed / rhizome / tuber bank for propagating rare plants and valuable medicinal herbs has been created at Musadhar near the entrance of the site. Rare and valuable medicinal plants are the subject of special programs. These include Aconitum heterophyllum, A. falconeri, Arnebia benthamii, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Gymnadenia orchides, Megacarpaea polyandra, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Podophyllum haxandrum and Taxus wallichiana. Research plots have been set up to determine the best way to control the spread of the tall smothering Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachium without damaging other plants or the surface of the soil. A first annual survey was conducted in 2004 and will be repeated annually.
Conservation value
Nanda Devi
The area is one of the most spectacular wildernesses in the Himalayas. The basin is dominated by the pyramidal peak of Nanda Devi, India's second highest mountain, and drained by the Rishi Ganga which has cut one of the finest gorges in the world. It supports a diverse flora, largely because of the wide altitudinal range, and a number of rare or threatened animals. Unlike many other Himalayan valleys, it is free from human settlement and owing to its inaccessibility has remained largely unspoilt, particularly the forests of the lower Rishi Valley. The Chipko campaign made the site a symbol of participatory conservation and ecotourism in India.
The Valley of Flowers
The Valley is one of the two core zones of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve which protects one of the most spectacular mountain wildernesses of the western Himalayas, among which the Paspawati valley is celebrated for its flowers. More than 500 species grow there in an area of less than 2,500 hectares. It is also the habitat of the endangered snow leopard, the serow and rare Himalayan musk deer.
Conservation Management
Nanda Devi:
The upper Rishi Ganga valleys (the Outer and Inner Sanctuaries) were long preserved by the difficulty of penetrating the lower Rishi gorge which remained unexplored until 1934. Hunting, the collection of medicinal plants and other forms of exploitation followed until the 1962 war with China closed the border. From 1945 to 1974 the region remained closed to foreign visitors. Traditionally, the alpine pastures around Dharansi and Dibrugheta were grazed by livestock from Lata, Tolma and Peng villages, and latterly from villages as far up the Niti valley as Malari. A spate of mountaineering and trekking followed the re-opening of the Reserve in 1974 but caused such disturbance to the environment, that, on scientific advice, trekking, expeditions and grazing were banned by authority of the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh. The 1983 ban covered grazing, hunting, harvesting herbs, wood-collection, mountaineering and trekking anywhere in the core area of the then projected Biosphere Reserve, including the whole National Park, Thus communities traditionally dependent on sheep rearing and local resources had to seek alternate pastures, change their vocations or emigrate. Over 25% left the valley.
A preliminary management plan was prepared but by 1988 this had not been sanctioned by the Chief Wildlife Warden. Included in the plan were recommendations concerning the ban on tourism and ways in which to provide employment for local people. Nandi Devi was earmarked as one of several protected areas for future inclusion under the Government of India's Project Snow Leopard. The Pindari and Sundadhunga valleys at the southern edge of the Nanda Devi massif were recommended for designation as a sanctuary to protect their reportedly large and viable ungulate and pheasant populations. In 1988, without local consultation, a long-projected national Biosphere Reserve was created to protect the region’s biodiversity, with Nanda Devi National Park as the core area. Following the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, restrictions were imposed on grazing and other human activities throughout the Biosphere Reserve with adjacent buffer areas remaining open for legitimate community needs. The condition of the flora and fauna greatly improved but the villagers’ crops and cattle began to suffer increased losses to wild animals for which compensation was hard to obtain. As a result more than 75% of the residents developed a very negative attitude towards the Reserve management.
The 1998 Jhapto Cheeno protest against the restrictions on grazing and mountaineering and against official indifference enlisted world-wide interest. Faced with state support for potential development of the basin by national and multinational interests, the villagers created the Nanda Devi Development Authority in 2001. Following this initiative, the Protected Area management began to promote local enterpreneurship and actively involve local communities which had previously been ignored, in conservation activities. These now receive a share in the trail management fees and help to prevent fires and poaching. By 1993 the Nanda Devi Scientific and Ecological Expedition concluded that wildlife numbers were increasing and the ecosystem of the Park showed signs of recovery since its closure. This recovery and continued improvement in the biodiversity of the Park was re-confirmed in the decadal monitoring of the Park in 2003 carried out by the scientists of the Wildlife Institute of India, the Pant Institute of Himalayan Ecology & Development and Garhwal University. The demand to lift the restrictions on mountaineering is still raised occasionally, both by mountaineers for whom this region remains the final frontier and by villagers who see a potential for well paid employment as porters and guides.
With support from the MAB programme initiatives of the Indian government and the latest ecotourism policy of the newly created state of Uttaranchal, regulated tourism has been allowed. Community-based tourism plans for the villages around the Park (Lata, Tolma, Peng and Reni) have been prepared. Under these plans, capacity-building, the training and registration of local youths as guides, the creation of home stays for visitors, the establishment of local tour operator groups for eco- and cultural tours, the development of handicrafts and medical plant cultivation and the direct involvement of Women's Welfare Groups have all been introduced. As a result of these initiatives, over 2,200 tourists visited the Park and nearby eco-zone in 2003. Eco-Development Committees have been established in all the villages and PRA- (Participatory Rule Appraisal) based micro-plans have been prepared by them, supported with funds from various sources. This success was recognised in 2004 by an Ecotourism award, and by the presence of two local women at the Global Women’s Conference on Environment at Nairobi.
The Valley of Flowers
The Park is a natural laboratory for the conservation and study of the western Himalayan flora. When it became a National Park in 1982 livestock grazing ceased and restrictions were imposed on nearby villagers. However, the Park’s staff have begun to train them by building up their capacity as wardens and plantsmen, trekking and mountaineering guides. As wardens they are trained in implementing regulations and handling offenders, in the use of instruments and fire arms, in high altitude survival strategies and resolving conflicts with wild animals and intruding hunters; as plantsmen they are trained in plant identification, field biodiversity monitoring, identifying and restoring rare plants and rehabilitating their habitats. All are provided with better facilities and equipment. The nursery at the entrance of the site is researching ways to mitigate the pressure on rare and valuable plants and in cooperation with the Eco-Development Committee of Bhiundhar villagers have been encouraged to grow them on. The EDCs also clear the waste and manage visitor facilities along the trail outside the National Park. In 2002-2003 in cooperation with the villagers’ Eco-Development Committee and Forest Committee of Bhiundhar the Forestry Department oversaw the clearing of 50 tons of litter and removed 120 temporary stalls from the pilgrim trail from Govindhar to Hekmund. The Committee is also spreading awareness of the need to suppress the rampant Himalayan knotweed.
