Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during the inauguration of an Orchid Park at Kaziranga, in Golaghat, on March 3, 2026. Photo: X/@himantabiswa via ANI.
The 1,302 sq. km Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, acknowledged as the world’s safest address of the one-horned rhinoceros, has a new attraction—an orchid centre.
On Tuesday (March 3, 2026), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the Kaziranga Orchid Park in the Kohora area of the rhino habitat. Spread across 20 bighas or 6.6 acres, the park houses more than 1,600 species of orchids.
He said that the orchid park was an example of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led State government walking the talk. “We announced our plans to set up this park in 2021. I am glad to have inaugurated it five years later,” he said.
Mr Sarma hoped that the park, offering interpretation for students and traditional cuisine, among other facilities, would become a major tourist attraction. “Kaziranga receives more than 1 lakh tourists in a season. By offering them more attractions, we hope to make them spend at least three days here,” he said, attributing the establishment of the part to the efforts of Agriculture Minister Atul Bora.
Mr. Bora is the president of the Assam Gana Parishad, one of the BJP’s three regional allies. The two others are the Bodoland People’s Front and the United People’s Party Liberal.
The inauguration of the orchid park coincided with the announcement of a new hybrid orchid developed by Sikkim-based expert Mohan Pradhan after eight years of research and cross-breeding. This hybrid orchid has been named ‘Seujia Kaziranga’.
‘Seujia’ means ‘green’ in Assamese.
Published – March 04, 2026 07:23 am IST
