Mandla City, located in the state of Madhya Pradesh is a prominent tourist attraction with historical background and proximity to wildlife sanctuaries like the famous Kanha Wildlife Sanctuary and the Phen Wildlife Sanctuary. Mandla is surrounded on three sides by the Narmada River. The Narmada with its many beautiful ghats built along its banks is considered a sacred river and is worshipped as such.
The Gond dynasty had Mandla as its capital earlier to 1500 A.D and was then called Mahishmati Nagari. The dynasty had built a fort and a palace on the banks of Narmada. But due to neglect and lack of maintenance the whole place is in ruins now. But tourists can still have glimpses of some parts of the fort.
Mandla is nestled among a rich variety of flora and fauna. The Kanha National Park, the famous Tiger Sanctuary is home to over 100 tigers is at a distance of 101 kms from Mandla. Another wildlife sanctuary located close to Mandla is the Phen Wildlife Sanctuary.
One can find a large variety of wild animals like leopard, jackal, wild boar, sambar, panther, and nilgai besides tiger. The sanctuary is located in the north-east of Kanha National Park. It gains importance due to the fact it is the micro-core of the reserve in the sense that it is also a buffer zone between the two units of conservation.
The best time to visit the region of Mandla is between the months of November to June is the best time for visiting this sanctuary.