Management is done within the 2003-2013 plan for Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve which is implemented annually in consultation with local, district and state bodies but does not manage the Parks directly. A new ten-year management plan for the Valley of Flowers Park is due for completion in 2005 based on the following objectives:
The protection, in-situ and ex-situ conservation and monitoring of the flora and fauna;
Restoration of and research into the flora and fauna;
Management of the habitats of the park for endangered flora and fauna
Development, upkeep and litter-clearing of trek routes and basic facilities for park visitors with active support and participation of the local communities.
Education of local people about the biodiversity and protection of the park;
Generating opportunities in the local community for sustainable livelihoods and building their capacity for responsible ecotourism.
Key indicators for monitoring the state of conservation in the park are:
The status of rare and endangered flora such as the populations of Saussurea obvallata, Meconopsis aculeata, Cypripedium cordigerum, Dactlyorhiza hatagirea, Aconitum spp. in permanent plots;
The assessment of cover at past camps and trails by invaders like Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachyum, Rumex nepalensis, Impatiens sulcata and Osmunda claytoniana;
Signs of threats to the wild flora and fauna from illegal herb collection and poaching;
Regeneration of birch and fir in landslide areas below 3,300 m.
Management Constraints
Nanda Devi
Hundreds of tons of litter, felling of trees and even cultural vandalism created by expeditions, along with the introduction of sheep and goats to the inner basin, reached serious proportions before the closure of the Park. However, by 1993, after ten years of closure, the wildlife had recovered and increased in numbers. Regular patrolling inside the Park during winters is very challenging. The two access routes into the inner basin are difficult to maintain because of the terrain and heavy snow fall, and manning the newly created checkpost at Lata Kharak throughout the year is also a challenge. Although their participation in ecotourism has been secured, their training for the work needs continued development. The number of staff has gone up but is still inadequate. A few of the wildlife staff have been trained at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, but they lack the necessary support for mountaineering equipment to patrol the higher reaches of the Park year-round.
The Valley of Flowers
The main management issues are, within the Valley, control of invasive knotweed and, on the way to the Park, tourist and pilgrim litter. This piles up by the tonne from the thousands of tourists that visit the shrines: 300,000 plastic bottles a year and 500-600 kilograms of human and mule dung per day. The local people have now combined to clear this. A past threat to the forests surrounding the pilgrim route was the destruction of trees for firewood but this is now forbidden. Within the Park some 1,000 ha of meadow are infested with the tall fast growing Himalayan knotweed which controls erosion but crowds out the subalpine flora. Its increase where livestock used to congregate is related to the prohibition of grazing. While livestock overgraze and over-enrich the soil, they may enhance floral diversity by limiting the growth of taller more vigorous plants. Its eradication and regular monitoring is expected to be a major expense. There is no pollution and little danger from avalanches except on the approach road from Govindghat. There is, nevertheless, a constant threat from local poachers, especially to the snow leopard, and to ungulates when they come down to the valleys in winter; also from local indifference to wildlife conservation. This is aggravated by lack of adequate funding for the training needed for high altitude monitoring.
Comparison with Similar Sites
The Valley is similar to Nanda Devi National Park, but has many more and more northerly plant species and is much more accessible. Entering the other Park requires time and mountaineering skills; it remains a wilderness rightly protected as a Strict Nature Reserve. At present there is only one World Heritage site in the mountains between Assam and northern Pakistan - the far larger mountainous Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal, but there are such large differences in scale and terrain as to make close comparison unrealistic. There may be comparable valley sites in the nearer Himalayas which remain largely unknown due to the difficulty of access and the strategic sensitivity of the region. There are 17 protected areas in the west Himalaya, covering 11.6% of the biotic province. There are certainly some alpine valleys such as Ralam, Pindari, Sunderdhunga, Khatling and Harkidoon, which may originally have been comparable in number of plant species but all have been degraded by overgrazing and medicinal plant collection. Three adjacent valleys of Khiron, Khakbusandi and Bedini-Ali have much less diversity. Nearby protected areas in Uttaranchal which include valleys are Gangotri and Govind National Parks, Kendarnath, Ascot and Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuaries and, in Himachal Pradesh, Sangla Wildlife Sanctuary. But none has a comparable floristic richness, and in so compact an area. The valley’s 600 species of plants comprise 25% of the vascular plants found in the Chamoli district though it is only 1.3% of its area. The valley is also celebrated in literature, both Indian and English, for its beauty, its flowers and the associated religious sites.
Staff
Nanda Devi
In 2004 a staff of 89 was deployed: one Director/Conservator of Forests, one Deputy Conservator of Forests, one Sub divisional Forest Officer, two Range Officers, two Deputy Range Officers, five Asst. Wildlife Wardens, six foresters, 22 Wildlife Guards, 17 Forest Guards and 21 part-time watchers. Out of these, 22 field staff have been deployed at the Park from the Biosphere Reserve establishment.
The Valley of Flowers
One Divisional Forest Officer, one Range Officer, 2 Foresters, 4 wildlife guards, 2 buffer forest guards.
Budget
Nanda Devi
Approximately Rs20 lakhs (Rs20,000,000/US$44,500) in 2003-2004. US$75,000 from the budget for Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is given to the Park.
The Valley of Flowers
This comes from the national Ministry of Environment and Forests. An annual average expenditure of Rs17.5 lakhs (Rs1,750,000 / US$39,000) was recommended over a ten year period from 2000-2009. US$45,000 from the budget for Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is allocated to the Park.
IUCN Management Category
Nanda Devi National Park: Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)Valley Of Flowers National Park: II (National Park)
International Designations
2004: Both Parks designated as core zones of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man & Biosphere Programme (586,069 ha).
