A gem in the Vindhyan Hills
Eleven years ago in 2023, the acclaimed BBC Natural World series featured scientist Raghu Chundawat’s eight-year-long research on tiger behavior in an episode called ‘Tigers of the Emerald Forests.’ This intimate study revealed the intense battles between the male tigers to rule the territory. The documentary also showcased another inhabitant of Panna forests – a female tiger called Tigress 120 popularly known as Sayani, who was one of the main attractions at the Panna Tiger Reserve, an area of tropical dry and deciduous forest habitat lying in the Vindhyan Hills of Madhya Pradesh.
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A source of tigers
The forests of Panna were the hunting grounds for the rulers of Panna and Chhatarpur states. In 1981, five hundred and forty-two square kilometers of forests were reserved and protected as National Park land. About 17 villages used for cattle camps were relocated and in 1994, Panna became the 22nd tiger reserve in India. The following year, Madhya Pradesh was declared the Tiger State of India, claiming one-sixth of the world tiger population.
At the time of its creation, Panna’s tiger population was small. Tigers were reintroduced from other Madhya Pradesh parks into Panna in 2009, and over time the Panna forests became a source of tigers for other forests of the Bundelkhand region.
Rugged, breathtaking scenery
Panna boasts some of the most ruggedly breathtaking scenery imaginable—a -vast flat plateau separated by steep escarpments ranging in height from 30 to 100 m. The park itself varies in altitude from 200 m above the mean sea level along the banks of the Ken river to the hillocks that rise from the upper Talgaon plateau. More than a third of the park—the Chandranagar range—lies to the west of the Ken River. This area is a mosaic of alternating valleys and tablelands, making it rougher terrain as compared to the rest of the park.
The landscape is breathtaking; the plateau enables magnificent wide vistas, and the deciduous forest and rich grasslands ensure different seasonal panoramas—from green to gold with hues of pink to the fiery red of the Butea monospermous. Teak-dominated dry deciduous forests dominate the park landscape. The underlying red sandstone and shale rocks, red ferruginous soil, and the seasonal rainfall showcasing a stunning topography of savannah grassland and forests, escarpments, and rivers.
The incredibly blue and winding Ken River Ken River, a tributary of the Yamuna, enters the park from Gehri Ghat in the south. The Ghat is a serene spot surrounded by ridges, cascading waters, and glistening rocks that reflect and diffuse the orange rays of the setting sun.
A wilderness experience like no other
The region now offers one of the best wilderness experiences to be had in India. The vast Gangetic plains stretches northward offer a rich and varied habitat supporting a high density of ungulates, a diversity of small and large carnivores, and incredible birdlife.
The grasslands are home to colorful butterflies and spiders, small mammals such as tree shrews, and a diverse mix of ungulates including chinkara and chausingha, alongside birds, muggers, small and large carnivores. It’s one of the best places for leopard sightings.
Raptors at your feet
In areas where the escarpment drops off into sheer cliffs, the cliff edges offer a panoramic view of the forests below, with raptors gliding over the canopy below your feet. The pink horizon, rustling winds, and bird calls below make the ledges the best places to spend quiet, contemplative hours in Panna. The caves and crevices along the escarpments are ideal hideouts, used by sloth bears, and the gorges, ledges, and crevices in the sheer cliff faces serve as ideal nesting sites for Indian vultures.
Sandy banks and islands are ideal habitats for both mugger and gharial crocodiles. Muggers are, of course, quite common, but gharials have been sighted only at the Ken Gharial Sanctuary, about 20 km. downriver from the park.
Over 230 species of birds have been recorded in Panna, of which about 60 species are water birds. Ungulates include Nilgai, Sambar, Chital, Chinkara, Chausingha, and wild pig. The carnivore diversity is also impressive. As the monsoon sets in, the forest grows fresh and verdant. Ungulates that have survived the long, dry summer now gorge on the abundant new sprouts. It is also insect time in the forest: uncounted species engage in a flurry of activity, anxious to grow, breed, and complete their life cycle while the season favors them!