Bandhavgarh: Up The Hill

Sesh Shaiyya

Blessed with eternal beauty Bandhavgarh National Park is a paradise on earth. It was some where in the nineties that I accompanied wildlife photographer Gertrude. She was from Germany and a frequent visitor to India. 

Hindu Temple

Tiger

On that hot summer day we ascended the Bandhavgarh Mountain at 800 MSL.The climb turns and twists precariously and tests the skill of the driver. A steep fall unto death awaits for those who go over the edge the abyss of silence. The weather beaten ascent crosses over a number of stables and small caves all man made craved out of the mountain walls.

On the way up is Shesh Shaiyya a twenty feet reclining Vishnu carved out of igneous rock. The statue lies besides the pool calm, composed and majestic. The Shesh Nag is as impressive hence the name. A number of freshwater springs trickle in to feed the pool - earlier used for bathing. The grove is surrounded by an aura of mystic and grandeur.  

Bandhvgarh Mountain

Stables

Old Temple

We spent considerable time at this spot. Inexperienced I poured large amount of water inside to deter the conquering heat.

Pristine.Fairy Tale Like. Esoteric.

Best way to describe the amazing holy domain of Lord Vishnu. Serenity prevails and an occasional tiger appears sometimes. The dense canopy is ideal for raising families for tigresses of the park. The location is an enchanting spectacle, picturesque to the core. Large looming trees provide shade and shelter from the sweltering heat of the sun.   

As we climb up the mountain on foot we encounter the Pujari. He was the priest appointed by Maharajah of Rewa for the upkeep of Ram Janki Laxman Temple on the hill top. Walking almost every day he trudged along the jungle road covering a distance of 11 km in order to reach the temple. On this trek he would often encounter a tiger. "I stand still whence the big cats are close to me," he narrated nonchalantly. Unimpressed by series of queries from us he moved on.        

Ram Janki Temple

The entrance is a majestic structure perhaps all that is left of the 2000 year fort. The massive door and sentry chamber greets the visitors in the abyss of silence. The chambers now house bats and that  is what we stopped to  photograph.

We then proceeded further on a jungle road that was surrounded by tall grasses. As we moved further we came across a towering statue of Lord Vishnu. We encountered statues of the Lord in zoomorphic forms. Amazing esoteric world of ancient is what we encountered. The fort now in ruins was ruled over by many dynasties but initial architecture is Gond - a tribal community in Central India or Madhya Pradesh.

The Bandhavgarh Mountain is a tabletop one with extensive plateau. The fort complex contains man made reservoirs besides ruins of the Fort itself.  All along the complex are scattered artifacts and run down walls.  

Reservoir

Ancient Temple

The visit to the ruins takes time and we sit down to have our lunch. Prepared by expert  chefs in our resort in Bandhavgarh we savor the gastronomic delights. But I was facing acute shortage of water having drunk a large amount on the way. Gertrude was kind enough to share hers with me.

We could hear the squeals of wild boar as we stood at the edge peeping right into the vast landscape of Bandhavgarh National Park. As we climbed down a memorable safari had just concluded.    

All images by Teerath Singh

Latest Tiger Census - 2014

Tigers Mating by Dharmagiri at Pench

It is in the news the latest figures about tiger numbers in India. According to census conducted by Indian Government there are 2226 tigers in India. This constitutes seventy percent of the tiger population of the World.

In the year 2010 the population was little above 1700 and much below before that. The figures are encouraging especially since more scientific approach has been used. 

The big cat has a long way to go since the numbers do not extract it out of the endangered status. The rise in population could also be due to tigers discovered in areas hitherto unknown. But better managed reserves have definitely contributed to the increase.       

But what is discouraging is the ministers view that our big cats can be shared with other countries. This is nowhere advisable and the best that can be done is to trans locate the animals to protected areas with less or no tigers.

There are many neglected reserves in this country with decreasing population. At many places local factors like poaching, disease and habit destruction is making the majestic animal extinct. 

A new approach to census should be put in place with population of each and every reserve made open to public. This is a pertinent approach which will also put to pressure weak management and expose local problems.  

