It is uncertain to bring forward a relevant cause for calling it ‘Kanha’, however, people often associate its origin from the Kanhar River or the dark black soil found in the area.
Before the british took over the land in 1818, it was ruled by the Gond Kings and prior to them by the Rajput dynasties. The land accommodated the nomadic or “baiga tribes” for several years-while they practiced shifting cultivation (dhya) until the 1868 when the act was prohibited by the Land Settlement Act.
This area came to be known as the reserve forest in the year 1879; it was upgraded as ‘The Banjar Valley Reserve’ in 1933 considering the plight of forest land restoration. The years 1947 to 1951 witnessed a great uproar from the native community and governance as the Raja of Vijayanagaram shot 30 tigers in Kanha. In 1955 ultimately the region was declared as National park. Later the park was fragmented into 2 sanctuaries Banjar and Hallon. In 1973, the park became the first in the league of Tiger reserves in the country. Presently, the reserve encompasses 1949 sq kilometers of serene forestland.
kanha national park is located in the Maikal ranges in the womb of Satpura. The term ‘highland’ was given to these land forms by Captain J. Forsyth who was a chief conservator on the subcontinent. His works majorly comprise of the areas between 22nd parallel of north latitude and between the 76th and 82nd of east longitude-which is the source for several central Indian rivers and “the central and culminating ridge of an elevated country”.
The alpine upsurges from 1000 ft to 3000 ft with rippling speed and is spread out to the plateaus and river valleys, dry nullahs and grassy meadows. The craggy mountain is full of granite at the peak areas and sedimentary at the base levels. The undulating topography with grasslands that is home to several wild predators as it facilitates their hunting activity. The soil of the area is generously supplied with mica schist, quartz, manganese, dolomite and iron. The environment is home to varied bio diversity from rarely seen butterflies to wild jungle cats.
How to reach Kanha National Park
By Air: The nearest airport to Kanha National Park is Jabalpur Airport (also known as Dumna Airport), which is approximately 160 kilometres away. The airport has regular flights from major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. From Jabalpur Airport, it usually takes about 4-5 hours depending on the road conditions.
By Train: Gondia Junction, about 145 kilometres from Kanha National Park, connects major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai by regular trains. From there, it’s a 3-4 hour journey to Kanha by taxi or bus.
By Road: Kanha National Park is easily accessible by road from cities like Jabalpur (160 km), Nagpur (270 km), Raipur (220 km), and Bilaspur (300 km) in Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring states. The roads are well-maintained, offering scenic countryside views.
Local Transport: Once you reach Kanha, local transport options include taxis, jeeps, and buses for traveling within the park and nearby areas.
The positioning of this park in the Maikal ranges of Satpura in the heart of the Indian Peninsula, i.e. Madhya Pradesh alone makes it a worthwhile tourism spot. Forests of Kanha can be called as largely tropical moist deciduous forest, however there are other varieties of forest groups in smaller expanses, like, Slightly Moist Teak Forest, Southern Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest, Moist Sal Forest, Dry Peninsular Sal Forest, Southern Dry Deciduous Forest, Northern Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest, Dry Grassland, Butea Forest, & Dry Bamboo Break.