Located in the “Maikal” ranges of the Satpuras, and falling in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, Kanha Tiger Reserve is internationally renowned for its typical Central Indian floral and faunal attributes. Apart from supporting a viable population of the tiger, the National Park has also distinguished itself in saving the highly endangered hard ground barasingha (Cervus duvauceli branderi) from extinction, and has the unique distinction of harbouring the last world population of this deer species. The Tiger Reserve with an area of 1949 sq. km. is comprised of two divisions, namely the Core Zone (National Park) with 940 sq. km. and the Buffer Zone (Multiple Use Area) of 1009 sq. km. Besides, there is also Phen Wildlife Sanctuary (110 sq. km.), a Satellitic Micro Core under the unified control of the Field Director, Kanha Tiger Reserve.
Kanha National Park chronicles the annals of a magnificent conservation history of more than seven decades, introducing these wilds to the national and international community of naturalists, writers and marksmen. Parts of the Banjar (233 sq. km) and Halon valleys (around 500 sq. km.) were declared Wildlife Sanctuaries way back in 1933 and 1935 respectively. Subsequently, in 1955, the Banjar valley sanctuary was upgraded as a National Park. Later, with the launch of Project Tiger in 1973-74, the enlargement was done in phases, resulting in the present park area of 940 sq. km.
Phen Wildlife Sanctuary was previously a part of the Motinala range under the erstwhile South Mandla territorial division (currently East Mandla Division). The wildlife potential of this area was realised long ago, and it was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1983 under the unified control of Kanha Tiger Reserve. The Park Management considers that such high potential wildlife areas of smaller extent cannot be managed in isolation, and efforts are underway to link the Sanctuary with the National Park to facilitate safe dispersal of animals and exchange of gene pool.
The National Park also harbours a history of phased relocation of villages outside the PA since 1969. As many as 27 forest villages have been relocated over the years to provide objective based inputs and reduce biotic pressure. On the one hand, this has resulted in the resilience of wildlife habitats from the biotic pressures, on the other, management practices have also contributed to a gradual increase in wildlife populations.
Stringent protection and time-to-time managerial interventions consequently gave rise to spillover wild animal populations in the surrounding areas whose conservation was also considered important. In view of the above, the buffer zone was constituted in 1995 as a separate division under the unified control of the Park Management. The areas falling in the buffer division was drawn from three territorial divisions, viz: West-Mandla, East-Mandla (Mandla District) and North-Balaghat (Balaghat District). The buffer area, pockmarked with villages and revenue lands, comprises almost 47% forest area, and the rest is constituted by revenue land.
Kanha Tiger Reserve is spread over an area of 1949 sq. km., encompassing portions of Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Sl. No. |
Particular |
Core Zone
(National Park) |
Buffer Zone (Multiple Use Area) |
Phen WLS (Satellitic Micro Core) |
1. |
Area |
940 sq. km. |
1009 sq. km. |
110 sq. km. |
2. |
Forest Villages |
18 |
29 |
1 |
3. |
Revenue Villages |
- |
121 |
- |
4. |
Human Population (around) |
8396 |
98489 |
414 |
5. |
Cattle Population (around) |
7843 |
58609 |
415 |
6. |
Ecodevelopment Committees |
26 |
120 |
1 |
Forest Types
According to Champion and Seth (1968), the following forest types have been identified in the Tiger Reserve.
1) Moist Peninsular Sal Forests (3 C/C2)
a) High level sal (3 C/C2 ci)
b) Low level sal (3 C/C2 cii)
c) Valley sal (3 C/C2 ciii)
2) A) Southern Tropical Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest (3 A/C 2 a)
B) Southern Tropical Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest (5 A/C-3)
However, working classification in the field suggests that the forests mainly are of two types: sal and mixed deciduous. In the middle reaches of the slopes, bamboo is abundant as undergrowth. Kanha is very rich in flora, largely due to the combination of landforms and soil types, apart from the moist character of the region.
The Tiger Reserve harbours flat-hill tops, varying degree of slopes, and rolling meadows in the valleys, which offer unique settings and ecotones for creating diverse types of wildlife habitat, forming ideal niches for various species of plants and animals. Apart from over 600 species of flowering plants, there are around 300 species of birds and 43 species of mammals. Besides, several species of reptile, arthropod and termite are also found in the Reserve.
