Ken Gharial Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Ken Gharial Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Ken Gharial Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Panna and Chhatarpur Districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. The sanctuary is situated at the confluence of the Ken River and Khudar River. The sanctuary derives its name from the six-meter-long fish-eating Gharial, a rare species of crocodile. This sanctuary is a part of Panna National Park. It is located to the northeast of the Khajuraho temples and north of Panna National Park. It is usually visited along with the Raneh Falls site nearby.

History

The sanctuary was established in 1981 for the conservation of gharial crocodiles.

The Wildlife Sanctuary

The sanctuary is situated at the confluence of the Ken River and Khudar River. The sanctuary covers an area of about 45.202 sq. kms. The sanctuary is situated along a 45 km (28 mi) long stretch of the Ken River. This sanctuary is part of the Panna National Park. The sanctuary is famous for its six-meter-long fish-eating Gharial, a rare species of crocodile. The sanctuary is part of the Gharial Conservation association where captive bred gharials are released to help regenerate the gharial ecosystem. The river valleys in this sanctuary are built on the Ken River with a series of slopes 100 to 150 feet deep.

The valleys here are spectacular and famously called the Greatest Canyon of India. The sanctuary comprises of dry deciduous forest. The trees found in the sanctuary are Teak, Seja, Salai, Gunja, Flame of Forest (Palash), Khair etc. The sanctuary is known for Gharials, a six-meter-long fish-eating crocodile species.  The animals found in this sanctuary are Sloth Bear, Leopard, Wolf, Nilgai (Blue Bull), Dholes, Chinkara, Chital, Spotted Deer, Jackal, Indian Fox, Wild Boar, Hyena, Langur, Monitor Lizard, Snakes and Peacock. 

The sanctuary has an ancient, ruined palace of the rulers of princely state of Bundelkhand. They used to stay in this palace during their hunting expedition. It is open for visitors from October to June month. It is closed to visitors in monsoon season. It can be visited from sunrise to sunset, but boating spots and timings are fixed. The boating trip at Muhareghat is from 07.00 AM to 09.00 AM and 04.00 PM to 05.00 PM. Trained guides are mandatory to visit this sanctuary and provided by the Forest Department.

Entry Fees

·      Rs 50 for cyclists

·      Rs. 200 for bike riders (2 persons)

·      Rs.400 for three wheelers

·      Rs.600 (6 persons) for four wheelers

·      Rs. 1200 for mini buses (20 Persons)

Connectivity

The sanctuary is located at about 21 Kms from Khajuraho, 22 Kms from Khajuraho Bus Stand, 23 Kms from Rajnagar Railway Station, 25 Kms from Madla, 26 Kms from Khajuraho Airport, 27 Kms from Khajuraho Junction Railway Station, 44 Kms from Panna and 53 Kms from Chhatarpur. The sanctuary is situated at about 25 Kms to the north of Madla on the Panna to Chhatarpur route. Buses are available from Khajuraho to this sanctuary every one hour.

Location