Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary

Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary is a large protected area established in 1986 along the Ganga River floodplain in western Uttar Pradesh. Spread over about 2,073 sq km across Meerut, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Amroha and Ghaziabad districts, it protects riverine, grassland and dry deciduous forest habitats. It is notable for swamp deer, nilgai, leopard, and diverse birdlife and for its location around the historic town of Hastinapur.

Visitors can expect a vast open landscape of Ganga khadar, grasslands, scrub and dry deciduous forest interspersed with wetlands and river channels. The sanctuary is explored via forest roads and tracks by jeep or on foot with permission. Sightings may include deer, wild boar, nilgai, jackals and numerous resident and migratory birds. Facilities are basic, with forest rest houses and simple amenities, offering a quiet nature and wildlife viewing experience rather than developed tourist infrastructure.

Notified in 1986 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was created to protect the Ganga khadar ecosystem and its wildlife. It extends along both sides of the Ganga River across five districts. The name derives from the ancient town of Hastinapur, traditionally identified as the capital of the Kuru kingdom in the Mahabharata period.

The sanctuary surrounds Hastinapur, revered as an ancient capital associated with the Mahabharata and as a major Jain pilgrimage centre with several Digambar and Shwetambar Jain temples dedicated to Tirthankaras. The Ganga River flowing through the sanctuary holds religious significance for local communities.