Valley_of_Flowers_National_Park

Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks*


UNESCO World Heritage Site





State Party

 India


Type

Natural


Criteria

vii, x


Reference

335


Region**

Asia-Pacific


Inscription history


Inscription

1988  (12th Session)


Extensions

2005


* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park since 1982, nestled high in the West Himalayas. The park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 square kilometers (33.78 sq mi). The Valley of Flowers has enshrined in Hindu Mythology. It won international renown during the past century, brought to the world's attention by the work of Frank S. Smythe. Home to a variety of endangered plants and medicinal plants, the region displays the best example of the West Himalaya biogeographic zone. The majority of flowers include Orchids, Poppies, Primulas, Calendulas, Daisies and Anemones as well as alpine forests of Birch and Rhododendron.

Contents

1 Description
2 History
3 Fauna and Flora

3.1 Species


4 See Also
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links
8 Credits



The richly diverse area serves as home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic Black Bear, Snow Leopard, Brown Bear and Blue Sheep. The region lies within the Western Himalayas Endemic Bird Area. The Indian government has banned settlements and animal grazing in the park. It is open only from June to October due to the heavy snow fall. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park compliments the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park has won fame for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. UNESCO designated the Valley of Flowers National Park a World Heritage Site along with Nanda Devi National Park.

Description
The Valley of Flowers is an outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its gentle landscape, breath-takingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park has won acclaim.[1]
The Valley of Flowers diverse alpine flora, representative of the West Himalaya biogeographic zone, has international importance. The rich diversity of species reflects the valley’s location within a transition zone between the Zaskar and Great Himalaya ranges to the north and south, respectively, and between the Eastern and Western Himalaya flora. A number of plant species are internationally threatened, several have not been recorded from elsewhere in Uttarakhand and two have not been recorded in Nanda Devi National Park. The diversity of threatened species of medicinal plants is higher than has been recorded in other Indian Himalayan protected areas. The entire Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve lies within the Western Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA). Seven restricted-range bird species are endemic to this part of the EBA.[2]
The Republic of India declared The Valley of Flowers a national park in 1982. That part of Uttarakhand, in the upper reaches of Garhwal, proves inaccessible through much of the year. The area lies on the Zanskar range of the Himalayas with the highest point in the national park being Gauri Parbat at 6,719 meters (22,040 ft) above sea level.[3]
Settlements have been prohibited in the national park and grazing in the areas banned. Open only in summer between June and October, heavy snow covers the region during the rest of the year. Getting to the Valley of Flowers requires a trek of about 17 kilometers (11 mi). The nearest major town is Joshimath in Garhwal, which has convenient road connections from railheads such as Hardwar and Dehradun, both about 270 kilometers (170 mi) from Joshimath.
From Joshimath, a vehicle can be hired to take you to within 17 kilometers (11 mi) of the park, to the settlement of Gobindghat. The route from Joshimath to the Valley of Flowers goes along the main road to Badrinath; roughly midway along this road, a minor road branches off to Gobindghat, the roadhead for the Valley. From Gobindghat, a trek of 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) brings hikers to the tiny settlement of Ghangaria. Valley of flowers is about 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from this village. Hemkund Sahib sits around five kilometers from Ghangaria.

History
 Picturesque landscape near Margaret Legge's memorial and grave site
Frank S. Smythe, mountaineer, explorer, and botanist introduced the Valley to the world as the Valley of Flowers. He had camped in the valley for several weeks in the monsoon of 1937 and performed valuable exploratory work.[4] Smythe authored a book called "The Valley of Flowers" which unveiled the beauty and floral splendors of the valley and thus threw open the doors of this verdant jewel to nature-enthusiasts all over the world.[5]
In 1939 Miss Margaret Legge, a botanist deputed by the Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh arrived at the valley for further studies. While she was traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, she slipped off and perished. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial on the spot where locals buried her. The heart-felt memorial stands as of 2008.

Fauna and Flora
The park serves as home to Tahr, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Red Fox, Common Langur, Bharal, Serow, Himalayan Black Bear, Himalayan Brown Bear, Pica (Mouse Hare) and a huge variety of butterflies. Among the important birds and Pheasant are the Himalayan Golden Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Snow Partridge, Himalayan Snow Cock,Himalayan Monal, Snow Pigeon, and Sparrow Hawk.
Flowers, mostly Orchids, Poppies, Primulas, Calendulas, Daisies and Anemones carpet the park. Alpine forests of Birch and Rhododendron cover parts of the park's area.

Species
 A flower found in the park.
 A flower with several insects on it
 An exquisite purple flower
 
 Morning Dew on a pink flower
 Multi storied Flowers
 An exquisite white flower


No.

Name of Flowers

Time of flowering


1.

Rhododendron arboreum

February-June


2.

Primula denticuleta

April-July


3.

Iris kemaonensis

June-July


4.

Fritillaria roylei

June-July


5.

Lilium oxypetalum

June-July


6.

Arisaema costautum

June-July


7.

Thermopsisa barbata

June-July


8.

Rosa macrophylla

June-July


9.

Caltha palustris

June-July


10.

Fragaria nubicola

May-July


11.

Saxifraga roylei

July-August


12.