Monu Dubey Amazing Lensmen

Once you start looking at the amazing photographs of wild India you cannot relax till the show ends. Young Monu Dubey is a creative photographer who travels to many places in India. 

Indian Wolf

He has a knack for capturing moments, some filled with empathy while many depict action. The work expresses the agility and understanding of his subjects. At a such young age, he has miles to go. Some of his work of art is added here for the viewers.   

CobraPair

Roseringedparakeet

Male Tiger

Leopard in Bush

Monitor Lizard

Tiger Family

Ruddy Mongoose

Wilddogsonkill

   

Did Curiosity Kill The Big Cat?

Tiger Cub by Yves Blisson

Tiger Cub by Yves Blisson

Tiger Cub by Yves Blisson

Tiger Cub by Yves Blisson

With Yves & Maria - Esteemed Guests At Courtyard House Kanha

With her pugs huddled together, her body taught and tail in the air the tigress was in a position to spring forward and charge at us when I first saw her. The pug marks ended on the 4th mile at Kanha Zone. We have been following the pugs of a tigress with cubs at Kanha National Park. The cub had already been seen by a jeep on safari. 

"On 4th mile, a cub," the driver had informed us.             

As we traced the pugs, we soon came across smaller ones besides that of the tigress. "Mother with cubs I remarked." The jumble of pugs ended right there and the guide looked into bushes on left. Sitting there amongst the bamboo was a tigress, looking straight at us.

"On charge," I warned the driver as my French guests began to click excitedly. "Do not shake or move violently, I warned the guests who were  a bit  perturbed. 

We were quite alert, the dainty lass would have charged with a lightening speed. Blitzkrieg!             

It was a battle of wits, but the tigress gave in, frightened as big cats are of this ruthless two legged creature and his contraption. Afraid of her family being discovered she moved into hiding, making special efforts to tip toe. "Amazing," the guide remarked. I could see the big cat straining as she trudged into the safety of the bushes.  

"Not even a crackle of dead leaves," the guide remarked. The tigress soon vanished into the thick clumps and we moved a little ahead only to encounter the cub. This was perhaps his initiation of the surroundings with the bizarre creature facing him. 

It was a countenance filled with innocence, awe and wonder. Like all big cats he stood there confident and fearless. A picture of innocence I conjectured. Little did he knew that his future depends upon this strange two legged creature - uncaring, ruthless and full of greed. This was a strikingly beautiful encounter, perhaps one of the most awe inspiring moment of my life.      

The expert French photographer Yves was busy with his camera oblivious of all that was going in my mind. Time and again he turned around to shake hands with me, the guide and the driver."Merci". Short time after the rendezvous the cub vanished into the thickets.

"The tigress is watching us" I whispered to the guide and the driver. All the time she was watching us unseen while we were looking at the cub, I realized. She was again sitting in a position to strike at us. Although we were a good distance from her she could strike us any moment. This would have been mock charge I am sure. 

By now the photographer and his wife had realized the gravity of the situation. Just as he had stopped clicking the cub appeared besides the mother and then they both vanished.  

Better sense prevailed not amongst us but in the tigress. Feeling terribly insecure specially at her cub's proximity to us she was ready for a charge. But then sensing no real threat from us she gave peace a chance. No territorial claim as she quickly moved into the thickets with her cub in tow.      

This encounter was an eye opener. All the sagas of brave hunters killing the mighty beast the tiger as it charged at them were laid to dust. Certainly curiosity killed the big cat.

KanKata: Male Tiger Kanha

The pugmarks elated me. "We are going to see a tiger," I told Christy a tourist from Indiana State of USA.  She had earlier missed sighting a tigress we had encountered in Kanha. We moved on excited by the prospect of sighting a big male as I made it out from the pugmarks. 

Sure he was there on the road looking at us with some expectation. Though a little less in dimensions than Munna tiger he was nevertheless impressive. I encountered this male on Kanha Ghat some years back. He trudged along quite oblivious of us but nevertheless kept an eye on us. 

