Bhawal National Park (ভাওয়াল জাতীয় উদ্যান)

Bhawal National Park lies in Gazipur district, beside the Dhaka to Mymensingh highway, about 40 kilometres north of Dhaka. It has been run as a national park since 1974 and was formally declared in 1982 under the Wildlife Act. It covers 5,022 hectares, with a core zone of 940 hectares. It is managed by the Bangladesh Forest Department.

The forest once belonged to the Bhawal estate, a large zamindari whose rulers are remembered for the famous Bhawal Sanyasi case of the 1920s and 1930s. After the estates were taken over by the state, the woodland was protected to save part of the sal forest that used to cover much of central Bangladesh.

The main tree is sal, which drops its leaves in the dry season and grows fresh green leaves in spring. Planted acacia and eucalyptus patches also grow in parts of the park. Wildlife has thinned over time, but visitors may see monkeys, jackals, small wild cats, snakes and many birds. Inside the park are walking trails, a small lake with boats, watch towers, picnic spots and rest houses named after local trees, which can be booked through the Forest Department.

Because it is close to the capital, the park is very busy on Fridays and public holidays in winter, when groups come for picnics.

An entry ticket is charged at the gate, with extra fees for vehicles and picnic spots. The park opens during daylight hours. Weekday mornings from November to February are the best time for quiet walks.

What grows and lives in the park?

Surveys list 345 plant species in Bhawal National Park: 151 trees, 53 shrubs, 106 herbs and 34 climbers. Sal still dominates the natural stands. The recorded wildlife list is short for a park this size, with 13 mammal and 9 reptile species, and the Forest Department has brought in peacocks, deer and pythons to restock it.

The forest was once the southern end of the great Madhupur sal tract, which ran through Gazipur, Tangail and Mymensingh. Illegal felling has cut that forest down to a fraction of its old extent, and parts of the land around the park are now plantations or settlements. Inside the protected core, you still get a clear sense of what central Bangladesh looked like a century ago, especially in March and April, when the sal comes into new leaf.