Betla National Park is a national park located on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Latehar and Palamu district of Jharkhand, India. The park hosts a wide variety of wildlife.[1][2]

History
Initially comprising 1,026 km2 (396 sq mi) of the Palamu Tiger Reserve, an additional 226 km2 (87 sq mi) was added to the park in 1989 and 63 km2 (24 sq mi) of the Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary.[3][4] Betla was one of the first national parks in India to become a tiger reserve under Project Tiger, in 1974.[5] The park is under administration of the Forest Department.
Flora
The forests of the park have a vast range of vegetation consisting of sal and bamboo as the major components along with a number of medicinal plants. The North Koel River and its tributaries flow through the northern portion of the park, producing grasslands.

Fauna

A monkey in the Betla National Park
The park has a variety of diverse eco-systems and abundance of wild animals. Elephants in large numbers are seen mostly between the end of the monsoon season, to the time when water holes begin to dry in March.

Predators include the wolf, sloth bear and Leopard, while scavengers include the jackal and hyena. Other animals include large herds of gaur and chital, large families of langurs, rhesus monkeys, Indian giant squirrels, mouse deer, sambhar deer, four-horned antelopes, nilgai, kakar, small Indian civets, ant eating Indian pangolin, Indian porcupine and mongoose. White tigers that remained in the park were transported to zoos.

Birds include the hornbill, peafowl, red jungle fowl, black partridge, white-necked stork, black ibis, swamp grey, quail, pied hornbill, wagtail, harial, dove, drongo, crested serpent-eagle, forest owlet, papeeha, and other birds usually found in dry deciduous forests. The Kamaldah lake attracts several varieties of water birds including the common whistling, cotton teal, knob-billed duck, snipe and geese.
The Palamu fort are two ruined forts located 3 k.m from Betla National Park, Latehar district on the bank of Auranga River, in the Indian state of Jharkhand. The old fort in the plains, which existed even before the Chero dynasty, was built by the King of Raksel dynasty. The original fort in the plains and the other on an adjoining hill are attributed to the kings of the Chero dynasty. The fort in the plains had defences on three sides and three main gates. The New fort was constructed by Raja Medini Ray. East India company used this fort to prison Narayan Peshwa of Tiroha and Raja Radhkrishna alis Subedar Aftab Singh mutineers of 1857.
Geography
The Palamu Kila are two ruined forts located soutstate ofplains and the second fort (new fort)is in River [4]) in Palamu. The river looks like jagged teeth due to extensive rock exposures in the bed of the river which may perhaps be the source of the name 'Palamau', meaning the "place of the fanged river."[1][4] The forts are in a densely forested area of the Betla National Park.[5] The forts are close to each other and lie about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Daltonganj.[6]

History
The old fort in the plains, which existed even before the Chero dynasty, was built by the King of Raksel Dynasty. However, it was during the reign of King Medini Ray (also spelled Medini Rai), who ruled for thirteen years from 1658 to 1674 in Palamau. The old fort was rebuilt into a defensive structure.[7][2] Ray was a Chero tribal king.[8] His rule extended to areas in South Gaya and Hazaribagh. He attacked Doisa now known as Navratangarh (33 miles (53 km) from Ranchi) and defeated the Nagvanshi Raja Raghunath Shah. With war bounty he constructed the lower fort close to Satbarwa, and this fort became famous in the history of the district.[1][2]


Palam fort
The Mughals, during the reign of Emperor Akbar, under the command of Raja Man Singh, invaded in 1574, but subsequently his contingent at Palamau was defeated in 1605 following the death of Akbar. During the reign of jahangir, the Subedar of Patna and Palamau tried to impose a tribute on the Raksel rulers which they refused to pay. This resulted in three attacks in series by the Mughals.[2]

The rulers of Raksel Dynasty in 1613 CE were invaded by the Chero under Bhagwant Rai with the aid ofchiefs, the ancestors of The Thakurais of Ranka, Namudag and Chainpur. When the Raksel Raja Man Singh then ruling Palamu was out of capital Bhagwant Rai seized power. On hearing this news Raja Man Singh made no efforts to regain his kingdom of Palamu, retreated into Surguja and established the Raksel of Surguja. Surguja State was one of the main princely states of Central India during the period of the British Raj.

Daud Khan, who launched his invasion starting from Patna on 3 April 1660, attacked south of Gaya district and finally arrived at the Palamu Forts on 9 December 1660. The terms of surrender and payment of tribute were not acceptable to the Cheros; Daud Khan wanted complete conversion of all Hindus under the Chero rule to Islam.

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