Introduction :
Panna National Park is known worldwide for its wild cats, including
tigers as well as deer and antelope. Due to its closeness to one of the
best-known Indian tourist attraction in India, Khajuraho, the park has the
potential of becoming a major tourist attraction.
Situated
in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh at a distance of around 57 km
from Khajuraho is the Panna National Park. The region, which is famous for
its diamonds, is also home to some of the best wildlife species in India and
is one of the better Tiger Reserves in the country. The park is known
worldwide for its wild cats, including tigers as well as deer and antelope.
Due to its closeness to one of the best-known Indian tourist attraction in
India, Khajuraho, the park has the potential of becoming a major tourist
attraction.
Panna National Park is located in the Vindhyan tracts of Madhya Pradesh
this 540km to National Park holds some of the most dramatic forest patches
and ruggedly breathtaking scenery of peninsular India. The Ken river
coursing through Panna National Park embellishes the countryside with its
aquamarine waters and along with a few perennial springs is an important
source of drinking water for the animals. Alternating valleys and plateaus,
grassy maidens (fields), steep gorges and sheer escarpments down which
sheets of sparkling curtains of aqua roll down present eye popping vistas
all around. For a relative small park, Panna packs in quite a punch with an
impressive array of representatives from the "critters club".
Prime Attractions Of Panna National Park :
» Mammals - Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), the king
of the jungle, roams freely in this secure, though a bit small habitat
alongwith his fellow beings ? leopard (Panthera pardus), wild dog (Cuon
alpinus), wolf (Canis lupus), hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) and caracal (Felus
caracal) and smaller cats. Sloth bear has his most favourite home in the
rock escarpments and undisturbed vales. The wooded areas are dotted with
sambar the largest of Indian deers, chital and chowsingha. One can easily
see nilgai and chinkara in most open areas in the grasslands, specially on
the periphery.
» Avifauna - The avifauna comprises more than 200
species, including a host of migratory birds. One can see white necked
stork, barheaded goose, honey Buuzzard, King vulture, Blossom headed
Parakeet, Paradise flycatcher, Slaty headed Scimitar babbler to name a few.
» Reptiles - Varieties of snakes, including the
python and other reptiles are found here.
» Flora - This region has mixed deciduous forests.
The landscape of this rocky and uneven terrain is covered by scrubby
vegetation and grass.
»
Fauna - Fauna of this park includes, apart from the tiger; wolf, chital,
sloth bear, chinkara, and sambar. Tiger sightings are not very common here
and to watch a wild cat in action needs a lot of patience along with luck.
The Ken River that flows from here towards the north harbours both the major
Indian species of crocodiles i.e. the mugger and long snouted gharial.
Other Attractions :
Panna is famous for its diamond mining industry and this make it an
interesting place to visit. Pandav falls is also a major attraction with its
lake fed by a waterfall. One more attraction in this region is the Rajgarh
Palace, a magnificent piece of architecture overlooking the valley.
Best Time To Visit Panna National Park:
The climate of this region is tropical. Summers are too hot and very
uncomfortable, though this is the time when one has the maximum chances of
encountering the exclusive wildlife of this park. Winters are cold and
comfortable and the temperature generally remains under 25C. Monsoon touches
this region in July and continues till mid-September.
General Information Tips :
The Panna National Park is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh
and is a part of the Chattarpur district. The park is well connected with
the other parts of the region by a good network of roads. Distances of some
important places in India from the Panna National Park are Bhopal 727 km,
Delhi 889 km, Chennai 1761, and Calcutta 1040 km.
