Wildlife National Sanctuaries and Parks
  
Location: Mandla District, Madhya Pradesh, India
Area covered: 1940 sq. km.
Main Wildlife Found: Tiger, Leopard, Bear
Best time to visit: November to June
Important Information:The park remains closed from July
to October)
The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines
of Kanha provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous
novel "The Jungle Book". Kanha National Park located
in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh came into being in
1955 and forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created
in 1974 under Project Tiger. The Park's landmark achievement
is the preservation of the rare hardground Swamp Deer (Barasingha),
saving it from near extinction. Stringent conservation programs
for the overall protection of the Park's fauna and flora, makes
Kanha one of the most well maintained National Parks in Asia.
A heightened attraction within the Park is Bamni Dadar. Popularly
known as the Sunset Point, it offers the most awe-inspiring
backdrop of the setting sun against grazing Sambhars and Gaurs,
magnifying the natural splendor of the area. Aside from its
diverse wildlife and bird population, the frequent sightings
of Tigers roaming in the wild at Kanha Wildlife Sanctuary remain
the most popular draw.
WILDLIFE ATTRACTIONS IN KANHA NATIONAL
PARK
Barasingha
If one animal species were to represent Kanha, it would probably
be the barasingha, or the swamp deer. The barasinghas at Kanha
are unique, being the hard ground variety, which populate the
large open tracts of grass amidst the forests of teak and bamboo.
Twenty years ago, the Barasingha was faced with extinction but
some desperate measures which included the fencing-off of some
animals helped save them and again the air in Kanha bugled with
their rutting calls.
Animal Population
The main wildlife attractions in the park are tiger, bison,
gaur, sambhar, chital, barasingha, barking deer, black deer,
black buck, chousingha, nilgai, mouse deer, sloth bear, jackal
fox, porcupine, hyena, jungle cat, python, pea fowl, hare, monkey,
mongoose, tiger, and leopard.
Bird Population
The bird species in the park include storks, teals, pintails,
pond herons, egrets, peacock, pea fowl, jungle fowl, spur fowl,
partridges, quails, ring doves, spotted parakeets, green pigeons,
rock pigeons, cuckoos, papihas, rollers, bee-eater, hoopoes,
drongos, warblers, kingfishers, woodpeckers, finches, orioles,
owls and fly catchers.
Safaris
Jeep Safari and Elephant Safari are the two options for spotting
wild animals in the park. The safaris can be enjoyed any time
during the day while the best time for animal spotting is during
early morning or late evening. The safari timings generally
are 6 AM to 12 Noon and 3 to 5:30 PM.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Kanha Museum
You can top your visit to the Kanha National Park by visiting
the Kanha Museum, situated inside the park. The museum provides
useful information about varied topics including the topography,
park maps, pug marks of various animals etc, which can enhance
your experience of visiting the park.
Raja Rani
Near the visitor centre one can see the stumps of two giant
sal trees that are worshipped daily in the forests. Known as
Raja Rani, these trees once lived in the Kanha National Park.
How to Get There
By Air: Jabalpur is the nearest airport, while Nagpur
is the nearest most convenient airport. Indian Airlines operates
daily Delhi-Nagpur (7:15) and Mumbai-Nagpur (6:40 & 19:40)
flights. Jet Airways also has a daily flight schedule of Mumbai-Nagpur
and Delhi-Nagpur.
By Rail: Jabalpur (169 kms/4 hrs) is the nearest railhead.
Daily trains between Delhi and Jabalpur are Mahakoshal Exp.
(16:25) and Gondwana Express (14:30), while Mumbai is connected
through the Mahanagari Exp. (00:10), Rajendra Ngr Exp. (23:40),
Kolkata Mail (21:25), LTT RJPB Exp. (22:10) and Gorakhpur Express
(6:35). Other major trains plying to Jabalpur include Sanghamitra
Exp. (Bangalore-Jabalpur, 6:57, Tue & Fri) and Varanasi
Exp. (Chennai-Jabalpur, 17:30, Mon & Sat).
By Road: There are regular to and fro bus services available
from Jabalpur to Kanha. Cars can be hired from all the nearby
towns to reach Kanha, the choice should however be an all terrain
4 wheel petrol vehicle. The drive from Nagpur to Kisli takes
around 6 hours by car. The travel up to Seoni (130 km) on the
Jabalpur National Highway is a smooth drive. From Seoni, take
a right turn to Keolari, Nainpur and Chiraidongri to finally
reach the Kisli gate of the park. Alternately, to reach the
Mukki gate, divert away from Seoni through Balaghat and Boihar.
Another option is the drive from Jabalpur (well connected by
train to major Indian cities) via Tikaria and Mandla. To reach
the park from Nagpur, take the NH6 to Bhandara. From there state
roads lead to Kanha (Mukki) via Balaghat and Baihar.
|
