A National Park in India is a protected area for the purpose of propagating or developing wildlife and its environment. Here is a list of top 10 largest national parks in India.
Top 10 largest national parks in India
1. Hemis National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 3350 sq km | Ladakh | 1981 |
*It is a high altitude NP famous for its snow leopards.
2. Desert National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 3162 sq km | Rajasthan | 1992 |
*It is located in Thar desert.
*The critically endagered Great Indian bustard is the greatest attraction of the park.
3. Gangotri National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 2390.02 sq km | Uttarakhand | 1989 |
*The Gangotri glacier from where the Bhagirathi river originates is located inside the Gangotri National Park.
4. Namdapha National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 1807.82 sq km | Arunachal Pradesh | 1983 |
*The Namdapha flying squirrel is a critically endagered species found in the park. Some fear that the species is already extinct.
*Namdapha National Park is home to four big cats- Tiger, common leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard.
5.Khangchendzonga National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 1784 sq km | Sikkim | 1977 |
*Khangchendzonga National Park is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
*The name Khangchendzonga is an alternate spelling of Kanchenjunga.
6. Guru Ghasidas (Sanjay) National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 1440.705 sq km | Chhattisgarh | 1981 |
*It is the largest NP in Chhattisgarh and is now declared a Tiger reserve (November, 2019).
7. Sunderban National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 1330.1 sq km | West bengal | 1984 |
*Sunderban NP is located on the Ganges delta and is one of the largest reserves for the Royal Bengal Tiger.
8. Indravati (Kutru) National Park
| Area | State/Ut | Established |
| 1258.37 sq km | Chhattisgarh | 1982 |
*The Indravati (Kutru) National Park got its name from the Indravati river that flows nearby.
*It is home to the endagered Wild Asian Buffalo.
9. Papikonda National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 1012 .86 | Andhra Pradesh | 2008 |
*It is one of the newest National Parks in India.
*It is listed as an important Bird and Biodiversity area (IBA).
10. Bandipur National Park
| Area | State/UT | Established |
| 874.2 sq km | Karnataka | 1974 |
*It is one of the foremost tiger reserves in India..
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Some additional facts about National parks in India
- The first National Park in India was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park which in now known as Jim Corbett National Park. It is located in Uttarakhand state.
- There are a total of 104 National Parks in India.
- National Parks cover an area of 40,501.13 sq km which is 1.23 % of the total geographical area of India.
Disclaimer: The stats are as per National Wildlife Database, May, 2019.
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