Bhandara: Lakes, Wildlife and Crafts

Bhandara combines a distinctive lake landscape with protected areas, riverside locations and craft traditions. The district is known as the “District of Lakes” and is home to more than 3,500 lakes. This offers several themes to consider when planning your trip: wildlife and forests, waterscapes, and religious and textile culture. Rather than giving equal weight to every theme, you can first consider which of these aspects you would like to shape your stay.

Lakes, Rivers and Protected Areas

Koka Wildlife Sanctuary covers 92.34 km² and is home to tigers, leopards, gaurs, chital and sambar deer. Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary is home to resident, breeding tigers, as well as herds of gaur and wild dogs; its wildlife also includes flying squirrels, pangolins and honey badgers. The protected area lies partly in Pauni tahsil in Bhandara district and is connected to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve by forest along the Wainganga River. The two protected areas thus offer different perspectives on the region’s wildlife.

The waterscapes also have different characteristics. The village of Korambhi lies on the banks of the Wainganga River. Chandpur has a reservoir surrounded by hills and dense vegetation. The Indirasagar Dam, also known as the Gosikhurd Project, was built with the aim of providing irrigation to villages in Bhandara, Nagpur and Chandrapur districts. The water theme therefore ranges from riverbanks and lakes to an infrastructure project with a specifically stated irrigation purpose.

Pilgrimage Sites, History and Crafts

Korambhi Temple is a Hindu sacred site on Korambhi Hill. Mahasamadhi Bhoomi was established in 1987 in Ruyad, in Pauni, Bhandara district, and is a Buddhist pilgrimage site. For travellers interested in religious sites, these represent different traditions: a Hindu temple and a Buddhist pilgrimage site. Ambagad Fort adds a historical dimension to this cultural side; Raja Khan Pathan had it built in the early 18th century.

Crafts add another tangible aspect to trip planning. Bamboo baskets and mats are made in Adyar. There, cooperatively organised handlooms also produce saris with silk borders, fabrics and dhotis. The weaving of Andhalgaon is associated with fabrics with silk borders for women. These textile traditions differ from the religious and historical themes: the focus here is on materials, weaving and the making of everyday items and garments.

Choosing a Focus for Your Accommodation Search

When looking for a holiday rental in Bhandara, it helps to first decide which experiences matter most to you. If you want nature and wildlife to shape your trip, you can focus your planning on the protected areas and their wildlife. For a culture-focused stay, consider the pilgrimage sites, the fort and the craft traditions. Those interested in water will find different scenic points of interest among the many lakes, along the Wainganga River and at the Chandpur reservoir.

The time available can also play a role in your planning. A route in Koka Wildlife Sanctuary is 44 km long and takes about 3–4 hours; this provides a specific reference point for planning your time. For rail travel, the journey from Nagpur Railway Station to Warthi Railway Station near Bhandara takes about an hour. Check the timetable before travelling. If you are planning with others who have different interests, you can first weigh up whether nature, water or culture should be the main focus, then search more specifically for a suitable holiday rental in Bhandara.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Khairi, Bhandara, Kardha, South Sikkim, Nandurbar, Palghar, Kolhapur, Nashik.

For the main travel overview: Maharashtra.