The animals generally seen in the Tiger Reserve are the Chital (Axis axis), Sambar (Cervus unicolor), Barasingha (Cervus duvauceli branderi), Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), Chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), Gaur (Bos gaurus), Langur (Presbytis entellus), Wild pig (Sus scrofa), Jackal (Canis aureus), Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Wild dog (Cuon alpinus), Panther (Panthera pardus) and Tiger (Panthera tigris). Kanha National Park offers an ideal habitat for a variety of avifauna, reptiles and insects.
The heterogeneity and diversity of habitats influence the local distribution of mammals. The presence of the mosaics of meadows within the woodland, and large expanses of herbage availability, also have a bearing on the aggregations of herbivores.
The central meadows of Kanha, locally known as "maidans", are rich in ungulates and other fauna. This high prey density area is encompassed on three sides by the ridges of the Deccan trap, leaving a gap only in the North towards Sonf. This topographical peculiarity poses a physical barrier to animal movement from the central meadows. Likewise, the ridges extending along the eastern boundary of the reserve impede animal movement between the eastern and western portions of the park. Such topographical attributes foster pockets of high and low prey density areas within the Protected Area, resulting in unequal concentrations of tigers and co-predators in different portions of the habitat.
Some Other Lesser Fauna
Besides, there are many species of amphibians, fishes, arachnids, and molluscs. The main species of reptiles also include spectacled cobra, common krait, russell's viper, saw-scaled viper, and monitor lizard. The copper-headed snake is also sometimes seen, which is rare for the climate of the Park.
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Stringent Protection 
- Patrolling Camps
- Routine Foot Patrolling
- Patrolling of Sensitive Areas
- Monsoon Patrolling
- Routine Elephant Patrolling
- Footpath Surveillance
- Saltlick Checking
- Waterhole Checking
- Checking for Electrocution
- Checking for Honey Bearing Trees
- Intelligence Gathering
- Surveillance of Habitual Offenders
- Anti-poaching Vigilance
- Night Patrolling
- Protection through Ex-Army Personnel
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Habitat Improvement
- Rehabilitation of Grass Meadow
- Weed Eradication
- Eradication of Woody Species
- Water Regime Development
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Disease Control
- Immunization against HS + FMD (4300 livestock in National Park & 17831 in Buffer Zone = 22131 in Tiger Reserve) in 2007
- Guided Excursions
- Museum & Interpretation Programme
- Regular Wildlife Film Shows
- Computerized Booking System
- Cleanliness
- Only Petrol Vehicles & Restricted Diesel Vehicle (4-wheel driven manufactured within 5 years) Allowed
Tourist Information
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. 5 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.
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.
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The "maidans" of Kanha, Kisli and Indri
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Main Park Interpretation Centre – Kanha museum
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The dadars – Bamhnidadar and Kodaidadar
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Barasingha
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"Tiger show"
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Orientation centre at Khatia with evening wildlife film shows
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Nature trail at Khatia (3 and 7 kms.)
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The large maidans of Sondar, Ghorella, Bishanpura and Aurai
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Orientation centre at Mukki with evening wildlife film shows
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The dadar – Bamhnidadar
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Large number of waterbodies and swamps with large population of barasingha
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"Tiger show"
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Nature trail (1.5 kms.)
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New area opened for tourists
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The main barasingha
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The dadar of Ganeri and Silpura with the nilgai, rare animal for Kanha Tiger Reserve
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Elephant camp with young calves
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Rondagarh – hill top view point
Air: Nagpur at 266-kms is the nearest Airport to visit Kanha National Park and is connected by various domestic airline services with Mumbai.
Rail: Jabalpur at 169-kms is the convenient rail head to visit Kanha.
Road: Kanha National Park is connected by road with Jabalpur 175-kms, Khajuraho 445-kms, Nagpur 266-kms, Mukki 25-kms, Raipur 219-kms. Within the park: Koshi - Kanha (9-kms), Kishi - Katia (4-kms), Kishi - Mukki (32-kms). There are regular to and fro bus service available from Jabalpur to Kanha.
There are enough decent accommodation options in Kanha and the scene is getting better every passing day. There are a number of star category hotels catering to the needs of tourists coming to explore Kanha or interesting in exploring the scenic region around.
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Abide by these Park rules. Non-obedience will lead to legal action.
