The mahua tree (Madhuca longifolia) is also known as the "honey tree" due to its association with honey production. The flowers of the mahua tree are a rich source of nectar and are used by bees to produce honey. The honey produced from mahua flowers is known for its distinct flavor and aroma, and is considered to be a delicacy in some parts of India. The honey is also used in traditional medicine and is believed to have various health benefits.
Mithun Bhotra, began the practice of honey hunting at the age of 20; he is now 45, said: "forests give us everything, we revere and worship our forest and environment and do not let anybody cause harm to it. The forest department, however, says, we are Maoists".
The Sahyadri Hills, the Indian Biosphere, older than the Himalaya mountains and one of the world's ten hottest biodiversity hotspots also known as Western Ghats, spread in 1,80,000 sq km, which can give complexion to the world's largest tropical rain-forest - Amazon. It is home of 325 globally threatened species and 30% of all plant, fish, bird, and mammal species found in India. The region has a spectacular assemblage of large mammals - around 30 per cent of the world’s Asian elephant population and 17 per cent of the world’s existing tigers call this area their home.
With 230 km from Lucknow and at the border of Nepal, spread in around 400 sq km, the Katarniya Ghat Forest is a part of Dudhwa Tiger reserve. It also provides strategic connectivity between tiger habitats of Dudhwa and Kishanpur in India and Nepal. The Katarniya Ghat forest, home of million wild souls, an orchestra in itself, from the humble beetle to enchanting birds, wings fluttering, slithering & hissing, humming of insects & scary deep roar, playing one enchanting symphony after another.
The Motipur and Kakrha forest range are 2 main divisions of this wild life sanctuary. The wildlife is as varied as the forest itself, ranging from Gharial, Tiger and leopards to Rhino and a vast number of different birds, and it is now one of the best places in the world with complex of sal forests tall grasslands and riparian ecosystem of Girwa and Kaudiyala streams of Ghaghra river.
Kandhamal, one of the poorest district of Odisha (earlier it was known as Phulbani), is a tribal dominated district where majority of the people belong to the Kondh (Kandha) tribe. Around 71% land area is forest and 12% of the land is cultivable. The organic turmeric cultivated in this district is popularly known as 'Kandhamal Haladi' and is renowned for its purity.
The district is full of flora and fauna. A wide variety of wildflowers like orchids are found in the dense forests of the district. Mango, mahula (mahua), Indian gooseberry (amla), kendu, meswak and jackfruit are also found in abundance in the wilderness. Dependent on forests for their livelihood, they collect fuel wood, grass, medicinal plants, fodder, herbs and roots.
The world’s largest Mangrove Forest, Sundarbans, with enormous beauty shared between India and Bangladesh, is also known as land of Honey Hunter. Sundarbans, forested wetland, is full of secret and mysteries such as story of Dakshin Rai, Bon Bibi, Begho Bhoot. Sundarbans forest, the land of man-eating tigers, home of royal Bengal tigers, has several groups of islands, some of which are inhabited and some are thickly forested. Other than the striking poverty, attacks by tigers, crocodiles, venomous snakes and bees are a regular phenomenon. The forest is blessed with some of the most amazing plants such as Khalsi, Goran, Passur, Gewa and Sundri. Some people believes that Sundarbans name is derived from the Sundri tree which is found abundantly in the Sundarbans delta whereas some people believe that Sundarbans name is derived from the word "Samudraban" (Sea Forest). Sundarbans is also famous for the most lucrative of all the forest’s products and the most dangerous to gather i.e. Sundarbans forest Honey. It is home of wild giant honeybee, Apis Darsota and Apis Laborosia, which collects the nectar of these flowers and produces honey.
Spread in 4200 sq km, larger then the state of Goa, Abujmarh is a huge area of dense forest, mountains and several rivers, isolated from the outside world and largely inaccessible,and is also known as "liberated-zone" as it is an alleged hub of Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. It is part of chattisgarh state of India and it is home to indigenous tribes of India, including Muria, Abuj Maria, Gond and Halbaas. Govt. had restricted on the entry of common people in this region, however, couple of year back it has been lifted. It remained untouched by any govt. presence and civil administration since independence of India. Here, Moaoist runs own government known as Janta Sarkar and their courts known as Jan Adalat. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has proposed to designate Abujmarh as a biosphere reserve.
Jharkhandi's Sarand forest, Naxalite dominating hilly forest region, spread in around 900 sq km, falls under Singhbhum district. Enriched with various types of herbs, honey and other forest produce products, honey from Saranda forest has a distinct flavor and is considered to be one of the finest varieties of honey available in India. The honey is collected from wild bees that feed on the nectar of the flowers found in the forest.
