Bandhavgarh National Park
Highlights: Bandhavgarh fort, Flora and Fauna, Wildlife
How To Reach:
By Air: The nearest airports are Khajuraho (237kilometers) and Jabalpur (164 kilometers).
By Rail: Board Utkal Express from Delhi to Umaria (the neatest station-32 kilometers from the park)
By Road: Regular buses ply from Khajuraho and Jabalpur to take you to The Bandhavgarh National Park
Located within the district of Sahdol in Madhya Pradesh The Bandhavgarh National Park came into existence in 1968. Initially the forest was a property of the Maharaja of Rewa. Maharaja handed over the forest to Government because of increase in indiscriminate poaching. Because of the intervention of Government, there has been a considerable increment in the animal population. The park spreads on an area of 448 square kilometers. The areas integrated in the park cover sal forests along with some bamboo vegetation. In 1993, along with some other sanctuaries, this was also included in Project Tiger.
Bandhavgarh's diverse fauna comprises of leopards, gaur, tigers, chital deer, sambhar deer, Dholes, nilgais, wild boars jungle cats, chinkaras, sloth bears, rhesus macaques, black faced langurs, hyenas, porcupines, jackals, foxes, wild dogs, chausinghas and rattles. There are more than 22 species of mammals and 250 species of birds at the Park. The tourists can easily spot the great Gaur, or Indian Bison, Sambar, Barking Deer and Nilgai.
Among avifauna you will see steppe eagles, white browed fantails, grey malabar hornbills, green pigeons, green bee eaters, black and white malabar hornbills, white bellied drongos, parakeets, blossom headed parakeets, blue bearded bee eaters, owls, Jerdon's gold fronted leaf birds, wood shrikes, minivets and the lovely paradise flycatchers.
You can take a tour of the Park either on Jeep or on Elephant's back. Jeep Safari's are undertaken from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. under the supervision of a guide. There are a large number of smaller hills surrounded by sloping valleys. Tala is the lowest point in the Park.
The Bandhavgarh fort extends over an area of 560 acres and stands at a height of 800 meters. You can reach this fort either by jeep following the road or on foot from the left of a spot known as Shesh Saya. En route you will be chanced to visit many temples. Most of the temples depict reincarnations of Lord Vishnu like in the form of a fish, a boar and a tortoise.
The 7-meter high statue of Lord Narasimha (the reincarnation of Vishnu in the form of half human-half lion) is the main attraction of the fort. There are many picturesque lakes around the fort. Form the fort you can see the breathtaking view of the lush green landscape.
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