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इन पार्क के नियमों का पालन कीजिए। पालन न करने पर वैधानिक कार्यवाही की जावेगी।
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Don’t enter the Park with fire arms or explosives
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पार्क में शस्त्रों या विस्फ़ोटक सामग्री के साथ प्रवेश न कीजिए।
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Obtain a valid permit before entering the Park
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पार्क के अंदर जाने से पहले वैध परमिट प्राप्त कीजिए।
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Don’t carry cigarette or match box.
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पार्क के अंदर सिगरेट या माचिस नहीं ले जाइये।
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Don’t smoke or light fire, it can cause forest fire.
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जंगल में धूम्रपान न कीजिए, न ही आग जलाएं, इससे वन में आग लग सकती है।
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Don’t carry or play transistor or tape recorder inside the park.
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पार्क के अंदर टांजिस्टर, टेप रिकार्डर नहीं ले जाइये और न बजाईए।
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It is compulsory to take official guide with every vehicle.
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प्रत्येक वाहन में अधिकृत गाईड को साथ ले जाना अनिवार्य है।
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Drive slow. Recommended speed 20 km/hr.
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गाड़ी धीरे चलाइए, निर्धारित गति 20 कि- मी- प्रतिघंटा।
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Don’t blow horn.
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हॉर्न न बजाइए।
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Don’t litter with cans, bottles, plastic bags, etc. Keep garbage in the paper bag provided and dispose off safely outside the park.
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पार्क में खाली डिब्बे, प्लास्टिक थैले एवं अन्य कचरा इत्यादि न फैलाइए। उपलब्ध कराए गए कागज की थैली में कचरे को रखें एवं राष्टीय उद्यान के बाहर सुरक्षित तौर पर खाली करें।
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Always carry drinking water.
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पीने का पानी साथ ले जाइए।
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Wait for your turn to ride elephant. Stay inside your vehicle till your turn.
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हाथी की सवारी के लिए अपनी बारी की प्रतीक्षा कीजिए। अपनी बारी आने तक वाहन के अंदर ही रहें।
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Don’t get down, unless told by the guide.
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गाईड के कहने पर ही गाड़ी से उतरिए।
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Don’t remove any forest property including plants or animals from the park.
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राष्टीय उद्यान से कोई वनसम्पदा, पौधे या जानवरों को नहीं ले जाइए।
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Take nothing back except photos and memories.
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छायाचित्रों एवं स्मृतियों के अलावा कुछ न ले जाईए।
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Always obey the mahout and the Guide for your own safety.
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आपकी सुरक्षा के लिए हमेशा महावत एवं गाईड का कहना मानिए।
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Maintain silence & discipline during excursions.
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वन भ्रमण के दौरान शांति एवं अनुशासन बनाए रखिए।
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Don’t chase or tease animals or try to feed them.
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वन्य प्राणियों का पीछा न कीजिए और न सताइए एवं न ही उन्हें खिलाईए।
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Animals have the right of the way. Wait if they are crossing the road.
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जंगल के प्राणियों को पहले जाने का अधिकार है। उनके मार्ग पार करने की प्रतीक्षा करें।
Research and monitoring is one of the major issues in the Plan Outline of the Project Tiger document, 1972. The document envisaged that the scientific staff of the reserves would undertake basic research programmes aimed at evaluating systematic factors and influences, for devising pragmatic management practices to cover specific populations and the entire ecosystems. Research constitutes a very important aspect of effective management of wildlife protected areas. Research based wildlife management is crucial for the success of any Tiger Reserve. This is a legitimate activity, and must also be compatible with the objectives of a wildlife protected area.
- A well-equipped field laboratory
- Ecological monitoring in the 60 research plots spread all over the National Park following Sykes & Horrill, 1977
- Well documented description, evaluation & classification of habitats
- Identification of limiting/ inimical factors
- Data collection on population dynamics, dispersal pattern of wild animals, intra & inter-specific relations, feeding habits of herbivores & carnivores
- Ecological monitoring of weather/ physical factors
- Calculation of various indices
- Development and maintenance of a herbarium
- Check-listing of flowering plants
- Check-listing of birds
- Faunal inventory
- Use of Landsat imageries & space photographs to study the habitat parameters
- Preparation of cover maps based on aerial photographs
- Use of radio-telemetry for studying land tenure of tigers
- Standardising chemical immobilisation techniques
- Translocation of barasingha to an alternate habitat
- Molecular characterisation/ genome analysis from DNA samples of Central Indian barasingha
- Publication of around 100 research papers, 8 doctoral dissertations and 1 post doctoral thesis
- Study of movement patterns of encumbered tigresses using GPS/ software
- Study of sal borer infestation
Special Conservation Inputs for Barasingha
The conservation of the Central Indian barasingha in Kanha National Park requires a long-term strategy based on the past and present experiences and observations recorded by the Management. In view of this objective, the Park Management considers the following conservation imperatives very significant for the survival of small populations of this species:
- Habitat Improvement:
- Weed Eradication
- Eradication of Woody Species
- Maintenance of Tall Grasses
- Grass Exclosures for Relieving Pressure
- Shallow Water Points
- Swamp/ Marsh Creation
- Wallows
- Daily Monitoring
- Mortality Survey
- Surveillance of Epidemics
- Translocation of Barasingha to its Historical Range
- Special Enclosure for Multiplication
Village Relocation History
As many as 27 forest villages have been relocated from the core area (National Park) under Project Tiger, with due compensation and developmental inputs in the relocated sites. This history necessitated tremendous efforts on the part of the park management for credibility building. Therefore, many interventions have been provided to bridge the gap.
