The story of Nandanvan goes back to 1979, when the Nandanvan Mini Zoo was first established on the banks of the Kharun river, Hatband in Raipur. At that time, Chhattisgarh was still part of undivided Madhya Pradesh, and the initiative came from the State Forest Department to create a green refuge for wildlife conservation and public recreation near the city. Senior forest officers and local leaders of Raipur played a key role in its establishment.

The title of “mini zoo” was granted by the Central Zoo Authority in 2008. The old zoo was modest in scale compared to today’s safari, but it quickly became one of the most popular attractions for people in Raipur and nearby. Spread across a few dozen acres, it housed a variety of mammals, birds, and reptiles – including leopards, jackals, crocodiles, spotted deer, and several species of local birds. For many people of that generation, Nandanvan was their first introduction to wild animals outside of textbooks.

Over time, the zoo faced limitations of space and urban growth around Raipur, which made further expansion difficult. This constraint became a major reason why the State Government, decades later, decided to shift the concept to a much larger landscape at Nava Raipur, giving rise to the present-day Nandanvan Jungle Safari.