Our dear American friend was excited beyond belief as she continuously worked on her camera. The big cat trudged along for about half an hour with many jeeps now following him. We kept a safe distance as he was in no mood to be threatened by us or other jeeps. Though quite tolerant these big cats can charge if the vehicle comes very close. These charges are mock but who likes to take such a chance. 

Kankata moves along the Kisli Zone to Mukki partially and can sometimes be seen on Kanha Ghat. He is not very visible these days and keeps more inaccessible parts of Kanha National Park. He is the one who killed a male frequenting the precincts of Courtyard House where I work as a nature/birding guide as a freelancer. The collar around his neck was in an awkward position but he showed no signs of discomfort.      

After a long distance the tension-ridden but exciting walk, the tiger vanished into the forests before the fire line that leads to Mukki Zone. Many jeeps arrived by then, but unfortunately, they missed the grand spectacle. 

Our guest thrilled to their bones was very happy and satisfied that she had seen a tiger in the wild. Kanha National Park is one of the finest forests in India for sighting big cats. 

Male Tiger by Ruchi Patel

         

Awaiting Eagerly for Tiger Tours

Bengal Tiger

Ruddy Mongoose

Come monsoon the tiger reserves are closed. The parks are frequented by tiger lovers like me. Hence the monsoon offers a brief interval from various activities that we carry out at the reserves. I work as freelance nature guide while many visit the reserves out of love for nature. The photographers visit the parks in a planned manner independently or on contract with major companies.     

Leopard

Sambar Deer

The three months pass over quickly and then the rush begins. The holiday makers constitute the largest segment and they come to see the tiger in the wild and take a swipe at other animals but much less at birds. Goggle eyed tourists are constantly searching for big cats they are least concerned with all that the ecosystems have to offer.   

Vine Snake

Crested Hawk Eagle

There should be greater impetus on interpretation of nature, wild animals and birds. Lectures, movies and nature treks are important mechanism to create awareness and goad people for conserving our inheritance.

All over the World wildlife tourism is not just tiger safari, it is enjoying nature holistically.One must learn from the experience and become committed to conservation. 

Savanna Nightjar

Images by Dharmagiri

Kanha in the rains

Tiger by Teerath Singh

During the monsoon the slush creates difficulties in driving on the jungle roads. This is also the time for breeding with young fawns of herbivores being born.   The deer and gaur which have mated during the winter delver their young during the season of plenty. The monsoon rain enriches the soil and vegetation all around the reserve is robust with new germination taking place.  

The transformation is magical all around you only see green. 

The jungle is silent especially in the absence of the tourist vehicles. The park is closed from 30th June till 15th October every year. The rains cease in and around September and the slush gets time to clear out from the roads.  

Most interesting aspect is the changing dynamics of tiger movement during this period.  The dense foliage accords lot of camouflage and shelter to the big cats. The tigers and leopards have to move long distances in search of prey. The abundant water and food supplies makes the herbivores spread out freely. There is no need for congregation hence the hunters have tough time chasing after then. 

It is very difficult to see the tigers and leopards during this period. There is no certainty of locating tigers unlike the summers whence they frequent water holes. Hence more accurate tracking is  required for sighting these big cats. Kanha offers little chance of leopard sightings but they do take place sometimes frequently when the spots become localized. This happens very rarely hence you have to count on lady luck.      

The wild animals get relative peace to rear their young ones. The park opens on 16th October and the tourism circuit comes to life. In the last season couple of tigers died nevertheless they are highly protected here. Almost all the forest patched contain big cats in buffer thanks to good conservation practices. the absence of wild dog sightings last season is a major source of very. I managed to see only one dhole which is surprising for an animal that is a pack hunter.    

In spite of the negativity, tourism in park has offered livelihood to many local communities and the travel professionals.  I have been visiting the park since the day of little tourism and now, it has done very little damage if any. 

How to Enjoy Wildlife at Kanha National Park?

How to Enjoy Wildlife at Kanha National Park?

How to go for a tiger safari in India?

How to go for a tiger safari in India?

Wild Animals of Central India & Conservation Status

Wild Animals of Central India & Conservation Status