Also called as Mowgli land, Pench Tiger Reserve has a splendid history and is part of the original setting of the much-celebrated “ The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling. In spite of Pench’s late entry on the tourist horizon in 2002, it made its mark. Situated in the southern part of the Satpura range in Madhya Pradesh, it is named after the Pench River which criss crosses through the forest from north to south, almost dividing it into equal halves.
Many poets and writers have been charmed the beauty of this area. Ain-i-Akbari describes the richness of this park. In the epics of Meghdootam and Sakuntalam, the poet Kalidas has mentioned about the charm of the place. R.A. Strendale’s also wrote about the beauty of Pench in the “Camp in the Satpura Hills” as does Forsyth’s “Highlands of Central India” and Dunbar Brander’s ‘Wild Animals of Central India’.
Pench National Park was also chosen by the BBC for the novel wildlife series Tiger: Spy in the Jungle, a 3-part documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Thereafter a tigress namely “Collarwali” gave birth to 5 cubs in 2011 and all grew up well in spite of the various obstacles that came in their way before they reached adulthood.
Pench, very rich in biodiversity, supports a variety of flora and fauna, including a diverse variety of aquatic life. Hills, valleys, occasional slopes, dense mixed forests with thick undergrowth, and open grassy patches define its topography. The jungle is home to 33 species of mammals, more than 200 species of birds, around 50 species of fishes, 30 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, and a variety of insects.
Park has two tourists’ entry gates namely, Turiya and Karmajhiri.
Come and explore this magnificent place, observe the amazing wildlife, hear the alarm calls, track the big cats, spot the birds and indulge in a new adventure which lasts with you for a lifetime.
