MEGHALAYA: Balpakram National Park “The Land Of The Spirits”
Balkpakram is a very important area for the wildlife sanctuary which is located in extreme South Garo Hills, Meghalaya at a distance of 90 km. from Baghmara, the district headquarters of the South. The place has rich in different species of fauna and flora. The park also includes the Balpakram plateau and contiguous forests. The place is also known as “The Land Of The Spirits”, the locals (Garo tribe) believe after death their spirits travel to this place to reside.
Locals said people heard the cries in the dark hours, as per their beliefs the spirit realm still exists in Balpakram. And this magnificent landscape is a sacred and important land to Garo (A’chik) tribe.
Dr. George Schaller German-American biologist and the team researched several years back in Balpakram National Park and found that there was a total of 52 species of mammals, such as several cats like clouded leopards, marbled cats, leopards, 5 species of civets, including one with three-stripped palm civets, mustelids like ferret badgers and otters. And other animals like serow, sambar, elephants and guar.
Scientists have documented 347 species of birds. And more than 300, species of butterflies, 26 species of snakes and amphibians have been recorded to be found in Balpakram National Park. Hundreds of species of plants in this landscape including the endangered insectivorous pitcher plant and also the sundew plant as well.
There were folks tales on every individual spot in Balpakram, which includes the tiger’s meeting place or Matcha Nokpante, Dikkini Ring or Dikki’s boat, Goncho Dare gorge/canyon, Boldak Matchu Karam is believed to be a place where animals were tired up on the Boldak tree trunk (has the make of strangled on the tree) by the spirits for their funeral and rest here for a while. Believe it or not, whenever a tree falls here due to strong winds, another tree nearby gets afflicted by the same depression in the trunk as the other.
“Chidimak” or Blackwater, the myth behind the name Chidimak was, that while the spirits were on their way to their final resting place in the gorge, they wash their hands and legs on that water which makes the water black, in Songsarek ritual the body is cremated.
The Balpakram National Park is not just about nature’s beauty, mesmerizing canyons, forest, animals, and birds but also attracted the mythology of A’chik tribes.
If you are an enthusiast of natural beauty then visiting Balkapram National Park would be a great experience, for details on how and where to reach contact here: Baghmaracampers@gmail.com