Anemone obtusiloba

June-August


13.

Cypripedium himalaicum

June-August


14.

Rheum australe

July-August


15.

Phlomis oracteosa

June-August


16.

Hackelia uncinata

June-August


17.

Senecio jacquemotiamus

August-September


18.

Ligularia amplexicaulis

July-August


19.

Morina longifolia

July-September


20.

Geum elatum

July-August


21.

Geranium wallichianum

July-August


22.

Impatiense sulcata

July-August


23.

Meconopsis aculeata

July-August


24.

Delphenium roylei

July-August


25.

Aconitum hookeri

August-September


26.

Thalictrum reniforme

July-September


27.

Potentilla atrosanguinea

July-September


28.

Sedum ewersii

August-September


29.

Dactylorhiza hatagirea

June-July


30.

Bistorta affinis

August-September


31.

Stachys sericee

August-September


32.

Nepeta connata

August-September


33.

Pedicularis hoffmeistri

July-August


34.

Swertia hookeri

August-September


35.

Gentiana ornata

August-September


36.

Gaultheria erichophy

August-September


37.

Codonopsis affinis

August-September


38.

Angelica cyelocarpa

July-September


39.

Leontopodium jacotianum

July-September


40.

Saussurea fastuosa

July-September


41.

Campanula latitotia

August-September


42.

Cyananthus lobotus

August-September


43.

Sassurea obvallata

August-September


44.

Cremanthodium ellisii

July-September


45.

Anaphalis triplineruts

July-September


46.

Inula grandiflora

August-September


47.

Aster albescens

July-September


48.

Selinium tenuifolium

August-September


49.

Heracleum pinnatum

August-September


50.

Epilobium latisperma

August-September


51.

Silene setisperma

August-September


52.

Arenaria griffithii

August-September


53.

Corydalis junecea

August-September


54.

Erigerono multiradiatus

August-September


55.

Polygonum molle

August-September


56.

Himalayan Blue Poppy

July-September


57.

Codonopsis viridis

July-August


58.

Origanus vulgare

July-August


59.

Hackelia uncinata

July-August


60.

Salvia hins/lanata

July-August


61.

Smilacina purpurea/oleracea

June-July


62.

Viola biflora

June-August


63.

Rhodiola heterodonta

July-August


64.

Epilohium latifolium

July-August


65.

Cotoneaster integrifolius

July-August


66.

Dubyaea hispida

August-September


67.

Saussurea costus

July-August


68.

Ligularia fiseheri

July-August


69.

Androsace museoidea

July-August


70.

Eritrichium conum

July-August


71.

Lindelofi anchusoides

July-August


72.

Thymus linearis

June-August


73.

Rheum webbianum

June-August


74.

Megacorpaea polyandra

June-August


75.

Trillidium govanianum

June-August


76.

Satyrium nepoleanse

June-August


77.

Podophyllum hexaneum

June-August


78.

Picrorhiza kurrooa

June-August


79.

Polygonatum multiflorum

June-August


See Also
Nanda Devi National Park
Himalayas
Climate of India
Nanda Devi
Nepal
Kashmir Region
Tibetan people
Tibet
Notes

↑ James Workman. Pragmatic solutions: an assessment of progress, 2005. (Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, 2006)

↑ R. S. Ambasht and Navin K. Ambasht. Modern trends in applied terrestrial ecology. (New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2002), 125

↑ Jagdish Kaur. Himalayan pilgrimages and the new tourism. (New Delhi: Himalayan Books, 1985), 62.

↑ Harish Kapadia. Meeting the mountains. (New Delhi: Indus Pub. Co., 1998), 121.

↑ F. S. Smythe. The valley of flowers. (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1938)


ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
Ambasht, R. S., and Navin K. Ambasht. 2002. Modern trends in applied terrestrial ecology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. ISBN 9780306473326.
Kaur, Jagdish. 1985. Himalayan pilgrimages and the new tourism. New Delhi: Himalayan Books. ISBN 9788170020004.
Kapadia, Harish. 1998. Meeting the mountains. New Delhi: Indus Pub. Co. ISBN 9788173870859.
Smythe, F. S. 1938. The valley of flowers. London: Hodder and Stoughton. OCLC 341916.
Workman, James. 2006. Pragmatic solutions: an assessment of progress, 2005. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN 9782831709246.
External links
All links retrieved April 27, 2020.

Official UNESCO website entry
Valley of Flowers National Park
World Heritage Sites in India
Agra Fort ·
Ajanta Caves ·
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi ·
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park ·
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus ·
Churches and convents of Goa ·
Elephanta Caves ·
Ellora Caves ·
Fatehpur Sikri ·
Great Living Chola Temples ·
Group of Monuments at Hampi ·
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram ·
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal ·
Humayun's Tomb ·
Kaziranga National Park ·
Keoladeo National Park ·
Khajuraho Group of Monuments ·
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya ·
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary ·
Mountain railways of India ·
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks ·
Qutub Minar and its Monuments ·
The Red Fort complex ·
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka ·
Sun Temple at Konark
Sundarbans National Park ·
Taj Mahal




 • Part of the series on National Parks of India • 


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National Parks • Protected areas of India • Ministry of Environment and Forests (India)




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