Corridor Connectivity
Kanha Tiger Reserve is one of the most important tiger habitats in Central India for the long-term conservation of the “flagship” species – tiger. It also harbours the last world population of the highly endangered Central Indian swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli branderi). The Tiger Reserve encompasses diverse vegetation, and has natural linkages with several other PAs in the region, viz. Bandhavgarh and Pench TRs in Madhya Pradesh, Achankmar WLS in Chhattisgarh and Pench TR & Nagzira WLS in Maharastra. Though the connectivity between Kanha Tiger Reserve and these PAs may be weak, there is ample scope for ensuring gene flow from the Kanha core conservation unit by resorting to appropriate site-specific restorative management. Thus, Kanha Tiger Reserve has considerable significance as a conservation nucleus. Besides, it affords scope for fostering eco-regional development to complement the conservation initiatives.
Wildlife tourism in Kanha is subordinated to the main objective of wildlife conservation. The Management believes that the visitors should be provided a meaningful exposure to the Protected Area so that they can appreciate India’s magnificent natural heritage and conservation benefits.
The Project Tiger objective “to ensure the maintenance of a viable population of the tiger in India and to preserve, for all times, such areas as part of our natural heritage, for the benefit, education and enjoyment of future generations” also sounds a similar note.
Wildlife tourism in Kanha National Park is a balance of conservation education and entertainment with the active participation of local people. The underlying principle is that the tourism should be ecologically and socio-culturally sustainable.
The wildlife tourism activities are restricted to a very small zone, which amounts to only 25% (227 sq. km.) of the park area. The average, annual tourist influx amounts to 1,00,000, of which around 10% are foreigners. At times, sixteen to seventeen thousand tourists visit the park in a month (November/ December), and on holidays the number sometimes goes upto almost eight to nine thousand per day.
Apart from the limited departmental accommodation at the two entry points (Mukki & Khatia), boarding and lodging facilities of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (MPSTDC) and private entrepreneurs also exist at these places. The total lodging facilities (Governmental/Non-Governmental) amount to around 1000 beds per night.
The park has a set of rules for regulating the tourism. Entry on foot and night driving are prohibited inside the park. Only light vehicles are allowed with a route guide. The Park Management provides elephants and route guides, apart from the interpretation facilities, at a reasonable charge to the tourists. Viewing ungulates amidst meadows from a vehicle and spotting tiger from an elephant back are star attractions for the tourists.
Creation of Buffer Zone
Ever since the National Park was upgraded to a Tiger Reserve, management was ensured on the guidelines of Project Tiger, Govt. of India. The concept of Buffer Zone surrounding the Kanha National Park was realised by identifying the potential forest areas of different territorial divisions contiguous to existing National Park. And, in 1976 the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh notified an area of around 1005 sq. km., carved out of 4 forest divisions of the undivided State of Madhya Pradesh. However, the above-conceptualised Buffer Zone was to remain under the respective forest divisions until 1995 when the Buffer Zone was constituted as a separate division under the unified control of the Park Management. Now, after the inclusion of Undemarcated Protected Forest (UDPF) areas following settlement of dispute regarding revenue and forestlands in the Mandla district, the total area of buffer zone now amounts to 1009 sq. km. The buffer area, pockmarked with villages and revenue lands, comprises almost 47% forest area, and the rest is constituted by revenue land. It has 150 villages inhabited by around 1,00,000 people and 80,000 cattle heads.
