The park was named after Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, in commemoration of his 2500th nirvan anniversary in the year 1975.

The place where the park is located was once a private hunting ground for the Nizam, rulers of Hyderabad.

[2] A deer park was set up in order to preserve this precious heritage and rehabilitate it.

Animals living in this national park include a few hundred blackbucks (the state animal of Andhra Pradesh), chitals,[3] porcupines, water monitors, short-toed eagles, Indian pond herons, egrets, kingfishers, cormorants and several other bird species.

There is an entry fee for people who wish to enter the park by safari vehicle to view the animals.