Natural World Heritage Serial Site
1988: Nanda Devi National Park inscribed on the World Heritage List under Natural Criteria iii and iv. 2005: Extended to include the Valley of Flowers National Park.
K.S.RAWAT
PAURI GARHWAL GROUP
NEW DELHI, INDIA
UTTARANCHAL, UTTARAKHAND, CHAMOLI GARHWAL, TEHRI GARHWAL, KUMAON, KUMAONI, GARHWALI
Monday, January 07, 2008
HEALTH COMPILATION...Year 2008...Uttarakhand Ke Naam..!!
HEALTH COMPILATION
1) Miracle Cure For Anything That Ails You Is As Close
Miracle Cure For Anything That Ails You Is As Close
As Your Supermarket Shelves - By Susan Jimison
Illness
Food
Effect
Headaches
Fish
Eat plenty of fish - fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.
Hay Fever
Yogurt
Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season
Strokes
Tea
Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea.
Insomnia
Honey
Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.
Asthma
Onions
Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes.
Arthritis
Fish
Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis.
Upset Stomach
Bananas, Ginger
Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.
Bladder Infections
Cranberry Juice
High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria
Bone Problems
Pineapple
Bone fractures and the manganese in pineapple can prevent osteoporosis.
PMS
Cornflakes
Women can ward off the effects of PMS with Cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue.
Memory Problems
Oysters
Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.
Colds
Garlic
Clear up that stuffy head with garlic.
Cough
Red Pepper
A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper.
Breast Cancer
Wheat, Bran, Cabbage
Wheat, bran and cabbage help maintain estrogen at healthy levels.
Lung Cancer
Orange & Green Veggies
A good antidote is beta-carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.
Ulcers
Cabbage
Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Diarrhea
Apples
Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition.
Clogged Arteries
Avocados
Monounsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.
High Blood Pressure
Olive Oil, Celery
Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure, too.
Blood Sugar Imbalance
Broccoli, Peanuts
The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.
2) Health Tips – Super Fruits
Kiwi: Tiny but mighty
This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E & fibre. It’s Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away?
Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attach & stroke.
Strawberry: Protective Fruit
Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals.
Orange: Sweetest medicine
Taking 2 –4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.
Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher
Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene – the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are Vitamin C & Potassium.
Guava & Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C
They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fibre, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene, this is good for your eyes.
Tips of how to stay young……..
Research has found that people who generally live longer do so partly because of good habits. Here, Dr Vernon Coleman and others provide some of the following good habits for longevity.
1) Laugh & fun, don’t be gloomy
2) Let bygones be bygones. Dwelling on the past inflicts unnecessary stress.
3) Early to bed, early to rise, is healthy & wise
4) Stay lean, being just 30% overweight is bad.
5) Keep learning, reading & socializing – an alert & active mind keeps brain cells healthy.
6) Keep working, doing something you like. Don’t retire, it slows down your body.
7) Be the boss of your own life. Letting others push you around produces stress.
8) Too many pills ruin your body, take just what you need.
9) Constantly alternating between weight gain & loss is bad
10) Exercise, quit smoking and eat less fatty foods
11) Do not worry about health & death, just get on with your life and enjoy it.
3) Vegetables
BROCCOLI
How it combats cancer: Research has revealed that a chemical component called indole-3-carbinol can combat breast cancer by converting a cancer-promoting estrogen into a more protective riety. The phytochemical sulforaphane raises the levels of certain cancer-fighting enzymes that defend the body from cigarette smoke, fumes, pesticides & other known carcinogens.
Diet tips: Broccoli leaves actually contain more beta-carotene (i.e. pre-Vitamin A) than the florets - use leaves in purees, soups, stir-fries. To preserve broccoli’s valuable nutrients, steam or microwave, being careful not to overcook. Avoid garnishing broccoli with fatty cheeses and creams instead, squeeze on some lemon juice or sprinkle with toasted breadcrumbs.
PAPAYA
How it combats cancer: Its plentiful store of vitamin C works as an antioxidant and may also reduce absorption of cancer-causing nitrosamines from the soil or processed foods. Papaya contains folacin (also known as folic acid), which has been shown to minimize cervical ysplasia and certain cancers.
Diet tips: Choose papayas that are at least half-yellow in the store - fully green ones were probably picked too soon and won’t ripen properly. You can serve papaya in fruit salad, add it to a garlic-and-spinach pasta mixture, or just eat it on its own, letting the juice dribble down your arm.
GARLIC
How it combats cancer: Garlic’s immune-enhancing allium compounds block carcinogens from entering cells and slow tumor development. Diallyl sulfide, a component of garlic oil, has also been shown to render carcinogens in the liver inactive. Studies have linked garlic - as well as onions, leeks, and chives - to lower risk of stomach and colon cancer.
Diet tips: Add raw garlic to salads, use it fresh in marinades and sauces; rub freshly cut garlic around the insides of salad bowls and over chicken and fish fillets. Avoid dried or powdered garlic, which is less concentrated - and less effective
KALE
How it combats cancer: Research has shown that indoles, nitrogen compounds found in kale and other leafy greens, may help stop the conversion of certain lesions to cancerous cells in estrogen-sensitive tissues. In addition, isothiocyanates, phytochemicals found in kale, are thought to suppress tumor growth and block cancer-causing substances from reaching their targets.
Diet tips: A cruciferous vegetable, kale requires quick cooking - blanching or steaming - to preserve its nutrients. When you’re done, save the nutrient-rich cooking liquid for soups or sauces. You can also use whole large leaves to wrap fillings or to layer in lasagna.
SWEET POTATO
How it combats cancer: This nutrient-dense food contains many anticancer properties. It’s loaded with beta-carotene, which may protect DNA in the cell nucleus from cancer-causing chemicals outside the nuclear membrane.
Diet tips: Go for freshness when picking potatoes - canned arieties contain less beta-carotene and vitamins C and B. Naturally sweet and creamy, mashed sweet potatoes can be enhanced with a little apple juice. Or whip the cooked tubers with orange zest or orange juice and season with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
GRAPEFRUIT
How it combats cancer: Grapefruits, like oranges and other citrus fruits, contain monoterpenes, believed to help prevent cancer by sweeping carcinogens out of the body. Some studies show that grapefruit can inhibit the proliferation of breast-cancer cells in vitro. It also contains vitamin C, beta-carotene, and folic acid.
