Social Geography Dandami Madia tribes Context: Members of the Dandami Madia tribes recently performed their traditional Bison Horn Maria dance during a village festival held at Judiya Para in Jagdalpur. Performed during festivals, especially the Madai Mela (Maa Danteshwari Temple festival). Dandami Maria, also known by other names like Bison Horn Maria and Khalpati Maria. It is a tribal community which lives in Chhattisgarh. They have derived their name from their unique custom of wearing a distinctive head-gear, which resembles the horns of a wild bison. The Dandami Madia tribe primarily speaks Dandami Maria, while some also use Gondi dialects of Dravidian origin. Environment and ecology Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve Context: Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve (Nauradehi) in Sagar district will be developed as Madhya Pradesh’s third cheetah habitat. Nauradehi will be the first cheetah habitat in India where cheetahs must coexist with apex predators (25 tigers along with wolves, wild dogs, panthers, and crocodiles). Kuno and Gandhi Sagar had predator-free landscapes before cheetah introduction. About Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, declared in 1975. The entire Sanctuary is situated on the upper Vindhyan plateau within the Deccan Peninsula biogeographic region. NWS acts as a corridor for Panna Tiger Reserve and Satpura Tiger Reserve while indirectly connecting Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve via Rani Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary. Rivers: Three fourth of the sanctuary falls in the Yamuna (Ganges) basin and one fourth of the sanctuary falls in the Narmada basin. The Kopra River, Bamner River, Bearma River, which are tributaries of the Ken River, are the major rivers of this protected area.
