In 1983, the intent notification of Rajaji National Park was issued after merging three wildlife sanctuaries of Uttarakhand – Rajaji, Motichur, and Chilla. It was named after the famous freedom fighter C. Rajgopalachari, popularly known as "Rajaji". Rajaji National Park spans an area of 820.42 sq km. In 2015, an additional 255.63 sq km area of the adjacent reserve forest was added as a buffer zone, bringing the total area to 1075 sq km, which was declared as Rajaji Tiger Reserve under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The Tiger Reserve provides fresh, clean air and serves as the lungs of three major cities of Uttarakhand: the capital city of Dehradun, the sacred city of Haridwar, and the Yoga city of Rishikesh.