Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary was established in May 1957 for the development and conservation of biodiversity. It is a land dotted with small hills, prehistoric caves, luscious waterfalls, and a dense forest. The sanctuary is named after the river Chandraprabha, which implies 'gleam of the moon'. The Chandraprabha River is a tributary of the Karmanasa River, and both flow through the forest to finally meet the Ganges. Due to their geographical location, both rivers have nurtured a wide variety of flora and fauna along the way for thousands of years. Rare and rich flora has been a major source of Ayurvedic medicine since the time of Kashi Raj Divodas Dhanvantari. Spread over an area of 78 km², hundreds of caves are hidden in the hills and dense forest, located close to Naugarh Fort and Vijaygarh Fort on the northern slopes of the Kaimur range. Presently abandoned, these caves were home to early humans in primeval times. One can still find evidence of their life and habitat in the form of primitive cave paintings on the walls of these caves. The forest was developed as a hunting ground for the rulers of Varanasi in the late eighteenth century. A variety of wild animals are found here, including blackbucks, Chital deer, Sambar deer, nilgai (antelope), wild boar, bear, panther, porcupine, chinkara (gazelle), gharial (gavial/ fish-eating crocodile) and python. A paradise for bird lovers, this sanctuary houses around 150 species of birds. For the tourists and visitors coming here, the Forest and Tourism Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh has developed very comfortable residential facilities with the help of private associates. Visitors can enjoy a range of fun-filled activities such as hiking, site-seeing, tribal music, delicious food and so much more.