Tigeress in the Ethereal Morning

I asked the guide to move through Salghat a low lying mountain with lot of Sal trees hence the name. It was a beautiful morning at Kanha National Park and as usual I was with my foreign guests from Courtyard House. A cool wind blew past us as me moved along the incline.

"Salghat?" 

"Yes', I said.

Driving very slowly we had  reached the cross road, I asked the driver to move towards Badrinath and head straight towards Sarvan Taal at Kanha Zone. We crossed over the striking grasslands of Kanha meadows and then reached a water body called Phuta Taal.  We continued.  

The transformation was electric, before we could see the tigress the drama unfolded. We found monkeys scurrying up the trees and then the hollow alarm cry of the spotted deer began. We knew there was a big cat on the way and rightly so. It emerged from the shadow of the trees neighboring the lake and headed straight towards us.   

The spectacular display of the swamp deer and its raucous cries was a rare event to witness as the tigress cut across the road past us. She continued to walk graceful emerging from thickets accompanied by dulcet roars. She came out in the open and then went into hiding behind the bushes. 

The event unfolded as she continued to move back past Phuta Taal at a graceful place totally ignorant of us and the frantic life all around her. The jeeps started arriving as we signaled them but there was no hurry, the big cat was aiming for a long walk and that it did. 

All the jeeps had rushed towards the Silyari Lake since Munna the male tiger was sighted a day before in the evening. I knew that there would be an undisturbed ground for the tigress to amble free...and so it happened. My guests from UK clicked merrily amazed at the turn of events.  Completely Zapped.

Tigress - Dinesh Makhija

Swamp Deer - Dinesh Makhija

         

Munna - Epitome of Tigerhood

Tiger Safari

"Nothing here," the forest guide said as we passed through the Silyari Lake and adjoining grasslands. "Well than lets go over to Nain Singh Nala," I said. "Nothing here as well no sign of the tiger," the guide said. The driver and the guide then set out to draw an elaborate route that would fetch a tiger. 

Our guest at Courtyard House was a wildlife photographer Micheal from UK and he wanted a real good shoot of the big cat. 

"We are going back," I said in a stern voice to make sure that my wish is accepted. The driver and the guide looked absolutely bewildered....crazy nut they must be thinking."But there is no sign of the tiger at all," the guide said. I remained quite. 

In the pin drop silence that prevailed I sat silently pondering over the possible movement of the tiger. "It is hot for the big cat to move," I told the guide who nodded in affirmative. "We will wait here for an hour and them move on to exit through as it becomes cooler." The guide was a nice man and he let me muse by the lake patiently. The driver sat smug and uneasy. He had to obey. He!He!

Micheal sat cool with full faith in me.       

All the jeeps had gone through ahead, a couple of them passed us. "What are you doing here? Any sign." No! "Then why are you waiting here?"

"For the tiger." I said." The vehicles sped through. My game plan was simple, the tiger Munna favors this lake and so I was going to score a critical tiger habitat at the right time. Hence we waited for the right time whence it was lot more cooler.

"Tiger," I said much to the astonishment of Micheal and others.In a frenzy we turned towards Nain Singh Nala.  The big cat has just descended from the hill and was coolly walking past another jeep that happened to be there. Micheal set to work by the time more and more jeeps arrived. But in the ensuing moment my guest had the choicest of the shots.        

Munna is a magnificent tiger who rule over the Kisli Range of Kanha National Park. He has sired many generations of big cats. Though aging now,

Munna Tiger By Dinesh Makhija

he exudes immense power and is a bundle of muscle. He is one of the largest male in the park. He is able to hold a large territory not only by strength but more so by his experience. Young males are trying to make in roads into his domain but not with much success.      

Mahua & Sloth Bears at Kanha

The Mahua Tree has a legendary status amidst the Flora of Central India and perhaps other places. This tree is sacred and is never felled by the locals. Most cherished by the tribal, it is a symbol of the fruits of labor. The fruiting tree is very popular since the fruits whence dried and fermented are capable of yielding a coarse brew that can be very strong. 

The locals are inextricably linked with the intoxicant and hence the tree. And so is the illusive sloth bear which can be often seen foraging under its cool shade at Kanha National Park. It is also a part of many rites and rituals amongst the tribal.

Sloth Bear - Dinesh Makhija

Well, this is a good time to see the sloth bear in the park and the buffer zone. The highly nocturnal animal is seen by many tourists in the grassy meadows and the dense canopy in search of fallen Mahua fruits.    

On my recent guiding trips in the months of March April and May, I was able to sight many of these magnificent animals. The quest for nutritious Mahua fruit fetches the sloth into the open else it is highly nocturnal.   The Mahua fruit whence eaten fresh is a good source of vitamins and minerals besides loads of antioxidants. 

The tribal are allowed to keep a certain amount of fruits in their possession which dry out as time passes. The taste is acrid and sweet and I have regularly consumed it during my guiding trip at Courtyard House in Kanha. The brew is distilled as and when required while a coarse oil is also obtained for cooking.

Besides excellent source of nutrition, the fruit acts as a mild laxative and helps lubricate your innards well. About five fruits consumed for a week does the trick, hence it proves very good for those on a hard stool. He!He!      

Much ignored and maligned for the strong brew this is a tree in waiting for the modern World to benefit from its enrichment.

Ganesha on Tree

Nature takes bizarre shapes sometimes. Here is an image of tree trunk part of which is shaped like Lord Ganesha. See some more images by Ruchi Patel.

Black Stork

Bengal Tiger

Lord Ganesha Impression on Tree Trunk

Anshuman Singh

Anshuman Singh is a young lawyer based in Jabalpur in Central India. He is also a keen photographer and conservationist. At the forefront of conservation he participates with utmost sincerity in many activities relating to nature. He is active in initiating school children to nature conservation and birding. Here are some of the images by Anshuman Singh

Male Tiger

Pachmarhi Hill Resort

Painted Stork

Painted Stork in Flight

Tigress

Red Eye Tiger

Spectacled Cobra

Male Tiger

Male Tiger Kanha

Tigress

Patiha Female Bandhavgarh

Tree Planting + Indian Army

Umerpani Female Kanha

Verditor Flycatcher

 

The Tiger Story - Bandhavgarh

Leopard

Tiger

Male Tiger

Injured Blue Eyed Tiger and After wards

Blue Eyed Injured

Blue Tiger Bandhavgarh

Injured Tiger

Jeep Safari

Long Billed Vulture

Big Male Tiger

Tiger & Tree

Ruddy Mongoose

Alarmed Sambar

Save Tiger

Spotted Deer

Bengal Tiger

Tiger at Water

Tiger in Grass

Scent Marking Tiger

Snarling Tiger

Tiger Walk

Tige rin Bandhavgarh National Park

Wild Dog

Teerath Singh has been a great friend and client for website promotion. He is an equally great photographer, naturalist, and guide. Teerath Singh also operates a tour company called MP Tiger Safari in India.   

Bandhavgarh is a happening place and Teerath's Images keep telling exciting stories of the wild. Here is one incidence of a blue-eyed male tiger being injured in a fight and made to leave his territory. Well, this winter he is making a comeback. Territorial fights among the big cats could be a messy and bloody affair. See the images by Teerath Singh in this blog. 

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