Call of the Wild - Bandhavgarh

Bandhavgarh National Park

State : Madhya Pradesh Area : 1,161 sq. km Altitude: 440 - 811 Vegetation : Tropical moist & dry deciduous

Bandhavgarh, the land of the tiger, is a magical forest steeped in ancient history of the Chandela and Rewa dynasties that exudes an aura of mystery and mystical charm.

The forest comes alive with the barking of deer and shouts of the Langur monkeys. The tiger walks down the centre of the road, sunlight glistening on his rich golden orange coat, massive head swaying, unmindful of the excitement it is creating in the jeeps and the constant sound of camera shutters clicking. Welcome to Bandhavgarh... the land of the tiger. Few other places on earth provide the opportunity to watch the majestic tigers from close quarters, like Bandhavgarh does. The Tala region of the national park has the highest density of tigers per sq.km in the world.
Some of the tigers of Bandhavgarh have become legendary in their lifetime and have been propelled to international fame by wild life film makers. The legendary Badka, Lakshmi, Sita, Charger and B2 all are known names across the world to wildlife officiandos. 

Bandhavgarh Habitat
Bandhavgarh National Park in the Shahdol District and comprises of many small 200-800m hills of the Vindhya range, separated by gently sloping valleys. These valleys end in small, swampy meadows, locally known as 'Bohera', Sal forests, bamboo groves and grasslands. Three perennial streams meandering through the forests offer a lifeline to flora and fauma alike during the summer months. Naturally the wildlife is more frequently found near these water sources during the dry months.

The central portion of the park consists of hills, marshes and grasslands and a few water sources and supports a large number of herbivores - it is the main wildlife sighting area. The safari tracks run mainly through the open grasslands where the tigers are frequently sighted hunting.

History
Looming high over the entire park and located in the heart of its core area at an elevation of 800m, is the impressive Bandhavgarh fort built on a virtually unassailable area. Bramhini inscriptions on the fort walls dating back to 300 AD.
Bandhavgarh was the hunting preserve of their royals. The successive Rewa Kings followed a tradition of killing 119 tigers to acquire good luck.
One of them reportedly killed 480 tigers in his life time. Obviously, the luck of the tigers ran out in the process.
After Independence the princely states were abolished and Bandhavgarh became a part of Madhya Pradesh. It was converted into a National Park in 1968. This brought an end to hunting in the area and has given the local tigers a chance to recover in numbers

Fauna : Leopard, Chital (spotted deer), Sambar deer, Dhole (Wild dogs), Nilgai, Wild boar, Chinkara, Sloth bear, Rhesus Macaque, Black faced Langur, jungle cat, Porcupine, Jackals, Fox

Avi Fauna : Steppe eagle, Green pigeons, Malabar & Pied hornbills, Blossom headed parakeets, parakeets, Blue bearded bee-eater, Green bee-eaters, White bellied Drongo, Owls, Jerdon's and gold fronted leaf birds, Minivets, Woodshrikes, Paradise flycatchers and colourful kingfishers.