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A national park on a windswept plateau in the South Garo Hills of Meghalaya, revered by the Garo people as the 'Land of Spirits'.
Balpakram National Park is a protected area in the South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, situated about 45 km from Baghmara and close to the Bangladesh border. It occupies a high plateau of deep gorges, cliffs and limestone formations, and is often described as the 'Grand Canyon of India'. The park is culturally sacred to the Garo people, who believe it is the resting place of departed souls, which gives it the name 'Land of Spirits'. It is also called the 'Land of Perpetual Winds' because strong winds blow across the plateau throughout the year. The park spans roughly 220 square kilometres and shelters several rare and endangered species.
Type: PhenomenonLocation — South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, about 45 km from Baghmara, near the Bangladesh border.
'Land of Spirits' — sacred to the Garo tribe, who believe the souls of the departed travel here, giving the park deep spiritual meaning.
'Land of Perpetual Winds' — strong winds blow continuously across the plateau through the year, stripping soil and leaving rock and rubble.
Canyon landscape — deep gorges, cliffs, limestone formations, caves and waterfalls, with a mini-canyon separating the Garo Hills from the Khasi Hills across the Sib-bari stream.
Rivers — the Simsang and Mahadeo flow through the park, supporting its ecosystem and forming waterfalls.
Area — approximately 220 square kilometres of forests, grasslands and medicinal plant habitat.
Frequency: Protected areas and species-in-news questions are a standing feature of UPSC Prelims environment, and North Eastern national parks recur regularly.
Meghalaya
South Garo Hills
About 45 km
Approximately 220 square kilometres
Simsang and Mahadeo
Rocky plateau with gorges, cliffs, limestone formations, caves and waterfalls
Close to the Bangladesh border
Asian elephant and Bengal tiger
Large mammals whose presence indicates the park's forest connectivity with the wider Garo Hills landscape.
Red panda, clouded leopard and golden cat
Elusive species characteristic of Eastern Himalayan and North Eastern forest habitats.
Hoolock gibbon, slow loris and pig-tailed macaque
Primates of the North East; the hoolock gibbon is India's only ape.
Gaur (Indian bison) and wild cattle
Large herbivores supported by the park's grassland and forest mosaic.
Hornbills and rare forest birds
Hornbills are indicators of mature forest and important seed dispersers.
Balpakram is a useful example of a protected area whose conservation rests on cultural belief as much as on law. For the Garo people it is the abode of departed souls, and many locations within it carry myths and traditional stories. That sacred status has protected the plateau for generations independently of any legal designation, which makes it a standard illustration in discussions of community conservation and sacred groves. Ecologically the park is significant because it combines several habitat types — rocky plateau, forest, grassland and limestone cave systems — within a relatively small area of about 220 square kilometres, supporting an unusually wide range of species including the hoolock gibbon, India's only ape. Its limestone formations also connect it to the wider karst and cave systems for which Meghalaya is known.
Balpakram National Park — South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, about 45 km from Baghmara.
Known as the 'Land of Spirits' and the 'Land of Perpetual Winds'.
Area approximately 220 square kilometres.
Simsang and Mahadeo rivers flow through it.
Mini-canyon across the Sib-bari stream separates Garo Hills from Khasi Hills.
Often called the 'Grand Canyon of India' for its gorges and limestone formations.
Sacred to the Garo tribe; Wangala is their major festival.
In the South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, about 45 km from Baghmara and close to the Bangladesh border.
The Garo tribe believes the souls of the departed travel to Balpakram after death, making it a sacred place with deep spiritual significance in Garo tradition.
The Simsang and Mahadeo rivers, which support the park's ecosystem and form scenic waterfalls.
Asian elephants, Bengal tigers, red pandas, clouded leopards, golden cats, gaur, hoolock gibbons, slow loris, pig-tailed macaques and hornbills, among others.