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Satkosia-Gorge-Sanctuary is located in the districts of Nayagarh, Angul and Boudh in the state of Orissa. The sanctuary is spread over a vast geographical area of around 750 sq km. Before falling into the Bay of Bengal, River Mahanadi passes through the hills of Orissa forming a 22 km long gorge where the sanctuary is located.
The wildlife sanctuary was established in 1976 for preserving a wide variety of endangered flora and fauna, which is also counted among the best ecosystems of the country. The name of the sanctuary Satkosia is a combination of two words, in which 'sat' means seven and 'kosk' means two miles. The combination of these two words indicates the length of the gorge, which is 14 miles or 22 km.
In 2007, the area was declared as a Tiger Reserve and is known as Satkosia Tiger Reserve. The reserve is obtained by adjoining two wildlife sanctuaries namely, Baisipalli Sanctuary and Satkosia-Gorge-Sanctuary. At present, the reserve is spread over four districts including Cuttack, Angul, Boudh and Nayagarh. The sanctuary is situated at the meeting point of the Eastern Ghats and the Deccan Peninsula, thus having a rich biodiversity.
Covered with dry deciduous forests and moist peninsular Sal forests, the sanctuary also provides habitat to leopard, spotted deer, sloth bear, elephant, nilgai and wild dogs. Besides various species of resident and migratory birds, the reserve also has reptiles such as mugger crocodile, fresh water turtle, poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. The most prominent activities are wildlife exploration and birdwatching.
Travellers can reach the sanctuary by buses operated by the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) from Athagarh. The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar Airport in Orissa, which is located at a distance of around 125 km. Angul Railway Station is the nearest railway station, situated at a distance of around 113 km.
Satkosia-Gorge-Sanctuary is best visited during the months of October to June, when the weather is pleasant and favourable for exploring the sanctuary.
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Satkosia-Gorge-Sanctuary is a well known wildlife sanctuary, primarily known for its location at the gorge. The gorge of Satkosia Sanctuary is formed by the River Mahanadi that divides the place into two separate parts at this very gorge. Its surroundings comprise several species of flora and fauna along with hill ranges of Athamallik and Angul sub-divisions.
The Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary is a declared tiger reserve as well as a crocodile preservation centre. It is spread in an area of 745.52 sq km and is home to animals like tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted dear, mouse deer, nilgai, choushingha, sloth bear, and wild dog. It also has flora of sal, piasal, eak, asan, bamboo karada, dhawara, Salt lick and fodder style grass, napier grass, and orchards in its premises.
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