Chandraprabha
Wildlife Sanctuary is situated 70 kilometers Southeast of the cultural
city of Varanasi. It can be plainly established that Chandraprabha is
one of the less known and neglected wildlife sanctuary of India.
Nevertheless is the best place around Varanasi to break the monotony.
The place is a strict no-no for the "Karma-chameleons" but if
all those talks about 'Karma' and 'Nimit Matra' have started taking toll
on your otherwise nascent brain, then Chandraprabha is a place to be. Chandraprabha is endowed with beautiful picnic spots, dense forests and sublime streams. Nevertheless, the most interesting and a must watch feature in Chandraprabha are Rajdari and Devdari waterfalls. Contrary to the popular belief, this sanctuary attracts considerable amount of tourists every season. Chandraprabha sanctuary was established in May 1957 in order to felicitate the breeding of Asiatic lions that were introduced there in the year 1958. Though the initiative got honeymoon success, the numbers started falling considerably due to poaching and it hit the floor in 1970 when all the remaining 11 Lions were found to be missing in a single night.
Spread in an area of 78 square Kilometers, Chandra Prabha sanctuary lies on Naugarh and Vijaigarh hillocks in the Vindhyachal forest range of Chandauli. Chinkara and Panther is the highlight of the sanctuary. Apart from that you can find a number of Blackbucks, Chital, Sambhar, Nilgai, Wild boar, Porcupine and Indian gazelle apart from 150 odd species of Birds. Among the reptiles, Alligators and Python have a clear edge over others. In terms of flora, Chandraprabha is a typical dry deciduous forest, composed of gneiss and laminated stone.
