Madhav National Park - Madhya Pradesh - माधव राष्ट्रीय उद्यान

Madhav (Shivpuri) National Park 156 Sq km in area, the park is open throughout the year. Biogeographical Provinces 4.8.4 (Indus-Ganges Monsoon Forest). The park enforces the conservation which the area enjoyed when it was the private shooting reserve of the Maharaja of Gwalior. It was established as the Shivpuri National Park in 1958 simultaneously with the creation of the State of Madhya Pradesh.

It now enjoys further protection under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Consists of level, undulating and hilly country in the Vindhyan range. Also lake. Altitude ranges from 360-480m. With a varied terrain of wooded hills, the forest being dry, mixed and deciduous with flat grasslands around the lake, it offers abundant opportunities of sighting a variety of wildlife. The vegetation in the park mixed dry deciduous forest of somewhat poor quality.

Set up in the year 1959, the park is spread over 337 Sq km in the district of Shivpuri. The nearest town is Shivpuri 6kms away. The rail head is Jhansi 100 km from the park and the nearest airport is Gwalior at a distance of 116 km.

The park consist of dry forests of anogeisus lotifolia. The fauna found are tiger, panther, leopard, spotted deer, black buck, sambar, hyena, chausingha, langur, nilai, crocodile and python. The spoonbills, waterside birds and demoiselle cranes. The park has several rest houses and motel. April - June and October - February are suitable months for visiting the park.

Attraction (Madhav National Park)

The predominant species that inhabits the park is the deer, of which the most easily sighted are the graceful little Chinkara, the Indian gazelle, and the Chital. Other species that have their habitat in the park are Nilgai, Sambar, Chausingha or four-horned Antelope, Blackbuck, Sloth Bear, Leopard and the ubiquitous common Langur. Tiger Panthera tigris (occasional), leopard Panthera pardus, striped Hyaena, jackal Canis aureus, jungle cat Felis chaus) chital Axis axis, sambar Cervus unicolor, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, four-horned antelope (chowsingha) Tetracerus quadricornis, wild boar Sus scrofa, chinkara (mountain gazelle) Gazella, crocodile and others.

The Madhav National park is equally rich in the artificial lake, Chandpata, is winter home of geese, pochard, pintail, teal, mallard and gadwall. A good site for bird watching is where the forest track crosses the wide rocky stream that flows from the Waste Weir. Species that frequently this spot are Red Wattled Lapwing, Large Pied Wagtail, Pond Heron and White - Breasted Kingfisher. The avifauna also includes Cormorant, Painted Stork, White Ibis, Laggar Falcon, Purple Sunbird, Paradise Flycatcher and Golden Oriole.

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