In 1863, the first Inspector General of Frests (India). Dr Dietrich Brandis, visited this location and set policies for the forests. In 1929 it was declared a reserve forest, however hunting permits were available till 1970-71. In fact, according to local records, in 1949-50, 49 tigers were shot in the |location. In 1977, finally realizing the need to protect the tigers in the region, 449.39 sq km was demarcated as the Pench Wildlife Sanctuary. Then in 1983 it was declared a National Park and in 1992, a Tiger Reserve. It became the 19th reserve to be protected under Project Tiger.
The total area of the Pench Tiger Reserve is spread out across 1180 sq km, including a buffer zone of 768 sq km. the core area, which is of 411 sq km includes| the Pench Moguli WS. The terrain is undulating, with most of the area covered by small hills, steeply sloping in the sides. The hills in the park include CHindi Matta, Khumabdeo, Khariban Matta, Arjal Matta and Kalapahar. Matta translates to hills in Gondi (the language of the Gond tribals in the area. Kalapahar is the highest at 650 m, while Jamtara and Ghumtara are the plateaus.
It’s only in the previous decades that Pench has actually opened up to tourists, though ironically, descriptions of its natural wealth and richness appear as far back as 400 years ago in the Ain-i-Akbari (Abu Fazal’s renowned account of the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar). The natural beauty, the huge prey base, the numerous predators and its biodiversity were also featured in numerous wildlife books dating back to the 17th century.
The well-known 19th– century author Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book is apparently set around this tract of the Satpura, though Kanha has somehow usurped the claim to fame. In reality, Liling has actually even penned a poem, Hunting tune of the Seeone pack, after this location of Pench located in the Seoni District.