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Mareecha vanam
The spotted deer enclosure has been christened 'Mareecha vanam '. Harini is the Sanskrit word for the spotted deer. Deer is associated with innumerable stories. Mareecha assumes the form of a golden deer in order to attract Sitadevi. Lord Shiva uses a loincloth made with deer skin. Vayus chariot is pulled by a pair of deer. The Musk-deer, kasturimriga, is a near relative of deer.

Mareecha vanam - the deer enclosure
Chital or Spotted deer

Scientific name : Axis axis .
Common names : Hindi : chital ; Tamil : pooli marn ; Telugu : ledi .
Size : A well-built stag from the Himalayan foothills stands 90 cm at the shoulder and weighs 85 kg . They are slightly shorter in south India .
Characters : Chital is perhaps the most beautiful of all the deer . Its coat is bright rufous-fawn profusely spotted with white at all ages and all seasons . Old bucks are more brownish an colour and are darker . These antlers have three tines , a long brow tine set nearly at right angles to the beam and two branch tines at the top . The outer tine , the continuation of the beam , is always longer.
Habitat : It is distributed almost all over the Indian peninsula and Sri Lanka . It thrives well in jungles combined with good grazing fields and plentiful supply of water. It is unknown in the arid areas of Sind and Rajasthan.
Habits : One always associates chital with beautiful scenery with grassy forest glades and shades streams. They are seen in herds of 10 - 30. which may contain two or three stags ,but assemblages numbering several hundreds have also been seen . They do not shun proximity of villages and frequently enter cultivation. They are less nocturnal than sambar . Their mating season is usually during the winter months. Chital are prolific breeders and may give birth at intervals of six months or so.
Kanithi vanam

Kanithi vanam - the Blackbuck enclosure
 The Sambar enclosure has been named 'Kanithi vanam' . Which is the vernacular term for the Sambar. The Kanithivanam is part of the area called 'Mareecha vanam' where the Deer , Chital and Blackbuck enclosures are located.
Sambar

Scientific name : Cervus unicolor.
Common names : Hindi : sambar ; Tamil : kudoo marn ; Telugu : duppi;
Size : Sambar is the largest Indian deer and carries the grandest horns . Height at shoulder is nearly 150 cm. (5 ft) average about 140 cm. A full grown stag weighs between 225 - 320 kgs.
Characters : The coat is coarse and shaggy ,males have a mane about the neck and throat. The general colour is brown with grayish tinge. Females are lighter in tone. Older stags become very dark , almost black.
Habitat : Wooded districts in India , Myanmar , Sri Lanka .

Habits : Sambar prefers staying in the forested hill-sides preferably near cultivation . They are almost nocturnal, feeding mainly at night and retiring by daybreak . Their diet is mainly grass , leaves , various kinds of wild fruit . Mating season is usually in November and December . The young are born in late May or early June .
 

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