Chambal Ghariyal Sanctuary Morena- a must visit spot of Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India is know for its natural beauty ,wild life and rich culture. Morena a district of Madhya Pradesh had great importance in Indian cinema in 60s and 70s. People who have seen that period must be familar with movies like ganga ki saugandh , Daku man Singh,  Chambal ki kasam and no one can forget about the great hit Sholey. All these films had stories that reveolved around dacoits and chambal(morena )used to be the center of It. With the passage of time things are changed and it has moved forward towards development. Madhya pradesh has many  famous national parks and wild life sanctuaries like Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh  National park,Sanjay gandhi national Park etc,etc. but their are few not so known but extreamly beautiful sancturies which could not attract tourist due to lack of information about it.Chambal  Ghariyal Sanctuary can be classified as one of them.
The sanctuary is protected under India's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The sanctuary is administered by the Department of Forest under the Project Officer with headquarter at Morena, Madhya Pradesh.

                                       

Ghariyals are reptiles which are generally confused with crocodile and alligator but this is a different species ,they have elongated snout which has a pitcher shaped structure on its tip.The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), also known as the gavial, and the fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian of the family Gavialidae,native to the Indian Subcontinent. The global gharial population is estimated at fewer than 235 individuals, which are threatened by loss of riverine habitat, depletion of fish resources and use of fishing nets. As the population has declined drastically in the past 70 years, the gharial is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.This sanctuary is an attempt to save them. 

Ghariya resting at the bank of Chambal river

Chambal River

The rare Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista Gangetica), the sole member of the Cetaceans group is one of the 
main attraction of the sanctuary. The Dolphins inspite of being blind can be seen
pursuing their playful antics in the water while coming out to breathe for air. The Chambal sanctuary is one of 
their safest breeding areas. And one has to really lucky to sight one while cruising in the Chambal.Dolphinsins are one of the oldest creatures in the world along with some species of turtles, crocodiles and sharks. The Ganges river dolphin was officially discovered in 1801. Ganges river dolphins once lived in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. But the species is extinct from most of its early distribution ranges