National Parks in India (2026): Complete State-Wise List, Records & Exam Notes

India protects its wildlife through a layered system — national parks sit at the very top of it. A tiger reserve can overlap a sanctuary, a biosphere reserve can hold several parks inside it, but a national park is the strictest legal category India has: fixed boundaries, no grazing rights, no commercial extraction, and no downgrading once notified.

This page gives you every national park in the country, arranged state by state, plus the records, comparisons and one-line facts that examiners actually ask about.

Quick Snapshot

What Exactly Is a National Park?

A national park is an area notified by a State Government (or the Centre, in the case of a Union Territory) under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 because of its ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological or zoological importance.

Four legal points worth memorising:

1. Boundaries are fixed and undisputed. A park can only be notified after all rights of people inside it have been settled — unlike a sanctuary, where limited rights can continue.
2. No human activity is permitted except what the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state specifically allows for improving wildlife or for scientific purposes.
3. Grazing of livestock is prohibited outright. In sanctuaries it may be regulated rather than banned.
4. A national park cannot be reduced in size or de-notified by the state alone — the boundary can only be altered on a resolution passed by the State Legislature.

The administrative head of every protected area in a state is the Chief Wildlife Warden.

Protected Area Categories Compared

Students lose marks by mixing these up. The distinction is about how much human use is allowed and who declares it.

Key idea: biosphere reserves and tiger reserves are management umbrellas, not separate land categories. Nagarhole is simultaneously a national park, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, and a tiger reserve.

How Many National Parks Does India Have?

You will see 106, 107 and even 109 quoted across different sources. Here is why, so you can answer confidently:

• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) national wildlife database, which is the standard citation, lists 106 national parks covering 44,402.95 sq km.
• Through 2025, Simlipal (Odisha) was formally notified as a national park and Sikhna Jwhwlao (Assam) was added, which is why most current lists — and most exam keys for 2026 — quote 107.
• Higher numbers usually come from counting proposed or newly announced parks that have not completed final notification.

Safest exam answer: 107 national parks, covering about 1.35% of India's land area. Mention the WII figure of 106 only if the question specifically cites the WII database.

State-Wise List of National Parks in India

All 107 parks, with year of notification, approximate area and what each is best known for.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands (9)

Andhra Pradesh (3)

Arunachal Pradesh (2)

Assam (8)

Bihar (1)

Chhattisgarh (3)

Goa (1)

Gujarat (4)

Haryana (2)

Himachal Pradesh (5)

Jammu & Kashmir (3) and Ladakh (1)

Jharkhand (1)

Karnataka (5)

Kerala (6)

Madhya Pradesh (10)

Note on the count: Many exam keys credit Madhya Pradesh with 9 parks because the tiny Dinosaur Fossils NP is sometimes excluded. If a question asks "which state has the most national parks," the accepted answer pairs Madhya Pradesh with Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Maharashtra (6)

Manipur (1)

Meghalaya (2)

Mizoram (2)

Nagaland (1)

Odisha (2)

Rajasthan (5)

Sikkim (1)

Tamil Nadu (5)

Telangana (3)

Tripura (2)

Uttar Pradesh (1)

Uttarakhand (6)

West Bengal (6)

Records and Superlatives

Oldest national parks

Before 1970, India had only five national parks. The Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 and Project Tiger triggered the expansion that followed.

Largest national parks

Smallest national parks

Newest national parks

Thematic Groupings Worth Revising

Marine national parks (4): Gulf of Kachchh (Gujarat, the first), Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Mahatma Gandhi Marine (A&N), Rani Jhansi Marine (A&N).

Cold-desert / high-altitude parks: Hemis, Pin Valley, Gangotri, Govind, Nanda Devi, Khangchendzonga.

Fossil parks (2): Fossil NP, Mandla and Dinosaur Fossils NP, Dhar — both in Madhya Pradesh, both among the smallest in India.

Parks inside cities: Sanjay Gandhi NP (Mumbai), Guindy NP (Chennai), Kasu Brahmananda Reddy NP (Hyderabad), Van Vihar NP (Bhopal), City Forest NP (Srinagar), Bannerghatta NP (Bengaluru).