Diet tips: Grapefruit can be sweetened with brown sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup or honey; vanilla extract, fresh mint, and almonds also accent the fruit’s flavor. Grapefruit juice will give you the antioxidants and phytochemicals that fight cancer, but it’s missing the fiber that fresh, whole grapefruit offers.
AVOCADO
How it combats cancer: Avocados are rich in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that attacks free radicals in the body by blocking intestinal absorption of certain fats. Ounce for ounce, avocados also supply 60 percent more potassium than bananas and are a strong source of beta-carotene.
Diet tips: Store avocados at room temperature until they soften. If you don’t eat the fruit immediately after cutting, sprinkle on some lemon or lime juice to keep it from darkening. Add chunks or slices to salads and sandwiches or spread mashed avocado on bread.
SEAWEED
How they combat cancer: Seaweed and other sea vegetables contain beta-carotene, protein, vitamin B12, fiber, and chlorophyll, as well as chlorophylones - important fatty acids that may help in the fight against breast cancer. Also, many sea vegetables have high concentrations of the minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and iodine.
Diet tips: Sea vegetables come fresh, dried, or powdered. Both the Japanese & the Irish regularly use them as flavorings for broths & soups, stir-fried over rice, or as a wrap for fish and other seafood. Varieties such as dulce, wakame, kombu, and hijiki even appear in pancakes, salads, puddings, and sandwiches.
TOFU
How it combats cancer: Soy contains several types of phytoestrogens -weak, nonsteroidal estrogens that could help prevent both breast and prostate cancer by blocking and suppressing cancerous changes. Genistein, one type of phytoestrogen, also lowers breast-cancer risk by inhibiting the growth of epithelial cells & new blood vessels that tumors require to flourish.
Diet tips: Tofu is made by coagulating the protein in soybeans - much the way cheese is produced. While bland on its own, tofu absorbs other flavors when cooked, making it perfect for stir-fries, dips, spreads, shakes, even cheesecake. It’s also a good high-protein substitute for meat, whole milk & mayonnaise.
4) CAUSES OF CANCER
The number ONE killer in Singapore is cancer (followed by Heart Disease & Stroke). Not all cancers are the same. 1/3 is curable. 1/3 is preventable. 2 factors of cancer that cannot be controlled are AGE & FAMILY HISTORY.
Causes of cancer: -
1. Smoking is very often the main cause of cancer. It kills us silently and drains money from us quietly. There're 4,000 harmful chemicals (though in diluted form) in one stick of cigarette. Taking one puff is 600 times worst than inhaling the exhaust fumes from vehicles.
2. Some food that cause cancer are:
2.1 Barbecued Food
2.2 Deep Fried Food
2.3 Overheating Meat
2.4 Food that is high in fat causes our bile to secrete acid that contains a chemical, which is a promoter of cancer cells.
2.5 Food that contains preservatives, too much salt or nitrates (e.g. Canned food, Salted egg & veggies, sausages, etc.)
2.6 Overnight Rice (where Aflatoxin is accumulated)
2.7 Food that is low in fibre: Our body needs 25 gm of both soluble & insoluble fibre daily. We must drink at least 1.5 litres of plain water a day.
2.8 Contaminated Food (e.g. moulded bread causes our body to secrete toxins that may eventually lead to liver cancer in the long run. Never eat bread that is kept in room temperature for more than 2 days especially in a humid weather like Singapore's.
3. Types of fat and which is the best?
3.1 Highly Recommended for Health:-
i. Olive Oil - The best of all oils. It does not absorb in our body.
ii. Fish Oil - Omega 3 (contained in NI's Circulytes) haspoly-unsaturated fat. It's good for our brain cells.
iii. Peanut Oil - It contains Vitamin E. A small dosage is recommended only.
3.2 Not Recommended for Health
i Vegetable Fat - Palm oil is worst than coconut oil. It is high in cholesterol and highly unsaturated.
ii Coconut Oil - It has saturated fat.
4. Specific Food & Beverages
4.1 Egg when eaten too much can cause High Colon Cancer. Risk Ovary Cancer, Prostate Cancer.
4.2 Cabbage is highly recommended for health reason.
4.3 Tomato is best eaten raw with a bit of olive oil for better absorption. Other alternative is to take tomato sauce.
4.4 Coffee is good because it contains 2 anti-oxidants. Inhaling the coffee aroma for half each day is equivalent to eating two oranges a day. However, the residue of over-burned coffee is extremely bad for health. It can cause cancer.
4.5 Tea, as long as it is in its original tealeaves and not processed into BOH or Lipton packets, it is good for health. Tea contains 30 anti-oxidants. Recommended dosage is 4 cups a day.
Exercise and be fit
Have a balanced lifestyle. Exercise regularly.
F : Frequency: 3 to 5 times a week.
I : Intensity: Exercise till we sweat and breath deeply.
T : Types of exercises: Find one that suits our age, lifestyle, etc.
Have regular check-up
Once we reach the age of 45 & above, it is recommended that we go for regular comprehensive health examination. Early detection may save lives.
5) SALT THE CURE OF PAIN
I believe that most of your moms always tell you to drink a glass of salt water/rinse your mouth with salt water if you have a sore throat because salt can reduce inflammation.
This method has actually been proven (medically) to be really effective and it really can help to reduce inflammation.
They have also tested on other medical values of salt and found out that:
If you have pain in your joints/spine/body, you can simply try out this method which can help to relieve the pain (especially for old people who have rheumatism). Simply fry the salt let it settle down for a while before applying on affected areas. And if you have a problem of Hair Loss, you can simply prepare a pail of salt water and rinse your scalp/hair with it (it takes about 2 weeks to a month). It will not help in growing of new hair but can prevent. After tedious/strenuous exercise, soaking your feet with salt water can help to prevent cramps and pain., and also prevent from skin irritation. Hope it will be of help to you.
