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Madhav National Park

Coordinates: 25°30′N 77°49′E / 25.50°N 77.82°E / 25.50; 77.82
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Madhav National Park
Forest in Madhav National Park
Map showing the location of Madhav National Park
Map showing the location of Madhav National Park
Location in Madhya Pradesh
Map showing the location of Madhav National Park
Map showing the location of Madhav National Park
Madhav National Park (India)
LocationMadhya Pradesh, India
Nearest cityShivpuri around 9km away
Coordinates25°30′N 77°49′E / 25.50°N 77.82°E / 25.50; 77.82
Area354 km2 (137 sq mi)
Visitorsaround 500 people (in every year)
Official nameSakhya Sagar
Designated7 January 2022
Reference no.2483[1]

Madhav National Park is situated in Shivpuri District of Gwalior division in northwest Madhya Pradesh, India. Two national highways pass through the park, the Agra to Bombay former National Highway 3 and the Jhansi to Shivpuri National Highway 27 (formerly N.H.25).[2] The nearest Airport to Madhav National Park is Gwalior Airport which is 120 Kms. The nearest railway station is Shivpuri Railway Station lies on Gwalior Indore main line.

The park was first noticed in 1956, at 167 km2, as Shivpuri National Park. In 1958, it was renamed Madhav National Park after Madho Rao Scindia, the Maharaja of Gwalior of the Scindia dynasty and was finalized the following year.[2] Sakhya Sagar, (named after Sakhya Raje Scindia, mother of Madho Rao Scindia and Rajmata of Gwalior State) a man-made reservoir within the park, has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2022.[1]

History

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The dense forests of Sipri later came to be know as Shivpuri doubled up as hunting grounds for Mughal emperors since 16th century. From Akbar to other mughal princes, rajputana royals, Gwalior royals and british dignitaries including British monarch and viceroys, who went on wild hunting sprees, tracking tigers and capturing elephants. The forest was gradually came to be know as royal hunting park or majestic park due to high movement of kings and high ranking british officials.[3]

Maharani Sakhya Raje Scindia Sahiba know as (Colonel-in-Chief) who was fond of Shivpuri started residing here. Shivpuri was formerly made the summer capital of Gwalior State and a much larger park was the former hunting preserve of the Scindia Maharajas of Gwalior.

After the independence of India, the area suffered degradation.[2] Agriculture and mining encroached on the former hunting grounds. Although the park was noticed in 1956, at 167 km2, as Shivpuri National Park and became the renamed Madhav National Park in 1959, degradation continued.[2][4] The last of the resident wild tigers were seen in Madhav National Park around late 1970. In 1982 a plan to add a new part of the park parallel to the Chambal River was proposed. This expansion area included a corridor joining it to the original 167 km2,[2] which when completed would bring the park to 354 km2. (See map below in external links.)

As late as the 1990s there was little effort to improve the conditions in the park. Illegal mining and questionable mining permits led to significant degradation in the park, so that in the 1990s conservationists took the matter to the Supreme Court of India and by 1998 received an injunction terminating mining in the area.[5]

On 1 December 2024, the technical committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) proposed to recognize Madhav National Park as a Tiger Reserve which will span 1,751 square kilometres (676 sq mi) featuring a core area of 375 square kilometres (145 sq mi) and a buffer area of 1,276 square kilometres (493 sq mi). Furthermore, the committee has also approved the release of one tiger and one tigress into the park.[6][7]

On 10th March 2025, to commemorate the 80th birth anniversary of Madhavrao Scindia, (former Union Minister for Railways and Aviation). Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Dr. Mohan Yadav, along with Union Minister for Telecommunication and North East Region Mr. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, released a Tigress into the wild.

Geography

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There are several small ponds in this national park, but the largest body of water is Sankhya Sagar, a reservoir,[8] constructed for Madho Rao Scindia when it was still his hunting grounds.[2] He also had constructed a second smaller reservoir by damming Manihar River, Madhav Sagar, known as Madhav Lake.[2] A third reservoir was not included in the park.[2]

Located in the ecoregion of Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests,[9] this national park has a varied terrain of forested hills and flat grasslands around the reservoir and is thus rich in biodiversity. The average rainfall is 816 mm.[4]

Sights and facilities

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On the shores of Sakhya Sagar lake which edges the forests, is a boat club, from where the park visitors can see a number of migratory birds especially in winter, when many migratory waterfowls visit the area. A viewing lodge constructed by the Maharaja of Gwalior called the Shooting Box, is situated above the Sakhya Sagar lake. During those days one could shoot wildlife, both with a gun and camera from here. Visitors could sit under cover and watch a tiger at a kill. All around the lake (at suitable points), the Maharaja constructed boat landing areas, picnic shelters, watch towers, hides, etc. and a network of well laid out metalled roads.[citation needed]

George Castle

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At the highest elevation in Madhav National Park, 484.0 m (1,587.9 ft), is the George Castle. In 1911, Madho Rao Scindia, the Maharaja of Gwalior built the castle in his hunting park for an overnight stay for King George V of the United Kingdom. George V had intended to stay there before going to tiger shooting during his visit to India. However, the king shot a tiger before getting there, and did not stop at George Castle afterall.[10][11][12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Sakhya Sagar". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Tiwari, Shiv Kumar (1998). "Madhav National Park". National Parks of Madhya Pradesh: State of Bio Diversity and Human Infringement. New Delhi: APH Publishing. pp. 148–166. ISBN 978-81-7024-950-4.
  3. ^ Bhagat, Mallika (10 March 2025). "Once A Royal Ground For Mughals, This National Park Is Now India's 58th Tiger Reserve". Times now. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b Roy, P. S.; Ravan, Shirish A. (1996). "Biomass estimation using satellite remote sensing data—An investigation on possible approaches for natural forest". Journal of Biosciences. 21 (4): 535–561. doi:10.1007/BF02703218.
  5. ^ Shrivastava, Priyanka Pawar; et al. (July 2017). "District Tourism Master Plan for Shivpuri Draft Report". Bhopal: Design and Planning Consultants (DPC). p. 43. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Madhav National Park Designated As The Eighth Tiger Reserve Of Madhya Pradesh". Outlook Traveller. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Not Madhav National Park, but Ratapani forest notified as eighth tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh". Mid-day. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  8. ^ Google maps
  9. ^ "Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  10. ^ "George Castle". Shivpuri District of Madhya Pradesh. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020.
  11. ^ Sengar, Resham (28 August 2018). "The charms of Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018.
  12. ^ "The Cycle of Life". The Times of India. 16 February 2003. Archived from the original on 21 March 2003.
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