Posted by sharad on 30th August, 2016.
“We must not always talk in the marketplace of what happens to us in the forest.”
Nathaniel HawthorneThe word ‘Pench’ comes from the river Pench which divides the very famous national park of the same name into two, almost-equal eastern and western halves. Turiya and Karmajhiri are two entrances to this tiger reserve, and the park itself is situated in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Interestingly, Abul Fazl’s historic ‘Ain-i-Akbari’ or ‘The Constitution of Akbar’ also takes into account the area where the modern-day park of Pench is, and the closest airport from where the park can be accessed is Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur.
The lush green vegetation of the forest is a varied mix of teak, axlewood, Malabar kino and sundry interesting varieties of plants. The floor underneath is covered with various kinds of grass, bushes and saplings. The famous ‘Mahua’ tree is also available in the forest, and tribal people use the seeds and fruit of the tree for a number of purposes, including food and the popular brew bearing the same name.
Bamboo trees can be spotted, as well as the ‘Ghost Tree’ – the white kulu tree, with the pastel-coloured bark. This tree too is important to tribal people, since it produces a kind of gum and the seeds of the tree can be roasted and consumed.
Nilgai, sambals, wild pigs and jackals can be easily seen. In addition, the Indian leopard, the sloth bear, Indian wolves are seen. Porcupines, monkeys, foxes, wild dogs, striped hyenas, four-horned antelopes and barking deer also live in the national park. But, of course, the most famous inhabitant of this par is the Bengal tiger, one of the most beautiful and majestic breeds. Tiger-sightings are fortunately very frequent here, and it’s easy enough to see your first tiger in the Pench National Park.
The addition of six new cubs have really improved chances of tiger-spotting and for quite a long time, tigers have been sighted almost everyday, not to forget the sleek leopards and foxes.
It is believed that Pench might have been the setting for Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, so don’t forget to keep an eye on your surroundings very carefully during your trip to this amazing place – you might just spot Sher Khan or Baloo and come back to tell the tale!