Bandhavgarh

Excursion

[ The Bandhavgarh Fort | The Forests | Wide-Life in Bandhavgarh | Eating Out ]

The Bandhavgarh Fort
The legendary epic Ramayana mentions Laxman, the brother of King Rama who holds the title of "Lord of the Fort". This mighty fort has its cliff about 1000ft. The Statues of Lord Vishnu in his various reincarnations cover the fort and a unique 35 root reclining statue known as "Shesh Shayya" is also located at the base. According to the references made in the ancient books like the Narad-Panch Ratra and the Siva Purana, they say that this fort is about 2,000 years old. The various dynasties have like the Maghas from the 1st century AD, the Vakatakas from the 3rd century, the Sengars from the 5th century and the Kalchuris from the 10th century, have ruled this fort. In the 13th century AD, the Baghels took over, and they ruled until 1617, when Maharajah Vikramaditya Singh moved his capital to Rewa. The last inhabitants deserted the fort in 1935.

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The Forests
The forest of Bandhavgarh can be classified as moist deciduous one. Throughout the valleys, one can notice the existence of the Sal forest. Then, there is also a mixed forest, which occurs where the soil is of relatively poor quality on the upper hill slopes, on rocky outcrops and in the South and West. Grassy meadow patches also occur in the valley and along the nalas.

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Wide-Life in Bandhavgarh
Bandhavgarh is a densely populated area with animals like the tiger and other wildlife species. Certain areas like the south and the west of the park is dry in character and hence animal species like the Nilgai and the Chinkara are found here.

The following animals like the great Gaur, or Indian Bison, can be easily seen in the Bandhavgarh National Park, since they come onto the meadows to graze at dusk. Among the commonly sighted animals, the Sambar, Barking Deer and the Nilgai are to be seen in the more open areas of the park. There are more than 22 species of mammals and 250 species of birds. Common Langurs and Rhesus Macaque represent the mammals. Carnivorous animals include the Asiatic Jackal, Bengal Fox, Sloth Bear, Ratel, Gray Mongoose, Stripped Hyena, Jungle Cat, Leopard and Tiger. Some more animals frequently sighted are Wild Pigs, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Chausingha, Nilgai, Chinkara and Gaur. Mammals such as Dhole, the small Indian Civet, Palm Squirrel and Lesser Bandicoot Rat are seen occasionally.

The vegetation along streams and marshes is rich in bird life. The other common ones are Little Grebe, Egret, Sarus Crane, Black Ibis, Lesser Whistling Teal, White-eyed Buzzard, Black Kite, Crested Serpent Eagle, Black Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Common Peafowl, Red Jungle Fowl, Dove, Parakeets, Kingfishers and Indian Rollers. Reptilian Fauna includes Cobra, Krait, Viper, Rat snake, Python, Turtle and a number of lizard varieties, including Varanus.

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Eating Out
Most of Bandhavgarh's hotels, which are in Tala, cater for travelers on a higher budget and offer 'jungle prices'-all-inclusive deals including meals and two jeep safaris per person. However, there are a few mid-priced hotels and budget lodges for those on a lower budget. The only places to eat outside the hotels are the friendly, cheap 'dhabas' on Tala's main road.

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