History and Culture of Gir.

Gir forest was originally started in 1913, when the Nawabs and the forest officials took steps to protect the almost going extinct Asiatic lions because of increase in hunting and poaching. Later in 19th century on September 1965, it was officially dedicated as the Gir Wildlife sanctuary. Gir was the place for British colonists, Nawabs and trophy hunters for their trophy hunting expeditions. The Trophy hunting came to end when Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khan contributed to conserve the lions and initiated an act to bring an end to this sport. Followed by this government forest department activitists and many other NGOs also combined their efforts to ensure the safety and survival of this great surviving species of Asiatic Lions. Gir also catches the attention of the tourist and visitors because of its wide variety of flora, there are almost more than 400 species of plants that can be seen in Gir. Several species of Acacia are also found in Gir. The forest provides around 123,000 tons of metric fuel annually to our Country. Whereas there are 2375 species of fauna which are categorized into 4 groups, 38 mammals-300 birds-37 reptiles-2000 insects.
The culture of Gir got a lot to offer to the first time visitors, the tribal festival dance which is performed by the local tribes. There are 2 tribes Maldhari and Siddi. The Dang Darbar festival which is celebrated usually like 2-3 days before Holi where you can enjoy the folk dance and traditional Gujrati food and make some new friends who will warmly welcome you with a really special thing they got to offer, their SMILE so don't forget to smile back and just indulge yourself into one of the finest cultures of India.

Places to Visit Near Mangral