Wildlife Resorts India

Tiger Den, Bandhavgarh

About Tiger Den Resort | Services & Facilities | National Park | Places to See
Reaching Tiger Den Resort | Photo Gallery | Booking
Bandhavgarh National Park : :

Bandhavgarh is a new national park with a very long history. Set among the Vindhya hills of Madhya Pardesh with an area of 1161sq kms it contains a wide variety of habitats and a high density of game, including a large number of Tigers. This is also the 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 Maharaja of Rewa.

Prior to becoming a National Park, the forests around Bandhavgarh had long been maintained as a Shikargarh, or game preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa. Hunting was carried out by the Maharaja and his guests-otherwise the wildlife was well protected. It was considered a good omen for Maharaja of Rewa to shoot 109 tigers. His Highness Maharaja Venkat Raman Singh shot 111 Tigers by 1914.

History
Bandhavgarh has been a center of human activity and settlement for over 2000 years, and there are references to it in the ancient books, the NARAD-PANCH RATRA and the SHIVA PURANA. Legend has it that Lord Rama, hero of the Hindu epic, the Ramayan, stopped at Bandhavgarh on his way back to his home land after defeating the demon King Ravana of Lanka. Two monkey architects, who had engineered a bridge between the isle of Lanka and the mainland, are said to have built Bandhavgarh's fort.

At independence Bandhavgarh remained the private property of the Maharaja until he gave it to the state for the formation of the national park in 1968. After the park was created poaching was brought under control and the number of animals rose dramatically. Grazing by local cattle was stopped and the villages with in the park boundaries were relocated. The tigers in particular prospered and the 1986 extension provided much needed forest to accommodate them.
Declared a National Park in 1965
Declared a part of Project Tiger in 1993

Within the Park
The most effective way to search for Tigers is on elephant back. Government elephants belonging to the forest department and equipped with walkie-talkies, can be boarded from a point near the forest rest house not far from the park entrance. It is advisable to book your elephant and to wear plenty of warm clothing if going for an early morning ride in winter. There are many tigers in the park and the elephants are able to take you up steep, rocky hillsides and down marshy riverbeds which are impassable to vehicles.

There are several good weather roads in the park. Jeeps are definitely recommended over other vehicles and can be hired from the Tiger's Den resort. A forest guide must accompany all visitors into the park. Entry in to the park is allowed only during daylight hours. For both elephants and jeep rides the hours immediately after dawn and before sunset are best.

Geographical Details
Area: 1161 sq. kms.
Core: 624 sq kms.
Buffer: 537 sq. kms.
Longitude: 80 47’15’’ to 81 11’ 45 E
Latitude: 23 30’ 12 to 23 45’ 45 N
Altitude: 440mts to 810mts above sea level.
Rainfall: 1175mm.
Temperature: Min. 2 c Max. 44 c.

Forest Type
Moist Peninsular low level Sal -3C/C2a
Wet Gangetic moist mixed Deciduous forest -3C/C3a

Seasons
Monsoon mid- June to Sept.
Winter Nov. to mid-Feb.
Summer mid -March to mid -June

Opening Time
The park is open from 1st October till 30th June. Places to See :

Places to See in the Park :

» Sidhababa - The Holy Meadow
» Chakradhara - The Sprawling Meadow
» Gopalpur - A Place for Bird Watching
» Shesh Shaiya - Origin of River Charanganga
» Bari Gufa - Ancient Monument of Past
» Ketkiha - Pendanus Point
» Bhitari Bah - Tranquility in Wilderness
» Three Cave Point - The Archaeological Remains of past
» Rajbahera - The Bandhaini Hillock View
» Climber's Point - Nature's Beauty
» Sehra - The Fort View
» Mahaman Pond - Place to Quench the Thirst

Places to See around the Park :

» Village Tala : To view a day in the life of an Indian village, where the pace of life is still measured by the rhythm of the seasons. The humble dwellings, the mud clustered houses, the elders smoking hookahs sitting on a cot, are some of the common scenes which signify that the time stands still in certain areas of the world even today.

» Baghel Museum : Located only 100 metres from the resort, it houses certain precious belongings of the Maharaja of Rewa who maintained Bandhavgarh as his Shikargah, or a game preserve, a stuffed white Tiger still stands in the museum amidst certain personal belongings of the Maharaja.

» Bhamera Dam : 20kms from the resort, huge water bank in the neighboring Panpatha Sanctuary, good place for water birds.

Reaching Tiger Den Resort :

By Train :

Umaria-32 kms and connected by a direct train from New Delhi, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi, i.e. Kalinga Utkal Express, it leaves Nizamuddin station at 1250hrs and gets in at Umaria at 0615hrs.

Katni-95 kms and well connected by trains from New-Delhi, Varanasi, Pune, Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, Calcutta, Nagpur, Allahabad.

By Air :

Khajuraho, daily flights from New Delhi Jabalpur, flights from New Delhi.

By Road :

Approx 8hrs drive from Khajuraho (280kms), 4 hrs from Jabalpur (210kms), 7 hrs from Kanha(240kms), Katni- two and a half hours drive (95kms), Satna three and a half hours drive (112kms). Submit your request for more Information/ Booking

About Tiger Den Resort | Services & Facilities | National Park | Places to See
Reaching Tiger Den Resort | Photo Gallery | Booking