Tadoba National Park – Travelogue

Introduction

This national park is often referred to as Jewel of Vidharba. It was the oldest national park in the state of Maharashtra. It lies spread over 116.55 square kilometers in the Chandrapur district of this south-western state. In this blog post, we will take the reader through the facilities and spottings available in the park.

Origin of National Park

This national park was started in the year 1955. It was named after a local deity by the name Taru. T his local deity is still venerated by tribes. According to mythology still followed by the tribes of the region, Taru was a village head who was killed in an encounter with a tiger. He fought valiantly before he was overpowered by the wild beast. People of the region believed that he was bestowed with the power to fight valiantly with a tiger. Hence, the visitors can see the shrine dedicated to God Taru. It is located on the banks of the Tadoba Lake.

Tadoba National Park

Though the park came into existence in the year 1955, it was declared a Project Tiger Reserve only in 1993. It is one of the best tiger reserves in India. Due to the care provided by the local authorities of the park, the tigers dwelling in it increased rapidly. Currently, Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary together form the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). Apart from tigers, the visitors can see leopards, gaur, wild dogs, sloth bears, jungle cats, hyenas, sambar, cheetah and barking deer. The park is also home to over 181 species of birds, which includes endangered and water birds. The tourists can go for jungle safaris to spot the tigers in their living habitats. The park has marshy lands distributed here and there. Some marshy lands associated with the water body have marsh crocodiles. The Tadoba Lake is home to migratory ducks. Hence, visitors to the park may see lots of wildlife in their natural habitats.