MT HARRIET NATIONAL PARK, the most sought after wilderness

MOUNT HARRIET NATIONAL PARK,
the most sought after wilderness in Andamans

By
Debkumar Bhadra

Mount Harriet now called as Manipur Parvat is Andaman and Nicobar Island's third highest peak located in the east of South Andaman between 11° 42' 5" to 11° 51' 45" N Latitude and 92° 43' 41" to 92° 48' 13" E Longitude. The mountain range is endowed with vast expanse of exceptionally beautiful and unique cover of dense, pristine evergreen and semi- evergreen forests that harbors in it an equally exceptional and rich faunal diversity. The park is maintained by the Wildlife division of Department of Environment and Forests, Andaman and Nicobar Administration. [This post has been carried in the December 2021 Edition of Go Explore Andaman, a travel magazine]

Mt Manipur entry gate cum permit counter

The peak was originally named after Harriet C. Tytler, second wife of Col. Robert Christopher Tytler who was the Superintendent of Convict Settlement at Port Blair and also primarily responsible for clearance of Mount Harriet area required for construction of summer house for the then British Chief Commissioner. 

The peak has recently been rechristened as Manipur Parvat in commemoration of north-eastern state’s resistance to the British. Specifically as a tribute to those who sacrificed their life in the historic 1891 Anglo-Manipur war. This also coincides with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav marking countries 75th Anniversary of Independence. 

Considered an epoch in the history of resistance against imposition of British rule, the war fought between the kingdom of Manipur and British forces resulted in Prince Tikendrajit and four others hanged publicly at Fida in Imphal. While his brother Kulachandra and several others were sentenced to spend rest of their life, away from motherland, in the remote Andaman Island, known as Kalapani then. 

According to a British-era document available in Manipur State Archives, 23 men including King Kulachandra Dhwaja Singh and his brother were “transported for life” to Andamans. Since Cellular Jail, the colonial prison was not in existence then, British used various parts of Andamans as open prison. King Kulachandra along with 22 other prisoners from Manipur were thus sent to Mount Harriet to complete their banishment.

A Nicobari Hut seen on the right is an added attraction

The hill range spread over an area of 46.62 sq km and comprising of five principal peaks namely Mt Koyob (459m), Mt Hext (425m), Mt Harriet (422m), Mt Goodridge (376m) and Mt Carpenter (346m) was established as National Park in the year 1969. The scenic beauty of dense, pristine forests, rare and endemic birds, colorful butterflies, moths and a myriad of other life forms make this wilderness the most sought after destination among tourists, scientists, researchers, environmentalists and trekkers alike.

Original photo on the left taken from Mt Manipur view point showing Light House at North Bay on the reverse of twenty rupee note

Adding to the wow factor, the summit offers panoramic view of Andaman sea, the light house at North Bay, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (earlier called Ross) Island, Shaheed Dweep (earlier called Neil Island), Sir Huge Rose Island, Swaraj Dweep (earlier called Havelock Island) and parts of rural South Andaman. 

One would be delighted to know the Light House that features on the reverse of twenty rupee Indian currency note, along with an overlay of wild palm and coconut trees, is the one from North Bay. The shallow sea and beach at North Bay is among the most visited attraction for snorkeling, coral viewing and other water sports activities.

View from Gun Point

Manipur Parvat is open round the year and can be visited through land route or a combination of land and sea route. What I mean to say is one can take a vehicle from Port Blair, drive through the rural South Andaman landscape and reach the summit in about an hour and a half. It is about 55 km from Port Blair, the capital of A&N Islands. 

One can also avail passenger or vehicle ferry boat service, plying every half an hour between early morning and late in the night from Chatham Island, disembark at Bambooflat jetty and proceed to Mt Manipur by road. Ferry ride between Chatham and Bambooflat takes about 15 min and the remaining land distance between Bambooflat and Mt Manipur can be covered in another 15 min on a vehicle.

Typical narrow, hairpin bend road to the summit

Another option is to hire a two wheeler from Port Blair, board a vehicle ferry from Chatham along with the vehicle, disembark at Bambooflat and drive to Mt Manipur. One must however note, the road to the summit is a no-horn, narrow-single-lane carriageway. Further being a steep hill, the road has multiple hairpin bends and several blind turns which is why a geared vehicle is recommended against ungeared scooter on this road. 

For the nature enthusiasts, looking to leave motorized vehicle behind, they have the option of availing passenger ferry boat from Phoenix Bay jetty to reach Panighat and take the trekking route of about 4 km to Mt Manipur alongside the remains of Aqueduct from Panighat jetty. It takes about 20 min from Phoenix Bay to Panighat by boat and trekking through the forests could be completed in an hour or two, depending on trekker’s interest and pace.

Natural trail to Kalapathar

Beyond the summit, one is welcomed to another 2.5 km nature trail to Kala Pathar. One can also visit Madhuban (Elephant training camp) from Mount Harriet by trekking through the meandering paths in the jungle treading 16 km down to the eastern shores. 

For the local population, Mt Manipur is the most sought after picnic spot. Locals visit the summit along with friends and family during weekends, holidays with pre-cooked food (lighting a fire is not allowed in the national park area), drinking water, snacks etc; socialize, share a laughter, have food in the lap of nature and return to their abode fully recharged.

Narrow, single lane road to the summit

The national park is also home to several rare and endemic avifauna including seven near threatened bird species thus recognized as an important bird area by Bird life International. The park is thus adorned as natural paradise by professional as well as amateur bird watchers, who throng the national park with twin objective of sighting birds endemic to Andaman Islands and capture breathtaking natural landscape, thus create memories to cherish.

Related Reading:
👉 Mangroves of Wright Myo Creek, Seeing is Believing
👉 An Officer in the thick of Mt Harriet
👉 Aqueduct at Panighat, tale of an ancient wisdom turning from ruins to rubble