Pocharam Forest & Wildlife Sanctuary

Main Wildlife Attractions: Bar-Headed Goose, Brahminy Bucks,Open Billed Stork,Leopard,Sloth Bear, Sambar

Coverage Area: 130 sq.kms.

Established: 1952

Best Time to Visit:October to July

The low hills and the water pools serve the best place for

the wild animals to live in. The wildlife sanctuary is named after Pocharam Lake. The Pocharam Wildlife sanctuary was established to protect the wild animals from being extinct.

Pocharam Forest & Wildlife Sanctuary covers 130 sq kms in the district of Medak and Nizamabad. The wildlife sanctuary was established in the year 1952 by the Nizam of Hyderabad. The sanctuary is the homeland of various species of animals and birds. Panther, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Cheetal, Sambar, Nilgai, Chowsingha, Chinkara, Hyena and Jackal are the main attractions of the sanctuary. The river Manjira is the main river that adds life to the jungle. The water body is nestling for the fish like Catla, Rahu, Murrel, Ech Paten, Karugu and Chidwa. Crocodile, fresh water turtles, Cobra and Marsh can be located in this sanctuary.

The floras of the sanctuary make the sanctuary livelier with green vegetation like Babul prosopis, Pistia, Hydrilla, Eichornia and Vallisneria. The tree tops remain populated by migratory birds and their sound vibrates the area and makes it lively.

The nine small islands are the main breeding areas for birds, crocodiles and turtles. Birds like Painted Storks, herons, Coots, Teals, Cormorants, Pochards, Black and White Ibises, Spoon Bills and Open Billed Storks make their nests in these tranquil islands.

The best season is from the month of October to July. The nearest railway station is Hyderabad which is 150 kms away from the sanctuary. Tourists can avail the road route as Macherla is the nearby town and regular bus and jeep services are available to reach the sanctuary.

Safari

You can go for a small ride or walk in the sanctuary where a 4.5 km path goes through the forest and the marshland. Water from the Dam comes into the forest. So you need to be careful while walking around. Trees were not very high but their thin branches were intricately woven with each other making a net like formation, making the jungle look thick. We saw lots of Deer’s, most of the times in a bunch of 20 or so, but they ran away as soon as we went near them. There were peacocks, most of them roaming alone in the forest. Most abundant in the forest were butterflies and it was like being in a butterfly park. There was color flying on all sides, on roads, on leaves, on flowers and just in the air.

Birds
If you can identify birds, you would love this place. There were many birds big and small, single-hued and multi-colored. A watchtower in the middle of the jungle lets you have a bit of bird’s eye view of the lake and the forest around. I must warn you to climb the watchtower at your own risk. The wrought iron staircase is tilted and the elevation does not allow you to stand on any stair. In the case of any accident, there is no medical aid available in sight. View from the top is wonderful, though. Most of us urban people hardly get to see so much of nature around us.

Pocharam Dam
A little ahead of the sanctuary is a small dam on a tributary of Manjeera River. Yes, the same river that supplies water to Hyderabad. This is not exactly a dam but a broad wall with perforations on it. At first sight, I was amused to see cars parked, motorbikes being raced and a row of people standing below the water falling from the top. It seemed like a picnic spot, a kind of rudimentary water park for people to enjoy during and post monsoon. We thought for a while and then decided to cross this wall by car and go to the other side, and happy that we did that.

There was a large reservoir with another equally thick but a longer wall. Water was overflowing and walking on the wall was like walking through water. Those who knew swimming jumped into the water. And the rest of us had to be content with clicking the pictures of divers. Sun setting on the water and people jumping around in water was such a serene and joyous time.

A good post monsoon getaway!

This sanctuary can be reached by private transport from Medak. Pocharam Forest was the favourite hunting ground of the Nizam and he declared it as a wild life sanctuary in the early part of 20th century.

Named after the Pocharam lake formed from damming of the Allair in the year 1916 - 1922, it is spread over . Surrounded by lush green forest, it is rich in flora and fauna and attracts a lot of winged visitors, like the Bar-Headed Goose, Brahminy Bucks and Open Billed Stork.

There is a center for Eco-tourism where visitors can see five species of Antelopes and Deer. Summer temperature goes up to 46 C & in winter it drops to 6 C. The sanctuary is home to animals like Leopard, Forest Cat, Wild Dog, Wolf, Jackal, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Nilgai, Chinkara, Chital, and Four horned Antelope.

On Sundays and holidays large number of visitors arrive there and spend time from morning till evening.

A giant building constructed in 1918 could have been a major attraction, but has been neglected leading to its sheen getting lost. Partly damaged walls and burnt doors explain its fate and what it faced in the last nine decades.

One can get panoramic view of lush green fields from the building and the filled reservoir offers the right ambience for spending a relaxed holiday.

Amenities

However, there are no basic facilities like drinking water, shelter and toilets. With unavailability of these facilities, one has to take every precaution when he/she plans a visit to the spot.

Now that the reservoir is full, the newly formed Medak district administration has been thinking of developing tourism and giving impetus to generating revenue resource by developing the place.

http://www.inditales.com/pocharam-wildlife-sanctuary-dam/

http://www.inditales.com/pocharam-wildlife-sanctuary-dam/

http://placeandsee.com/wiki/pocharam-forest-wildlife-sanctuary

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/pocharam-to-be-developed-into-a-tourist-destination/article9290188.ece