National parks in the UNESCO World Heritage list: Kaziranga, Manas, Keoladeo, Nanda Devi & Valley of Flowers, Great Himalayan NP, Sundarbans, and Khangchendzonga (the only mixed natural-and-cultural site in India).

Single-park states: Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh — and Ladakh among the UTs.

States with no national park: Punjab, Delhi (NCT has none notified) and several smaller UTs including Chandigarh, Puducherry, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Lakshadweep.

Memory Tricks

• 1936 → Corbett — India's first, and remember it was renamed twice (Hailey → Ramganga → Corbett).
• Hemis is highest and largest; South Button is smallest — the two extremes are both in remote territory, one Himalayan, one island.
• "Three A's for the North East rhino belt": Assam has Kaziranga, Manas, Orang — all rhino habitats.
• Kerala's four "Sholas": Anamudi, Mathikettan, Pambadum, plus Silent Valley — all notified in the shola-grassland zone, three of them in 2003.
• Telangana's trio (1994): Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, Mahavir Harina Vanasthali, Mrugavani — all notified in the same year, all small and near Hyderabad.
• Floating = Keibul Lamjao (Manipur), Floating vegetation = phumdi, Deer = sangai.

Practice Questions

1. Which national park is the only habitat of the hangul? a) Kishtwar b) Dachigam c) Hemis d) City Forest Answer: (b) Dachigam

2. The Wild Life (Protection) Act came into force in which year? a) 1970 b) 1972 c) 1980 d) 1986 Answer: (b) 1972

3. Keibul Lamjao National Park is associated with: a) Nilgiri tahr b) Sangai deer c) Golden langur d) Pygmy hog Answer: (b) Sangai deer

4. Which is India's first marine national park? a) Gulf of Mannar b) Rani Jhansi Marine c) Gulf of Kachchh d) Wandoor Answer: (c) Gulf of Kachchh

5. Silent Valley National Park is located in: a) Karnataka b) Tamil Nadu c) Kerala d) Goa Answer: (c) Kerala

6. The boundaries of a national park can be altered only through: a) An order of the Chief Wildlife Warden b) A resolution of the State Legislature c) A notification by the district collector d) An order of the National Board for Wildlife Answer: (b) A resolution of the State Legislature

7. Namdapha National Park is notable because it harbours: a) Four big cat species b) The largest rhino population c) India's only lions d) Melanistic tigers Answer: (a) Four big cat species

8. Which national park in India is a mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site? a) Sundarbans b) Nanda Devi c) Khangchendzonga d) Manas Answer: (c) Khangchendzonga

9. Bhitarkanika National Park is best known for: a) Saltwater crocodiles b) Snow leopards c) Great Indian bustard d) Barasingha Answer: (a) Saltwater crocodiles

10. Under IUCN classification, Indian national parks fall under: a) Category I b) Category II c) Category IV d) Category VI Answer: (b) Category II

Frequently Asked Questions

How many national parks are there in India in 2026? India has 107 national parks covering roughly 44,403 sq km, about 1.35% of the country's geographical area. The WII national wildlife database still shows 106, since the most recent notifications are yet to be reflected there.

Which is the largest national park in India? Hemis National Park in Ladakh, spread over about 3,350 sq km. It is also one of the best places in the world to spot snow leopards.

Which is the smallest national park in India? South Button Island National Park in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, at roughly 0.03 sq km.

Which is the oldest national park in India? Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, notified in 1936 as Hailey National Park.

Which is the newest national park in India? Simlipal in Odisha, notified in 2025, along with Sikhna Jwhwlao in Assam the same year.

Which state has the most national parks? Madhya Pradesh, tied with the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

What is the main difference between a national park and a wildlife sanctuary? A national park has fully settled rights and permits no human activity or grazing, and its boundaries can only be changed by the State Legislature. A sanctuary can allow certain regulated rights and can later be upgraded to a national park.

Which states in India have no national park? Punjab and Delhi have none, along with UTs such as Chandigarh, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.