About a botanical wonderland whose destiny is shaped by a river and a people determined to pass this living heritage on to generations unborn.

Kaziranga and the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros are synonymous. The very name ‘Kaziranga’ inspires awe, pride and deep respect in the minds and hearts of the Assamese people.

This floodplain is a child of the Brahmaputra river. Here Rhinoceros unicornis is making its last stand in a mosaic of incredible ecosystems that fall in the Indomalayan Realm. The book traces the conservation history of the Park. It also highlights the threats faced by the rhino today and reminds us of those who lived and died to protect the wild beauty of Kaziranga.

Nestled between the mighty Brahmaputra and the and Mikhir Hills, a hundred years ago, a script was written and like a baton passed on to the artists; artists who have played their part well and ensured that this land remain unsullied. Today, it is a beacon for the future of conservation.

Kaziranga unfurls a people’s legacy; a people who have protected and promise to preserve this wonderland. This living heritage of Assam must be preserved as a vault of biodiversity. These are the true nation builders, that make the paragon of what will ensure a secure future and it is by protecting this legacy; by recognising and rewarding such actions and inactions; by passing human ambitions through processes and policies that we can ensure our ‘natural capital’ …the future of Northeast India.

Kaziranga, the pride of Assam and the land of the rhino is one of the most significant symbols one of the Indian subcontinent’s most significant successes. By the end of the 19th century, the rhino population had plummeted in Assam. The terai areas near the Duars of North Bengal seemed to be their last stronghold. Elsewhere they had all but vanished. Going back to the future… we realise that it was here that the conservation history of Assam began. In 1916, an executive order passed by name W.F.L. Tottenham, Conservator of Forests, Eastern Circle, Assam; Kaziranga declared Kaziranga a Game Sanctuary. Milroy knew something that most people of the day (or today for that matter) did not, that the key to the rhino’s survival was habitat protection. Notwithstanding, over fishing and poaching remained commonplace around this time when P.D. Stracey took over as the Chief Conservator of Forests of Assam, instrumental in launching the Wildlife Preservation Society of India. Later, in 1949, the Assam Government invited the Bombay Natural History Society to form a committee of environmentalists and naturalists to monitor and consolidate wildlife values in Kaziranga. These few determined people who fought against a tide of opposition and a hundred years of conservation ensured the protection of an unbelievably valuable heritage. And the species made a comeback.

Today, it is a painting of a mélange of a unique mix of grasslands, semi-evergreen, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, swamps, wetlands and sandy chaurs carved by the shifting course of the Brahmaputra that make it a exquisite wildlife haven quite unlike any other in the world. This diversity is the key to the success of Kaziranga. Over the years, Kaziranga turned into a magical land with a kaleidoscope of colours, shapes and forms.

In thick mist cloaks the grasslands, rhinos, wild buffalo, elephants and deer appear and disappear like apparitions on an ethereal stage. Otter and dolphins make impressions on the soul that last more than a lifetime …birds, plants… creatures great and small, all find themselves at home in this World Heritage Site and with the changing seasons, the myriad lifeforms present themselves; take your breath away. And it is this heritage that is so dear to the hearts of the Assamese people who have largely lived in harmony with and aided it to survive the ravages of time.

However, human values and desires are changing and the future of Rhinoceros unicornis now depends on how effectively we can insulate Kaziranga against adverse human impacts. Impacts that are a result of visitors and the evil eye of the watchful poacher. Tourism exists for the parks, not parks for tourism. To secure its future, Park authorities need to welcome visitors, but send back supporters. If we follow this mantra, then maybe 100 years from today, Indians will write as glowingly of us as we have of the likes of Stracey, Milroy, Gee and Lahan? The authors of this book outline a strategy to safeguard Kaziranga’s future for generations unborn. Almost all experts accept that the ability to preserve the health and vigour of Kaziranga’s grasslands will determine the life or death of its rhinos 100 years from today. Careful scientific monitoring is, however, essential to reduce collateral damage to other biodiversity. An overriding concern affects the future of Kaziranga, and all of India’s wildernesses – will the flash, glitter and endless demands for ‘development’ allow places like Kaziranga to survive for another century and beyond?


The book was launched at the Prime Minister’s residence on April 8, 2005. For photos please contact Shardul Bajikar . Kaziranga, the Inheritance’s 160 pages are lavishly illustrated with more than 190 photographs. It is available at a special price for Sanctuary readers.