About 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. 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

Nilgai caves excavated from the cliffs to the north of the fort. Brahmi inscriptions here, date back to the 1st century BC. A hunting reserve of the royal 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. It is possible to climb up to the Bandhavgarh fort for a breathtaking bird's-eye view of the Park and there is also a small population of black buck that lives here, protected from the predators below.

Fact File

Total Coverage Area : 437 sq. kms / 44,884 hectares/ 168 sq. miles

Established : 1968 as a National Park.

Extended In : Extended in 1986.

Became A Tiger Reserve : In 1993 .

What to see ?

The Fort : No record remain to show when Bandhavgarh fort was constructed. It is thought, however, to be some 2,000 years old, and there are references to it in the ancient books, the Narad Panch Ratra and the Siva Puran. Various dynasties have ruled the fort: for example, the Maghas from the 1st century A.D., the Vakatakas from the 3rd century; the Sengars from the 5th century and the Kalachuris from the 10th century. In the 13th century AD, the Baghels took over, ruling from Bandhavgarh until 1617, when Maharaja Vikramditya Singh moved his capital to Reva. The last inhabitants deserted the fort in 1935.

Flora and Fauna : The forest of Bandhavgarh can be classified as moist deciduous, and the National Park holds all those animal species which are typical of this habitat in Central India. Certain areas of the Park (particularly the south and west) are drier in character, and hold such species as the nilgai and the chinkara.

Sal forest occurs throughout the valleys, giving way to mixed forest which occurs where the soil is of relatively poor quality on the upper hill slopes, on rocky outcrops and in the south and west. Grassy meadow patches occur in the valley and along the nalas.

Wild Life : There are more than 22 species of mammals and 250 species of birds. Common langurs and rhesus macaque represent the primate group. Carnivores include the Asistic Jackal, Bangal fox, sloth bear, ratel, grey mongoose, striped hyena, jungle cat, leopard and tiger. The artiodactyls frequently sighted are wild pig, spotted deer, sambar, chausingha, nilgai, chinkara and gaur. Mammals such as dhole, the small Indian civet, palm squirrel and lesser bandicoot rat are seen occasionally. Among the herbivores, gaur is the only coarse feeder. The vegetation along streams and marshes is rich in birdlife. The common ones are little grebe, egret, lesser adjutant, sarus crane black ibis, lesser whistling teal, white-eyed buzzard, black kite, crested serpent eagle, black vulture, Egyptian vulture, common peafowl, red jungle fowl, dove, parakeet, kingfisher and Indian roller. Reptilian fauna include cobra, krait, viper, ratsnake, python, turtle and a number of lizard varieties, including varanus.

Wildlife Viewing:
There are two main ways of getting about in the park-in a motor vehicle or an elephant back. Many of the animals are by now accustomed to both; even so, it is best to talk quitely and not make rapid movements.

Jeep safaris are best undertaken from dawn until about 10 am and from about 4 pm until dusk, as the animals are most active during these periods. A forest Department guide must always accompany you. This guide will be able to direct you and point out wildlife.

Elephants are used every morning by the Forest Department for tiger-tracking. If a tiger is found, then the elephant will take you directly to the tiger either from the Lodge or from a nearby point reached by jeep/car.

Mammals residents of the park :

Rhesus Macaque Hanuman Langur Golden Jackal Wolf Bengal Fox Dhole Sloth Bear Ratel Small Indian Civet Common Palm Civet Small Indian Mongoose Indian Grey Mongoose Ruddy Mongoose Striped Hyena Jungle Cat Indian Hare

Tiger Wild Boar Indian Muntjac Chital Sambar Nilgai Four-horned Antelope Gaur Blackbuck Indian Gazelle Indian Pangolin Northern Palm Squirrel Indian Porcupine

Climate : November to June The Park closed from 1st July to 31st October

Accommodation and Facilities: Most of the tourist accommodation is available at or near Tala. There are quite a few jungle resorts in Bandhavgarh National Park where you can enjoy your stay, the recommended ones are:

Nearest Town : Umaria (30 km)

How to get there :

By Air : The most convenient route to Bandhavgarh is by air to Khajuraho from where it is a five-hour drive (237 km). Though long, the drive interesting; the road crosses the Ken river, some stretches of which have been declared a crocodile sanctuary famous for the ghariyal, a rare fish eating crocodile; and goes past Pana town, famous for its diamond mines, to Satna, the midway-point, from where it branches off on a subsidiary road across ridges of the Vindhyachal to Bandhavgarh.

By Rail : The nearest railway stations near Bandhavgarh are Jabalpur (164 km), Katni (102 km) and Satna (120 km) on the Central Railway and Umaria (35 km) on the South Eastern Railway.

By Road : State/private transport buses ply between Katni & Umaria and from Satna and Rewa to Tala (Bandhavgarh). Taxis are available at Satna, Jabalpur, Katni, Umaria, Bilaspur (300 km) and Khajuraho.