Madhya
Pardesh … land of
the Tigers
Even today it
remains one of the most diverse and vibrant
states…especially for nature lovers and
visitors seeking to explore India’s natural
wealth and heritage…
MP is also
home to some of the best national parks and
sanctuaries in India. It also has one of the
best tiger reserves in the country…
Bandavagarh.
Bandavagarh is
unique. Famous all over the world for its
tigers... it is a paradise. Specially for
wildlife enthusiasts who want to watch
tigers in their natural surroundings…
Bandavgarh...
apart from the tigers, wildlife and natural
beauty is steeped in history… It has a
number of ancient caves and inscriptions,
some in Brahmi, dating back to 500 years BC,
an ancient fort with 10th century
rock images and sculptures. It is an ideal
place for a family holiday and one can spend
weeks exploring the natural Sal forest and
grasslands for nature’s countless life
forms.
Cradled
amongst the Vindhya hills the 450 sq km.
National Park has a rich biodiversity and a
high density and vibrant population of
wildlife and a large number of tigers.
A perennial
stream running through the park is the life
line of this park…The source of this stream
called Charanganga are 12 giant kunds or
water tanks that are housed in the majestic
fort on top of the 582 acre plateau that
rises up steeply nearly a thousand feet in
the center of the forest. The fort covers an
area.
Water
collected in the 12 ponds during the rainy
season percolates gently throughout the year
and gives birth to Charanganga the stream
which runs through the park offering
sustenance not only to the flora and fauna
of the park but also to thousands of
villagers and tribals outside the park.
Every time I cross the stream I stand in
amazement and silent tribute at the
foresight of a ruler who built this
ingenious water harvesting system over 2000
years ago.
Bandavgarh is
open to the visitors from October to June.
The park is closed during the monsoons. It
opens on the 1st of October… just
after the monsoons..
The winters in
Bandavgarh are warm during the day and can
be very cold at night… the temperature
varies but even in the summer months the
nights are cool.
The park area
open to visitors is covered by a network of
murram roads and a number of trained guides
and jeeps are available for hire. The forest
dept also has elephants for hire and these
need to be hired in advance. Tigers in
inaccessible areas are approachable only on
elephant back and a elephant show is held in
the mornings on some days by the forest dept
to enable the tourist to catch a glimpse of
the big cat in its natural surroundings.
Summer months are the best for tiger
sightings… the grass is usually dry and
short and the foliage scanty… most of the
water bodies dry up and only a few of the
larger water holes and river carry water.
The central
grassland… Chakradhara is a popular and
ideal place for wildlife spotting. Just
below the Bandavgarh fort plateau it is also
the parks catchment area. This huge
grassland is a favorite grazing spot for the
deer and wild boar including water birds and
reptiles… With abundant prey and cover and
water the tiger too frequent the grassland…
I have been lucky to witness a tigress
stalking and bringing down its prey more
than half a dozen times over the last 5-
years.
Every year I
have been to Bandavagarh I have seen tiger
with cubs… and the amazing thing is that
you literally bump into the tiger where you
least expect him !! …most of my sightings
have lasted from 30 mins to over few hours…
and on lonely undisturbed roads away from
the popular routes, and many times in more
than one area in a day… while watching
tigers remember not to startle or disturb
the animal with strange noise... tigers get
disturbed and do not like strange sounds or
noises especially the ones that they cannot
decipher and avoid confronting them.
Patience and silence is the key ...restrain
from rushing in and pushing your jeep for a
closer look the tiger moves at a relaxed and
unhurried pace and all can view the big cat
at leisure.
The
October/November months are special
Bandavgarh is a riot of green… flowering
plants and shrubs butterflies and insects
dominate the park. Huge spider nests some
measuring over 6 feet hang like fine silk
curtains swaying in the strong wind all over
the forest…the fine morning dew breaking
into million colors of the spectrum every
time the morning sun catches it… I have
spent days filming the spiders hunting and
catching their flying prey in the gossamer
webs …butterflies moths and grasshoppers
are a the common prey but I have seen baby
bats and even giant moths trapped and
cacooned in the web… another species of
spider …one that nests in smalls crevices in
the ground can be seen around most of the
roads their prey ranges from grasshoppers to
beetles and slugs.
The park has a
large variety of birds including a generous
population of raptors… the water bodies and
grasslands are home to some migratory birds.
Over 200 species of birds have been
identified in the park. The birds are
generally relaxed and don’t spook easily and
therefore easy to photograph and if you have
the patience and time then watching a
serpent eagle make a kill and the
magnificent paradise fly catcher chasing
flies in not an uncommon sight… the park
also has a number of rare not so easily seen
birds like malabar hornbills, leaf birds,
blue bearded bee eaters shrikes and minivets.
