Panna National Park lies in the Vindhya Hills of Madhya Pradesh in central India, extending across the Panna and Chhatarpur districts. The Ken River runs through a landscape of dry deciduous forest, open grassland, rocky plateaus and deep gorges. The park forms the core of Panna Tiger Reserve and is part of the larger Panna Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO. Bengal tigers are its best-known animals, but the protected landscape also supports leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, wolves, hyenas, sambar, chital, nilgai and chinkara.

The wider Panna landscape has long been connected with the communities and traditions of the Bundelkhand region. Gond, Khairua and Yadava communities are among the groups living within the biosphere reserve, where agriculture, forestry and the collection of forest products remain important livelihoods. Panna is also known for diamond deposits, an unusual feature among India’s major wildlife areas. Conservation has become another important part of its identity. Following a severe decline in its tiger population, a carefully managed reintroduction program brought tigers from other reserves, followed by successful breeding and continued protection.

The Ken River is the park’s main natural feature, cutting between plateaus and rocky escarpments while supporting riverine habitats. Pandav Falls descends about 30 metres into a pool surrounded by forest and caves associated in local tradition with the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. Nearby, the Ken Gharial Sanctuary protects the endangered gharial, a long-snouted crocodilian adapted mainly to eating fish. The region is also notable for its birdlife. More than 280 bird species have been recorded in the Panna Biosphere Reserve, including the Indian paradise flycatcher, while several species of vultures use its cliffs and gorges.