Designated tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1973. The most remarkable topographical feature of the area is the prolongation of the Neterhat Plateau with outlying spurs and slopes. The undulating hill tracts from the Ranchi south spread over between the Auranga and North Koel rivers. The hill ranges are composed of granitic hornblende and calcarious gneisses. Bauxite, coal, dolomite, iron ore, limestone and mica also occur.
Soils are lateritic sands and loams.
Sometimes the rains are much less than this and cause severe drought. Drainage system of the reserve is by three main tributaries of the river North Koel - Auranga, Burha and Pandra. Chiefly comprises moist deciduous and dry deciduous forests with Shorea robusta as the dominant species. Large areas of bamboo brakes of Dendrocalamus strictus are seen in the dry deciduous forests. Trees associated with the vegetation type are Terminalia tomentosa , Ougeinia oojeinensis Saccopetalum tomentosum , Bauhinia retusa , Diospyros melanoxylan and Anogeissus latifolia .