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Kanha
Kanha National Park (which is now officially known as Kanha
Tiger Reserve) is located in the Maikal range, the eastern sector
of the Satpura Hills of the Central Indian Highlands. The park
lies 160 km (100 miles) southeast of Jabalpur in the state of
Madhya Pradesh.
The name Kanha itself may be derived from kanhar, the local
term for the clayey soil in the valley bottoms, or from Kanva,
a holy man who once lived there in a forest village. Two river
valleys are prominent features of the park's topography: the
Banjar in the west and the Halon in the east. Both these rivers
are tributaries of the Narmada, which flows through the district
headquarters town of Mandla, 64 km (40 miles) to the northwest
of the park's western entrance. Kanha's valleys are enclosed
by hills topped with plateaux, locally called dadar.
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.
Park Season, Excursion Timings, and Fees
The park is open daily from 1 November to 30 June, although
management reserves the option to close earlier if the rains
begin before the end of June. The opening hours are scheduled
to accord roughly with the seasonal variations in climate, as
well as with the length of the day at different seasons. There
is always a mid-day break, so that employees may eat lunch and
rest and the animals may have a respite, too.
Opening hours are as follows:
1 November-IS February Sunrise to 11 AM. 3 P.M. to sunset
16 February-30 April Sunrise to 11 AM. 4 P.M. to sunset
1 May-30 June Sunrise to 10 AM. S P.M. to sunset These
hours are subject to change because of special conditions: for
example, heavy rain showers may make park roads temporarily
hazardous, or official activities such as census taking may
be scheduled. In practice, "sunrise" and "sunset"
are interpreted as "dawn" and "dusk," with
vehicles being admitted at 6:30 A.M., for example, if sunrise
occurs at 6:50. The gate attendants tend to be stricter about
exit times, since darkness follows sunset quite rapidly at this
latitude.
Entry fees and regulations are as follows:
Park entry for Indian citizens: Rs. 10/
Park entry for foreigners: Rs. 100/
Light motor vehicles: Rs. 10/- per vehicle up to 5 persons and
Rs. 2/- for each additional person.
Park entry for student groups: Rs. 10/- per group
Entry for children below 5 years of age is free.
Permissible capacity of vehicles exclusive of driver
and guide is as follows:
Car
Jeep
Minibus
General Info
Temperatures:
Winter (November to February) Minimum
04º C
Summer (April to June)
Maximum 42ºC
Monsoon (July to September)
Park closed owing to heavy rains
Best Time to Visit : November to mid-May
Winter (November to February)
Excellent time for watching birds & big game
Summer (April to June)
Best period for sighting mammals
Monsoon (July to September)
Park closed owing to seasonal rainfall
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Forest Department
guides accompany visitors around the park on mapped-out circuits
which enable viewers to see a good cross-section of Kanha's
wildlife. The best areas are the meadows around Kanha, where
blackbuck, chital and barasingha can be seen throughout the
day.
Bamni Dadar
Known as Sunset Point, this is one of Hardground Barasingha
is found only at Kanha The most beautiful areas of the park,
from where a spectacular sunset can be watched. The dense luxuriance
of Kanha's forests can best be seen from here. Animals that
can be sighted around this point are typical of the mixed forest
zone: sambar, barking deer, gaur and the four-horned antelope.
Mammalian Species
Kanha has some 22 species of mammals. Those most easily
spotted are the striped palm squirrel, common langur, jackal,
wild pig, chital or spotted deer, barasingha or swamp deer,
sambar and blackbuck.
Less commonly seen species are Tiger, Indian hare, dhole
or Indian wild dog, barking deer and Indian bison or gaur. Patient
watching should reward the visitor with a sight of: Indian fox,
sloth bear, striped hyena, jungle cat, leopard, Mouse deer,
chausingha or four-horned antelope, nilgai, ratel and porcupine.
Very rarely seen are Wolf, which lives in the far east of the
park; chinkara, to be found outside the park's northern boundary;
Indian pangolin, the smooth Indian otter and the small Indian
civet.
Kisli or Mukk
There is NO FACILITY FOR ENCASHING TRAVELLER'S CHEQUES at
Kisli or Mukki - the nearest bank dealing in foreign exchange
is the State Bank at Mandla.
How to Reach Khatia (3 km from Kisli) and Mukki are the two
main entry points to the Kanha National Park. From Jabalpur,
Kisli is 165 km via Chiraidongri, and Mukki is 203 km via Motinala
and Garhi. For travellers from Bilaspur (182 km), Raipur (213
km) and Balaghat (83 km), Mukki on State Highway No. 26 is more
convenient. From Nagpur, Kisli is 259 km via Nainpur and Chiraidongri,
and Mukki is 289 km via Balaghat.
The Kanha Museum, located at park headquarters in Kanha Village,
contains fascinating, well-conceived exhibits relating to the
entire ecosystem and its fauna and flora. The museum complex
consists of six rooms distributed between two buildings. The
museum opens daily at 7 A.M. and remains accessible to visitors
during park excursion hours throughout the day. Below is a summary
of the exhibits.
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By Road
: Daily bus service available for Kisli and Mukki from Jabalpur
and back. Taxis are available for hire from Jabalpur, Bilaspur
and Raipur. Vehicles are not permitted within the park after
dark.
By Air : Nearest airports are at Jabalpur (currently
closed), Raipur and Nagpur.
By Rail : Most convenient railheads are at Jabalpur and
Bilaspur. |
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