Corbett the man and Corbett the national park are known the world over and have placed Uttarakhand prominently on the world wildlife tourism map since long. People all over the world identify Uttarakhand region with this famous national park which is a constant reminder of the hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett. August 8, 2016, is a landmark day in the history of this protected are (under Project Tiger) as it turns a dignified and beautiful 80 on Monday.
Home of the roaring tiger, trumpeting elephant and singing birds, Corbett is India’s first national park. For the past eight decades, it has been attracting wildlife and nature lovers to its splendid world.
Founded on August 8, 1936 as Hailey National Park ,Corbett National Park is tiger country at its best. Named first after the Governor of the United Provinces, now Uttar Pradesh, Sir Malcolm Hailey, the park was later named Ramganga National Park in 1952. It was in 1957 that it was finally renamed as Corbett National Park in honour and memory of the late Jim Corbett who had helped in setting up the park and demarcating its boundaries. Corbett National Park has the distinction of being the first park in the country to have have been brought under the auspices of “Project Tiger”.
Kaladhungi,a picturesque hamlet 35 km from the park, has been an inseparable part of the endless tiger stories of Kumaon focussing around the legendary Jim Corbett. It is this place where he resided. Born in 1875 , Corbett stayed in Kumaon till 1947 when he left for Kenya where he died in 1955. His home in Kaladhungi is now a museum.
Noted actor Tom Alter, who regularly visits the park, says he spent all his winter vacations here between 1958 and 1966.
“The impressions created then are still strong in my mind. Corbett has given me a lot and I will try to give my bit back to it,” he said.
More than 2 lakh tourists visit the park between November and June every year. Dhikala is the most well known zone in Corbett. It is located at the edge of the broad Patli Dun valley through which the Ramganga flows in numerous channels.
The Tourist Complex overlooks Dhikala chaur (one of the largest remaining grasslands of the Park) and Phulai chaur.
The Jhirna Zone, which is towards the southern boundary of the reserve will, as usual, remain open throughout the year. The area in and around Bijrani once formed part of a shooting block. During the British period it was known for the quality of game hunting that it offered to shikaris. Jhirna was a farming village until 1994 when it was successfully relocated under Project Tiger. Dhikala is the most well known zone in Corbett. It is located at the edge of the broad Patli Dun valley through which the Ramganga flows in numerous channels.