Location
The Guindy National Park is stretched in the city premises of
Chennai. The park is the only of its kind to be located within the
city suburbs. Guindy National Park lies in the southern outskirts of
Chennai city, at a place called Adyar. The park is situated close to
the Governor's House (Raj Bhavan).
Overview
The Guindy National Park used to be a game reserve till 1817. The
place was bought by a British citizen named Gilbert Rodericks who
died in the year 1817. Rodericks could not pay his debts while he
was alive and had his property mortgaged. In the year 1821, the
Government of Madras purchased the park lands. The next development
came in the year 1947 when the place got established as the
Governor's Residence. The park area was handed over to the Tamil
Nadu Forest Department which at that time constituted 400 hectares.
The nearby area was allocated to IIT(1961), Guru Nanak Educational
Society (1970), Rajaji Memorial (1974), Kamaraj Memorial (1975) and
Cancer Institute (1977). The current park area stands close to 280
hectares.
Features
Guindy Park happens to be the smallest and the only park within the
city suburbs of India. The park features an amazing bio diversity.
The flora and fauna contained in the park make it one of the best
tourist destinations in Chennai city. The park is inhabited by more
than 20 species of trees, about 14 varieties of shrubs and more than
14 species of woodland mammals.The place also houses many species of
rare birds and amphibians. The dry deciduous forests of Guindy are
lined with tree species like Amona Squamosa, Atlanta Monophylla,
Feronia Limonia and Azadirachta India. The popular park animals
include species like Indian Antelope (Black Buck), Elephant, Spotted
Deer, Indian Civet, Jungle Cat, Hedgehog, Pangolin and Jackal. Some
rare bird species found in the park include Black Winged Kite, Honey
Buzzard, Pariah Kite. The park is also home to many reptile and
amphibian species.
Accessibility
Guindy Railway Station and the Guindy Bus Stop is located in the
vicinity, some three kilometres away and towards the north-west of
the park. Both of them provide easy accessibility to the park.
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