Tadoba National Park also known as Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapura district of Maharashtra is one of the oldest national parks in India. Sprawled over an area of about 625.4 sq km, 116.55 sq km of Tadoba National Park and 508.85 sq km of Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary together form the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. One can definitely quench the tiger sighting experience by visiting the Tadoba National Park. The Great Bengal Tiger being the chief attraction, other wildlife species that steal the show include sloth bear, spotted deer, flying squirrel, leopard, rusty spotted cat, wild pig and a few more along with a range of avifauna species.
You will get a firsthand experience of wildlife exploration by indulging into jeep and canter safaris in various slots as planned according to your Tadoba Tour Package Booking. However, it is also important to know about the past story of the establishment of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.
To begin with the historical background in brief,
The Tadoba Region of approx 116.54 sq km was declared a National Park in 1955 and in 1986 508.85 sq km of Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary was established. Both these areas were merged in 1995 by Maharashtra’s Forest Department to form the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, the 21st Tiger Reserve of India under Project Tiger. At present the total area of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is 1,727.59 sq km, encapsulating the protected forest reserve and other areas.
Now let’s delve into the detailed story.
The Gonds and Kolam tribes were the original indigenous inhabitants of the Tadoba region. In 15th century, most parts of the Central India were ruled by the Gond Kings and Chandrapura was one of their capitals. The name Tadoba has been derived from ‘Taru’, the God worshipped by the tribals, and the Andhari River flows through the national park which contributed its name to the Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary. According to some folk tales, Taru was the chief of the Tadoba region hamlet ad he was killed by a tiger. Since then, a temple was erected in memory of Taru on the shore of Tadoba and the adivasis regularly pay a visit to worship their god. In the month of Pausha (December - January), the yearly fair is celebrated in the temple area.
Under the British Colonial rule, the Tadoba forest was declared a reserve forest in 1935 to protect it from timber encroachment. In 1955, to safeguard the population of the Royal Bengal Tigers and other endangered species, the area was declared a wildlife sanctuary. Since its inception as the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, the prime venture of the national park was to protect the tiger population by implementing anti-poaching efforts, along with habitat management and community involvement. Tourism flourished in the national park from the late 1990s.
Before wrapping up, one more interesting fact about Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is that the tigers of the reserve are uniquely named after the esteemed Bollywood celebrities or characters such as Madhuri, Lara, Gabbar, Amitabh, Shivaji, Tara, Sonam, Geeta, Mona, Matkasur, Mallika, Circuit, Sonam and so on.