6) HONEY & CINNAMON
It is found that mixture of Honey and Cinnamon cures most of the diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Ayurvedic as well as Yunani medicine have been using honey as a vital medicine for centuries. Scientists of today also accept honey as a Ram Ban (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases. Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients also. A famous magazine named Weekly World News published in Canada dated 17 January, 95 has given a list of diseases that can be cured by Honey and Cinnamon as researched by western scientists.
The list is show below:
No.
Disease
Curing way
1.
ARTHRITIS:
Take one part honey to two parts of luke warm water and add a small teaspoon of cinnamon powder, make a paste and massage it on the itching part of the body slowly. It is noticed that the pain recedes within a minute or two. Or arthritis patients may daily, morning and night take one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If drunk regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research done at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon cinnamon powder before breakfast. They found that within a week out of the 200 people so treated practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain and within a month. Mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.
2.
HAIR LOSS:
Those suffering from hair loss or baldness, may apply a paste of hot olive oil, one tablespoon of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder before bath and keep it for approx. 15 min. and then wash the hair. It was found very effective if kept for 5 mins. also.
3.
BLADDER INFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of luke warm water and drink it. It destroys the germs of the bladder.
4.
TOOTHACHE:
Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be done 3 times a day daily till such time that the tooth has stopped aching.
4.
CHOLESTEROL:
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, if given to a cholesterol patient, it reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10% within 2 hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken 3 times a day any chronic cholesterol is cured. As per the information received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complains of cholesterol.
5.
COLDS:
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon luke warm honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold and clear the sinuses.
6.
INFERTILITY:
Yunani and Ayurvedic have been using honey for years in medicine to strengthen the semen of men. If impotent men regularly take two tablespoon of honey before sleeping, their problem will be solved. In China, Japan and Far-East countries, women who do not conceive and to strengthen the uterus have been taking cinnamon powder for centuries. Women who cannot conceive may take a pinch of cinnamon powder in half teaspoon of honey and apply it on the gums frequently throughout the day, so that it slowly mixes with the saliva and enters the body. A couple in Maryland, America had no children for 14 years and had left hope of having a child of their own. When told about this process husband and wife started taking honey and cinnamon as stated above, the wife conceived after a few months and had twins at full term.
7.
UPSET STOMACH:
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomachache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.
8.
GAS:
According to the studies done in India & Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.
9.
HEART DISEASES:
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread or chappati instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heartbeat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that due to the increasing age the arteries and veins, which lose their flexibility and get clogged, are revitalized.
10.
IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.
11.
INDIGESTION:
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food, relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.
12.
INFLUENZA
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient, which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.
13.
LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly arrests the ravages of old age. Take 4 spoons of honey, 1spoon of cinnamon powder and 3 cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life span also increases and even if a person is 100 years old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.
14.
PIMPLES:
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.
15.
SKIN INFECTIONS:
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.
16.
WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning, 1/2 hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one-cup water. If taken regularly it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also drinking of this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.
17.
CANCER:
Recent research in Japan and Australia has reveled that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month 3 times a day.
18.
FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful than detrimental to the body strength. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon power in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton who has done research says that half tablespoon honey taken in one glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3.00 p.m. when the vitality of the body starts decreasing, increases the vitality of the body within a week.
19.
BAD BREATH:
People of South America, first thing in the morning gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water. So their breath stays fresh throughout the day.
20.
SINUS & HEADACHES:
Drink mix up with honey & lemon juice helps sinus headaches.
K.S.RAWAT
Moderator - PG Group..!!
http://www.paurigarhwal.com/
http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/
Uttarakhand, Uttaranchal, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Chamoli Garhwal, Kumaon, Kumaoni, Garhwali
__._,_.___
Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) Start a new topic
Messages Files Photos Links Database Polls Calendar
PG GROUP is Registered as a TRUST at New Delhi..!!Apni Bhasha.....Apna Log..http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paurigarhwalhttp://www.paurigarhwal.com/Email : pg_groupp@yahoo.com
Makara Sankranti - 14-15/1/2008 - Gindi Mela in Garhwal Region..!! Uttarakhand, Uttaranchal..!!
Dear Members!!
"Gindi Mela" is a major fair held in the southern part of Garhwal in Uttarakhand. This fair is celebrated during the auspicious festival of Makara Sankranti. It is a major event, attracting people from far and near to the villages where this fair is celebrated.
The Gindi fair is synonymous with bravery, joy and competitive spirits. The word ‘gindi’ means ‘ball’ in the local language. As the name suggests, this fair is marked by a ball game. The game involves teams from two different villages. The main aim in this game is to capture the ball. The team that succeeds to get the ball over its side is declared the winner. The winning team takes home the ball, amidst celebrations and dances.
I belongs to Patty Maniyarsuin (East) and I have been part of these melas and enjoys a lot. This time also, I am planning to go to my native place for celebrating/watch this auspicious festival.
The forests in Uttarakhand have been valued at $2.4 billion or Rs ...By Pauri Garhwal Group(Pauri Garhwal Group) NEW DELHI, PAURI GARHWAL, GARHWALI, TEHRI GARHWAL, CHAMOLI GARHWAL, KUMAON, KUMAONI, NAINITAL, UTTARANCHAL, UTTARAKHAND. http://paurigarhwal.com/. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paurigarhwal. http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/THE PAURI GARHWAL GROUP, UTTARAKHAND - http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/
Pauri Garhwal Group Uttaranchal Uttarakhand Garhwal Char Dham Dev ...
Famous ""Gindi"" Mela is celebrated every year in the month of January. Accessibility : Rail : Nearest railhead is Kotdwar, 72 kms ...www.paurigarhwal.com/festivals/festivals.htm - 41k - Cached - Similar pages
K.S.RAWAT
PAURI GARHWAL GROUP!
NEW DELHI
"Gindi Mela" is a major fair held in the southern part of Garhwal in Uttarakhand. This fair is celebrated during the auspicious festival of Makara Sankranti. It is a major event, attracting people from far and near to the villages where this fair is celebrated.
