BILIGIRI RANGASWAMY TEMPLE AND WILDLIFE SANCTUARY / BANDIPUR NATIONAL PARK

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B.R.Wildlife Sanctuary is about 90 kms from Mysore towards Chamarajanagara. Stretching over 525sq km, this sanctuary located at 1350m above the sea level among the B.R.Hills is hard to reach, but cool and scenic. The best time to see wild life here is between the months of June to October, when the animals come out for water at the end of the dry season. There are wild elephants, sloth bear, barking deer, sambar and wild dogs apart from about 60 different species of birds. On the highest peak of the hills is the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple the focus of the Ratha Festival every year in April. Permits are required to enter the sanctuary, and these are easily obtained from the Forest Department Office in Chamarajanagara. There are direct buses from Mysore every day.
BANDIPUR NATIONAL PARK

Bandipur National park forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is joined to the Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu. Bandipur National Park was formed by extending the Venugopal Wildlife Park set up in 1931 by the Mysore Maharajas. A popular game resort of the rulers of Mysore. The flora in the forest comprises teak, rose wood, hone, mathi, bamboo and sandal trees. It is mainly pristine moist deciduous forest with over 50 species of trees and over 200 varieties of flowers. There are tigers, jackals, sambar, barking deer, mouse, deer, and wild dogs, including a large numbers of monkeys apart from wild elephants and over different species of birds including the great Indian horned owls. The best time to visit is between March and April although the most comfortable time is between November and February. Visitors can hire elephants or vehicle to go around the park. The park is tiger reserve in the country under the project tiger scheme.