National Parks is a favourite topic in every exam. The questions are simple — which park is in which state, or which animal it is famous for. But there are over a hundred parks, so students often try to learn all of them and remember none. This post gives you only the ones that actually get asked, arranged state-wise, with 15 real questions from past papers.
Key Points (Quick Revision)
- Jim Corbett (Uttarakhand) — India's first national park, established 1936
- Hemis (Ladakh) — largest national park in India, famous for snow leopard
- Kaziranga (Assam) — one-horned rhinoceros, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Gir (Gujarat) — the only home of the Asiatic lion
- Madhya Pradesh has the most national parks — often called the Tiger State
1. The five you must know first
If you learn nothing else from this topic, learn these. They appear more than all the others combined.
| Park | State | Famous for |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Corbett | Uttarakhand | India's first national park (1936); tigers |
| Kaziranga | Assam | One-horned rhinoceros; UNESCO site |
| Gir | Gujarat | Asiatic lion — found nowhere else in the wild |
| Hemis | Ladakh | Largest national park; snow leopard |
| Sundarbans | West Bengal | Royal Bengal tiger; largest mangrove forest |
Jim Corbett was originally named Hailey National Park and was renamed after the hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett. It was also where Project Tiger was launched in 1973 — a fact asked on its own.
2. North and Central India
| Park | State | Famous for |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Corbett | Uttarakhand | First national park; Project Tiger launch site |
| Valley of Flowers | Uttarakhand | Alpine flowers; UNESCO site |
| Nanda Devi | Uttarakhand | Himalayan biodiversity; UNESCO site |
| Dudhwa | Uttar Pradesh | Swamp deer (barasingha) |
| Keoladeo (Bharatpur) | Rajasthan | Migratory birds; UNESCO site |
| Ranthambore | Rajasthan | Tigers; historic fort inside the park |
| Sariska | Rajasthan | Tiger reserve |
| Desert National Park | Rajasthan | Great Indian Bustard |
| Kanha | Madhya Pradesh | Tigers and barasingha; inspired The Jungle Book |
| Bandhavgarh | Madhya Pradesh | Highest density of tigers |
| Panna | Madhya Pradesh | Tigers; Ken river |
| Kuno | Madhya Pradesh | Cheetah reintroduction project |
📌 Exam Focus
- Asked most often: first park (Jim Corbett), largest park (Hemis), Asiatic lion (Gir), one-horned rhino (Kaziranga)
- Common trap: Kaziranga and Manas are both in Assam — Kaziranga is rhino, Manas is UNESCO plus tiger reserve
- Recent addition: Kuno in Madhya Pradesh for the cheetah project — appearing in newer papers
3. East and North East India
| Park | State | Famous for |
|---|---|---|
| Kaziranga | Assam | One-horned rhinoceros; UNESCO site |
| Manas | Assam | UNESCO site; tiger and elephant reserve |
| Nameri | Assam | White-winged wood duck |
| Sundarbans | West Bengal | Royal Bengal tiger; mangrove forest |
| Namdapha | Arunachal Pradesh | Only park with four big cat species |
| Keibul Lamjao | Manipur | Only floating national park in the world; sangai deer |
| Simlipal | Odisha | Tiger reserve; elephants |
| Betla | Jharkhand | Tigers and elephants |
| Valmiki | Bihar | Bihar's only tiger reserve |
Keibul Lamjao in Manipur is worth remembering separately — it is the only floating national park in the world, resting on masses of floating vegetation called phumdis on Loktak Lake. It is the last natural home of the sangai, the brow-antlered deer.
4. West and South India
| Park | State | Famous for |
|---|---|---|
| Gir | Gujarat | Asiatic lion |
| Marine National Park | Gujarat | India's first marine national park |
| Sanjay Gandhi | Maharashtra | National park inside a city (Mumbai) |
| Tadoba | Maharashtra | Oldest and largest park in Maharashtra; tigers |
| Bandipur | Karnataka | Tigers and elephants; Project Tiger reserve |
| Nagarhole | Karnataka | Elephants; part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve |
| Periyar | Kerala | Elephants; lake sanctuary |
| Silent Valley | Kerala | Lion-tailed macaque; tropical rainforest |
| Mudumalai | Tamil Nadu | Tigers and elephants |
| Gulf of Mannar | Tamil Nadu | Marine biosphere; dugong |
5. How it is asked in exams — 15 PYQs
- Which is the first national park of India? — Jim Corbett National Park (SSC CGL 2023)
- Kaziranga National Park is famous for? — One-horned rhinoceros (SSC CHSL 2023)
- Gir National Park is located in which state? — Gujarat (SSC MTS 2023)
- Which is the largest national park in India? — Hemis National Park (RRB NTPC 2024)
- Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park, is in? — Manipur (SSC CGL 2022)
- Project Tiger was launched from which park? — Jim Corbett (SSC GD 2024)
- Sundarbans National Park is famous for? — Royal Bengal Tiger (SSC CHSL 2024)
- Which national park is located inside Mumbai city? — Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SSC CPO 2023)
- Silent Valley National Park is in which state? — Kerala (RRB Group D 2024)
- Keoladeo National Park is famous for? — Migratory birds (SSC MTS 2024)
- Valley of Flowers National Park is located in? — Uttarakhand (SSC CGL 2024)
- Which national park is known for the Asiatic lion? — Gir (RRB NTPC 2025)
- Bandipur National Park is in which state? — Karnataka (SSC CHSL 2022)
- Desert National Park is famous for which bird? — Great Indian Bustard (SSC GD 2023)
- Kuno National Park is in the news for which animal? — Cheetah (SSC CGL 2024)
6. Quick Revision — records to remember
⚡ First, largest, only
- First national park: Jim Corbett, Uttarakhand (1936)
- Largest: Hemis, Ladakh
- Only floating park: Keibul Lamjao, Manipur
- Only Asiatic lions: Gir, Gujarat
- Park inside a city: Sanjay Gandhi, Mumbai
- Most national parks: Madhya Pradesh
- Four big cats together: Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the first national park of India?
Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, established in 1936. It was originally called Hailey National Park and was later renamed after Jim Corbett. Project Tiger was also launched from here in 1973, which is a separate exam question in itself.
Which is the largest national park in India?
Hemis National Park in Ladakh is the largest by area. It is best known for the snow leopard, and its high-altitude cold desert terrain makes it very different from the forest parks of central and southern India.
Which state has the most national parks?
Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of national parks, which is why it is often called the Tiger State of India. Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Satpura and Kuno are all in Madhya Pradesh, and each appears in exams for a different reason.
Why is Keibul Lamjao special?
It is the only floating national park in the world. It sits on Loktak Lake in Manipur on floating masses of vegetation known as phumdis, and it is the last natural habitat of the sangai, the brow-antlered deer found only there.
How many questions come from national parks in exams?
Usually one or two questions per paper in SSC and Railway exams. The questions ask either which state a park is in, or which animal it is famous for. Learning the fifteen or so most-asked parks covers almost every question from this topic.
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