The Gindi fair is synonymous with bravery, joy and competitive spirits. The word ‘gindi’ means ‘ball’ in the local language. As the name suggests, this fair is marked by a ball game. The game involves teams from two different villages. The main aim in this game is to capture the ball. The team that succeeds to get the ball over its side is declared the winner. The winning team takes home the ball, amidst celebrations and dances.
I belongs to Patty Maniyarsuin (East) and I have been part of these melas and enjoys a lot. This time also, I am planning to go to my native place for celebrating/watch this auspicious festival.
The forests in Uttarakhand have been valued at $2.4 billion or Rs ...By Pauri Garhwal Group(Pauri Garhwal Group) NEW DELHI, PAURI GARHWAL, GARHWALI, TEHRI GARHWAL, CHAMOLI GARHWAL, KUMAON, KUMAONI, NAINITAL, UTTARANCHAL, UTTARAKHAND. http://paurigarhwal.com/. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paurigarhwal. http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/THE PAURI GARHWAL GROUP, UTTARAKHAND - http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/
Pauri Garhwal Group Uttaranchal Uttarakhand Garhwal Char Dham Dev ...
Famous ""Gindi"" Mela is celebrated every year in the month of January. Accessibility : Rail : Nearest railhead is Kotdwar, 72 kms ...www.paurigarhwal.com/festivals/festivals.htm - 41k - Cached - Similar pages
K.S.RAWAT
PAURI GARHWAL GROUP!
NEW DELHI
GARHWAL, GARHWALI, KUMAON, KUMAONI,
UTTARANCHAL, UTTARAKHAND
Monday, December 31, 2007
Pauri Garhwal Group Team, Uttarakhand, Uttaranchal- Wishes You All - A Very Happy New Year 2008..!!
Friends,
We are sending you the warmest wishes filled with joy, laughter, love, peace, happiness and lots of new year resolutions & achievements this holiday season and throughout the coming New Year 2008.
Happy New Year -- 2008.
PGG Team/ New Delhi
K.S.RAWAT
http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/
http://www.paurigarhwal.com/
http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/
Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Chamoli Garhwal,
Garhwali, Uttarakhand, Uttaranchal,
Kumaon, Kumaoni, All Great Uttarakhandis.
New Delhi / Happy New Year 2008
Friday, December 28, 2007
Gharwal / Garhwali Cuisine
Garhwali / Garhwal Cuisine of Uttarakhand
The term uttarakhand cuisine is used to denote cuisine from both kumaon and garhwal regions of uttarakhand. The traditional uttarakhand cuisine is highly nutritious, easy to prepare.
If you wanna know about the Garhwali Cuisine, Uttarakhand, please visit Pauri Garhwal Group's website :
http://www.paurigarhwal.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paurigarhwal
http://pauri-garhwal-group.blogspot.com/
Thanks for visiting this blog of Pauri Garhwal Group of Uttarakhand Uttaranchal Pauri Garhwal Chamoli Garhwal Tehri Garhwal Kumaon Garhwali Kumaoni
K.S.RAWAT
NEW DELHI
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Deep in Drudgery: Women and Health in Uttarakhand..!!
Source Posted by ANON
The consequences of the ever-increasing workload of hill women can be directly witnessed in their declining health status. They tend to suffer in isolation and become accustomed to several of their physical complications. But, on unlocking their silence, immense ordeal regarding their health conditions is revealed, in addition to the mental affliction they have been undergoing timidly. In Uttarakhand, women of varied ages undertake severe physical work in the coarse environment of the mountains. Besides, the cultural conditions have created a biased ambience, which has made women to fail to realize their basic rights.In spite of undertaking hard physical work, a hill woman’s intake of food is always low and less nutritious. The food intake is never balanced to her energy spent on daily activities. Anaemic cases in the hills are found at every other step. Stressful work has also led to muscle pain, back pain, foot pain etc and has severely affected their reproductive health (this will be discussed later). The specific health risks occurring due to women-related work include respiratory problems due to long hours spent indoors on cooking with fuel wood; sore and pain in the hips, shoulders and legs for carrying heavy loads of fodder and water; and bearing infections while working at unclean cowsheds – the tradition of girls sleeping in cowsheds during menstruation is commonly found in the hills.Examining the social aspects of women’s drudgery, the situation is found to be far worse from the mental health perspective. Traditionally, women are denied their basic rights and freedom. Special cultural practices such as women washing the feet of the family elders every night overburden them with more work. The issue of violence against women is vastly spread over the hills and the terai region. The most common factor found in all cases of women abuse is liquor and for this reason, women generally identify liquor as their deadly enemy spoiling their family peace and devouring the household economy. Submissive women are beaten up and harassed by dominant alcoholic husbands. Besides, such beatings are regular and, at times, criminally violent. A woman, who has spent all day in undertaking strenuous tasks, indoor as well as outdoor, is mercilessly battered at night. She barely succeeds in protecting her small children from the husband’s abuse, facing damaging consequences on her physical and mental health. Mental stress during times of reproductive period has its irreparable impact on infants and may lead to mortality or psychological setback in later years.Village women have explained the disastrous effects of liquor taking over them and their subsistence economy. The country-made liquor made of chemicals, sugar lumps, toxicants and dirty water of open streams directly harms the health of the person who uses it. Men usually resort to drinking because of personal socio-economic problems and become addicts. They start spending their limited earnings on buying liquor. The household economy falls down and women are burdened with the task of earning income for the survival of their children and themselves. Prevalence of tuberculosis, liver problems and stomach ailments reduce the working capacity of men. The economic situation deteriorates with increased borrowings and landlessness; all taken away by liquor.In the hills and the terai region, girls are married at an age between 14-18 years because people believe in the traditional thinking that a girl’s real home is with her husband and not with her parents; so she is married off as early as possible and sent away to her husband. But the serious impact causing on the reproductive health of these girls is hardly estimated or known. These girls are expected to bear children from the age of 17-18 years onwards to the detriment of putting both mother and child at the threshold of morbidity. The RCH (Reproductive and Child Health) programmes of the government are still lacking behind with elements of quality and outreach. ANMs’ (Auxilliary Nurse Midwives) inaccessibility to remote villages and community’s low awareness on RCH-related issues have denied a greater number of women with the facility to undergo ante-natal care. Anaemia cases have shown no reduction in spite of good distribution of IFA (Iron and Folic) tablets. Village women have a tendency to either throw away these tablets or leave them behind at the subcentre due to dubious reasons that these tablets cause giddiness or headache. The lack of awareness and low-level of information are visible reasons for entertaining such kinds of beliefs. The ANMs’ lack of motivation and poor knowledge dissemination during distribution is responsible for poor information resources of the community.The sweeping number of non-institutional deliveries in Uttarakhand is a compelling issue to be addressed. More than 80% of