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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
Places Of
Interest
Hotels of Kanha
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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, wellconceived 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.
How to get there Hotels of Kanha
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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.