About

• Location:
  • Situated in Umaria district, Madhya Pradesh, within the Vindhya hill range.
  • Declared a national park in 1968, it was designated as a Tiger Reserve in 1993.
  • Famous for its high density of Royal Bengal Tigers, which is one of the highest in India and globally.
  • The park’s name comes from a prominent hillock, believed to have been gifted by the Hindu deity Lord Rama to his brother Lakshmana as a vantage point to oversee Lanka, hence "Bandhavgarh" (Sanskrit for "Brother's Fort").
  • Once served as the hunting grounds of the Maharaja of Rewa.
  • Topography: Characterized by a mix of steep ridges, rolling forests, and open meadows.
• Vegetation:Primarily dry deciduous forests.
• Flora:
  • Dominated by Sal forests in the valleys and stretches of bamboo along lower slopes.
  • Notable tree species include Saj (Terminalia tomentosa), Dhaora (Anogeissus latifolia), Tendu, Arjun (Terminalia arjuna), Amla (Emblica officinalis), and Palas (Butea monosperma).
• Fauna:
  • Key prey animals include chital, sambhar, barking deer, nilgai, chinkara, wild pig, chowsingha, langur, and rhesus macaque.
  • These species support a variety of predators, such as the tiger, leopard, wild dog, wolf, and jackal.

Core Zones in Bandhavgarh National Park

• Tala Zone
  • It is the oldest zone, housing the famous Bandhavgarh fort.
  • There is a 10^th -century statue of Vishnu, Shesh Shaiya which is highly revered and is a major tourist attraction.
  • Shesh Shiya is the point of origin of the Charan Ganga river, which is the lifeline of the park and many large meadows.
  • Bari Gufa cave from the 10^th century is also located here.
  • It includes the famous Chakradhara and Rajbhera meadows that offer scenic views and exceptional sightings.
    • Many famous documentaries on Tigers have been filmed around these meadows including The Hunt & Dynasties.
  • It is characterized by towering Sal forests, hillocks and grasslands.
• Magdhi Zone
  • It is the zone characterized by grassland and mixed dense forest cover.
  • A number of natural and manmade water holes like Sukhi Patiha, Dabhadhole, Charkpwaha, Murdhawa are in Magdhi.
  • In recent years this zone has come up as the best place for tiger sightings in Bandhavgarh.
• Khitauli Zone
  • It is more of a dry-deciduous forest and has become a hot spot for Tiger sightings in the last few years.
  • About a year back a herd of migrant wild elephants moved here and have established this zone as their home.
  • It is also good for sighting neelgai, four-horned antelope and chinkara.