Despite being a land for the wild, there is also a dearth of history that surrounds our wildlife resort in Tadoba. Indeed, Tadoba is also a land where the surreal is commonplace. From primarily being a jungle territory to become the bastion for the Gonds, here’s a brief post telling you the history of Tadoba and our neighbor, Chandrapur.
History Of Tadoba:
The name Tadoba is derived from the name of their God, Tadoba or Taru. According to common folklore, Taru, a village chief, was killed in a mythological encounter with a tiger. A shrine was built in his honor on the banks of the Lake Tadoba, raising him to the status of a God. Tadoba traces its roots back to the Gonds, an ancient community whose origins are spread across central India. The Gonds have their own dialect, culture, and cuisine but most importantly, their origin dates back to the 14th or 15th century. Being primarily hunter-gatherers they know the ways of the forest; their original kingdom was known as Gondwana or the forest of the gonds.
Image Credits: Live History India
Tadoba was still primarily untouched by civilization even in the times of the Gonds. The tigers ruled freely, and the forests were amassed with herds of chital, sambar deer, and wild boar. There were temples located within the landscape that were commonly used by the Gonds, especially royalty. As such, Tadoba is also home to a special communication network; several large towers are found throughout the park that acted as an early alert system to notify the temples of the king’s approach. When you are visiting Tadoba, you can view several of these rock pillars erected on the side of the road going from the Mohrali Zone to other parts of Tadoba.
Our wildlife resort in Tadoba too has mementos of the vibrant past of the Gonds in the form of sculptures and idols dotting the resort. Our employees are almost entirely from the Gond community as well, because we believe in empowering the local communities first!
History Of Chandrapur:
The reach of the Gonds was not restricted to Tadoba alone. Indeed, this mighty kingdom ruled over the regions of Nagpur and Chandrapur as well within Maharashtra, and also parts of Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Chandrapur in particular is a historically significant region; several Gond legends and historical events have taken place in this land! On your visit to our wildlife resort in Tadoba, you must spend an afternoon visiting Chandrapur and all its secrets.
The name Chandrapur has mixed origins. Some say it got the name after the moon, which is more straightforward. But there is an interesting legend to this as well. King Khandya Ballal Shah of the neighboring kingdom of Ballalpur would often visit the Chandrapur region (then simply known as Chanda) to oversee work on a temple. On one such outing, a hare startled his dog and actually started chasing the canine. When the king tried to hunt the hare, it ran across the land in a peculiar fashion. Once both exhausted animals finally reached the point where the chase began, the dog managed to overpower the hare.
Image Credits: Live History India
Ballal Shah took this to be an omen from the Gods to construct a fortress here, and this Chandrapur was born. And the name? It is said that the hare had a white dot on its forehead, giving inspiration to the king!
The resulting Chandrapur Fort is still in existence today. It still holds the record as one of Maharashtra’s largest land forts. Chandrapur also has within its citadel walls a number of ancient temples. Remember that temple that King Ballal Shah was overseeing? This is the Mahakali temple of Chandrapur, on the banks of the Jharpat River. One glance inside the temple belays its true age and artistic integrity. Frescos of the gods and goddesses adorn the entire temple along with depictions of the yesteryears.
Lastly, there lie within Chandrapur a number of tombs of the last of the Gond kings. The intricacy and meticulous planning that went into these final resting places for the kings and queens of Chandrapur is a testament to their architectural prowess back in the day.
Our wildlife resort in Tadoba is indeed host to more than wildlife; with so much to explore around, Tadoba is a land where everything comes together in perfect harmony.
