<h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong style="color: rgb(230, 0, 0);">Gandhamardan Hill</strong></h1><p class="ql-align-center"><br></p><h3><strong>Context&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">The Odisha government has declared the <strong>Gandhamardan Hill Range in Bargarh and Balangir district as a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS),</strong> three decades after a highly successful people’s resistance against bauxite mining there.</li></ul><h3><strong>About&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">The Gandhamardan hill (Gandhamardan Reserve Forest) spreads over nearly 190 sq.km in Bargarh and Balangir districts in Odisha.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Significance - The hill range has a <strong>diverse socio-economic, ecological and biological significance for the people of Odisha</strong>.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The hill ecosystem has<strong> 500 species of animals and 1,200 species of plants including 300 species of medicinal plants.</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1">A treasure trove of medicinal plants, the hill system is considered <strong>the 'Ayurvedic paradise' of Odisha.</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1">The hills have 2 historical monuments (hill shrines) which are major pilgrimage sites of Odisha.</li><li class="ql-indent-2"><strong>Nrusinghanath temple</strong> located on the northern slope.</li><li class="ql-indent-2"><strong>Harishankar temple</strong> on the southern side.</li><li class="ql-indent-1"><strong>Hiuen Tsang</strong> described the hill shrine a<strong>s a Buddhist heritage site named Parimalagiri in his chronicles.</strong></li></ul><p class="ql-align-center"><br></p><h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong>PRELIMS NOTES:</strong><a href="https://www.sunyaias.com/subscription-details/prelims-2023-sunya-notes-current-affairs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a></h1>