Suhaildev Wildlife Sanctuary

Pioneering the tourism scene of Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh, is the Suhaildev Wildlife Sanctuary. Sprawling in an area of 452 sq km, Suhaildev Wildlife Sanctuary is in fact located in two districts - Shravasti and Balrampur. Established in the year 1988, the sanctuary is known for affluent flora and fauna making it one of the top tourist attractions of Shravasti.

Of the total area, 220 sq km is dedicated to the buffer zone. The sanctuary is basically like a strip of land with dimensions of 6-8 km of width and 120 of length from east to west. The history of this renowned wildlife sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh states that it was Maharaja Balrampur who owned most part of the land of the sanctuary before the implementation of Zamindari Abolition Act 1952. The area during that time was known as Balrampur Estate. However, today, the entire forest comes under the state government. Another interesting fact about Suhaildev Wildlife Sanctuary is that it is the home to the Tharu Tribe which has been the dwellers of the forest for a long time.

The flora of the region includes the trees of Sheesham, Khair, Jigna, Jaamun, Faldu, Haldu, and more. Not just this, the sanctuary also has a significant share of plants with medicinal properties. Like flora, the fauna of this popular place of tourist interest is also quite enthralling. The wild habitat includes species tigers, cheetal, leopard, jackal, wild boar, sambar, wolf, langoor, monkey, otter, python and more. Not restricted to this, the sanctuary also has a significant popular of avifaunal species including kingfishers, bulbul, peacocks, nightingales, quails, black partridge, owls, cuckoo and more. Making the setting of Suhaldev Wildlife Sanctuary more scenic are the various water bodies that beautifully dot the reserve. Chittorgarh, Girgitha, Bhagwanpur, Kharimaan, Kohargaddi and Raziataal are some popular names in the list of water bodies in Suhaildev Wildlife Sanctuary.