Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Kanha National Park – Land of the Jungle Book

Kanha National Park is a tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh, central India. The forests of Kanha are spread over the Mandla and Balaghat districts, and the area of neighboring Phen Sanctuary adds-up to form the Kanha Tiger Reserve. In 1879, the jungles of Kanha became a forest reserve and in 1933, it gained the status of a wildlife sanctuary. Kanha National Park is often referred to as the land of the Jungle Book because Joseph Rudyard Kipling found his inspiration for his novel here. Here are some interesting things to know about this park.

1. Kanha National Park was established on the 1st of June in 1955.

Bengal Tiger - Kanha National Park
2. Kanha’s core area covers about 940 km² with 1,067 km² of surrounding buffer zone. This makes Kanha the largest National Park in central India. The core area of the Kanha tiger reserve is protected under the Project Tiger initiative.

3. Jungle Book, written by the famous English writer Joseph Rudyard Kipling, was inspired by the wild creatures and dense forests of Kanha.

Joseph Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling
4. Many of the wild creatures of Kanha National Park are depicted as characters in the Jungle Book like Baloo the bear, Bagheera the black panther and Shere Khan the tiger.

5. It is among the best places in central India for wildlife safaris and watching tigers in the open wilds.

Bengal Tiger 
6. Bengal Tigers dominate the forests of Kanha. Foxes, jackals, leopards and wild dogs are the other carnivores in the reserve.

7. The grasslands of the Kanha National Park are vital for the survival of the swamp deer population as many important species of grass grows there. Sambhar, Chital and Gaur are other commonly seen creatures inside the park.

Swamp Deer - Image by David Schenfeld on flickr.com
8. Over 1000 species of flowering plants can be found in this park. Sal and bamboo trees are also found in abundance.

9. Except from July to mid November, this park remains open for tourist activities throughout the year.

10. Bamni Dadar is a sunset point where tourists can easily spot sambar, barking deer, gaur and four horned antelope in the evening. Kanha Museum is another interesting place to go and have more knowledge about the park. Kanha National Park is counted among the must visit destinations in Madhya Pradesh.

Kanha Museum
Our Entry for ABC Wednesday.

8 comments:

  1. Fascinating place! I love the first photo of the tiger!

    Leslie
    abcw team

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  2. What a fascinating place. I have never seen swamp deer before, their coats look quite lush.
    Joy - ABC Team

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  3. Nice jungle mix, with the Kipling.
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  4. Wow! Great how you linked with 'K'. Such amazing shots! I am stunned seeing the tiger. :)

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  5. Interesting post and great shots of the wildlife.

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  6. Very nice pictures! I would like to visit such a jungle!

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