Mysore/Mysuru: An online petition has been initiated by the residents of Kodagu district to change the name of Nagarahole National Park (Tiger Reserve) also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park.

The petition has been started by Kayappanda Vinay through Change.org and has gathered more than 5,000 signatures this morning. The petition has been tagged to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The petitioner has demanded that the Park be named after Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa who was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. 

The name Nagarahole has been derived from two Kannada words, ‘Nagara’ means snake and ‘hole’ means river. The name strikes the true meaning to this National Park where a few serpentine streams fork through the rich tropical forests. The birth of Nagarahole National Park can be traced by the stretching area of 258 sq km when it was a hunting reserve for the kings.

In 1974, some other reserve forests were added to bring the area as Nagarahole Game Reserve and then was classified as a National Park by extending the area by 643.39 sq kms in 1988. It was declared as a Tiger Reserve in 1999 and now, it extends up to 853 sq kms.  

As per the petition, Nagarahole National Park was renamed after former PM Rajiv Gandhi only to impress a particular political family and a political party. Hence, the petition has been pitched to give credit to Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and if not at least to restore its previous name as Nagarahole National Park/ Tiger Reserve.