A
wildlife retreat, where history and nature meet, Bhandavgarh
National Park is not far from Kanha. Set amidst the Vindhyan
ranges, the park has a series of ridges running through it.
Initially just 105.40 sq km in are
a,
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 caves excavated from the cliffs to the
north of the fort. Brahmi inscriptions here, date back to
the 1st centuary 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 habitants of the Park include the muntjac, jungle cat,
ratel, hyena, procupine, the rhesus macaque and the black-faced
langur. About 150 species of bird 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 small population
of black buck that lives her, protected from the predators
below.
