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Bandhavgarh National
Park

Madhya Pradesh

Facts about
Bandhavgarh ➝

Key Species in
Bandhavgarh➝

Tiger Safari Zones ➝

Reaching Bandhavgarh ➝

Weather & Clothing ➝

About Bandhavgharh National Park

Bandhavgarh National Park - The Land of The Tiger

Bandhavgarh flourishes not only because of its scenic wildlife, but also because of the immense mythological significance it holds. The Epic Ramayana, Narad Panch Ratra and the Shiv Purana, all corelate to this one magical park.
The name, Bandhavgarh, comes from two words: ‘Bandhav’ meaning brother and ‘Garh’ meaning fort. Together, this means Brother’s Fort. The earliest recital of Ramayana by Saint Valmiki, throws light on the presence of Bandhavgarh. It is believed that the ancient Bandhavgarh Fort was gifted by Lord Rama to his younger brother Lakshmana; hence the name. This fort still stands beautifully amidst the Vindhya ranges of the Tala Zone.
Today, the fort is scripted with many convincing evidences of human activity and architectural techniques. Legend says that the ancient fort was being rebuilt by two monkeys who also layed the bridge between Lanka and the mainland (India).

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At one point in time, the fort was the seat of local rulers till they moved to Rewa in 1617 A.D. Moving the capital to Rewa led to Bandhavgarh becoming slowly deserted until the forest overran the area, and it became a Royal Hunting Reserve. While this helped to preserve the forests and its native Indian Wildlife, each of the Maharajas set out to kill 109 Tigers as this was considered to be auspicious. Maharaja Venkat Raman Singh shot 111 Tigers by 1914.
In 1947, the year India gained Independence, the Royal State of Rewa was merged with Madhya Pradesh, and Bandhavgarh came under its ruling too. The Maharaja however maintained his Hunting Rights. No conservation measures were taken and lack of lax control led to further degradation of forests.
Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa was deeply moved by the callous behavior towards forests. On his proposal an area of 105 sq km was first declared a National Park in 1968. After an official declaration as a National Park, Bandhavgarh witnessed a drastic change in its poaching activities. Grazing by local cattle was stopped, instead small dams and water holes were built. This lead to a rapid increase in Tiger and other wildlife population.
To accommodate this rising number of Tigers and other species of wildlife, the area of the park was increased in 1982 to 448 sq. km. As Project Tiger extended its area of influence, Bandhavgarh was included in 1993. The total area of the park was further extended to include a core zone of 694 sq km and a buffer zone of 437 sq km. The total area was now declared as the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

Facts about Bandhavgarh National Park

Area: 1161 sq. km- 624 sq. km is core and 537 sq. km is buffer forest.
Coordinates: 23 30’ 12 to 23 45’ 45 N to 80 47’15’’ to 81 11’ 45 E
Weekly Off: Wednesday Afternoon Safari
Yearly Off: Holi, Diwali
Functional Days: From 01st Oct to 30th June
Rainfall: From 1175 mm
Forest Type: Mixed deciduous forest (Sal and Bamboo)

Key Species of Bandhavgarh National Park

Bandhavgarh Tiger Male Cub

Mammals

  • Tiger
  • Leopard
  • Jungle Cat
  • Indian Wild Dog
  • Jackal
  • Sloth Bear
  • Rhesus Macaque
  • Sambar
  • Barking Deer
  • Wild Boar
Bandhavgarh Minivet - Bird

Birds

  • Painted Spurfowl
  • Comb Duck
  • Common Teal
  • Malabar Pied Hornbill
  • Lesser Whistling Duck
  • Blue Bearded Bee Eater
  • Pheasant Tailed Jacana
  • Stork Billed Kingfisher
  • Plum Headed Parakeet
  • Yellow Crested Woodpecker
Pench Russel's Viper

Reptiles

  • Common Sand Boa
  • Red Sand Boa
  • Spectacled Cobra
  • Green Keelback
  • Buff Striped Keelback
  • Dumeril’s Black Headed Snake.
  • Common Krait
  • Banded Krait
  • Indian Rock Python
  • Russell’s Viper

Safari Zones of Bandhavgarh National Park

Every park is divided into 3 kinds of zones: Core, Buffer ad Reserved. Core zone is the protected area of the jungle. It acts as a referral point on the natural state of the ecosystems represented by the biosphere reserves. Wildlife and natural resources are strictly protected by the forest department. Buffer zone is where animals and a percentage of human life co-exist peacefully. Lastly, reserved forest acts as a virtual boundary for the forest. That being said, animals don’t know what a “zone” is. They roam around freely in the entire forest for it is their home.

Bandhavgarh has 3 core zones, Tala, Maghdi and Khitauli. Tala is the oldest zone. Bandhavgarh Fort, Badi Gufa, Shesh Shaiya and Chakradhara Hide are a few places that make this zone extremely special. Maghdi and Khitauli lie opposite each other, with excellent Tiger sightings as well. They are referred as Gate no.2 and Gate no.3 respectively. With excessive tourist foot fall in Tala, Maghdi and Khitauli act as a breather, with a completely different perspective of Bandhavgarh. Tala provides great landscape and picturesque views, while Maghdi and Khitauli give you true jungle chills.

Bandhavgarh Changeable Hawk Eagle
Bandhavgarh Male Cub Tiger
Bandhavgarh Female Sambar

Reaching Bandhavgarh National Park

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Train

Reaching Bandhavgarh by Train is simple too. Trains to Umaria (37 kms), Katni (100 kms) and Jabalpur (180 kms) Railway Station, run from major cities in the country, like Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mathura, Gwalior, Bhopal, Sawai Madhopur, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai etc. One can drive to Bandhavgarh post this point.
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Flight

Bandhavgarh is a jungle, naturally not having an air strip. However, it is well connected to cities in Madhya Pradesh, that do. Jabalpur, approximately 200 kms from the park, is well connected by air with major cities in the country, i.e. New Delhi and Mumbai.
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Road

Bandhavgarh is connected to major towns in Madhya Pradesh, that can be travelled to by air or by train.

Umaria: At a mere distance of 37 kms, Umaria is just a 45 minute drive from the Park.
Jabalpur: At a mere distance of 190 kms, Jalbalpur is just a 04 hour drive from the Park.
Katni: At a mere distance of 100 kms, Katni is just a 02 hour drive from the Park.

Weather and Clothing

Bandhavgarh national park Temperature Chart
❯ DO NOT carry shiny/bright colored clothing. Instead, carry earthy colors like shades of dull green or olive green, beige, and grey. Black is also avoidable as it attracts mosquitos.
❯ Carry comfortable, breathable clothes (cotton) in summer.
❯ Carry layers (4-5) of thin woolen clothes rather than one heavy jacket for winter. Layers are a lot more helpful through the varying temperatures during the day.
❯ Carry a wind cheater/rain coat just in case there is a light shower.
❯ Carry a Cap/Hat during summer.
❯ Avoid wearing strong perfume while on safari. Animals have a strong sense of smell and it may distract them.

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