Kanha National Park is located in Banjar and Halon valleys in the Mandla / Balaghat districts of the state of Madhya Pradesh. A good number of wildlife species are present in Kanha National Park. These wildlife species creates the core of the Kanha national park which was taken under Project Tiger Reserve in 1974. This park is the only habitat for rare hard ground Barasingha in India. It is believed that this park formed the basis and gave the inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous Jungle Book. The park is the abode to the uncrowned king of the Kanha jungle: The Royal Bengal Tiger. Tourist throng here to see the magnificent big cat Tiger and one of the rarest deer the Hard ground Barasingha (Swamp Deer) also known as the – Jewel of Kanha national park. Many endangered species have indeed been saved here. Today Kanha is among the few most scenic and beautiful wildlife reserves in Asia. Kanha national park is more famous for its wildlife, the natural beauty of its landscape is just as fascinating. One of the best locations to enjoy that bounty is Bammi Dadar, also known as the sunset point. The romance of the Kanha National Park has not reduced over time – it is still as beautiful as described by Rudyard Kipling in his famous book – The Jungle Book.
Over 200 spices of birds have been spotted in the park. There are many folklore about how it got kanha name. Kanha boasts of about 22 species of mammals. Some of the inhabitants of this park are the gaur, the largest of the world's cattle; the sambar, the largest Indian deer; and the chausingha, the only four-horned antelope in the world. The main wildlife attractions in the reserve are Tiger, Gaur, Sambhar, Chital, Barasingha, Barking deer, Sloth bear, Jackal, Fox, Porcupine, Jungle cat, Python, Hare, Monkey, Mongoose and leopard. Including many reptiles, insects and butterflies you can enjoy the creation of God in its colour and splendor. Some say it came from kanha, the clay like soil of the river bottoms. Other say the area is named for kanha a holy forest sage, who once lived here and was the father of shakuntala, whose son was Bharat and whose story was told in our legends. The park comprises of varied bird species in abundance. Over 200 species of birds live in the park and these include egrets, flycatchers, jungle fowl, herons, kingfishers, partridges, teals, warblers, woodpeckers and quail. The bird species include Storks, Teals, Pintails, Pond herons, Egrets, Peacock, Pea fowl, Jungle fowl, Spur fowl, Partridges, Quails, Ring doves, Spotted parakeets, Green pigeons, Cuckoos, Rollers, Bee-eater, Hoops, Drongos, Warblers, Kingfishers, Woodpeckers, Finches, Orioles, Owls, and Fly catchers amongst many others. The Park makes an excellent spot for wildlife viewing and photography. To view the activities of the park and tribal culture one can visit the museum at Kanha. It is closed every Wednesday. For management purposes, the park is divided into 5 ranges: Kisli, Kanha, and Mukki in the western block, and Bhaisanghat and Supkhar in the eastern sector. These latter two ranges are closed off entirely to the public. Within Kisli, Kanha, and Mukki ranges, certain roads and areas are also closed to tourists. As of this writing (mid-1998), the percentage of the park's core area open to visitors (227 km2) is about 25%. The park is served by an extensive network (a little over 700 km) of generally well-maintained roads.
Climate : The climate of this region is tropical. Summers are hot and dry with a maximum and minimum temperature of 42°C and 24°C. Winters are pleasant with an average maximum and minimum temperature of 23.9°C and 11.1°C, respectively. The annual average rainfall is 152 cm. The park is closed from July to mid October during monsoon. A stay of at least 3 nights is recommended, in order, to get a really good sighting of Kanha's more elusive animals.
Get IN :
By Air : Jabalpur has the nearest airport and railway head, about 3 hours away. Nagpur (266 kms) is the nearest Airport to visit Kanha National Park connected by Indian Airlines flights with Bombay. With flight connectivity from Mumbai and Delhi it has become a very good option for travellers to come via Jabalpur.
By Rail : Jabalpur (169 km) is the convenient rail head to visit Kanha.
By Road : :Kanha National Park is connected by road with Jabalpur 175 km, Khajuraho 445 km, Nagpur 266 km, Mukki 25 km, Raipur 219 km. Jabalpur city is very well connected through trains with major cities of India like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi, Ahmedabad etc. Jabalpur city local sight-seeing will be an added advantage for those who are planning to reach Kanha through Jabalpur. From Jabalpur, Kisli is 165 km via Chiraidongri, and Mukki is 203 km via Motinala and Garhi.
