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Bird sanctuary in India
Photo: User:Anilarorak, CC BY-SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Karnala Bird Sanctuary is a protected wildlife park in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, around 50 km from Mumbai. It is a major attraction to the visitors of Mumbai, Thane and other nearby towns. About 100,000 domestic tourists visit the sanctuary every year. Karnala is a paradise for bird watchers.
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Apart from being a place of interest to the naturalist, Karnala is redolent of martial history. Karnala Fort, or the 'Funnel Hill' as it is called, stands 475 metres high. Its command of the high road between Bhorghat and the rivers of Panvel and Apta must have from the earliest time made Karnala a place of strategic importance. Two gateways — one at the foot and the other at the top of the rock-hewn steps — lead to a dual gateway with a chamber in between. There are two inscriptions in the fort, one in Marathi and the other in Persian. The fort has a chequered history of having passed through the hands of Muslim, Portuguese and Maratha rulers.
Offers refuge to endangered birds like the peregrine falcon, king vulture and the crested serpent eagle. The four-horned antelope, wild boar, common langur, African monkeys and the muntjak or barking deer are amongst the commonly seen wildlife, while the leopard is spotted rarely.
By train
The trains on lines stop at Panvel, 12 km from the sanctuary; from here you can catch autorickshaws, taxis and buses.
By bus
MSRTC buses run from Mumbai Central to Karnala.
There are two ways up, one is an easy and other is bit difficult. People who are doing the trekking for the first time can go for the easy way. More experienced and adventure-loving ones can go by the difficult path.
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