BrittScotto5 at 04:56, 23 February 2026

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{{Short description|National park in India}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox Protected area
| name = Madhav National Park
| iucn_category = II
| image = Mnp1.jpg
| image_caption = Forest in Madhav National Park
| map = India Madhya Pradesh#India
| map_caption = Location in Madhya Pradesh
| location = [[Madhya Pradesh]], India
| nearest_city = [[Shivpuri]] around 9km away
| coordinates = {{coord|25.50|N|77.82|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| area_km2 = 354
| relief = 1
| mapframe = Yes
| visitation_num = around 500 people
| visitation_year = every year
| governing_body =
| module = {{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_offname = Sakhya Sagar
| designation1_date = 7 January 2022
| designation1_number = 2483<ref name="RSIS">{{Cite web|title=Sakhya Sagar|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2483|access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref>}}
| established =
}}
'''Madhav National Park''' is a national park in [[Shivpuri District]] of [[Gwalior division]] in northwest [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[India]]. It was established in 1956 with {{cvt|167|km2}} as Shivpuri National Park. In 1958, it was renamed Madhav National Park after [[Madho Rao Scindia]] and was finalized the following year.<ref name="Tiwari" /> Sakhya Sagar, a reservoir within the park, has been designated as a [[Ramsar site]] in 2022.<ref name="RSIS"/>

Two national highways pass through the park, the [[Gwalior]] to [[Bombay]] former [[National Highway 3 (India, old numbering)|National Highway 3]] and the [[Jhansi]] to [[Shivpuri]] [[National Highway 27 (India)|National Highway 27]].<ref name="Tiwari">{{Cite book |last=Tiwari |first=S. K. |year=1998 |chapter=Madhav National Park |title=National Parks of Madhya Pradesh: State of Bio Diversity and Human Infringement |location=New Delhi |publisher=APH Publishing |pages=148–166 |isbn=978-81-7024-950-4}}</ref>

==History==
The dense forests of Sipri later came to be known as Shivpuri doubled up as hunting grounds for Mughal emperors since the 16th century. Since then Mughal princes, Rajputana rulers, Gwalior royals and British dignitaries travelled to this area for hunting sprees. Therefore it came to be known as royal hunting park or Majestic Park due to high movement of Kings and high ranking british officials including British Monarch and Viceroys.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bhagat |first=M. |date=2025 |title=Once A Royal Ground For Mughals, This National Park Is Now India's 58th Tiger Reserve |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/travel/news/once-a-royal-hunting-ground-for-mughals-this-national-park-in-madhya-pradesh-is-now-indias-58th-tiger-reserve-article-118835326 |access-date=12 March 2025 |website=Times now}}</ref>

[[File:George Castle, Madhav National Park, Shivpuri.jpg|thumb|George Castle]]
George Castle was built in 1911 at an elevation of {{cvt|484.0|m}}. It was built for [[George V]] who had intended to stay there during his visit to India.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sengar |first=R. |date=2018 |title=The charms of Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh |newspaper=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/the-charms-of-shivpuri-in-madhya-pradesh/as65579178.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828224156/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/the-charms-of-shivpuri-in-madhya-pradesh/as65579178.cms |archive-date=28 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

After the independence of India, the area suffered degradation.<ref name="Tiwari" /> Agriculture and mining encroached on the former hunting grounds. Although the park was noticed in 1956, at 167 km2, as '''Shivpuri National Park''' and became the renamed Madhav National Park in 1959, degradation continued.<ref name="Tiwari" /><ref name="Roy" /> The last of the resident wild tigers were seen in Madhav National Park in the late 1970s. In 1982, a plan to add a new part of the park parallel to the [[Chambal River]] was proposed. This expansion area included a corridor joining it to the original {{cvt|167|km2}}.<ref name="Tiwari" />

In the 1990s, there was little effort to improve the conditions in the park. [[Illegal mining]] and questionable mining permits led to significant degradation in the park, so that in the 1990s conservationists took the matter to the [[Supreme Court of India]] and by 1998 received an injunction terminating mining in the area.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shrivastava |first=P. P. |display-authors=etal |date=2017 |title=District Tourism Master Plan for Shivpuri Draft Report |publisher=Design and Planning Consultants (DPC) |location=[[Bhopal]] |page=43 |url=https://docplayer.net/79213896-District-tourism-master-plan-for-shivpuri-draft-report-july-client-district-tourism-promotion-council-dtpc-shivpuri.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527030555/https://docplayer.net/79213896-District-tourism-master-plan-for-shivpuri-draft-report-july-client-district-tourism-promotion-council-dtpc-shivpuri.html |archive-date=27 May 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 1 December 2024, the technical committee of the [[National Tiger Conservation Authority]] (NTCA) proposed to recognize Madhav National Park as a Tiger Reserve which will span {{cvt|1751|km2}} featuring a core area of {{cvt|375|km2}} and a buffer area of {{cvt|1276|km2}}. Furthermore, the committee has also approved the release of one tiger and one tigress into the park.<ref>{{cite news |title=Not Madhav National Park, but Rathapani forest notified as eighth tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh |url=https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/nature-and-wildlife/article/ratapani-forest-notified-as-eighth-tiger-reserve-in-madhya-pradesh-23439720 |access-date=4 December 2024 |work=Mid-day}}</ref>

==Geography==
There are several small ponds in this national park, but the largest body of water is Sankhya Sagar, a [[reservoir]],<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/25%C2%B028'00.0%22N+77%C2%B045'00.0%22E/@25.3969754,77.7187696,6755m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d25.466667!4d77.75?hl=en Google maps]</ref> constructed for [[Madho Rao Scindia]] when it was still his hunting grounds.<ref name="Tiwari" /> He also had constructed a second smaller reservoir by damming Manihar River, Madhav Sagar, known as Madhav Lake.<ref name="Tiwari" /> A third reservoir was not included in the park.<ref name="Tiwari" />

Located in the [[ecoregion]] of [[Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests]],<ref name="WWF, SA: NI">{{WWF ecoregion |id=im0206 |name=Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests |access-date=2017-01-29}}</ref> this national park has a varied terrain of [[forest]]ed [[hills]] and flat [[grasslands]] around the reservoir and is thus rich in [[biodiversity]]. The average rainfall is 816 mm.<ref name="Roy">{{Cite journal|last1=Roy |first1=P. S. |last2=Ravan |first2=Shirish A. |year=1996 |title=Biomass estimation using satellite remote sensing data—An investigation on possible approaches for natural forest |journal=Journal of Biosciences |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=535–561 |doi=10.1007/BF02703218 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225623869}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Wildlife of India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Madhav National Park}}
* {{Cite map|title=Madhav National Park |url=https://docplayer.net/docs-images/79/79213896/images/50-0.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527025642/https://docplayer.net/docs-images/79/79213896/images/50-0.jpg |archive-date=27 May 2020 |url-status=live}}

{{National Parks of India}}
{{Ramsar sites in India}}

[[Category:Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests]]
[[Category:National parks in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1959]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Shivpuri district]]
[[Category:1959 establishments in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in India]]

Madhav National Park - Revision history

BrittScotto5 at 04:56, 23 February 2026