Situated amidst the national park, the Bandhavgarh Fort stands tall, reminiscent of the old times. According to popular legends, the fort was built by Lord Rama, who gifted it to Laxman, his younger brother so that he could keep an eye on the kingdom of Lanka. Thus the fort got its name- ‘Bandhav’ meaning ‘brother’ and ‘garh’ meaning ‘fort’. In fact, the national park got its name from this eponymous fort. According to Archaeological Survey of India, the fort dates back to a time before the birth of Christ. There are concrete proofs that the region was ruled by the Bharihas and the Vakatakas too along with Baghels, Sengars, Kalchuris are other dynasties, and of these, the Baghels ruled for the longest period. After a while, they decided to shift their capital from Bandhavgarh to Rewa, and thanks to this migration, slowly the jungle sprung up. After realising the hunting potential of the area, the rulers of Rewa reserved it only for royal hunting pleasures. The royal family has hunted as many as 109 tigers, out of which Rajah Gulab Singh Baghel alone brought down 83 tigers.

Since Bandhagarh is a protected National Park, it doesn’t have a notable population. However, it is home to India’s best Mahouts or elephant handlers.