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THE SITA MATA JUNGLE
The Sita Mata Jungle is the most unique of India’s forests. The Sita
Mata Jungle is located in the Southeastern part of Rajasthan in both
the Udaipur and Chittorgarh districts. The bio-diversity found in the
Sita Mata Jungle is unrivalled with a staggering 121 separate species
of plants, 24 main species of trees, 275 species of birds, and 54
species of mammals and reptiles.
Up
until 1975 the Sita Mata Jungle was the private hunting grounds of
the Jagirdars or Counts of Dhariywad. In 1979 the Government of
Rajasthan State declared 422.95 Square kilometers of this forest to
be a protected Wildlife sanctuary.
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View the map of Sita Mata Jungle] |
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THE DIVERSE
WILDLIFE OF THE SITA MATA JUNGLE |
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The wildlife in the Sita mata jungle includes 44 IUCN red listed
critically endangered Namdapha "flying squirrels" found ony in the
Sita mata jungle in nothern India. The population has increased by 2
with the birth of 2 new squirrels in 2006. This
squirrel actually does not fly but glides up to 70 meters from tree
to tree at night foraging for food and housing materials. This
squirrel is nocturnal and comes out of their tree home at the exact
moment of dusk. It waits patiently watching for any threats and then
takes the first flight of the evening to a nearby tree to enjoy a
“breakfast” of maduka indica leaves. This squirrel is one of the
Indian jungles most glorious sights.
Fifty spotted black, yellow, and cream coloured panthers roam the
Sita Mata jungle at night. |
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Again being a nocturnal animal it is hard to catch a sight of this
great cat, but when you first see this agile, elegant cat in the
early morning or late evening in the Sita Mata jungle the impression
stays with you for a lifetime. Other rare wild cats in the Sita Mata
jungle include 78 jungle cats, and 119 civets. Many times while you
are on foot in the jungle or while in the jungle by jeep these cats
roam between their separate hunting grounds and a sighting is fairly
well guaranteed. Groups of Sambar Deer, Spotted Deer, the rare Four
Horned antilope, Jackal and Antelope can be seen both during the day and
in the dusk hour of evening throughout the Sita Mata jungle. The
finest birds to sight in the Sita Mata jungle include the Grey jungle
fowl, Aravili red spur Fowl, Green Pigeon, Alexandrine Parakeet,
stork-billed kingfisher, Indian pitta, black headed oriole, Indian
paradise Flycatcher, yellow checked Tit, and the Purple rumped Sun
Bird. The large predatory birds that can be seen include Vultures,
Owls, and Eagles. |
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FLORA OF THE SITA MATA JUNGLE
There are approximately 145 separate species of plants and trees in
the Sita Mata Jungle including 7 plants on the International Union
for Conservation endangered plant species list, one of which is the
rare Vanda Orchid. Your sight and senses are overwhelmed as you walk
or drive by jeep through this thick forest filled with stately
Northern dry mixed deciduous and Southern tropical deciduous trees,
centuries old, that are surrounded by free flowing rivers filled with
waterfalls.
TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE OF THE SITA MATA JUNGLE
The Sita Mata Jungle is covered by hills and valleys ranging in
altitude from 280 meters to 600 meters above sea level. The slope of
the Sita Mata Jungle runs from North-West to South-East with three
main rivers, the Jackham, The Karmoi, and the Sitamata flowing
perennially throughout the Sita Mata Jungle on the same slope.
The climate of Sita Mata ranges from 6 Centigrade in the winter to 45
Centigrade in the summer months. During the rainy season of July and
August 500 to 1,000 mm of rain falls in this Jungle.
LEGENDS OF THE SITA MATA JUNGLE
In Hindu texts, from Millenniums past, the Goddess Sita was the wife
of the God Rama and mata means mother so the name Sitamata has a
double meaning both showing the name of the God’s wife and that she
is a mother to her human followers. One day, the evil God Raban
kidnapped the Goddess Sita. The Goddess was kept as a prisoner for a
few years until her husband, the God Rama, was able to rescue her. On
return to the Kingdom of Rama a common clothes cleaner told Rama was
he sure that his wife’s chastity was still intact. Rama had his wife
checked and found her to be pure from the touch of the God Raban but
Sita was so incensed that her husband did not trust her that she left
and went deep into the jungle. As she went deeper and deeper into the
forest she came across a Saint who had a cottage in the forest where
he allowed the Goddess Sita to stay for 10 years. From that time
forward the Jungle where she lived in self imposed exile has been
known as the Sita Mata jungle. Today followers of the Goddess Sita
still come each year to the Sitamata temple, deep in the Jungle, to
give prayers and honour to their Goddess.
The Bhil tribesmen, who live in and around the Sita Mata jungle,
worship the god Nagdevda or the Cobra god. Prayer is given to
Nagdevda once a week by the tribe in various makeshift sights
throughout the forest.
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