Dachigam National Park is located in which mountain range?

Question

Dachigam National Park is located in which mountain range?

1. A. Ladakh Range
2. B. Zanskar Range
3. C. Karakoram Range
4. D. Zabarwan Range (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — D

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Option D.

Key Points

• Dachigam National Park lies in the Zabarwan range, about 22 km from Srinagar, spanning roughly 141 sq km.
• It is the last refuge of the HANGUL (Kashmir stag), India's only species of red deer and the state animal of J&K.
• The name Dachigam means 'ten villages' — a reference to the ten villages relocated when the area was set aside, originally as a hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Kashmir.
• It was made a national park in 1981 and is divided into Upper and Lower Dachigam.
• Why the other options are wrong: the Ladakh, Zanskar and Karakoram ranges all lie in the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh, well away from the Kashmir valley.

Exam Tip

• the Zabarwan range also holds the Mughal gardens and the Shankaracharya temple overlooking Srinagar — one range, several exam-relevant landmarks.

Additional Information

• Dachigam National Park lies in the Zabarwan range near Srinagar and is the last refuge of the Hangul (Kashmir stag), J&K's state animal and the only surviving Asiatic subspecies of red deer.
• The name means "ten villages", after the settlements relocated to create the reserve, which originally protected Srinagar's water supply.
• Other J&K protected areas to revise: Kishtwar High Altitude, Salim Ali and Hemis (now in Ladakh).