Kanha

It inspired the setting of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book; it saved the barasingha, a deer endemic to the area, from extinction

Area

940 km²

Protection category

UICN II

Parque nacional — what the IUCN categories mean

Declared in

1955

Region

South Asia (Madhya Pradesh)

Climate

Tropical, Árido / desértico, Polar / frío, Montañoso

Best time

November to March

Plan your visit

Best time: November to March
Area: 940 km²

Highlight

It inspired the setting of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book; it saved the barasingha, a deer endemic to the area, from extinction

Declared in 1955, Kanha is frequently cited as one of the principal geographical inspirations for Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, whose author never visited the area himself but drew on accounts and images of the forests of Madhya Pradesh to set Mowgli's adventures. The park saved the central Indian swamp barasingha from complete extinction, its population having fallen below 100 animals in the 1970s and now numbering several hundred, thanks to a habitat recovery programme reckoned a model in Indian conservation.