Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park 

Geography of Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park. Dominant flora and fauna of Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park. How to Reach Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park. The bird population in the park counts to be over 210 species like barbets, bulbul, Minivets orioles, wagtails, Munias, mynas, waterfowls and blue kingfishers. 13 species of reptiles are also found in the park…………….

The park area features as the backdrop in Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’, as also in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th century account of the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar (the third and final part of the Akbarnama) which details the natural glory of the surrounds. The Pench National park is the home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. It is dominated by fairly open canopy, mixed forests with considerable shrub cover and open grassy patches. The wildlife include Tigers, Leopards, Wild Dogs, Gaur, Wolf, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Nilgai, Wild Pig, Chausingha, Chinkara, Barking Deer, Jackal, Palm Civet etc…………..

Total area of the park is 292.85 Km². The name of Pench National Park was changed to “Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park” in November 2002 Similarly the name of Pench Sanctuary has been changed to “Mowgli Pench Sanctuary”. In the year of 1983, it was declared as a National park. The high habitat heterogeneity favors high population of Chital and Sambar.

National park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife & biodiversity, and where activities like developmental, forestry, poaching, hunting and grazing on cultivation are not permitted. Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed.

Pench National Park is a beautiful place, located in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts of the state of Madhya Pradesh. The park is located to the south of Satpura hills.

The name of Pench National Park was changed to “Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park” in November 2002 Similarly the name of Pench Sanctuary has been changed to “Mowgli Pench Sanctuary”. The park derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the park from north to south.

It was declared a sanctuary in the year of 1977. In the year of 1983, it was declared as a National park. Total area of the park is 292.85 Km².

In 1992, it was established as a tiger reserve (19^th Project Tiger Reserve). In 2011 the park won the “Best Management Award”.

The park area features as the backdrop in Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’, as also in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th century account of the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar (the third and final part of the Akbarnama) which details the natural glory of the surrounds. The park is famous for rafting.

The Pench national park has a count of 8 tigers (as in 1998) and 7 panthers (as in 1998).

The Pench National park is the home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. It is dominated by fairly open canopy, mixed forests with considerable shrub cover and open grassy patches. The wildlife include Tigers, Leopards, Wild Dogs, Gaur, Wolf, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Nilgai, Wild Pig, Chausingha, Chinkara, Barking Deer, Jackal, Palm Civet et.

The high habitat heterogeneity favors high population of Chital and Sambar. The bird population in the park counts to be over 210 species like barbets, bulbul, Minivets orioles, wagtails, Munias, mynas, waterfowls and blue kingfishers. 13 species of reptiles are also found in the park.

History

The area of the present Pench Tiger Reserve has been described in Ain-i-Akbari, and is the setting of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.

Pench Tiger Reserve is also popularly known as Mowgli’s land as British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling’s classic “”The Jungle Book”, released n year 1894, is based on real life story of a boy, with similar characteristics, captured from jungle, far before Jungle Book was written.

In past during British India, under mysterious circumstances some villagers near Seoni dis-appeared in forest. The park derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the park from north to south.

The name of Pench National Park was changed to “Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park” in November 2002 Similarly the name of Pench Sanctuary has been changed to “Mowgli Pench Sanctuary”.

It was declared a sanctuary in the year of 1977. In the year of 1983, it was declared as a National park. In 1992, it was established as a tiger reserve (19^th Project Tiger Reserve). In 2011 the park won the “Best Management Award”.

The Pench national park has a count of 8 tigers (as in 1998) and 7 panthers (as in 1998). As per 2011 Tiger Census; there are 25 tigers under this umbrella of the Park.

Geography

Pench National Park is located in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts of the state of Madhya Pradesh. The park is located to the south of Satpura hills.

The park area is covered with small hills and well-stocked teak mixed forest in the southern reaches of the Satpura Ranges. It is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh.

There are 10 villages in the national park, one inside the park (Fulzari) and nine on the periphery.

Pench forest is spread over Satpura mountain range in which other tiger reserves like Kanha National Park & Satpura National Parks are also situated.

The Pench Tiger Reserve located in the southern reaches of the Satpura hill ranges

Its habitat is principally made up of tropical-dry deciduous and dry-mixed deciduous forest – part of a pretty large band of forest that continues on to Nagpur in the south and Balaghat to the east.

The undulating topography supports a mosaic of vegetation ranging from moist, sheltered valleys to open, dry deciduous forest.

Over 1200 species of plants have been recorded from the area including several rare and endangered plants as well as plants of ethno-botanical importance. Teak is abundant and bamboos are sparse, and restricted to the valleys.

The flora of Pench Tiger Reserve comprises mainly of Southern Indian tropical moist deciduous forest and tropical dry deciduous teak.

Water bodies are found in the form of streams and ‘nallahs’. Most of them are seasonal and meander in full zest during the monsoons.

Pench River, which serves as the major water source, desiccates or dries up in April end. Then, water pools known as ‘dohs’ serve as water suppliers for the fauna of the park, along with Pench Reservoir.

About 54 Km² area of park is submerged into Pench river water due to hydroelectric Totladoh dam on it.

Elevation ranges from 425 to 620 meter from MSL

Area

Core – 292.85 Km²
Buffer – 465.00 Km²
Total – 757.85 Km²

Seasons

Winter – November to February

Summer – March to Mid-June

Monsoon – Mid-June to October

Temperature –     Maximum – 42^o C

                              Minimum – 4^o C

Average rainfall is 1,300 mm

Dominant flora

Teak, Saja, Bijiayasal, Lendia, Haldu, Salai, Aonla, Amaltas, Bamboo, White kulu tree, Moyan, Mahua, Mokha, Skiras, Tendu, Bija, Achar, Garari, Aonla, Ghont, Baranga, Kihamali, Khair, Palas, Sal, Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellarica, Anogeisis latifolia, Mangifera indica, Syzigium cumini etc.

Dominant fauna

Mammals – Tiger, Leopard, Wild Dog Gaur, Wolf, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Nilgai, Wild Pig, Chausingha, Chinkara, Barking Deer, Jackal, Palm Civet, Small Indian Civet, Jungle Cat, Hyena, Porcupine, Langurs, Spotted Deer, Indian Fox, Common Mongoose, Common Giant Flying Squirrel, Striped Hyena etc.

Birds – Malabar Pied Hornbill, Indian Pitta, Osprey, Grey-headed Fishing Eagle, White-eyed Buzzard, Spotted Dove, Rose-ringed Parakeets, Indian Roller, Little Green Bee-eaters, Black Kit