Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh flourishes not only because of its scenic wildlife, but also because of the immense mythological significance it holds. The Epic Ramayana, Narad Panch Ratra and the Shiv Purana, all corelate to this one magical park.
The name, Bandhavgarh, comes from two words: ‘Bandhav’ meaning brother and ‘Garh’ meaning fort. Together, this means Brother’s Fort. The earliest recital of Ramayana by Saint Valmiki, throws light on the presence of Bandhavgarh. It is believed that the ancient Bandhavgarh Fort was gifted by Lord Rama to his younger brother Lakshmana; hence the name. This fort still stands beautifully amidst the Vindhya ranges of the Tala Zone Tiger Safari in India.
Today, the fort is scripted with many convincing evidences of human activity and architectural techniques. Legend says that the ancient fort was being rebuilt by two monkeys who also layed the bridge between Lanka and the mainland (India).
At one point in time, the fort was the seat of local rulers till they moved to Rewa in 1617 A.D. Moving the capital to Rewa led to Bandhavgarh becoming slowly deserted until the forest overran the area, and it became a Royal Hunting Reserve. While this helped to preserve the forests and its native Indian Wildlife, each of the Maharajas set out to kill 109 Tigers as this was considered to be auspicious. Maharaja Venkat Raman Singh shot 111 Tigers by 1914.
In 1947, the year India gained Independence, the Royal State of Rewa was merged with Madhya Pradesh, and Bandhavgarh came under its ruling too. The Maharaja however maintained his Hunting Rights. No conservation measures were taken and lack of lax control led to further degradation of forests.
Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa was deeply moved by the callous behavior towards forests. On his proposal an area of 105 sq km was first declared a National Park in 1968. After an official declaration as a National Park, Bandhavgarh witnessed a drastic change in its poaching activities. Grazing by local cattle was stopped, instead small dams and water holes were built. This lead to a rapid increase in Tiger and other wildlife population.
To accommodate this rising number of Tigers and other species of wildlife, the area of the park was increased in 1982 to 448 sq. km. As Project Tiger extended its area of influence, Bandhavgarh was included in 1993. The total area of the park was further extended to include a core zone of 694 sq km and a buffer zone of 437 sq km. The total area was now declared as the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
Every park is divided into 3 kinds of zones for tiger safari: Core, Buffer ad Reserved. Core zone is the protected area of the jungle. It acts as a referral point on the natural state of the ecosystems represented by the biosphere reserves. Wildlife and natural resources are strictly protected by the forest department. Buffer zone is where animals and a percentage of human life co-exist peacefully. Lastly, reserved forest acts as a virtual boundary for the forest. That being said, animals don’t know what a “zone” is. They roam around freely in the entire forest for it is their home.
Bandhavgarh has 3 core zones for tiger tour packages,, Tala, Maghdi and Khitauli. Tala is the oldest zone. Bandhavgarh Fort, Badi Gufa, Shesh Shaiya and Chakradhara Hide are a few places that make this zone extremely special. Maghdi and Khitauli lie opposite each other, with excellent Tiger sightings as well. They are referred as Gate no.2 and Gate no.3 respectively. With excessive tourist foot fall in Tala, Maghdi and Khitauli act as a breather, with a completely different perspective of Bandhavgarh. Tala provides great landscape and picturesque views, while Maghdi and Khitauli give you true jungle chills.
