Pench

Location
Pench Tiger Reserve comprises the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park and the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary. The territory of the park is flattering with mainly gentle slopes criss-crossed by streams and nullahs. Most of these watercourses are seasonal. Many of the hills are flat-topped and allow fine vistas of the forests around. The best known of these is 'Kalapahar' with an altitude of 650 Mts. A number of water pools, locally known as 'dohs' are found, which serve as waterholes for wild animals. A few perennial springs also exist. Recently a number of earthen ponds and shallow wells have been developed leading to well-distributed sources of water all around the reserve. The name of Pench National Park was changed to "Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park" in November 2002 Similarly the name of Pench Sanctuary has been changed to "Mowgli Pench Sanctuary".

Geographical Location
The Park is situated in the Seoni District of Southern Madhya Pradesh and runs in continuation with Pench National Park in Maharashtra. The Park nestles in the Southern slopes of the Satpura ranges of Central India. The river Pench, which splits the National Park into two, forms the lifeline of the Park. It is situated 82 Kms. (2 hours of drive) and is well connected by an all weather metalloid road network to other important places in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

History
The area of the present tiger reserve has a glorious history. A description of its natural wealth and richness occurs in Ain-i-Akbari. Several natural history books like R. A. Strendale's 'Seonee - Camp life in Satpura Hills, Forsyth's - 'Highlands of Central India' and Dunbar Brander's 'Wild Animals of Central India' explicitly present the detailed panorama of nature's abundance in this tract. Strendale's semi-autobiographical 'Seonee' was the inspiration behind Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.

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