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Travel Guide >> Bandavgarh Travel Guide
Bandavgarh Travel Guide
This is a small National Park; compact, yet full of game. The density of
the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. This
is also white Tiger country. These have been found in the old state of Rewa
for many years. The last known was captured by maharaja Martand Singh in
1951 . This White tiger , Mohun, is now stuffed and on display in the Palace
of the Mahrahahs of Rewa.
Bandhavgarh is densely populated with other species: the great gaur, or
Indian bison, can be seen with ease, as they come onto the meadows to graze
at dusk; sambar and barking deer are a common sight and nigai are to be
seen in the more open areas of the park.
The terrain is of great rocky hills rising sharply from the swampy and densely-forested
valley bottoms. The finest of these hills is Bandhavgarh, sided with great
cliffs and eroded rocks and on its highest point stands Bandhavgarh fort,
thought to be some 2,000 years old. Scattered throughout the park, and particularly
around the fort, are numerous caves containing shrines and ancient Sankrit
inscriptions.
Covering 448 sq km, Bandhavgarh is situated in Shahdol district among the
outlying hills of the vindhya range. At the centre of the Park is Bandhavgarh
hiss, rising 811 metres above MSL-surrounding it are a large number of smaller
hills separated by gently sloping valleys. These valleys end in small, swampy
meadows, locally known as 'bohera' . The lowest point in the park is at
Tala (440 metres above MSL).
The vegetation is chiefly of sal forest in the valleys and on the lower
slopes, gradually changing to mixed deciduous forest on the hills and in
the hotter, drier areas of the park in the sough and west. Bamboo is found
throughout.
There are three well-defined seasons-the cool (from middle of October to
end of February), the hot (from March to middle of June) and the wet (from
middle of June to middle of October). The mean annual rainfall is 1,173
mm, coming mostly in the rainy season. The temperature ranges from a maximum
of 42 D Celsius in May and June, to around 4 D Celsius in winter.
Prior to becoming a National Park, the forests around Bandhavgarh had long
been maintained as a Shikargah, or game preserve, of the Maharajahs of Rewa.
Hunting was carried out by the Maharajahs and their guests-otherwise the
wildlife was relatively well-protected. It was considered a good omen for
a Maharajah of Rewa to shoot 109 tigers His Highness Maharaja Venkat Raman
Singh shot 111 tigers by 1914.
In 1947 Rewa State was merged with Madhya Pradesh; Bandhavgarh came under
the regulation of Madhya Pradesh. The Maharajah of Rewa still retained the
hunting right of Bandhavgarh and no special conservation measures were taken
until 1968, when the areas were constituted as a National Park, Since then,
numerous steps have been taken to retain Bandhavgarh National Park as an
unspoilt natural habitat.
Places to See
Bandhavgarh National Park
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.
Bandhavgarh Fort
No records remain to show wen 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 Purana. 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 13 century A.D., the Baghels
took over, ruling from Bandhavgarh until 1617, when Maharajah Vikramditya
Singh moved his capital to Rewa. The last inhabitants deserted the fort
in 1935.
Bandavgarh Travel
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