Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park is in the central Indian state of Madhya
Pradesh. This biodiverse park is known for its large population of royal Bengal
tigers, especially in the central Tala zone. Other animals include white
tigers, leopards and deer. The mix of tropical forest, Sal trees and grassland
is home to scores of bird species, including eagles. To the south are the
remains of the ancient Bandhavgarh Fort.
The park has been divided into three major zones named as Tala, Magdi
and Bamera out of which the Tala zone attracts major number of tourists by
offering the tiger sighting opportunities. The park authorities are also
focusing on the Magdi Zone by providing more opportunity to spot tigers.
Elephant shows are also organized in Magdi zone of the Bandhavgarh nationalpark to increase the chances of spotting the elusive king of the jungle.
Bandhavgarh National Park consists of mixed vegetations ranging from
tall grasslands to thick Sal forest and so is the perfect habitat of variety of
animals and birds. Due to varied topography, the Bandhavgarh national park
provides ample opportunity to spot the majestic Indian tiger and some rarely
seen animals like leopard and sloth bear. Due to high wildlife sighting it is
becoming popular amongst tourists visiting India.
Bandhavgarh National Park History
Bandhavgarh National Park is a park with a rich historical past. Prior
to becoming a national park, the forests around Bandhavgarh had long been
maintained as a Shikargah, or game preserve, of the Maharajas and their guests.
In 1947, Rewa state was merged with Madhya Pradesh; Bandhavgarh came
under the regulations of Madhya Pradesh. The Maharaja of Rewa still retained
the hunting rights. 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.
Project Tiger was constituted in 1972, and then the Wildlife Protection
Act of 1972 came into force. It was realized that protection of just the 105
km2 of prime Bandhavgarh habitat was enough, so in 1982, three more ranges were
reduced, namely Khitauli, Magdhi, and Kallawah were reduced to Tala range (the
original Bandhavgarh National Park) to extend the area of Bandhavgarh to 448
km2. As Project tiger decreased its activities and area of influence,
Bandhavgarh was taken into its folds in 1993, and a core area of 694 km2 was
established including the previously named ranges and the Panpatha Sanctuary
along with a buffer area of 437 km2 which was declared as the Bandhavgarh Tiger
Reserve.