Bandhavgarh National Park
A wildlife retreat, where history and nature meet, Bandhavgarh is not too
far away from Kanha. Set amidst the Vindhyan ranges, the Park has a series
of ridges running through it. Initially just 105.40 sq. km. in area, Bandhavgarh
with 25 resident tigers, was noted for its high density tiger population.
Today, it has been extended to an area of 437 sq. km.
Once a hunting reserve of the royal family of Rewa where once Maharaja Venkat
Raman Singh made his illustrious career out of hunting 111 tigers, Bandhavgarh
was declared a Park in 1968. The landscape is a unique mixture of steep
and rocky hills, with flat tops and level grasslands in the valleys below.
The vegetation found within the Park is moist deciduous forest with fine
Sal trees with stretches of bamboo.
About half the Park is covered with fine stands of sal, while mixed forests
are found in the higher reaches of the hills. Stretches of bamboo and grasslands
extend to the north. The main viewing area is still in the core of the Park
with its 32 picturesque, wooded hills. An ancient fort up on a precipice,
800 metres high, dominates the Park.
Bandhavgarh's history goes back 2000 years in time and the earliest signs
of habitation can be seen in the Caves excavated from the cliffs to the
north of the fort. Brahmi inscription here, date back to the 1st century
BC A hunting reserve of the roya! family of Rewa in more recent times, Bandhavgarh
was declared a Park in 1968. This is where the famous white tigers of Rewa
were discovered.
Wandering through the Park on elephant back, the chances of seeing a tiger
are quite good. Also to be seen here are nilgai, chausingha, chital, chinkara,
wild boar and sometimes a fox or jackal. Other inhabitants of the Park include
the muntjac, jungle cat, ratel, hyena, porcupine, the rhesus macaque and
the black-faced langur. About 150 species of birds are also found here and
include the migratory birds that arrive in winter like the steppe eagle
and various water birds.
Bandhavgarh National Park, Reservation Form
