About Bandhavgarh National Park:
- Location:
- It is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh.
- It is spread over the Vindhya hills.
- It was declared a national park in 1968 and then became Tiger Reserve in 1993.
- It is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers. The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India as well as in the world.
- The park derives its name from the most prominent hillock in the area, which was said to be given by Hindu Lord Rama to his brother Lakshmana to keep a watch on Lanka. Hence the name Bandhavgarh (Sanskrit: Brother's Fort).
- The national park was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa.
- Topography: Varies between steep ridges, undulating forests and open meadows.
- Vegetation: It is mostly of dry deciduous type.
- Flora:
- The vegetation of Bandhavgarh is specially filled with Sal forest in the valleys, and Bamboo stretches on the lower slopes of the region.
- Some of the most famous floral species include Saj (Terminalia tomentosa), Dhaora (Anogeissus latifolia), Tendu, Arjun (Terminalia arjuna), Amla (Emblica officinalis), Palas (Butea monosperma) etc.
- Fauna:
- The important prey species consists of chital, sambhar, barking deer, nilgai, chinkara, wild pig, chowsingha, langur and rhesus macaque.
- Dependent upon them are the major predators like tiger, leopard, wild dog, wolf and jackal.
