Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located at the meeting of three Tehsils of Sangli district: Khanapur, Walva and Palus. The wildlife sanctuary is man-made; it is an artificially cultivated forest without a perennial supply of water, and most of the wildlife species were artificially introduced. It has an area of 10.87 km.
Flora and fauna
The Sagareshwar sanctuary has much religious, cultural and archaeological significance. The sanctuary derives its name from an ancient famous Shiva temple that attracts a large number of devotees. It actually consists of one large temple and a complex of 51 small temples, all from the Satvahana period. You will find the Kamal Bhairao temple, partially hewn from hard Basalt rock perched on the edge of a steep cliff. The entrance to the temple is through a narrow tunnel.
The sanctuary is forested, but with grassy hill slopes. The forests are southern dry mixed deciduous and southern thorn forest. Protection from grazing and forest fire has resulted in good regeneration of dry deciduous species. The forest department introduced many plants in the area, including Tamarind, Neem, Nilgiri, Acacia, Agave, and Khair.
Large animals found in the sanctuary include several types of deer (Sambar Deer, Blackbucks, Muntjac, Chital) as well as wild boar and peacocks. Small carnivores like hyena, fox and porcupines are also found in the area. A large number of insects, birds and reptiles such as pythons and other snakes are also present.
Tourism
The sanctuary is a popular tourist destination, with the peak tourism season being from August to February. The most popular tourist activity is hiking to the top of a hill in the sanctuary, from which one can see the Krishna River flowing through fields of sugarcane and grapevines. Also in the area are numerous shrines to Shiva which were built during the Chalukya dynasty, and the Krishna Valley Wine Park in Palus.
How to Reach :
Take MSRTC buses from Sangli/Miraj and alight at Takari. Sagareshwar is 15 km from Palus bus station. You can walk down or take an auto rickshaw from Takari. It is recommended that you can take a private car from Sangli and reach Sagareshwar Hill Top Points.
Nearest Bus Stations
Sangli - 30 km
Miraj - 34 km
Kirloskarvadi - 14 km
Palus - 15 km
Takari - 2 km
Deorashtre 0 km
Nearest Railway Stations
Sangli - 30 km
Miraj rail junction - 34 km
Kirloskarvadi - 15 km
Takari - 2 km
Other Sanctuaries :
Other Sanctuaries :
Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary | Bor Wildlife Sanctuary | Karnala Bird Sanctuary | Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary | Mayani Bird Sanctuary | Melghat Wildlife Sanctuary | Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary | Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary | Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary | Sahayadri Tiger Reserve | Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project
