Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati, Maharashtra

Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati, Maharashtra

Melghat Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in the northern part of Amravati District in the Indian State of Maharashtra. It is situated on southern offshoot of the Satpura Hill Range in Central India, called Gavilgarh hill. It was among the first nine tiger reserves of India to be notified in 1973 under Project Tiger. The total area of the reserve is around 1677 km2. Melghat means meeting of the ghats, which describes the area as a large tract of unending hills and ravines scarred by jagged cliffs and steep climbs. Melghat is the prime biodiversity repository of the state.

History

Melghat was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1967 and was declared a tiger reserve in 1974. It was among the first nine tiger reserves notified in 1973-74 under Project Tiger, a wildlife conservation project initiated in India in 1972 to protect Bengal tigers. The core area of the Reserve, the Gugarnal National Park with an area of 361.28 sq. km., and buffer area of the Reserve, the Melghat Tiger Sanctuary with an area of 788.28 sq. km. (of which 21.39 sq. km. is non-forest), were together re-notified by the state government in 1994 as Melghat Sanctuary. The remaining area is managed as a multiple use area.

Previously, Melghat Tiger Sanctuary was created in 1985 with an area of 1597.23 sq. km.  Gugarnal National Park was carved out of this Sanctuary in 1987. The core area of the Reserve, the Gugarnal National Park and buffer area of the Reserve, the Melghat Tiger Sanctuary were together re-notified by the state government in 1994 as Melghat Sanctuary. There are passes in Melghat that Kings from the north traversed to reach Berar, where the Imad Shahi dynasty had been founded in 1484. Colonel Arthur Wellesley, who later became the Duke of Wellington, captured the Gavilgarh fort from the Marathas in 1803 CE during the second Maratha war.

The Tiger Reserve

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/02/melghat-tiger-reserve-amravati-tiger-reserve.html

Best Season

Tourists can explore Melghat in all seasons but the monsoons starting mid-July till end of September offers the best views. The winters are cold with night temperature dropping below 5 degrees. The summers are good for animal sightings.

Accommodation

Accommodation facilities in Melghat are mostly run by the forest department except the hotels and resorts at Chikhaldara which are operated by private. Facilities are comfortable and basic in nature suiting the forest atmosphere where it is located.

Contact Details

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/02/melghat-tiger-reserve-amravati-contact-details.html

Connectivity

Melghat Tiger Reserve can be accessed from Chikhaldara, Semadoh, Kolkas and Harisal. Semadoh is considered as the main entrance for this tiger reserve. Semadoh is located at about 24 Kms from Harisal, 27 Kms from Chikhaldara, 33 Kms from Kolkas, 46 Kms from Paratwada Bus Stand, 47 Kms from Paratwada, 94 Kms from Amravati, 96 Kms from Shahanur, 98 Kms from Amravati Railway Station and 236 Kms from Nagpur Airport. Semadoh is situated on Paratwada to Harisal route.

Location

Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Pench Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in Seoni and Chhindwara Districts of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This tiger reserve derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the park from north to south dividing the park into almost equal western and eastern halves. It is one of the premier tiger reserves of India and the first one to straddle across two states namely Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The majority of the tiger reserve is located in Madhya Pradesh. Pench tiger reserve has of the highest density of herbivores (90.3 animals per square kilometer) and the second highest prey base biomass in India after Nagarhole (6013 Kg per square kilometer). The high habitat heterogeneity favors high population of Chital and Sambar.

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/pench-tiger-reserve-history.html

The Tiger Reserve

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/pench-tiger-reserve-tiger-reserve.html

Safari

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/pench-tiger-reserve-safari.html

Activities

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/pench-tiger-reserve-activities.html

Contact

Field Director,

Pench Tiger Reserve,

Seoni – 480 661

Madhya Pradesh, India

Phone: +91 7692 223 794

Fax: +91 7692 223 204

Email: fdpennp.sni@mp.gov.in / dirpenchnp@mp.gov.in

Connectivity

Turia Gate is located at about 8 Kms from Teliya Gate, 13 Kms from Khawasa Gate,16 Kms from Karmajhiri Gate, 19 Kms from Khursapur Gate, 26 Kms from Jamtara Gate, 34 Kms from Rukhad Gate, 42 Kms from Sillari Gate, 54 Kms from Ramtek Railway Station, 57 Kms from Seoni Railway Station, 58 Kms from Seoni, 93 Kms from Nagpur and 102 Kms from Nagpur Airport. Turia Gate is situated at about 13 Kms to the north west of Khawasa Gate on the Nagpur to Seoni route. Turia gate is the popular & most frequently used entrance gate for Pench Jungle Safari.

Location

Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Kanha Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in Mandla and Balaghat Districts of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This reserve is also known as Kanha – Kisli National Park. This tiger reserve is the one of the biggest tiger reserves and the largest national park in India. The reserve is located in the Maikal Range which forms the eastern base of the triangular Satpura Range. This park is the only habitat for rare hard ground Barasingha in India.

History

The forests of Kanha region was declared as a reserve forest in 1879 CE and then declared as sanctuary in 1933. Kanha National Park was created on 1 June 1955 and was designated a tiger reserve in 1973. The forests of Kanha were described in the book called “The Highlands of Central India” written by Captain J. Forsyth. The book was published in 1913. Captain J. Forsyth was an officer in the Bengal Staff Corps and discovered Pachmarhi hill located in Satpura National Park. A book called “Wild Animals in Central India” written by A. A. Dunbar Brander in 1923 was solely focused on Kanha National Park. The Jungle Book, an immensely popular and much-loved wildlife novel by Rudyard Kipling, is based on Pench and Kanha National Parks.

