The Kedarnath Sanctuary was founded in 1972 on the Garhwal Himalayas. The wonderful stretch of the Himalayas command a magnificent view of mountains and valleys, forests and grasslands, exotic butterflies and flowers. The Garhwal Himalayas contain some of the highest peaks in India. It is the source of the great Ganga and Yamuna rivers, and houses the sacred Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines as well as a few forest reserves. Some of the interesting residents of the sanctuary are the snow leopard, leopard, tahr, serow, snow cock and musk deer. Khaleej and monal pheasants are some of the feathered inhabitants.