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Location:
170 kms from Jabalpur, 210 kms from Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.
Coverage Area: 448 sq km.
Main Attractions: White Tiger
Best Time To Visit: November to June.
Accommodation
: The forest department
and the PWD have arranged good accommodation facilities here. The White tiger
Forest Lodge is maintained by the Madhya Pradesh Tourist department. The forest
department's rest house and
the PWD rest house are sufficient to fulfill the needs of the visitors.
Arrival
Information :
-- By
Rail : The nearest railway stations near Bandhavgarh are Jabalpur(164 km), Katni(102 km)on the Central Railway and Umaria (35 km) on the South Eastern Railway.
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By Air : The
most convenient route to Bandhavgarh is by air to Khajuraho from where it is a
five-hour drive
( 237 km ).
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By Road :
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Nearby Excursions : Bandhavgarh
fort, Shiv Purana
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Nearby Cities : Umaria.
Set amongst the Vindhyas, in
Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh is a small national park, but with
the highest known density of tiger population in India. This is also
known as White Tiger territory. These have been found in the old state
of Rewa for many years. The other species found in abundance in
Bandhavgarh are the gaur or Indian bison, the sambar, the barking deer
and the nilgai.
The terrain is made of rocky hills, sal forests and grazing areas,
formerly agricultural land. The finest of these hills is the Bandhavgarh
hill, and on its highest point stands Bandhavgarh Fort. Though no
records remain to show when the fort was constructed, it is believed to
be about 2000years old. Several 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. The oldest signs of habitation, are the caves dug into the
sandstone, near the fort. Several of these contain Brahmi inscriptions
dating from the 1st century B.C. Prior to becoming a National Park, the
forest range around the region had been maintained as a Shikargarh, or
game preserve, of the Maharajahs of Rewa. It was only in 1968, that the
area was declared as a National Park. Since then, stringent steps have
been taken to retain it as an unspoilt natural habitat.
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