Bandipur National Park, National park in Chamarajanagar district, India.

Bandipur National Park is a protected area in Chamarajanagar district covering 874 square kilometers (337 square miles) and includes deciduous forests, open grasslands, and rocky ridges within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The landscape shifts between dense tree cover that sheds its green canopy in summer and wide clearings where grasses grow right up to the edges of stone formations.

In 1931 the Maharaja of Mysore created a 90 km2 sanctuary named Venugopala Wildlife Park. In 1973 the Bandipur Tiger Reserve was established under Project Tiger by adding nearly 800 km2 to that park. The park has been part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve since 1986.

The park takes its name from the village of Bandipur in Chamarajanagar district. The 1931 sanctuary was named Venugopala Wildlife Park after Venugopala, a form of the god Krishna associated with the bamboo (venu) of these forests. The hill of Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, the park's highest point, holds a Hindu temple at its summit.

The administration bans vehicle movement on the through highway at night, allowing wildlife to move freely, while organized safari drives on marked routes are permitted during daylight hours. Visitors should plan to come between October and May, when weather is cooler and animals appear more often at water sources, as visibility improves considerably during this period.

The area forms a natural corridor linking four major protected zones across three states, creating India's largest connected forest complex. This connection allows elephants and tigers to move between different habitats without crossing human settlements, which significantly increases their chances of survival.