Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary, Wildlife sanctuary in Telangana, India

Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary is a freshwater sanctuary and man-made reservoir in Medak district, Telangana, following the Manjira River for 36 km about 50 km northwest of Hyderabad. The reservoir holds nine small islands, among them Puttigadda, Bapangadda, Sangamadda and Karnamgadda, whose marshy fringes and dense trees serve as nesting sites for waterbirds. Typha, Ipomoea and Acacia line the water's edge, with dry savannah vegetation and farmland beyond.

In 1974 only four pairs of mugger crocodiles survived in Telangana, so the Andhra Pradesh government set up a crocodile sanctuary on this stretch of the Manjira River. In the mid-1980s an annual aquatic bird count began and the site became a general wildlife sanctuary. A breeding programme now keeps roughly 400 to 600 crocodiles here.

On the riverbank at Kalabgur village stands a stone Shiva temple said to date from the Kakatiya period, about 800 years ago; some of its pillars are carved from single blocks of stone. It also houses shrines to Krishna, Ganapathy and Saraswathi. The sanctuary's Environmental Education Centre shows films on birds and animals daily.

Boat services take visitors around the reservoir for bird watching, with binoculars and bird-identification books provided. The best season is November to March, when migrant birds nest and breed. Accommodation is available in inspection bungalows at Sangareddy, Singur and Sadasivapet.

The sanctuary began in 1974 as a crocodile farm after only four pairs of mugger crocodiles survived in Telangana; the Andhra Pradesh government set it up at this site. A breeding programme now keeps roughly 400 to 600 crocodiles here, and in the mid-1980s an annual aquatic bird count began, turning the farm into a general wildlife sanctuary.