The enchanting history of Tadoba National Park comprises valiant kingdoms, an esteemed tribal chieftain, inscribed rock shelters, and more.
Tadoba is located in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district. Its rich biodiversity and historical landmarks are a true testament to an ancient, flourishing dynasty, which dates back to 184 BC. According to many historians, Maharashtra got its name from this forest called ‘maha-kantara’ or the great forest. Let us take down a little journey into the Land of Gonds, a terrain where culture and nature are inevitably entwined.
Rock Shelters
Tadoba houses eight beautiful painted rock shelters, depicting fauna of the region, like bears, tigers, barasingha deer, humped cattle, and wild pigs. These paintings date back to the Mesolithic era (7000 BC- 500 BC) and also the Iron age (1000 BC-500 AD).
Rock Pillars
A unique feature that aligns the roads of Tadoba is rock pillars placed at equal distances from each other. These pillars served as the oldest telegraph system of India. The story goes like this: the kings of the Gonda tribes used to visit temples in the region and to communicate their arrival to the priests of the temples, these pillars were installed. On top of the pillars were metal rings through which a rope passed and a bell was attached to it. The king’s army would pull the rope and ring the bell to notify the king’s arrival.
Tomb and Excavated sites
Several ancient burial sites have been found in the Tadoba region. Ranging from distinct burial sites from the Iron age (Megalith era) with large stones to the burial sites of Vidarbha that used dolmens (usually a single chamber megalith tomb), menhirs (tall upright stone), cairns (mound of stones used as a memorial), stone circles capstone cists (box grave built of stone slabs).
Religious Relics
A Shiva temple stands in a rural hamlet in Chimur. It is believed that this is one of the sites where Lord Rama had spent some time during his 14-year exile. Another highly revered spot is Buddha Vihar in Ramdegi, it has Buddha idols around an old banyan tree.
Big Five of Tadoba
Tadoba has a rich diversity of fauna, its flourishing forests are a visual treat and offer extraordinary encounters. The big five animals of Tadoba are leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, guar, and the regal king of the forest, the tiger.
So, when are you planning your trip to the Land of the Gonds?
