Kalesar National Park, Yamuna Nagar
About Kalesar National Park
History
Etymology
Kalesar National Park is named after the Kalesar Mahadev temple located in this national park.
18th and 19th Century
Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali camped at Pinjore Gardens in 1765 and British Raj soldier Rollo Gillespie camped in these hills in 1807 for tiger hunting in these hills. By 1892-93, the count of tigers and panthers had dwindled due to excessive hunting. Consequently, by 1913 Sirmur State had banned the hunting.
Kalesar Mahadev temple
The ancient Kalesar Mahadev temple takes its name from the a corrupted form of Kaleshwar, a moniker of Hindu deity lord Shiva. It is located near NH 907 on the east side and just 400 meter north of Kalesar Dak baglow (rest house) and 8.5 km north of Hathni Kund Barrage. There is also another later era Shiva temple north of Kalesar Mahadev temple. As part of INR1200 crore Morni to Kalesar tourism development plan announced in January 2019, Government of Haryana is developing this temple, along with Kapal Mochan Tirth, Panchmukhi Hanuman temple of Basatiyawala, Sharda Mata Temple of Chotta Trilokpur and Lohgarh fort capital of Banda Singh Bahadur.
Colonial Dak Bungalow
This area, excellent for the bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts, has a 100-year-old colonial dak bungalow. It is located near NH 907 on the east side and just 400 meter south of Kalesar Mahadev temple and 8.1 km north of Hathni Kund Barrage. The forest rest house is at a picturesque point and commands a sweeping view of the Yamuna river. Surrounded with multi-layered gardens, and as typical of the Raj bungalow architecture, there are high-ceiling rooms, exquisite parquet flooring and teak paneling along walls. A fireplace with a mantelpiece above and antique furniture completes the period setting.