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Bandhavgarh
( Kipling Country )
In Madhya
Pradesh, one can see the forests immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in his Jungle
Book – the home of Balu, Bagheera and Mowgli. The Kanha National Park & Bandhavgarh
National Park here, preserve pockets of what were once splendid forests
that extended across
Central India
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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
wooded hills.
An ancient
fort up on a precipice, 800 meters 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
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 dare 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.
| Best time to visit |
November-June (Park closes
in July for the monsoons) |
| Accommodation |
Forest
Rest Houses, Bandhavgarh Jungle Camp |
| Nearest Town |
Umaria ( 30 km) |
| Species found |
Tiger, panther, gaur,
chital, sambar, nilgai, chinkara, barking deer, bear, |
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wild boar and a variety of
upland birds. |
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| By
Air |
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Khajuraho ( 210 km) is
the nearest Airport |
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| By
Train |
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Umaria ( 30 km)
is the nearest rail head to |
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| By
Road |
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Well
connected with road network |
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