Panna, Madhya Pradesh

On October 1, all the six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh (Panna, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Satpura, Pench and Sanjay Dubri) will be open to tourists after a three-month closure for the monsoon.

The forest department is gearing up for the tourists as are the tourism-related businesses.

“There is excitement as the Mandla entrance to the Panna Tiger Reserve is being decorated to welcome tourists,” Manoj Dubey, a tourist guide told Gaon Connection. “The hotels and resorts near the reserve are also buzzing with activity,” he added.

Apart from tiger reserves, the state government is gearing up to promote its historical temples for tourism. Recently Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced that there will also be a curated ‘temple walk’ allowing tourists to visit the many historical temples in the area. Visitors to Khajuraho would also be encouraged to visit these temples and enjoy the temple walk, he said.

Also Read: Madhya Pradesh hikes entrance fee to tiger reserves; forest guides unhappy with the decision

There is eager anticipation, more than usual, as the COVID19 pandemic had brought tourist enterprises to a screeching halt. There is fresh hope of revival with the new season.

MP’s tiger reserves

There are a total of 52 tiger reserves in the country with a population of 2,967 tigers according to the 2019 tiger census. Of these, 526 tigers call Madhya Pradesh their home (the second highest number of tigers are to be found in Karnataka where there are 524 tigers).

In the Panna Tiger Reserve, which is spread over 1,598 square kilometres, including the core and the buffer zones, there are more than 70 tigers. Besides tigers, Panna Tiger Reserve is also home to seven of the nine rare and endangered species of  vultures. Recently, another endangered species of the fishing cat was also spotted here.

Mansi Shivhare, a guide at the Panna Tiger Reserve is raring to go. She said she was excited to take visitors around the reserve. “I have attended two training sessions organised for guides. I have learnt so much about the flora and fauna of the reserve and I can’t wait to share all that with the tourists,” Shivhare told Gaon Connection.

Also Read: Heera and Panna, the inseparable tiger siblings of Panna Tiger Reserve, part ways

There are four other women guides at the Panna Tiger Reserve including Sakshi Singh, Pushpa Singh Gond, Neelam Singh Gond and Arti Raikvar, who have received special training. The training was given to them by Uttam Kumar Sharma, field operator of Panna Tiger Reserve. These guides will await the visitors to the reserve at the Mandla gate to take them around.

Chief Minister Chauhan, while on a tour of Panna, announced on September 24, that Panna presented bountiful opportunities to tourism in the state and it could provide livelihoods to so many people. There is work being done to see how livelihood opportunities could be enhanced at the Panna Tiger Reserve, he added.

The chief minister also said that in order to encourage tourism 66 hectares of land was earmarked near the Tiger Reserve to set up adventure activities. An old air strip at Panna would also be revived that will allow tourists to fly into Panna and also create more jobs, he added.

Experiencing the culture and traditions of Bundelkhand

Tourists to the area will also be able to experience the unique culture and traditions of Bundelkhand. The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board  has begun work on promoting homestays.

Also Read: Endangered fishing cat finally ‘captured’ on camera at Panna Tiger Reserve

Near the tiger reserve, not too far from National Highway-39, the tourist village of Mandla has been identified where the tribal inhabitants will give tourists an experience of a traditional homestay. They will be able to enjoy traditional Bundeli hospitality, including its delicious cuisine.

District collector of Panna, Sanjay Kumar Mishra, who inspected the arrangements at the homestay, said that it would give more employment opportunities to the local inhabitants. Mishra praised the arrangements and promised all possible help to support it.

The collector also gave an assurance that utmost care would be taken to ensure that the arrangements for the tourists would be faultless and not cause them any inconvenience. 

Also Read: The fragile butterfly is as important as the mighty tiger

Rock paintings

Apart from the tiger reserve, Panna is also known for some old and prehistoric rock paintings on the walls of its caves and sides of cliffs. These ancient paintings can still be seen in the jungles near Jardhova village, about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters. They speak of times before agriculture when the prehistoric people hunted and lived in these caves deep in the forests and mountains in the area.

There are dozens of such paintings in the forests of the Panna National Park, and in other parts of the district, that represent the life of the prehistoric human. There are paintings of the animals and trees, the weapons they used for hunting. It is yet to be determined if these paintings go back to the stone age.

Read the story in Hindi.