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 This
is a small National Park;
compact, yet full of game. The
density of the tiger population
at Bandhavgarh is the highest
known in India. This is also
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 the Mahrahahs of Rewa.
Bandhavgarh is densely populated
with other species: the great
gaur, or Indian bison, can be
seen with ease, as they come
onto the meadows to graze at
dusk; sambar and barking deer
are a common sight and nigai are
to be seen in the more open
areas of the park.
The terrain is of great rocky
hills rising sharply from the
swampy and densely-forested
valley bottoms. The finest of
these hills is Bandhavgarh,
sided with great cliffs and
eroded rocks and on its highest
point stands Bandhavgarh fort,
thought to be some 2,000 years
old. Scattered throughout the
park, and particularly around
the fort, are numerous caves
containing shrines and ancient
Sankrit inscriptions.
Covering 448 sq km, Bandhavgarh
is situated in Shahdol district
among the outlying hills of the
vindhya range. At the centre of
the Park is Bandhavgarh hiss,
rising 811 metres above MSL-surrounding
it are a large number of smaller
hills separated by gently
sloping valleys. These valleys
end in small, swampy meadows,
locally known as 'bohera' . The
lowest point in the park is at
Tala (440 metres above MSL).
The vegetation is chiefly of sal
forest in the valleys and on the
lower slopes, gradually changing
to mixed deciduous forest on the
hills and in the hotter, drier
areas of the park in the sough
and west. Bamboo is found
throughout.
There are three well-defined
seasons-the cool (from middle of
October to end of February), the
hot (from March to middle of
June) and the wet (from middle
of June to middle of October).
The mean annual rainfall is
1,173 mm, coming mostly in the
rainy season. The temperature
ranges from a maximum of 42 D
Celsius in May and June, to
around 4 D Celsius in winter.
Prior to becoming a National
Park, the forests around
Bandhavgarh had long been
maintained as a Shikargah, or
game preserve, of the Maharajahs
of Rewa. Hunting was carried out
by the Maharajahs and their
guests-otherwise the wildlife
was relatively well-protected.
It was considered a good omen
for a Maharajah of Rewa to shoot
109 tigers His Highness Maharaja
Venkat Raman Singh shot 111
tigers by 1914.
In 1947 Rewa State was merged
with Madhya Pradesh; Bandhavgarh
came under the regulation of
Madhya Pradesh. The Maharajah of
Rewa still retained the hunting
right
 of Bandhavgarh and 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.
Places
to See
Bandhavgarh National Park
Set amongst the Vindhyas, in
Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh is a
small national park, but with
the highest known density of
tiger population in India. This
is also known as White Tiger
territory. These have been found
in the old state of Rewa for
many years. The other species
found in abundance in
Bandhavgarh are the gaur or
Indian bison, the sambar, the
barking deer and the nilgai.
Bandhavgarh Fort
No records remain to show wen
Bandhavgarh fort was
constructed. It is thought,
however, to be some 2,000 years
old, and there are references to
it in the ancient books, the
Narad-Panch Ratra and the Siva
Purana. Various dynasties have
ruled the fort: for example, the
Maghas from the 1st century
A.D.. the Vakatakas from the 3rd
century; the Sengars from the
5th century and the kalachuris
from the 10th century. In the 13
century A.D., the Baghels took
over, ruling from Bandhavgarh
until 1617, when Maharajah
Vikramditya Singh moved his
capital to Rewa. The last
inhabitants deserted the fort in
1935.
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