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History
With the presence of the Asiatic Lion within it's forests, the park was bound to have it's own important place in the area's history. Earlier the royal hunting grounds of the Nawab of Junagadh, it was later earmarked as a protected forest by the concerned Government bodies. It is said that Lord Curzon, who was invited to a lion hunt by the Nawab, initiated the latter's mind towards preserving the lion species. In 1900, the lion was declared a protected animal but it was only in the year 1952 that it found it's place among the 13 rare animals to be officially protected. In 1966, 600 square kilometers were initially demarcated as the Gir forest area, which was later increased to 1150 square kilometers. The park with it's core area of approximately 300 square kilometers was officially declared a national park in 1975.