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About Kanha National Park
Area : 1,945 sq km
Altitude : 600-900 m above sea level
Situated in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the picturesque
Kanha National Park was the inspiration behind Rudyard Kipling's
unforgettable classic Jungle Book. The romance of the Kanha
National Park has not reduced over time-it is still as
beautiful.
If one were to point to the middle of India, chances are he will
pick out the forests of the Banjar and the Halon valley, the two
forming the western and eastern halves of the Kanha Tiger
Reserve, which have long been famous for their wide diversity of
wildlife.
The park was created in 1955 by a special law and, since then,
it has dedicated itself in preserving a variety of animal
species. Many endangered species have indeed been saved here.
Today Kanha is a mong
the few most scenic and beautiful wildlife reserves in Asia.
This 'Tiger Country' is the ideal home for both predator and
prey.
By far the most striking features of this region are the open
grassy meadows, where sighting blackbuck, swamp deer, sambhar
and chital is common. And, if one can transcend into time, a
barefooted Mowgli would perhaps come padding along the dusty
trail, for this is the land of Kipling's Jungle Book.
How many of you have seen a tiger before? Most of the answers
will be ambiguous because everyone wants to see a tiger. Then
where can one spot TIGER? Well, even if there are circuses and
zoo's all over India, there's some kind of a thrill you
experiences when all of a sudden you came across a TIGER roaming
freely in the wilderness of its natural habitat: the fields and
forests of India. There are numerous Tiger reserves in India,
that are preserving this ferocious beast, but nowhere can you
see them as often, and as regularly as in Kanha National Park.
Located in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, Kanha national
park cum Tiger reserve extends over an area of over
1,940-sq-kms. The major feature of this region's interesting
topography is the horseshoe shape valley and the whole park area
is surrounded by the spurs of the Mekal. The Surpan River
meanders through Kanha's central Maidans, grasslands that cover
the extensive plateau. Steep rocky escrapments along the edges
offer breathtaking views of the valley.
Major Wildlife Attractions Of Kanha
The main wildlife attractions in the park are tiger, bison,
gaur, sambhar, chital, more pictures.... 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.
The birds 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.
However, 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 including the fencing-off
of some animals helped save them and again the air in Kanha
bugle with their rutting calls.
The open meadows during the cold winter months are usually
teeming with barasinghas and there is plenty of tiger activity
around the fringes. A female with two small cubs would circle
around at least two or three times during the day and the swamp
deer would go berserk, their husky alarm calls ringing through
the jungle. Far from being the cunning, smart aleck, portrayed
in Disney's adaptation of the Jungle Book, the real "Sher Khan"
is true blue-blooded royalty.
There is a museum at Kanha depicting attributes and activities
of the park and tribal culture. It is closed every Wednesday.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
The climate of this region is tropical. Summers are hot and
humid with a maximum and minimum temperature of 40.6°C and
23.9°C. Winters are pleasant with an average maximum and minimum
temperature of 23.9°C and 11.1°C, respectively. The annual
average rainfall is 152 cm. The park is closed from July to
mid-October during monsoon. |
