Melghat is defined as the ‘meeting of Gahts’ which talks about the area which is a large area of hills which is never ending and the steep climbs with the scary raviness of the jagged cliffs. The wonderful hill forests with the trees which are covered with thick moss which are grown beneath and cover the trees hence underscoring the virgin confines. This lies on the extreme north part of the Amravati District and on Madhya Pradesh’s border, in the south west ranges of Satpura mountains. If not for the popularity of the tigers, Melghat would have got famous for the eagle sanctuary or the ‘raptor’. In any case, this is the dream come true of any birdwatcher. Though it is not easy to get a glimpse of them, yet this forest is said to be the one of the most important habitat in India for tiger breeding. On a whole the area of Melghat is 1,676.93 sq.km inclusive of the 788.75 sq km. In Maharashtra’s Vidharba region is the 361.28 sq km Gugarnal National Park & the Melghat Sanctuary. The remaining of the buffer zone is inclusive of 526.90 sq km of the reserve forest. Situated in the River Tapti’s catchment area, Melghat which is a forest for water harvesting supplies about 30 percent of fresh water to the localities living in the nearby area.In the Maharashtra’s district Amravati in the extreme northern side on Madhya Pradesh’s border, lies Melghat in south west side of the Satpura mountain ranges. Melghat’s meaning is ‘meeting of ghats’ and this describes about the large area of the hills which are never ending and the ravines scarred by the steep climbs and jagged cliffs.In the year 1974, Melghat got declared as the Tiger Reserve. Currently the Reserve’s total area is about 1677 km2.The core area has no villages.The nature of the forest is dry deciduous, and the teak (Tectona grandis) is dominant here. Five major rivers catch up at this Reserve and they are: the Dolar, Gadga, Sipna, Khapra and Khandu and all these are Tapti river’s tributaries. The fauna which are main here are the blacknaped hare, otter, mouse deer, pangolin, porcupine, Rhesus monkey, langur, wild boar, flying squirrel, ratel, chausingha, chital, nilgai, barking deer, gaur, sambar, jackal, wild dog, sloth bear, leopard and tiger. History It is that that in Melghat invaders from the northern side travelled across in order to reach the Berar where the dynasty Imad Shahi was founded in the year 1484.Gawilgarh and Narnala the two historic forts guards the east and west main ridge. In the second war of Maharatta in the year 1803, Colonel Arthur Wellesley.who later went on to be the Duke of Wellington, from the Maharattas, the Gawilgarh fort. Melghat became the choice automatically after the launch of the Project Tiger in the year 1973.Best Time To Visit And Weather Best Time To Visit Though the Park is open from the months of October till June, the safaris are allowed inside only from the months of December till June. The tiger sights are peak in summer as the covering of the forest gets thin and hence the visibility getting better. It is better to travel in winter though the sight gets rare. Alternately one can watch birds here. Places To Visit No doubt that the best time is from dawn to dusk. In the mornings, one can get to see the sloth bear and several other animals and birds in day time near the waterholes. In case you get lucky then you get to have a glimpse of panthers (leopards) and owls at the end of the day, at the moment when you are about the leave the sanctuary. One can spot the Gaur on the way from Semadoh to Raipur & also on the plateau of Dolar where the actual area starts. One can also get to see the Rhesus monkeys which come to the area which is near to Gawilgarh fort. One can sit at the top machans of the Fitakaripani waterholes for hours together hoping that they might spot a tiger or a sambar, which would be hardly 15 m away. The forts which are at Asirgarh, Narnala and Gawilgarh which borders the reserve have always been of deep historical interest. They are situated on the precipitous slopes & earlier have defied the conquests. In today’s .time they provide with an awesome view of the plains which are in the surroundings. Towards Jarida in the reserve which is around three kilometers from the village of Mahkala is a waterfall which is just too beautiful with wonderful mountains in the backdrop and the wild bananas grow in the crags which are rocky. And these spots are hardly at a distance of four to five meters from the road of Mahkala-Jarida. Local tribes like the Gaolan, Gawli, Balai, Nihal, Gond and Korku are found here. Of these the Korkus population is dominating (60 – 65% of the local population). You will atleast require a translator or a local guide. The delicacy which is prepared by the Gawlis, called rabdi which is prepared with milk and tempts people as it is mouth watering & is a must have.

• published: 06 Feb 2014
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