deliveries are conducted by untrained dais (local name for Traditional Birth Attendants) following age-old methods and practices of labour. The research study has shown that this act is steeped in ignorance, misinformation and superstition and has led to the occurrence of several reproductive health complications including maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. The untrained dais undertake deliveries amidst unhygienic surroundings. The method of forcefully pulling the child out of the womb has made the women suffer from prolapse. Dais are always incapable of handling high-risk deliveries in villages and, during such helpless times, suggest taking the pregnant woman to hospital. Most of the maternal and infant deaths in the hills take place while they are being transported to hospital during delivery times; the distance and inaccessibility issues again emerging at such points. In order to reduce the high infant mortality cases, it is important to address the issue of non-institutional deliveries in a holistic manner.Child immunization practices were found to be low during research. Women usually avoid taking their children to immunization camps or subcentres either because of lack of awareness, no availability of time due to heavy workload, long and inaccessible distance and cultivating of false notions that immunization is harmful to children. Huge drop-outs are seen in rural areas and the maintenance of immunization cards is a mere act of formality, rather than signifying facts on immunization status.Colustrum feeding in the hills is quite low and out of practice. Again, complete absence of post-natal services and prevalence of superstition prevent mothers in providing first milk to infants because “it is dirty and not good to the new born.” Traditional practices such as nobody should take anything eatable offered by a woman soon after delivery is profoundly set in the minds of both men and women.Adoption of family planning methods is mostly done by women. The data in the hills on female sterilisation is high. Men avoid using condoms as they are usually under the influence of alcohol during acts of sex. They do not take up sterilisation because of the prevailing myth that “men work harder and they should not be asked to undergo vasectomy.” This is, though, contradictory to the entire hill scenario, but these very words of assumption have come straight out of women. They think it is justified if men do not follow family planning principles and women bear the burden of it as well. Use of oral pills is low because women believe that they cause headaches. IUD insertion is avoided because there is no follow-up care given at government health centres.Women in the hills have a propensity to take up work within 10-12 days after giving birth to a child. This is just another reason for women suffering from prolapse and other reproductive health problems. The prolapse of uterus is so widespread among women that it can be said that it is one of the major causes for their poor confidence-levels and constant mental stress. This problem keeps interfering with their daily work and it discourages them from going out of the village or being in front of men. Some women hardly know what it is although they complain that “something keeps coming out of the vagina” while they walk or work.They adopt the habit of stopping for a while and putting it back, rather than consulting someone on this due to the fear of facing embarrassment. They fail to seek treatment on this either because there is no lady doctor at the PHC (Primary Health Centre) or the cost of it at a private clinic is very high.The ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) is hopeless in this matter as she just refers the patient. “We are afraid to go out of the village, so how can we go to hospital. And, by the way, there is no lady doctor at there to look into our problem,” says a woman suffering and representing this problem.Prevalence of reproductive and sexual infections is largely seen in women. This is not only because biologically they are more susceptible to the infections, but also because they do not follow hygienic practices during menstruation. They fail to consult to the doctor at the first stage of the disease and, thus, give way to more complications. High chances of contracting HIV exist when their migrated husbands return back home carrying infections. The socio-cultural norms do not allow them to spend the household economy for their treatment, as a woman’s illness is not a matter of serious concern. Women also end up in hiding these problems and thereby, husbands and in-laws remain insensitive to these severe complications and their consequences.
PG Group!
NEW DELHI
UTTARAKHAND, UTTARANCHAL, PAURI GARHWAL, TEHRI GARHWAL, CHAMOLI GARHWAL, KUMAON, KUMAONI, GARHWALI
The Rural Development Interventions in Uttarakhand..
BY : ANON. Ever since the formation of Uttaranchal, developmental interventions at a substantial scale are being carried out, mostly in specialized sectors. The infancy phase of the state, the social and economic marginality of the community living in this mountainous region and the government’s strong livelihood promotion policies have drawn considerable investments from bilateral, multi-lateral and ministerial agencies for improving the socio-economic and cultural well-being of the communities. The state has been receiving ample amount of loans from the World Bank in developing specific sectors such as agriculture, water and sanitation, watershed, health and education. Bilateral agencies like USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) have even prioritized the state of Uttaranchal in their list of focal states for providing development funding. The Delegation of the European Union represented by the European Commission has been supporting programmes in watershed development and, recently, in health sector reforms. UN agencies such as WFP (World Food Programme) and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) have collaborated with the Department of Women Empowerment and Child Welfare and Disaster Management Unit of the Government of Uttaranchal respectively.The Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched welfare schemes and programmes such as the Swa-Shakti Programme, Rastriya Mahila Kosh and Swamyasiddha, which are functioning either independently or jointly with state government and NGOs and promoting one or all aspects of livelihood development in Uttaranchal.At the state-level, various units of the state government are also involved in implementing livelihood promotion programmes. The Rural Development Department is at the forefront in putting into operation Central Government Schemes such as the SGSY (Swarnjayanti Gramin Swarozgar Yojana), which has been funding micro-enterprise initiatives (mushroom production, wool production, handicrafts, poultry, medicinal plants etc) of the rural community. The Department has lead banks in almost all the districts to help the community access credit and it has also collaborated with the National Life Insurance Company and Oriental Insurance Company to provide micro-insurance services to marginal farmers. Other programmes of the Department include: Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY), Indira Awaas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana- Gramin Awaas, Credit-cum-Subsidy, Unnat Chulha, Biogas, Drought Prone Area Program (DPAP), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP). The Department also leads state sponsored schemes such as Vidhayak Nidhi, Sansad Nidhi and Community Development Programme. Some of these programmes are implemented in selected districts and some others on experimental basis. The Department has also instituted training centres to organize capacity building programmes for rural communities. At present, there are: 1 