Bandhavgarh National Park
Set amidst the Vindhyan Mountain range in Madhya Pradesh, the Bandhavgarh
National Park is home to the famous White Tigers of Rewa. The prominent
ones captured in the Park include the legendary White Tiger called
Mohan, who supposedly fathered several offspring found in zoos the
world over.
The park was a former hunting reserve of the royal family of Rewa
where once Maharajah Venkat Raman Singh made his illustrious career
out of hunting 111 tigers. Bandhavgarh was declared a national 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
and stretches of bamboo.
Today, Bandhavgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is known for having one of the
densest populations of Tigers in the country. Prominent among other
wild animals are Nilgai, Chital, Chinkara, Gaur, Sloth Bears and Wild
Boar along with some 250 species of birds. It is one of the best places
to witness the Tiger in action with the highest density of tiger population
for any wildlife park in the country.
Wildlife Attractions in Bandhavgarh National Park
Chances are you will spot a striped predator while wandering through
the park on elephant back. Other animals seen here are Nilgai, Chausingha,
Chital, Chinkara, Wild boar and sometimes a fox or jackal.
Around 250 species of birds are also found in the park including migratory
birds that arrive in winter such as the steppe eagle and various water
birds. The terrace of the Bandhavgarh Fort provides a breathtaking
bird's-eye view of the Park.
Other avian species found here include Peacock, Paradise fly catchers,
Jungle Fowl, Golden and Black headed Orioles, Yellow Ioras, Red-vented
Bulbuls, Blue Jays, Purple Sunbirds, Green Barbets and Mynahs.
Safaris
Safari options in the park include Jeep Safari and Elephant Safari.
Jeep safaris are undertaken during the early morning hours till evening.
It is essential to take along a forest department guide on a Jeep
safari, while on an elephant safari your guide will be the mahout
or elephant driver. Elephant safari trips are organized for tiger
tracking early in the morning. It is advisable to go on every possible
safari, because a sighting is never guaranteed and no sighting is
the same. The best time for a safari is the early morning hours, while
you can also make good use of the afternoon. The tiger show is another
major attraction which guarantees a sighting.
Other Attractions In Bandhavgarh National Park
Kalchuri Archaeological Remains
Besides the wildlife, Bandhavgarh is also famous for the archaeological
remains of the Kalchuri period that have been found here.
Bandhavgarh Fort
Within the Park, stands tall the ruins of Bandhavgarh Fort, believed
to be over 2000 years old. The Fort has a large number of caves belonging
to the pre-historic period with Brahmi inscriptions dating far back
to the first century B.C.
Baghela Museum
The museum houses the private collection of the maharajah of Rewa.
The stuffed body of Mohan, the first Tiger found in the park in 1951,
can be seen here. Also seen is a unique collection of military weapons
and other hunting stuff. The museum timings are 10 AM to 3 PM and
5 PM to 8 PM.
How to Get there
By Air : Khajuraho is the nearest well connected airport. Indian Airlines
flies from Delhi to Khajuraho seven days a week (Dep. 11:40). Jet
Airways has a daily connection between Khajuraho-Delhi via Varanasi
(Dep. 10:40). Another major airport, Jabalpur is connected by a daily
Air Deccan flight from Bhopal (7:55) and Delhi (5:55).
By Rail : The nearest railhead is Umaria located on the Katni-Bilaspur
section of South-Eastern Railway. Important trains between Delhi-Umaria
are Kalingautkal Express (12:50, Daily) and Hirakund Exp. (8:45, Mon,
Thu & Sat). Other convenient railheads near Bandhavgarh are Jabalpur,
Katni and Satna on the central railway. Mumbai is connected with Jabalpur
through a number of daily trains which include the Gorakhpur Express
(6:35), Mahanagari Exp. (00:10), Rajendra Ngr Exp. (23:40), Kolkata
Mail (21:25), LTT RLPB Exp (22:10), Guwahati Exp. (7:45, Wed, Fri,
Sat) and so on. From Jabalpur, a short journey by bus from will take
you Tala, near the entrance of the park.
By Road : Bandhavgarh National Park is situated on the Satna-Umaria
& Rewa-Umaria highway. Madhya Pradesh State Transport Bus Services
are available from Rewa, Satna, Katni and Umaria. Another option is
to hire cars from Katni, Umaria, Satna or Bilaspur and hit the bumpy
road. The road trip from Khajuraho to Bandhavgarh is an interesting
one which passes through the Ken river, a crocodile sanctuary. It
then moves on to the diamond mining industry of Panna and Satna before
branching off on a subsidiary road across the ridges of Vindhyachal
to Bandhavgarh.
|
|
Date
