About Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP):
- It is located near Borivali in the northern part of Mumbai.
- It is situated partly in the Thane District and in the Mumbai Suburban District of Maharashtra.
- In the early days, the park was known as Krishnagiri National Park. However, in 1974 the name of this park was changed to ‘Borivali National Park’ and in 1981 to ‘Sanjay Gandhi National Park’.
- It is one of the largest parks in the world located within city limits. It forms roughly 20% of Mumbai city's geographical area.
- The Kanheri Caves in the center of the park were an important Buddhist learning center and pilgrimage site sculpted by Buddhist monks between the 9th and the 1st centuries BCE.
- They were chiseled out of a massive basaltic rock outcropping.
- Caves feature viharas, stupas, prayer halls, and other structures of old-style Buddhist architecture.
- There is a Jain Temple with three huge carved idols situated on the way to the caves.
- Besides, the park also has two lakes, namely Tulsi Lake and Vihar Lake, the deer park, the lion safari, and the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Flora:
- Kadamba, Teak, Karanj, Shisham, and species of acacia, Ziziphus, euphorbias, etc. are found in this National Park.
- The most famous of these is the karvi plant, which blooms just once every eight years.
- Fauna:
- Leopard, sambar, chital, barking deer, rusty spotted cat, hyena, common palm civet, small Indian civet, Indian crested porcupine, Indian hare, Indian flying fox, common langur, and bonnet macaque.
- The park also boasts 251 species of birds and a large variety of butterflies.
