On the northern side of Panaji the state capital of Goa, along the way to Belgaum is a sanctuary known as Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary which also houses the Mollem National Park. The sanctuary is stretched over an area of about more than 200 square kilometers on the Western Ghats of Southern India in the State of Goa. The sanctuary lies along the Karnataka border area of Sanguem near the town of Mollem some 50 kilometers from Panaji. The sanctuary is pierced by the 4A Highway and a railway connection of Indian Railways. The sanctuary is blessed with ancient Kadamba Dynasty temples and water bodies like Dudhsagar Falls. The drifting clan of buffalo rearing community is also found in this area.

The Mollem National Park which is located in the Sanctuary housing monkeys, deer, gaurs, giant squirrel, pythons, and cobras is a natural habitat for many other animals as well. Tigers and elephants are also present but are not easily visible to the human eyes. There are other species of animals also which are scarcely located in the sanctuary like black panthers etc.

The sanctuary is populated by deciduous forests, evergreen forests, tropical evergreen forests which are constituted by the flora species like terminalia, xylia and lagerstromia. The scantily distributed grass can be found to be very dense in some areas.

History

This sanctuary was initially known to people by the name of Mollem Game Sanctuary. In 1969, the parkland got nominated as wildlife sanctuary and the name was changed to Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary. In 1978, more than 100 square kilometers of the inner core of the sanctuary was demarcated as Mollem National Park.

Weather And Best Time To Visit

It is a pure tropical weather at Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary which makes it hot with high humidity in summer time and pleasant chill in winter months.

Summer: Max. 35degC Min. 25degC
Winter: Max. 30degC Min. 15degC

Autumn and winter months of a year are the best seasons to visit the Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary. The visitors should also keep in mind that the sanctuary can be observed at its best in early morning hours and late in the evening.

How To Reach

Wildlife

The Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary is home to many birds and animal species which come across as a delightful sight to the visitors of the sanctuary. The animal species include various rare species and the species like the wild boar, malabar giant squirrel, flying squirrel, panther, spotted deer, leopard cat, barking deer, bonnet macaque, sambhar, mouse deer, common langur, pangolin, gaur, porcupine, wild dog, civet, jungle cat, and slender lorin.

The Sanctuary provides magnificent bird watching sites where more than 200 species of birds can be watched and which are thronged by the ornithologists and bird watchers all round the year. The bird species include some of the rare species as well as the kingfisher, black woodpecker, barbet, fairy bluebird, Indian hornbill, emerald dove, shrike and wag tail. There are numerous watchtowers near the drinking water sources for animals and birds which provide excellent watch sites for birds.

Flora:

The sanctuary has a vegetation belt of West Coast Semi - Evergreen Forests, Tropical Evergreen Forests and Moist Deciduous Forests. Species like Dalbergia, Terminalia, Xylia and Lagerstroemia are predominant all around the area. The water sources are abundant for the flora to prosper and survive but the grass around the forest is scantily distributed.

Fauna:

Species like wild boar, malabar giant squirrel, flying squirrel, panther, spotted deer, leopard cat, barking deer, bonnet macaque, sambhar, mouse deer, common langur, pangolin, gaur, porcupine, wild dog, civet, jungle cat, and slender lorin are found in the sanctuary.

Avifauna:

irds are seen in abundance in this sanctuary which include Indian black woodpecker, Grey-headed myna, Drongo, Large green barbet, Emerald dove, Grey jungle fowl, Fairy bluebird, Paradise flycatcher, Golden oriole, Malabar grey hornbill, Greater Indian hornbill, Racket-tailed drongo, Malabar pied hornbill, Ruby-throated yellow bulbul (the Goa state bird), Three-toed kingfisher, Shrikes, Wagtails and Sri Lanka Frogmouth. The sanctuary is house to many widespread birds of Subcontinent, particularly south India.

Butterflies:

Butterflies can be seen in the sanctuary which includes the species of Southern Birdwing, Blue Mormon, Lime Butterfly, Common Jezebel, Crimson Rose, Common Mormon, Plain Tiger, Common Mime, Tailed Jay, Plum Judy, Common Wanderer, Tamil Yeoman and Malabar Tree Nymph.

Reptiles:

The Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary is renowned for the presence of King Cobra and other reptiles like cat snake, Bronzeback Tree Snake, Indian rock python, hump-nosed pit viper, rat snake, malabar pit viper, Indian cobra, common krait and Russell’s viper.

Prime Attraction

Following cultural, geological and other attractions can be found in this sanctuary.

This is a twelfth century temple located in the northern side of the park. This lord Mahadev temple is comparatively petite but is an excellent piece of architecture. The temple houses antarala, garbhagriha, and basalt made mandap. There are carvings of elephants on the pillars that support the stone. The four pillars, embellished with intricate carvings of elephants and chains support a stone ceiling which has lotus flowers carved over.

On the south-western side of the Sanctuary lies a waterfall from the River Mondovi which is known as Dudhsagar Falls or sea of milk. This multi-tiered waterfall lies around some ten kilo meters from the Colem Village and is state’s tallest waterfall with height of around 310 meters which also makes it countrys 5th tallest waterfall. Indian Railway aqueduct pierces through this waterfall making a treat to watch. This destination can also be reached by hiking as well as on a 4 wheel drive from Colem Village. The way towards this fall becomes dangerous during Monsoon season and remains closed occasionally.

The downward water from the Dudhsagar Fall has created crevices along the rocky bed. This forms a canyon just beyond the entry at Colem Village by the underwater currents.

Along the Karnataka border, towards the southwest of the Park lies another waterfall called Tambdi Falls, named after the Tambdi Surla Village. It is a beautiful waterfall on the same line as that of Dudhsagar Fall but is visited by less visitors because of the steep and difficult terrain of access. 

The Sunset Point is a place, where visitors can have a birds look at park, treetops and large area of the sanctuary. Vehicles can be hired from the Mollem to reach here along a curvy access path along mountains.

Safaris

Permission has to be sought from the authorities for the Vehicle Safari in the forest.

Where To Stay

Tourism Department of the state of Goa provides houses on rent and also group accommodation for the tourists. These accommodations are some hundred kilometers from the Sanctuary. Another good option to stay at is the Dudhsagar resort in Mollem along with the option of setting up own tents by the visitors with the permission from the Range Forest Officer of the Park. Some private resorts are also present near the Tambdi Surla which offers a nice place to stay.

General Information

Threats:

National Highway 4A which runs through this Sanctuary has become a threat for this place as goods carriers carrying metal ores pass through this place and sometimes dumping of by-products is done in the sanctuary. Further large scale mining has also threatened the wildlife of this place. In 2006 toxic materials in large scale were deposited in this sanctuary. Private lands which are still not acquired by the State also is a threat to the natural balance of this place.

Location Map

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