 There
are many parks like Indira Park, Lumbini Park, Public
Gardens, N.T.R. Gardens, Sanjeevaiah Park and Kasu
Brahmananda Reddy National park (KBR park) dotting
all corners of the city. But KBR park- a tiny shrub
jungle amidst growing concrete jungle stands out
as a special one. This park, considered as one of
the prestigeous National parks in India encompasses
real natural beauty in all its glory.
 Named
after late chief minister of Andhra Prdesh, Mr.
Kasu Brahmanada Reddy, the national park is
a 'unique piece of Deccan Plateu', with dense
forest speckled with black granite rocks and a variety
of wild life. It has nearly 600 species of trees,
shrubs, climbers, herbs, grasses, besides several
pteridophytes, bryophytes and xerophytes. The park
has several special grooves, known as 'vanams'.
Conservator of Forests S. Bala Krishna, says
"Kanchana vanam (Bauhinia groove) of
this park has got a religious significance and it
is one of the hallmarks of this park". Apart
from this, there are also other grooves like Shudh
Vayu (pure air), Ayurveda (medicinal),
and Chandana Vanam (snadalwood), which are
in the restricted zone, where the visitors are not
allowed to visit.
 Formerly
known as Chiran Palace, the abode of Prince
Mukarram Jah Bahadur, heir to the seventh Nizam,
the park was initially spread over an area of
400 acres. The park was later taken over by the
State government in 1982 under the Urban Land
Ceiling Act. It was handed over to the Forest
Department in 1990 and was declared a national partk
in 1998. After some land has been taken over by
the Government of A.P as part of road widening,
the area of the park dwindled to 350 acres and is
divided into two zones - visitors' zone and restricted
zone. Visitors zone which is spread over 120 acres
has several interlinked pathways and is lined with
different types of trees, plants and  grasses.
The thick green shrubs and colourful birds of various
species and their sounds add to the soothing ambience
of the place. Many residents of the Jubilee Hills
and Banjara Hills come to this place for morning
and evening walks. "Generally there is no
entry for walkers into national parks, but we are
lucky enough that the park authorities are allowing
us to take a walk across the park," said
Nagaraju, an old man, who visits the park daily
in the evening. The park is also a boon for Botany
students, who are allowed to increse their knowledge
about herbs and trees of this park.
 The
park houses all types of ecosystems with 30 per
cent grasslands, 27 percent rock crops, 18 per cent
dense forest, 17 per cent scrubland and 8 percent
water bodies. Besides being a sanctuary, the park
is also envisaged to be the centre-stage for spreading
environmental awareness among the citizens. For
that purpose a full fledged Envronment Education
centre is coming up soon in this park.
 The
KBR Park is known for its high number of peacocks.
According to Mr. Manohar Rao, the wild life warden,
about 400 peacocks are living in the park. The park
shelters 113 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles,
15 species of butterflies and 20 species of mammals.
It also serves as an urban refuge for jungle cats,
palm civets, wild boars, hares, mongooses, monitor
lizards, pythons, cobras and other snakes.
As it is a national park, and protected under the
Wiild Life Act, the visitors have to follow some
rules and restrictions while they wander in the
park. Visitors have to maintain utmost silence and
are strictly advised to not pluck the flowers and
leaves. Carrying of chemicals, explosives, food
items and polyethene bags are banned in the park.
Above all, one should never try to enter the restricted
zone, which is treated as an offence.
Timings: 5 am to 8 am and 4 pm to 6 pm (Open
on all days).
Entry fee: Rs. 5 person
Regular pass for walkers: Rs. 250 per annum.
Rs. 50 per month.
Address: KBR National Park, Road
No.2, Near LV Prasad Eye Hospital, Banjara Hills,
Hyderabad. |
3:57:35 PM 