The Tiger Reserve

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/kanha-tiger-reserve-tiger-reserve.html

Safari

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/kanha-tiger-reserve-safari.html

Connectivity

Kanha Gate is located at about 9 Kms from Kisli Gate, 18 Kms from Mocha, 29 Kms from Sarai Gate, 38 Kms from Baihar, 42 Kms from Chiraidongri Railway Station, 45 Kms from Bamhani, 52 Kms from Mukki Gate, 59 Kms from Mandla, 104 Kms from Balaghat and 155 Kms from Jabalpur Airport. Kanha Gate is situated at about 18 Kms to the south east of Mocha on Baihar to Bamhani route.

Location

Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve spread across Damoh, Sagar and Narsinghpur Districts of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. It is the seventh tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The tiger reserve is named after Rani Durgavati, a queen of the Gondi people.

History

The sanctuary was notified by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1996. The Madhya Pradesh Government recently announced the establishment of the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, marking the seventh tiger reserve in the state and the 54^th in the country.

The Tiger Reserve

The tiger reserve covers an area of about 2339 sq kms. The core area is about 1414 sq kms and the buffer area is about 925.12 sq kms. The tiger reserve is formed by combining the Nauradehi and Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuaries. A green corridor linking Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) with Durgavati will be developed for the natural movement of the tiger to the new reserve. The parts of the reserve fall under the Narmada and Yamuna River basins. The Singorgarh Fort is located within the reserve.

Flora:

The reserve is predominantly tropical mixed dry deciduous forest and some teak (Tectona grandis) forests with trees accounting for 70 of the 121 species of plants found here. The trees found in the reserve are Indian Kino (Pterocarpus marsupium), Saja (Terminalia alata), Dhaora (Anogeissus latifolia), Mahua (Madhuca indica), Amla (Phyllanthus emblica), Palash (Butea monosperma), Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) and Bakli (Lagerstroemia parviflora).

Fauna:

The reserve is home to approximately 15 tigers, making it a vital habitat for endangered species. The reserve is home to 18 species of mammals. The mammals found in the reserve are tiger, leopard, wolf, jackal, Indian fox, striped hyena, nilgai, chinkara, chital, sambar, black buck, barking deer, common langur, rhesus macaque and sloth bear. The reserve is also home to 177 species of birds, 16 species of fish and reptiles and 10 species of amphibians.

Connectivity

The tiger reserve is located at about 7 Kms from Singrampur, 19 Kms from Jabera, 45 Kms from Sihora, 47 Kms from Sihora Road Railway Station, 47 Kms from Damoh, 58 Kms from Jabalpur, 63 Kms from Jabalpur Railway Station and 76 Kms from Jabalpur Airport. The tiger reserve is situated on the Damoh to Jabalpur route.

Location

Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Panna Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in Panna and Chhatarpur Districts of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This reserve is situated in the Vindhya mountain range. This tiger reserve is the twenty second Tiger Reserve of India and fifth in Madhya Pradesh.

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/panna-tiger-reserve-history.html

The Tiger Reserve

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/panna-tiger-reserve-tiger-reserve.html

Safari

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/panna-tiger-reserve-safari.html

Contact

Field Director,

Panna Tiger Reserve,

Panna – 488 001

Madhya Pradesh, India

Phone: +91 7732 252 135

Fax: +91 252 120

Email: fdptr82@gmail.com

Connectivity

Panna Madla Gate is located at about 12 Kms from Harsa Gate, 29 Kms from Khajurikudar Gate, 19 Kms from Khajuraho Junction Railway Station, 20 Kms from Panna, 21 Kms from Panna Bus Stand, 22 Kms from Khajuraho Airport, 24 Kms from Khajuraho, 31 Kms from Hinauta Gate, 31 Kms from Akola Gate, and 52 Kms from Chhatarpur. Madla Gate is situated on the Panna to Khajuraho route.

Location

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in Umaria, Shahdol and Katni Districts of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This tiger reserve lies between the Kanha Tiger Reserve on the southern side and Sanjay National Park on the north eastern side. This tiger reserve is also archeologically significant because of the presence of the Bandhavgarh Fort, various ancient caves, rock paintings and carvings.

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/bandhavgarh-tiger-reserve-history.html

The Tiger Reserve

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/bandhavgarh-tiger-reserve-tiger-reserve.html

Safari

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/bandhavgarh-tiger-reserve-safari.html

Places of Interest

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/bandhavgarh-tiger-reserve-places-of-interest.html

Contact

Field Director Office,

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve,

Umaria, Madhya Pradesh – 484 661

Phone: +91 7653 222 214 / 222 724

Email: fdbnp.umr@mp.gov.in / ddbnp.umr@mp.gov.in

Connectivity

Tala Gate is located at about 6 Kms from Khitauli Gate, 7 Kms from Magadhi Gate, 13 Kms from Parasi Gate, 20 Kms from Panpatha Gate, 44 Kms from Cechpur Gate, 32 Kms from Umaria, 33 Kms from Umaria Railway Station, 60 Kms from Beohari, 79 Kms from Shahdol, 95 Kms from Katni, 180 Kms from Jabalpur Airport. Tala Gate is situated on Umaria to Beohari route.

Location