Bugyals
High altitude meadows in India
title: "Bugyals" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["montane-grasslands-and-shrublands", "ecoregions-of-india", "geography-of-uttarakhand", "grasslands-of-india"] description: "High altitude meadows in India" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugyals" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary High altitude meadows in India ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Bedini_bugyal_green.jpg" caption="View of [[Bedni Bugyal]] on the way to [[Roopkund"] ::
Bugyal or Jubbar in Western Pahari (Himachali language) are alpine pasture lands, or meadows in India, in higher elevation range between 3300 m and 4000 m of the Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, where they are called "nature’s own gardens". The topography of the terrain is either flat or sloped. The surface of these bugyals is covered with natural green grass and seasonal flowers. They are used by tribal herdsmen to graze their cattle. During the winter season the alpine meadows remain snow-covered. During summer months, the Bugyals present a riot of beautiful flowers and grass. As bugyals constitute very fragile ecosystems, particular attention needs to be given for their conservation.
Some of the notable bugyals are: Auli near Joshimath, Garsi, Kwanri, Gulabi Kantha, Bedni, Panwali Kantha and Kush Kalyan, Dayara, Gidara, Bagji Bugyal and Munsiyari.
List of Bugyals
::data[format=table]
| Place | District | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Ali Bugyal | Chamoli | [[File:Meadows of Ali Bugyal.jpg |
| Auli Bugyal | Chamoli | [[File:Auli Bugyal Himalayas.jpg |
| Bagji Bugyal | Chamoli | [[File:Bagji Bugyal.jpg |
| Bedni Bugyal | Chamoli | [[File:Bedni Bugyal 9.jpg |
| Chainsheel Bugyal | Uttarkashi | [[File:Chainsheel.jpg |
| Chopta Bugyal | Rudraprayag | [[File:Chopta Bugyal.jpg |
| Dayara Bugyal | Uttarkashi | [[File:Dayara Bugyal.jpg |
| Gidara Bugyal | Uttarkashi | [[File:Gidara Bugyal 9.jpg |
| Gorson Bugyal | Chamoli | [[File:Gorson Bugyal.jpg |
| Gulabi Kantha Bugyal | Uttarkashi | [[File:Meadows of Ali Bugyal.jpg |
| Har Ki Doon Bugyal | Uttarkashi | [[File:Har ki Doon 3.jpg |
| Helsi Bugyal | Tehri Garhwal | [[File:Helsi Bugyal.jpg |
| Kedar Kantha Bugyal | Uttarkashi | [[File:Kedarkantha Bugyal.jpg |
| Khaliya Bugyal | Pithoragarh | [[File:Khaliya Bugyal Munsiyari.jpg |
| Kush Kalyan Bugyal | Tehri Garhwal | [[File:Kush Kalyan Bugyal.jpg |
| Madhyamaheshwar Bugyal | Chamoli | [[File:Madhyamaheshwar Bugyal.jpg |
| Moila Bugyal | Dehradun | [[File:Moila Bugyal Deoban 2.jpg |
| Moth Bugyal | Rudraprayag | [[File:Moth Bugyal.jpg |
| Nag Tibba Bugyal | Tehri Garhwal | [[File:Nag Tibba Green.jpg |
| Panar Bugyal | Chamoli | [[File:Panar Bugyal.jpg |
| Panwali Kantha Bugyal | Tehri Garhwal | [[File:Panwali Kantha 2.jpg |
| Pushtara Bugyal | Uttarkashi | [[File:Pushtara Bugyal.jpg |
| Nawali Bugyal | Chamoli | [[File:Nawali Bugyal.jpg |
| :: |
Conservation issues
Bugyal is a fragile ecosystem and it is essential to maintain a balance between ecology and environment. In this context a court case was filed by the public objecting to erection of the prefab houses and by introducing non-biodegradable matter in the upper meadows of the bugyals by the tourism departments. It was averred that the peace and tranquility of the bugyals was getting affected. The court had ordered that the polluter must pay for the damage to environment based on absolute liability principle, which covered payment of damages to the affected people but also to compensate for all costs for restoration of the degraded environments.
References
Bibliography
- Pandey, Abhimanyu, Nawraj Pradhan, Swapnil Chaudhari, and Rucha Ghate. "Withering of traditional institutions? An institutional analysis of the decline of migratory pastoralism in the rangelands of the Kailash Sacred Landscape, western Himalayas." Environmental Sociology 3, no. 1 (2017): 87–100.
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