and very rich in biodiversity.Mandla Plant
Sardar Sarovar and Karjan reservoir (Karjon
Fossil National Park, Dindori National
river, a tributary of Narmada in Gujarat). It
Fossil Park at
is the habitat of mammals and a varieties of
Ghuguya is situated in
Dandori dist. of MP. The theory is that the
birds.
area in which the fossils are located i.e. the
Anthropological and Archaeological sites:
Narmada Valley near Mandla was actually a
The caves of “Bhimbetka”, located in a dyke
deep inundation of the sea into Peninsular
of the Narmada Valley, about 45 km. NE of
India till the Tertiary age, about 40 million
Bhopal, depicts the pre-historic rock shelter
years ago. This means that Narmada was a
paintings which are sculpted on the crest of
very short river which terminated in the
the Vindhyan hill. The Bhimbetka rock
inland sea above Mandla, and through the
shelter is a natural art gallery and an
recession of the sea caused geological
archaeological treasure, considered as one of
disturbances which created the present rift
the oldest human habitation in India, where
valley through which the Narmada and the
the caves house rock paintings, created by
Tapti river flow in their present journey to
man as early as about 15000 yrs. ago. The
Arabian Sea.
rock paintings here track the gradual
Apart from the above National Parks, there
progress and various adaptations that the
are also a number of natural preserves such
prehistoric man was making in his life style.
as the Amarkantak, the Bagh caves and
It is a World Heritage Site. The development
Bhedaghat.
Environmental
In
compliance
Action
Plan
of
the
of the Narmada river has led to the
for
the
inundation of some archeological and
Narmadasagar and Omkareswar sagar, as
architectural sites.
per the recommendations of the Wildlife
Institute of India, three new protected areas
may be created viz.
1. The Narmada National Park
2. The Surmanya Sanctuary
3. Omkareswar Sanctuary
Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary in Gujarat near
the Sardar Sarovar dam site, previously
called the Dumkal Sloth
Bear Sanctuary,
Cave Paintings of Bhimbhetka
comprises a major watershed, feeding of
7
Integrated River Basin Management Society