Situated in the state of Karnataka, Bandipur National Park was once the hunting grounds of the Maharaja of Mysore. It was later established as a reserve in 1974, and these deciduous forests rich in wildlife and flora have become a popular tourist attraction since then. Due to a lot of wildlife casualties due to tourist traffic, a ban on traffic between 9 PM to 6 AM has been established to ensure the safety of the animal population.
Replete with a wide range of beautiful wildlife and multitudes of teak and sandalwood trees, this is the first Biosphere Reserve of the country. Once a private hunting ground to the Maharaja of Mysore, this one travelled a bit through irony, only to be transformed into a tiger reserve under Project Tiger. Neighbors with the Nagarhole and the Wayanad Wildlife sanctuaries, and at a distance of a few minutes from the Mudumalai National Park, the park is home to a number of endangered species.
KSRTC Pala – Bengaluru Super Deluxe spotted in Bandipur Forest Road
KSRTC Pala – Bengaluru Super Deluxe spotted in Bandipur Forest Road. The Bus will depart from Pala on everyday at 9 pm and will reach the Muthumalai Checkpost around 4.30 am. Then after the forest checkpost opening, the bus will continue its journey to Bengaluru via Gundlupet, Mysuru.
Situated in Nilgiris the are is blessed with a unique natural beauty. The area is the habitat for a number of animals such as elephants, hornbills, deers, pythons, sloth bears, pythons, panthers etc. An enjoyable town nearby that one must visit is Ooty.
The Bandipur Tiger Reserve forms a very important component of 5520.00 Sq. Km. landscape, the first Biosphere Reserve in the country i.e. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (Notified on 01-09-1986 vide order No. J.22010/6/86.CSC, Government of India under the Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of the IUCN). This Landscape of Bandipur, Nagarahole, Mudumalai & Wayanad complex is home to single largest Asian Elephant population in the world (Varma et al. 2005) and is part of the Mysore Elephant Reserve (MER) notified vide notification No. FEE 231 FWL 2000, Dated 25-11-2002. The Reserve is endowed with rich floral and faunal diversity and is recognized as one of the Mega Biodiversity Areas in the country. The Tiger and the Elephants are the flagship and umbrella species for the conservation of all the Biota that this ecosystem represents. The viable population of these two species is indicative of a healthy Ecosystem.
Biogeographically, Bandipur Tiger Reserve lies in one of the richest biodiversity areas of our country representing “5 B Western Ghats Mountains Biogeography Zone” (Rodgers & Panwar, 1988), surrounded by Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the South, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in the South West & on the North West Side the Kabini Reservoir separates the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. The Northern side of the Tiger Reserve is surrounded by human dominated landscape with villages and agricultural lands.