Bandhavgarh Fort, Bandhavgarh – History
The fort
was built by a Gond dynasty king and was the seat of rulers of Rewa State,
until they shifted to Rewa town in 1617 CE. The state of Rewa was founded in
1234 CE by Vyaghra Dev, a descendant of the Vaghelas of Gujarat. He married the
daughter of the Raja of Ratanpur, bringing Bandhogarh (currently known as
Bandhavgarh) into the family as her dowry. In 1593 CE, after the death of Maharaja
Virbhadra Rao, his minor son, Maharaja Vikramaditya succeeded him and was sent
to Delhi for his own safety. The Mughal emperor, Akbar took advantage and send
one of his loyal nobles as temporary governor.
Once, he
had taken control of the fort, the nobles and the officials of the Rewa State were
expelled, and the fort annexed by the Mughals in 1597 CE. When Maharaja
Vikramaditya returned to his kingdom in 1617 CE, he was forced to establish a
new capital at Rewa. Bandhavgarh gradually lost its prominence once the capital
was moved to Rewa. The fort became less inhabited and the villages around the
fort also moved to other areas. Due to the reduced human pressure, the forest
flourished around the fort. The ownership of the fort remained with the
Maharajas of Rewa, who after moving to Rewa had declared the area as their
private hunting game reserve with only the Royal family having the right to
hunt the Tiger.
They
visited the forest frequently for hunting and stayed in the Maharaja Kothi
building which is now converted into a hotel called Maharaja Royal Retreat. There
was a strange custom among the royals of Rewa State that each of the maharajas
set out to kill 109 tigers because they believed it to be lucky. By 1914 CE,
Maharaja Venkat Raman Singh had killed 111 tigers. The last few inhabitants
left the fort in 1935 CE. Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa captured the
first white tiger in this region in 1951. This white tiger, Mohan, is
now stuffed and on display in the palace of
the Maharajas of Rewa.
The devastation of the forests in this area due to the inadequate regulation severely affected Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa. In 1968, a 105 sq km area was first designated as a national park based on his suggestion. Poaching was controlled after the establishment of the park. The wildlife started to thrive in the park. The park was expanded to 448 sq kms in 1982 to accommodate the growing population of tigers and other animals. Due to the large population of tigers, the Bandhavgarh National Park was declared as a tiger reserve in 1993. The park was later expanded to encompass a core area of 694 sq kms and a buffer area of 437 sq kms.
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