Introduction

The Pench National Park lies among the southern valleys of the Satpura ranges in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. The major town located nearest to the park is Nagpur, Which is 95 km away. The park covers an area of 292.85 sq km but if combined with the neighbouring forest area of the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary (118.31 sq km) and the buffer zone (346.73 sq km), they total up to an area of 757.89 sq km to form what is known as the Pench Tiger Reserve. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1977 and it got it's status of a National Park in 1983.

Pench is on its way to becoming of the most popular wildlife destinations for eco-tourists

In 1992 it gained the protection of "Project Tiger" and was declared the 19th Tiger Reserve of India. In 2001, the tiger count of the park stood at 55 wonderful specimens. The results of the 2003 census are awaited.

Pench Tiger reserve has a lot more to it than just "Jungle Book"

The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Pench is the all time classic "Jungle Book" written by Rudyard Kipling. This book was inspired and based on the earlier works of Robert Sterndale, whose writings included "Seonee-camp life in the Satpuras", "Mammalia of India and Ceylon" and "Denizens of the Jungle". Kipling's main hero, Mowgli, was inspired by a true account of a boy in 1831 brought up by wolves in the district of Seoni. This account was published in a short writing by Sir Henry William Sleeman in his published "An account of wolves nurturing children in their dens".

However, Pench Tiger Reserve has a lot more that makes it one of the still remaining natural wonders of India, besides just being an inspiration for "Jungle Book".

The park owes it's name to the river that splits it into two sections. To the south of the river Pench, the park comes under the jurisdiction of the state of Maharashtra, but is still known by the same name. A hydro electric dam was built on the river between 1973 and 1988. This created a reservoir that submerged 74 sq km of the park, out of which 54 sq km fall under the state of Madhya Pradesh. A positive aspect to this man-made creation is that it now attracts large numbers of aquatic birds, resident and migratory.

The building of the dam has resulted in one good thing - availability of water round the year and the arrival of aquatic birds

Most of the river Pench remains dry during the summer months

The topography of the park is mostly quite level with a few undulating hills that are criss-crossed by streams in which water flows only during the monsoons and a part of the winter months. During the summer months, few perennial streams, remnant pools in the river Pench and a small part of the reservoir are the only sources of water in the park. A good time to find animals quenching their thirst there. The park has an excellent variety of animal species, the most popular of which among most visitors is obviously the Tiger. More than 200 species of birds have been spotted in the park and it is a birdwatchers paradise.

The vegetation is quite varied but the predominant species noticed are teak and bamboo. The Kulu gum tree with it's stark white colour and brilliant green leaves is also a favourite with all visitors.

The Pench National Park with its improving infrastructure, ideal location for those also visiting the more famous Kanha and Bandhavgarh national parks, the excellent accessibility, and satisfying abundance of wildlife are sure to make it one of the favourite destinations in times to come for eco-tourists.