Pench Tiger reserve is fondly recalled as the true Kipling country- it is named after the Pench river which flows across the entire park. Pench's claim to a wild tiger country comes from the fact that it has the highest density of herbivore population like the chital, sambhar etc.. and the unique teak forest.

The Pench Tiger Reserve and its neighborhood is the original setting of Rudyard Kipling's most famous work, The Jungle Book.

Pench shot to celebrity status when the BBC wildlife team filmed the brilliant documentary "Tiger- Spy in the Jungle" detailing the life of tigers in Pench.

An area of 450 sq.km. in Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh was protected as Pench Sanctuary in 1977. 292 sq. km. was upgraded as Pench National Park in 1983. In 1992, a total area of 757 sq.km. was declared as Pench Tiger Reserve, India's 19th tiger reserve.

Gonds, the local tribe revere Mansingh Deo, a legendary figure who was believed to be a magician who had supernatural healing powers. He would ride into the local bazaar on his tiger. There are two temples dedicated to him, the Chhota Mansingh and Bada Mansingh temples.

PARK LANDSCAPE

Pench is the True Kipling Country, and has been mentioned by naturalist like Captain J. Forsyth in very high regards. The terrain of the park is undulating with mainly gentle slopes criss-crossed by streams and nullahs, though most of these water courses are seasonal. Many of the hills are flat-topped and allow fine vistas of the forests around- best known of these is 'Kalapahar' with an altitude of 650 mts. The Pench river flowing from north to south-west through the center of the Reserve dries out by April but a number of water pools locally known as 'dohs' are found, which serve as waterholes for wild animals. A few perennial springs also exist. Recently a number of earthen ponds and shallow wells have been developed leading to well distributed sources of water all around the reserve.