Overlooking the scenic town of Kawardha in Chattisgarh, the Maikal Hills are an eastern part of the Satpura mountain range. The hills have a peaceful and serene atmosphere and are a picturesque spot. The range is thinly populated and has dense forests. The hills also give rise to several streams and rivers including the tributaries of Narmada and Wainganga River. There are 2 tribal groups of people that inhabit around the hills; they are the Baigas and the Gonds.
Flora and Fauna of Maikal Hills
The Maikal Hills are rich in flora and fauna. Agriculture is practised in this region, mostly in the alluvial basins. Crops such as rice, wheat, chickpeas, maize, barley, corn, pulses, and sesame along-with mustard seeds are grown here. The lowland forest has Sal and other mixed-forests, and the highland forests are tropical moist, dry deciduous type. The Maikal hills are known to contain bauxite, which is an ore for aluminium.
With the Kanha National Park located in the range, the Maikal hills have a variety of fauna. There are species of tigers, leopards, wild dogs, foxes and jackals, and among the deer species, there are swamp deer, spotted deer, sambar and the hard-ground barasingha. The reserves also have a plethora of birds and reptiles.
Natural Reserves of Maikal Hills
Situated in the heart of the state of Madhya Pradesh, the Kanha National Park is the largest tiger reserve in the state. The reserve is located in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh in the Maikal Hills of the Satpuras. Apart from sheltering a handful of population of tiger, Kanha Tiger Reserve is also popular for saving the endangered hard ground Barasingha from total extinction, and also supporting the last world population of deer species.
There is also the Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary located on one side of the Satpura-Maikal stretch of landscape. This sanctuary is home to the Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, gaur, chital, striped hyena, Indian muntjac, nilgai, sambar, blackbuck and wild boar. The forest vegetation mainly comprises of Sal, Saja, Bija and Bamboo. This sanctuary is a part of the Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve. On another side of the Satpura-Maikal range is the Melghat Tiger Reserve. The reserve has species of tiger, leopards, sloth bear, Indian jackal, mouse deer, rhesus monkey, python, otter and black-naped hare. Forest owlet is also found in various areas of the reserve.
Visiting Information on Maikal Hills
The nearest airport is located at Jabalpur at a distance of about 270 km. The closest railway connectivity from the Maikal Hills is the Jabalpur Railway Station.
