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W E S T I N D I A >
B A N D H A V G A R H :: |
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Brief
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Compact,
yet full of game; Bandhavgarh is essentially known for its
small, but thriving national park, which is home to tigers,
langurs, chinkaras, chitals, sambars and the Indian bison.
The terrain is rocky with swamps and thickly-forested small,
swampy meadows, locally known as bohera. Scattered throughout
the park and particularly around the fort, are numerous caves
containing shrines, with ancient Sanskrit inscriptions. The
park is best explored, on the back of an elephant. During
the winter months, migratory birds, including the steppe eagle
and a variety of wildfowl, head for the salubrious clime of
this park. Some deadly reptiles can be found here too - namely
cobras, kraits, pythons and a variety of lizards. With the
highest density of tiger population, Bandhavgarh is also populated
with the Indian Bison, Sambar, Barking deer and Nilgai. |
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History
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A small National
Park, the density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh,
is the highest point in India. Also known as White tiger country,
prior to becoming a national park, the forests around Bandhavgarh,
have long been maintained as a Shikargarh or game preserve
of the Maharajas of Rewa. The maharajas and their guests carried
out hunting, as it was considered a good omen for a Maharaja
of Rewa to shoot 109 tigers. In 1947, when the state of Rewa,
was merged with Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh came under its
regulations. But the Maharajah of Rewa, still retains the
hunting rights. Today, numerous steps have been taken to retain
Bandhavgarh National Park, as an unspoiled natural habitat.
Atop the Bandhavgarh hill, stands Bandhavgarh Fort, believed
to have been constructed around 2000 years ago. Several dynasties,
including the Maghas, the Vakatakas, the Sengars and the Kalachuris
have ruled the fort. The oldest signs of habitation, are the
caves dug into the sandstone, which contain Brahmi inscriptions,
dating from the 1st century B.C |
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Culture
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Madhya Pradesh
constitutes the very heart of India. The vegetation in Bandhavgarh
is varied and includes a blend of grasslands and forests that
support large herbivores, an impressive diversity of birds
and a host of insect life that has not yet been fully catalogued.
This wildlife haven is linked through patchy corridor forests
with Kanha and together constitutes one of the world's most
important tiger-breeding habitats. Madhya Pradesh is therefore
justifiably proud of both reserves and calls itself the "Tiger
State" of India because over 20 per cent of all the world's
tigers are to be found here. |
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Climate
& Geographical Location - |
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There are
three well-defined seasons - the cool (from middle of Oct
to end of Feb), the hot (from March to middle of June) and
the wet (from middle of June to middle of Oct). While summers
are very hot, winters are very chilly. Bandhavgarh is situated
in Shahdol district, among the outlying hills, of the Vindhya
range in Madhya Pradesh. |
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How
to Reach - |
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Bandhavgarh
is well connected by rail, road and air. The most convenient
route to Bandhavgarh ,is by air to Khajuraho , at 237 Km from
where it is a five hour drive. Though long, the drive is interesting
,as the road crosses the Ken river, some stretches of which
,have been declared a crocodile sanctuary ,famous for the
ghariyal, a rare fish eating crocodile and goes past Panna
town, famous for its diamond mines before branching off across
ridges of the Vindyachal to Bandhavgarh. By rail, the nearest
railways stations near Bandhavgarh are Jabalpur at 164 Km,
Katni at 102 Km and Satna at 120 Km on the Central Railway
and Urmaria at 35 Km on the south Eastern railway and is well
connected to Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, Jabalpur, Varanasi, Mumbai,
Nagpur, Kolkata etc. By road, state private transport buses
ply between Katni and Umaria and from Satna and Rewa to Tala
at Bandhavgarh. Taxis are available at Satna, Jabalpur, Katni,
Umaria, Bilaspur (300km) and Khajuraho. |
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: T O U R I S T P L A C
E S : |
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Bandhavgarh
National Park - |
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Compact,
yet full of game; Bandhavgarh is essentially known for its
small but thriving national park, which is home to tigers,
langurs, chinkaras, chitals, sambars and the Indian bison.
Situated among the outlying hills of the Vindhya range, at
the centre of the park, is Bandhavgarh hill, separated by
gently sloping valleys. These valleys end in small, swampy
meadows locally known as bohera. There is more than 22 species
of mammals and 250 species of birds. Common langurs and rhesus
macaque, represent the primary group. Carnivores include,
the Asiatic jackal, Bengal fox, sloth bear, ratel, grey mongoose,
striped hyena, jungle cat, leopard and tiger. The artiodactyls
frequently sighted, are wild pig, spotted deer, sambar, chausingha,
nilgai, chinkara and gaur. Mammals such as dhole, the small
Indian civet, palm squirrel and lesser bandicoot rat are seen
occasionally. The vegetation along streams and marshes is
rich in bird life. The common ones, are the little grebe-egret,
lesser adjutant, sacrus crane, black ibis, lesser whistling
teal, white eyed buzzard, black kite, crested serpent eagle,
black vulture, Egyptian vulture, common peafowl, red jungle
fowl, dove, parakeet, kingfisher and Indian roller. Reptilian
fauna include cobra, krait, viper, ratsnake, python, turtle
and a number of lizard varieties including varanus. |
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Others
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THE
FORT - Apart from scouring the park landscape
for tigers, you can also check out the Bandhavgarh Fort, which
now stands in ruins. The fort is believed to be 2,000 years
old and a ramble through it, can be very pleasant |
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