State Institute for Rural Development at state-level, 5 Regional Institutes for Rural Development and 3 District Institutes for Rural Development.In the Cooperative Sector, Uttaranchal has a State Cooperative Bank as an apex institution in the state, following District Cooperative Banks at district-level and at the village-level, smaller units called PACS (Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies). Other cooperative institutions include the Uttaranchal State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited and the Uttaranchal Cooperative Sericulture Federation Limited. The Cooperative Department coordinates projects such as the Sahakari Rrun avam Adhikoshan Yojana, Sahakari Krya-Vikraya Yojana, Sahkari Upabhokta Yojana etc. The state has about 763 PACS and 103 Primary Consumer Cooperative Societies. There is also the Institute of Cooperative Management, providing training and management services to cooperators. The Department has recently collaborated with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company for provision of micro-insurance services to rural farmers.The Uttaranchal Rural Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation (SWAJAL) Project, supported by the World Bank, has begun its phase II programme covering all the thirteen districts of the state. The SWAJAL project has a focus upon delivering sustainable health and hygiene benefits to the rural populations through improvement in water supply and environmental sanitation services and promoting long-term sustainability of rural water supply and sanitation. The project has considerable focus on livelihood promotion as it emphatically focuses upon SHG mobilization, income generation, savings and thrift, women empowerment, time saving technologies and general awareness.The Agriculture Department’s Watershed Management Directorate is currently implementing the Integrated Watershed Development Project (Phase II) in all the thirteen districts of Uttaranchal with the objective of improving the productive potential of the project area, using watershed treatment technologies and community participation approaches and contributing towards decreasing soil erosion, increasing water availability and alleviating poverty. The Department is also carrying out other programmes such as the Micro-mode programme providing subsidies to rural farmers in accessing agricultural technology, seeds and pest management. Innovative programmes such as crop insurance are also being experimented in pocket areas. Financial assistance to marginal farmers is given through crop-based programmes such as Makka Vikas Programme, Dalhan Uthpadan Vikas Programme etc.The Department of Industrial Development has allotted certain schemes for rural masses such as the Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) to provide financial assistance to agriculture and industries in rural areas. The Department has a specialized unit of Khadi and Village Industries with multi-disciplinary training centres in different parts of the state. These centres provide regular training to rural entrepreneurs in small industries such as woolen hosiery, embroidery, bee keeping, diamond cutting, candle making etc. The unit also runs financial assistance schemes such as interest-cum-subsidy scheme and margin money scheme in the interest of small-scale rural industrialists.Other departments such as the Horticulture and Livestock Departments have also various programmes for livelihood improvement in Uttaranchal. The State Government’s development focused activities have also led to formation of autonomous bodies, initially promoted by the government itself, on specific sectors such as organic farming, bamboo, livestock etc. The boards in place at the moment are Forest Development Board, Bamboo and Fiber, Livestock and Cattle Development, Uttaranchal Mandi Vikas Parishad and Organic Boards.The Department of Women Empowerment and Child Development is carrying out ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) programmes with the support of WFP and the World Bank to improve the nutritional security of the community. The programme is currently implemented in 40 blocks of the state and has created a force of community-based aaganwadi workers and has established 6378 aaganwadi centres to cover about 15000 habitations all over Uttaranchal. Mahila Samakhya is another major programme of this Department implemented for working towards women empowerment in the state.In the health sector, the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare has recently established the Uttaranchal Health and Family Welfare Society (SCOVA), an autonomous organization working to carry out health sector reforms and improve the efficiency of the management systems of the health programmes. SCOVA is implementing Sector Investment Programme (SIP) of the European Commission covering Fixed Day (immunization) services, policy reforms, emergency obstetric care, Chikitsa Sudhar Samiti, drug policy and other health management-led concepts such as IEC, (Information, Education and Communication), logistics etc. It is also in the process of planning programmes focusing upon integrating SHGs with community health services and creating a large cadre of trained community health workers at hamlet-level or village-level, as the need be, all across the state.NABARD, the apex institution for rural credit is providing investment and production credit for promotion of various developmental activities in Uttaranchal. It is working towards institution building for improving capacity of the credit delivery system, including monitoring, formulation of rehabilitation schemes, restructuring of credit institutions, training of personnel, coordinating the rural financing activities, preparing rural credit plans for all districts, undertaking monitoring and evaluation of projects refinanced by it and promoting research in the fields of rural banking, agriculture and rural developmentThe Community Based Economic Development Project (CBED) is an important project implemented by NGOs (CECI, KAGAS and HSC) and funded by CIDA. The project is working to reduce poverty in 250 villages of Pithoragarh and Champawat Districts. The four-year tenure project is being implemented on pilot basis, replicating a similar model successfully experimented upon in Nepal. CBED has a focus upon promoting self-reliant institutions and has played an active part in advocating and promoting the Uttaranchal Self-Reliant Cooperative Act, upholding community-owned cooperatives for economic upliftment of the hill communities. CBED has also promoted NTFP production, agricultural technologies, CBO management, institutional strengthening, responsive development funds, economic literacy, gender development and sub-sector analysis. The project has been working closely with the Government of Uttaranchal and has been actively providing policy feedback.The Department of Energy established the Uttaranchal Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA), as a nodal organization working on non-conventional energy. It has established solar units and solar fencing in remote villages of the state for provision of lighting facilities and supply of electricity for cottage-based industries. It also develops the capacities of rural communities in managing solar units. Rural workshops have also been set up and village youths have been trained in repairing and maintenance of solar technology. In addition to this, village-level funds are mobilized to cover the maintenance costs of the systems and village-level solar committees have also been formed to supervise their functioning. UREDA has offices in all districts of the state.
PG GROUP!!
NEW DELHI
PAURI GARHWAL, TEHRI GARHWAL, CHAMOLI GARHWAL, KUMAON
KUMAONI, GARHWALI
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
The Pauri Garhwal Group!
PGG
