An Introduction to Bandipur National Park
Bandipur National Park is a beautiful forest reserve located in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is one the many reserves located within the forest belt between the Western Ghats and the Nilgiri Mountains.
It was declared a National Park in 1974 and is one of the original 9 tiger reserves under the watchful eye of "Project Tiger".
It was created in the 1930s from the local Maharaja Voodiyar’s hunting lands, and named Venugopal Wildlife Park. Bandipur National Park was expanded later in 1941 to adjoin the Nagarhole National Park, which lay towards its northern edge, and Wayanad and Madumulai
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Sanctuaries, which lay towards its southern edge in the states of Kerala and Tamilnadu, respectively. The entire area now constitutes the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, one of India's most extensive tracts of protected forest. It has been a designated tiger reserve in 1973.
Bandipur National Park lies in the Indian Deccan plateau area, thus being totally in the shadow of the Western Ghats. The region is well endowed in terms of vegetation and flora that ranges from deciduous and evergreen forest covers to open grassy woodlands. Valuable hardwoods including rosewood and teak are also found here. The lifeline of the forest is the Moyar River, which irrigates the area along with two minor rivulets. The river also acts as a boundary between the Park and the Madumulai Sanctuary. Bandipur is one of the finest and most accessible habitats of the Asiatic elephant. Its vast open spaces make it a pleasant and convenient outing for visitors to see the elephant in its natural surroundings.
Due to it's proximity to nearby big towns like Mysore and Bangalore, has also become a weekend getaway spot for tourists. Unfortunately, this creates accommodation availability problems for the true wildlife enthusiast, who is well advised to make his bookings at least a month in advance, if visiting on a weekend. If you are a true wildlife and nature lover, then it is advisable to strike off weekends totally from your days of visit to the park. You will only then be able to truly enjoy the park's natural splendour.
Mammals at Bandipur National park :
Bonner Macaque Nilgiri Langur (adjoining areas) Dhole
Smooth-coated Otter Common Palm Civet Stripe-necked Mongoose
Jungle Cat Tiger
Wild Boar Chital Gaur
Indian Palm Squirrel Grizzled Indian Squirrel Liontail Macaque
Golden Jackal Sloth Bear
Indian Grey Mongoose Striped Hyaena Rusty-spotted Cat
Ratel Indian Spotted Chevrotain Sambar
Nilgiri Tahr (adjoining areas) Indian Porcupine Hanuman Langur
Bengal Fox Eurasian Otter Small Indian Civet
Ruddy Mongoose Leopard Cat Leopard
Indian Elephant Indian Muntjac Four-horned Antelope
Indian Pangolin Indian Hare Red Giant Flying squirrel
Indian Giant Squirrel
CLIMATE (Bandipur National Park) :
The temperature varies from season to season but mostly ranges between 10 degrees and 35 degrees centigrade. The altitude across the park ranges from 680 meters at the lowest to 1454 meters at the highest point, which is located at a mountain peak known as Gopalswamy Betta. The park has an average annual rainfall of 1200mm and the wet months are mainly between June and August. The ideal time for visiting the park is between March - June and then September - November.
Reaching There :
Bandipur National Park is located on the highway connecting Mysore and the hill station of Ootacamund (Ooty). Reaching Bandipur by bus is very convenient. All regular and express state transport buses plying between Ooty and Mysore pass through the park fringes and the Forest Department Center is a designated bus stop. It takes 2½ hours to reach Bandipur forest from Mysore and about 3 hours from Ooty. The nearest rail junction is Mysore (65 km) and the nearest international airport is the software Mecca of Bangalore (204 km).
The nearest town to the park is Gundelpet (20km)
The nearest Railway Station to the park is located at Nanjungud (55km)
The nearest airport to the park is located at Mysore (80km)
