The History behind Jim Corbett National Park

The internationally renowned park is well recognized for its Tiger Reserve and Wildlife, but have you ever wondered where it came from or how it obtained this name?

About Sir Jim Corbett:

Edward James Corbett was born on 25th of July 1875, although he was born and raised in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, his ancestors were not Indian. He always had a strong affinity for wildlife and forest and he used to spend the most of his time in natural settings. He spent so much time in the forest and learned so much that he began to educate locals and guide tourists about the flora and fauna. After his father’s death in 1879 that used to work as a postmaster in nainital, his mother had to take care of 12 members of the family even though he began working on the railway at a young age to start earning money. He spends most of his summer vacation in his farmhouse near nainital even in Kaladhungi where he is a resident.

There are 4 biographies and 3 biographies on his life that may be viewed to understand more about him. These depictions of his life demonstrate how he rose to fame and the heroic path he took. The largest man-eating tiger that was on the verge of turning 450 human beings into his food was slain by him.

He improved as a hunter with each year spent in the wild. He began to observe animals by concentrating on his senses (hearing, sight, smelling) after spending a lot of time in the forest. He lived most of his life alone in the forest and remained bachelor. He has a history of eliminating animals that breach the forest’s edge and venture into populated areas.

Corbett Origin:

After Jim Corbett passed away in 1955, the park’s name was changed from ‘Ramganga National Park’ to ‘Jim Corbett National Park’ in 1957. The early 19th century saw the beginning of the drive to preserve our heritage and wildlife, and the region gained a reputation for having a rich history of flora and fauna. It is the first ever Tiger Reserve in India and the oldest national park in Asia. With his writing about wildlife enthusiasts have even served to inspire individuals. For more than over 100 years the park has been known for its diversity of fauna and flora.

How they preserve Our Heritage:

The efforts to safeguard animal forests began in the 19th century under the direction of ‘Major Ramsay’ and numerous Britishers officers in charge at the time. The first step forward protecting the forest was taken in 1868, and shortly after that, in 1879, it was turned into a reserved area. This suggestion to reserve forest regions into restricted areas where permits would be required was made by a few British people, including E. R. Stevan and E.A. Smythies. The concept was advanced in 1930 with Sir Jim Corbett’s help; when the Hailey National Park was created in 1935, Sir Hailey served as the province’s governor, making it Asia’s first ever national park. The park was referred to as Ramganga National Park till (1952-1957) but shortly after the death of Sir Jim Corbett in 1955 it changed into ‘Jim Corbett National Park’ in the honour of Sir Jim Corbett in 1956. A few restrictions regarding forest and wildlife were made to save or to preserve them from entering populated areas.

Soon after that in 1973, Jim Corbett National Park became the first ever tiger reserve in India.

 Cultural background:

Although mountains look magnificent from a distance, the life they support is just as challenging as that of any other place. Similar to this, the area surrounding this region connects two of Corbett’s most significant Himalayan hills, Kumaon and Garhwal. Similar cultural influences can be seen in each region’s folk art, dancing, music, cuisine, and the other everyday activities from both regions reflects shared cultural antecedents. Similar devotion to god is displayed by those in these places. The main focuses of life are religion and social interactions, religion and culture-centred dance is an example of a culturally or creatively-based dance form. The second involves residents performing dance routines they have recreated dancing styles for celebration related events occasions in their family. Religious dance form revolves around the stories about lords and goddesses. Shiva, Kali, Durga, Bhairon, Pandava Nritya are the characters that are performed in those dance genres. Romantic tales from the local area were also recreated via the use of story forms in dance including Jhora, Cholia, Chanchari, Jhumari, and Sword Dance.

These areas surrounding forest and wildlife are extremely important, including both native and rare- species that are only found in the Himalayan ranges. Even in music, they use a wild variety of instruments that are unique to Uttarakhand’s mountainous terrain in order to deeply satisfy your mind and spirit. The most well known are Bairas, Neoli, Narshingh, Hurkha, Ransingha, Masakbahaj.