TADOBA NATIONAL PARK

The history of Tadoba National Park dates back to the reign of Raja Khandkya Ballal Shah, who established the Chandrapur district in the 15th Century. Tadoba was then ruled by the Gond tribe mainly, and they used the area as hunting grounds. The Gond kings reigned central India back then, and the Chandrapur district was their capital.

The name “Tadoba” has been derived from the name of the local tribal God “Taru”/ “Tadoba". The locals believe that the clan chief "Taru" was killed in a legendary encounter with a ferocious tiger. Because of this incident, a shrine was also built at the Tadoba Lake, regularly worshiped by local Adivasis. In addition, from December to January every year, a fair is held where Adivasis gather to honor this historical and cultural event.

The conservation history of Tadoba dates back to 1879 when the area was declared a Reserved Forest, with little thought given to the wildlife living within. In 1905, a significant change came when the hunting of tigers was banned in the area. Only those people were allowed to hunt who have special permits. As time passed, awareness grew, and by 1931, restrictions extended to shooting all animals. By 1935, people learned about the importance of wildlife conservation, and a total area of 45 square kilometers around Tadoba Lake was proclaimed a sanctuary.

However, the hunting game in the area was still strong. In 1942, the region was declared a game reserve, with specific blocks - Moharli, Karwa, Kalsa, and Mul—designated for controlled shooting activities. Permits were still issued for tiger hunts in the Karwa and Kalsa blocks. Despite these controlled measures, the area of the Tadoba forests faced a lot of pressure from cultivation, hunting, and poaching.

The turning point of conservation took place in 1955 when the area of Tadoba was legally declared a national park. This declaration helped in making it one of the earliest national parks in India, alongside Kanha. But, because of designated hunting blocks, hunting activities were still going on. In the 1970s, the designated hunting blocks were finally closed. Even then, illegal hunting persisted in the shadows of progress.

The conservation efforts were maximized in 1986 when a huge area of 506.32 square kilometers of forest adjoining the national park was declared the Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary. Then, in 1993, finally, the area of the national park and the wildlife sanctuary were merged and became Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) with an area of 622.87 square kilometers. Because of conservation efforts, Tadoba National Park Maharashtra is now among the top tiger reserves, and it has a good variety of flora and fauna inside it.