Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary

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About Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary:

Nestling in the foothills of the Himalayas, it is located in the district of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.
It covers the middle altitudinal range from 1,800 to 3,400 m of the Himalayas, showing the transition from pine through oak to alpine meadow.
This high-altitude sanctuary is named after the goddess Shikari Devi, to whom a temple is dedicated and the place is considered sacred by Hindus.
- The temple is positioned in the middle of snow-capped mountains and dense pine trees at an elevation of 2850 m above sea level.
- An area of 7,200 ha surrounding the temple was declared a sanctuary in 1962.
Flora: Owing to great variation in altitude, the sanctuary has seven forest types, according to the classification by Champion and Seth (1968): Alpine Pasture, Sub-alpine Forest, Moist TemperateDeciduous Forest, West Himalayan Upper Oak/Fir Forest, Kharsu Oak Forest, Western Mixed Coniferous Forest, and Ban Oak Forest.
Fauna:
- It is home to different species of animals and birds, including the goral, monal, black bear, barking deer, musk deer, cat leopard, and the Himalayan black bear.
- We can also see the Himalayan palm civet, barking deer, marten, Indian porcupine, Kashmiri flying squirrel, musk deer, common langur, leopard, common squirrel and snow leopard inhabiting the sanctuary.

Q1: What is the history of Shikari Mata?

It is believed that the temple has been existing since the time of Mahabharata. The temple is dedicated to Shikari Devi, the Goddess of hunters. In the archaic days, the hunters or shikaris of the region would worship the Goddess in the temple to seek blessings for a successful hunt.

Source: TI