Reaching Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Bandhavgarh is a tiger reserve and a National Park in Central India. It is one of the finest tiger landscapes in the country. The unique character of the destination is the presence of ancient civilization in the dense forests. The ancient remains are over two thousand years old. They comprise Bandhavgarh Fort, man-made cave shelters that acted as court chambers, stablers, and idols. The fort is no longer seen but the remains of other artifacts can be seen on the tabletop Bandhavgarh market.

The most remarkable aspect of the mountain is the presence of Lord Vishnu in zoomorphic forms besides the reclining Vishnu at Sesh Shaiyya. Most of the civilizational remains are found in the Tala Range which is the core area of the park.

Another great aspect of the park is the successful revival of the tiger and the presence of other wild animals. The park is home to tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, wolves, hyenas, jackals, fox, sambar deer, chital, barking deer, four-horned deer, wild boar, Indian gazelle, Nilgai, and other small carnivores and reptiles. Among the primate two species are found here they are the rhesus macaque and the Gray or Hanuman Langur.

There are more than two hundred fifty avian species in the park. Most of these are residents while a good number of species are Pale Arctic migrants that arrive during the winter. Among the bird species Indian Pitta, Paradise flycatcher, Black Naped Monarch, Peacock Pheasant, Brahminy Duck, and Orange Headed Ground Thrush are most attractive. The winter migrants are Hume' Warbler, Sulphur Bellied Warbler, Tickell's Warbler, Tufted duck, Wigeon, Pintail, and Ferruginous Pochard are often seen near the water or in the lake. The warblers are found all over the reserve.

Because of the high frequency of tiger spotting, the amazing 2000-year-old ruins, and the panoramic landscape a large number of filmmakers, wildlife photographers, holidaymakers, naturalists, and researchers visit Bandhavgarh Park. Hence the park is full of visitors throughout.

For tiger safari, at Bandhavgarh, a permit is required and one has to hire a local jeep registered with the forest department. Both are chargeable.

The closest airport is Jabalpur, which is 170 km away. The drive to Bandhavgarh from Jabalpur is pleasant and smooth. While reaching Bandhavgarh from Jabalpur Airport buy all the essentials here. Bandhavgarh is a remote forest and many necessary things are not available. You can arrive at the reserve from Katni, Satna township as well. From Khajuraho temple, the drive is long, the temple town is at a distance of 232 km by road.

You can also reach Bandhavgarh by bus, or overnight train to Umaria at a distance of 32km. But the best is to book a taxi from Jabalpur and reach the destination.

Uday writes often on Indian wildlife especially about the tigers. He works as a naturalist and is fond of travel. Uday also provides search engine optimization service and website contents in English.