~ Nearby Places ~

<< Pench National Park

Pench National Park, located on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra is spread over an area of 292.85 square kms. The total forest area is spread over 346.89 square km and the sanctuary is spread over an area of 118.31 square km.

The National Park has been named after the Pench River which runs from the north to the south of the park. There are some perennial springs and tanks here. The terrain is covered with small hills which are covered with teak and mixed forests. The main flora of the forest is Teak, Saja, Bija, Lendia, Dhaora, Haldu, Amaltas and Aonla. Apart from this the land is covered with a variety of buses, herbs, grasses and shrubs.

Cheetals, Jackals, Wild Dogs, Gaurs, Sambhars, Neelgais, Langurs, Rhesus Monkeys can be seen at the Park. There are about 39 Tigers and 39 Leopards at the Park and can be easily spotted in summers near the water pools. The park is also home to 219 species of birds, which include Pea Fowl, Crow Pleasant, Red Jungle Fowl, Crimson Breasted Barbet, Racket Tailed Drongo, Magpie Robin and Lesser Whistling Teal.

The climate of the region is tropical and is characterized by hot summers and cold winters with rainfall in July. It is very difficult to spot wildlife during winters and thus the best time to visit the park is during summer when wildlife comes outside their natural habitat in search of water. Forest Rest Houses are available for accommodation.

The Park is located at the main entrance, which is 12 kms from Khawasa at Turla.
Khawasa is located on the Nagpur-Jabalpur Highway and is 89 km from Nagpur and 199 km from Jabalpur.

<< Kanha National Park

Kanha National Park extends across Mandla and Balaghat districts covering an area of about 949 km. It was divided into two parts or sanctuaries in 1939 – Hallon and Banjar.
Owing to the shrinking population of wildlife, this forest came to be recognized as a National Park and Tiger Reserve in 1955. It is a deciduous forest, abundant in Sal and Bamboo trees. This forest also houses some of the rarest species of animals.

The Kanha Forests had formed the very base for Rudyard Kiplings’ world famous story – Jungle Book. Some amongst the large variety of creatures found here are - White Tiger, Indian wild dog, Barasingha (found only in Kanha with only 69 left in this world), sloth bear, black bucks and leopards. Several attempts are being made to raise the population of the rarest species here. These apart there are a large number of other mammalian species and birds, which make the Kanha National Park worth a visit.

A three-day stay allows a good chance to see all the rare species of animals and birds. Jeep and Elephant rides for visiting several parts of the forest are available with a day’s advance booking. The park remains closed during monsoon in July.

<< Pachmarhi

Pachmarhi is a saucer shaped hill station located in Madhya Pradesh. It is often referred to as the queen of the Satpura Range. Situated at an elevation of 1967 feet, the hill station offers breathtaking views and a range of attractions. The credit for development of this hill station goes to Captain Forsyth. On his recommendation, Pachmarhi was converted into a sanatorium and then to a hill station.

The large flat terrain has a countryside characterized by lustrous greenery, rocky hills, deep canyons and woody dense forests. The sun set views in this town are spectacular. Numerous large-scale excavations in Pachmarhi have revealed many ancient caves like the Jata Shankar Caves and the Pandava Caves that are of great value from an archaeological point of view.

The Handi Khoh, Bison Lodge, Catholic Church are major attractions. The Apsara Vihar, Duchess Falls, Bee Falls Chauragarh Peak, Mahadeo Hill, Priyadarshini Point and Satpura National Park provide excellent views and insight into the flora and fauna of the Pachmarhi.



<< Khajuraho

The village of Khajuraho is an expression of ‘Utter Sensuality’ in the crudest and truest sense of the term. It is an open manifestation of unspoken desires of eroticism in the human mind. Khajuraho is perhaps the only place in India and the world signifying the sensual aspect of human life boldly, through sculptures. Undoubtedly then, Khajuraho is India’s pride of being a World Heritage Site (as regarded by UNESCO). Only eyes and never words can translate its uniqueness, Khajuraho is therefore best explained to the tourist, solely by visiting.

Khajuraho, a part of Chhatarpur district, derives its name from the Sanskrit word, Khajur, meaning - date palm. It was ruled by Chandela Dynasty during the 19th and 12th centuries (over 1999 years ago) when most of these temples and sculptures were erected. Khajuraho temples have been split into three parts – Western Temple, Eastern Temple and Southern Temple Complexes for convenience. Most of these temples were constructed using Five-part plan (Panchayatna) and spiral headed domes (Shikharas). Most of the temples show dedication to Hinduism depicting gods and goddesses like, Shiva, Parvati, Krishna, Vishnu and Brahma, while a group of four temples are dedicated to Jain worship and a few even show architectural orientation suggesting a mixture of Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. The western temple complex is the largest comprising 3 statues, 9 temples, 2 water tanks and 1 open-air sanctuary. The Eastern temple complex is comparatively smaller, comprising 7 temples and a recently constructed statue. These apart, there is a classic collection of remains of ruined temples in The Archeological Museum in the Western Temple complex.

Khajuraho’s beauty is a result of skillfulness in the hands of artisans of Chandela Dynasty. There was a large group of more than 89 temples most of which suffered destruction. Those that remain have been preserved most delicately and are now a property of ASI.