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

Panpatha Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Panpatha Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Panpatha Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary spread across Umaria and Katni Districts of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This sanctuary is part of the famous Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. The sanctuary was formed in the year 1983 and was added to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in 2015.

The Wildlife Sanctuary

The sanctuary covers an area of about 245 sq. kms. This sanctuary is one of the buffer zones of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. This sanctuary is known for its scenic forest. The animals found in this sanctuary are Tiger, Panthers, Jackal, Wild dog, Chital, Sambhar, Blue bull, Porcupine, Chausingha, Bear etc.

Jungle Safari

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/panpatha-wildlife-sanctuary-jungle-safari.html

Connectivity

The sanctuary is located 15 Kms from Mahroi Railway Station, 19 Kms from Tala, 29 Kms from Barhi, 51 Kms from Umaria, 61 Kms from Jaisinghnagar, 80 Kms from Katni, 88 Kms from Shahdol, and 190 Kms from Jabalpur Airport. The sanctuary is situated on the Tala to Mahroi route. The entry point of Panpatha buffer area is at Pachpedi village and the route for this area starts from Pachpedi and ends at Khitauli.

Location

Sardarpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Sardarpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Sardarpur Wildlife Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary located near Sardarpur Town in Sardarpur Taluk in Dhar District of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This sanctuary is home to the highly endangered Lesser Florican Sypheotides indica, known locally as Kharmor (Grass Peacock). It is also one of the breeding habitats of Lesser Florican in India.

History

The sanctuary was established in 1983 on the recommendations of the renowned Indian ornithologist, Salim Ali for the protection of the critically endangered Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indica). A survey was conducted during 1981 by P. M. Lad, the then Director, Van Vihar, Bhopal, and later Conservator of Forests, on the recommendation of Salim Ali. During this survey, it was found that the Lesser Florican is present in around 14 villages in Sardarpur Taluk in Dhar District.

The Sanctuary

The sanctuary covers an area of about 348 sq kms. The sanctuary comprises a mosaic of grasslands and agricultural fields, providing crucial breeding and nesting grounds for the Lesser Florican during its breeding season from June to November.

Flora:

This sanctuary is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion. The sanctuary is dominated by the grass species Sehima nervosum-Chrysopogon fulvus type. Other grass species found in the sanctuary are Heteropogon contortus, Apluda mutica, Cymbopogon martinii, Aristida funiculata, genera Brachiaria, Eragrostis, Dicanthium, Digitaria, Setaria, Bothriocloa and Pseudoanthistiria. The trees found in the sanctuary are Tectona grandis, Shorea robusta, Prosopis chilensis, Zizyphus jujuba, Acacia catechu and Butea monosperma. 

Fauna:

This sanctuary is home to the highly endangered Lesser Florican Sypheotides indica, known locally as Kharmor (Grass Peacock). The Lesser Florican is seen only during the breeding season. It arrives at the onset of monsoon by the end of June or beginning of July, and leaves by the end of October or in November. Some of the birds apart from the Kharmour found in the sanctuary are Eagles, Hawks, Vultures, Indian Roller, Common Hoopo, Painted Stork, Sarus Crane, Indian Peafowl and parakeets. The animals found in the sanctuary are Golden Jackal, Indian Fox, and Common Langur.

Connectivity

The sanctuary is located at about 1 Km from Sardarpur Bus Stand, 4 Kms from Rajgarh, 4 Kms from Rajgarh Bus Stand, 40 Kms from Dhar, 76 Kms from Barnagar Railway Station, 100 Kms from Indore Airport, 125 Kms from Ujjain, and 289 Kms from Ahmedabad. This sanctuary is situated close to Sardarpur on Indore to Ahmedabad road.

Location

Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Bori Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Narmadapuram District of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. It is situated in the northern foothills of the Satpura Range and is part of the Satpura tiger reserve. The sanctuary derives its name from the Bori River. It has the distinction of being the first forest reserve declared in India.

History

The wildlife sanctuary was established in 1977. This sanctuary includes the one of the oldest forest reserves of India called Bori Reserve Forest. This reserve forest was established in 1865 CE along the Tawa River.

The Wildlife Sanctuary

The sanctuary covers an area of about 646 sq kms (249 sq mi). It is situated in the northern foothills of the Satpura Range. It is bounded by the Satpura National Park to the north and east, and by the Tawa River to the west. The sanctuary, together with Satpura National Park and the Pachmarhi Sanctuary, forms the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve. This sanctuary is part of Satpura tiger reserve. Several streams and rivulets of the Bori and Sonbhadra rivers provide water inside the sanctuary.

The terrain varies from steep slopes in the east to plain or undulating land in the west. This sanctuary was selected for the famous project of Barasingha relocation in which Madhya Pradesh Forest department is trying to make new homes for hard-ground Barasingha, apart from Kanha national park. The best time to visit this sanctuary is during the months of October to June.

Flora:

The sanctuary is mostly covered in mixed dry tropical deciduous and bamboo forests, part of the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests ecoregion. It is an important transition zone between the forests of western and eastern India. The dominant trees species in this sanctuary are teak, dhaora, tendu, axel wood, bael, kadam, rosewood tree, temburini, java plum, etc. The reserve has over 1300 species of plants including several medicinal plants and rare mosses along with some water fern species. This sanctuary lies in the teak and sal transition zone.

Fauna:

There are about 25 species of mammals found in this sanctuary. The mammals found in the sanctuary are tiger, leopard, jackal, striped hyena, Indian wild dog, chausingha, wild boar, muntjac deer, nilgai, chevrotain, chinkara, gaur, chital deer, sambar, flying squirrel, tree shrew, common mongoose, Indian palm civet, small Indian civet, jungle cat, Bengal fox, Indian porcupine, and rhesus macaques. There are about more than 230 species of birds found in this sanctuary. Some of the birds found in the sanctuary are Malabar Pied Hornbill, Gyps, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Grey Gallus, Red Gallus, and Indian Scimitar Babbler.

Connectivity

Churna Gate is the entry point for this sanctuary. Churna Gate is located at about 17 Kms from Bhoura, 17 Kms from Dhodramohar Railway Station, 59 Kms from Itarsi Junction Railway Station, 59 Kms from Itarsi, 61 Kms from Betul, 76 Kms from Narmadapuram, 95 Kms from Pachmarhi, and 160 Kms from Bhopal Airport. Churna Gate is situated at about 17 Kms to the north east of Bhoura on Narmadapuram to Betul route.

Location