A visit to the
2000-year-old fort is a must if you are
visiting Bandavgarh… There are two ways to
get to the top… by jeep or on foot. The
passage to the sheer hill top starts near a
reclining 30 foot statue of Vishnu called
sesh saiya the river charanganga flows from
the feet of the statue…located in the
southern part of the park. The one hour
climb is both exhilarating and strenuous in
parts... but the view at the top is worth
it… Apart from the ancient architecture and
crumbling ramparts the path leading to the
fort is dotted with images and statues of
the different avatars or incarnations of
Vishnu. The fort has 3 temples. It is
believed that the fort was built by Rama and
gifted to Lakshman on their way back from
Lanka. Lakshman is the deity worshipped
here. The fort remains deserted and visited
twice a year by thousands of pilgrims. The
fort is also a place of pilgrimage for the
kabir panthis… followers of Kabir... The
fort was his adobe for some time nearly 400
years ago.
The view from
the ramparts of the fort is spectacular…in
summer the smouldering red of the blossoming
flame of the forest truly sets the forest
ablaze with its vibrant colour…the park
looks like a huge garden dotted with red and
a spatter of green against the brown caked
earth and dry grassland the jeeps like tiny
ants…
Large colony
of vultures lives on the sheer cliff face
taking off at intervals flirting with the
thermals these are perhaps the only
surviving colony for hundreds of miles.
A good guide
is a must and it is wise to leave the fort
by 3pm… The atmosphere is electric and full
of history and tales and it is easy to get
lost in thought and time... The alarm calls
of the langur jolted us to the present… the
tiger is a regular visitor to the fort said
the pujari…the fine dust around the ruins is
full of fresh tiger pug marks both large and
small…a tigress with 2 cubs …It is prudent
to start off from the fort before the light
begins to decay… The park closes at 6.30 pm
and all vehicles are required to move out
before sunset.
Many lodges
and resorts have sprung up in Tala and offer
a wide range of choice… these range from Rs.
350/- a night for a couple to Rs. 3500/- for
a night of luxury.
The food in the
local Dhabas is a mixed affair but always
good for a strong cup of sweet tea…Nandu
Bhaiyas dhaba promises a reasonable
vegetarian fare… helpful and always eager to
experiment... fresh meals are made on order
and fairly priced.
Accommodation
in the government rest house and forest rest
house is available but booking has to be
done in advance. For the budget tourists and
the back packers there are reasonably priced
tents and small lodges with cooking
facilities are also available.
A couple of
shops stock all the knick-knacks of a modern
store.
The park tours
are in the morning and evenings… leaving you
enough time to explore the town and villages
around…on one of my meandering around tala
nearly 10 km out of the tala town I ran into
a family of wolves… 5 cubs and mother
scampered away atop a hilly shelter …during
the summer nights Mahua harvest and smell of
the sweet scented fruits draws out the
bears on to the main tala road.. venturing
out alone at night is not advisable always
move in a group and in a vehicle ….most of
the village goes to sleep by 8 pm bringing
the day to an end… a full nights sleep to
prepare you for an early morning start for
another day..
You can drive
from Kajuraho or take a train to Umaria or a
plane to Jabalpur and 3 hours by road to
tala.. The Khajuraho road 250 km is a tough
long haul and can take up to 8 hours. The
train to Umaria railway Station and then a
40 mins jeep ride to tala is perhaps the
best option…
Kanha National
Park…
hours from Bandavgarh is the famous Kanha
National park. Kanha is situated in a valley
surrounded by hills and criss crossed by
rivers the low laying areas form a natural
swamp.
The 1945 sq km
Kanha Tiger Reserve situated at an altitude
ranging from 1500ft to 2950ft above sea
level is one of the most spectacular and
geologically diverse national parks. Kanha
with huge tracts of grasslands, magnificent
sal forests, meadows, plateaus and valleys
and is one of Indias wildest and most
beautiful parks.
Kanha is known
for its deer especially the swamp deer or
the Barasinngha and its tigers. The thick
Sal forests and lush under growth hide the
tiger and tiger sighting is difficult but
not impossible. The grasslands and stony
nullah beds are the ideal places for tiger
sightings. Tiger kills reported deep in the
forest are located by elephants and tiger
shows are arranged in the mornings for the
visitors.
For me the
majestic barasingha is the pride of the
Kanha national park.... December to march
are one of the best times to see these
magnificent stags in action the rutting
season is on and the barasingha stags
display and strut around antlers held high
in their full glory the jungle reverberates
with their primeval bellows which can be
heard for miles around. The stag fights are
one of the most impressive spectacles I have
seen and filmed . Kanha is a photographers
paradise.
In March the
chital rutting season begins and the jungle
once again is filled with the clanging of
antlers and a cacophony of rutting calls.
Kanha has over
300 species of birds and raptors and water
birds. The water bodies glades and meadows
offer the visitor hours of interesting
viewing. Jeep drives are the best way to get
around and under no circumstances should you
try and venture out on foot in the forest
area or near the water bodies.
Tiger sighting
are more common during the early morning
drives and if you are lucky you may be
rewarded with a kill in the nalla.
Whatever the
time of the day or year Kanha is a majestic
wild and interesting national park with
something always happening somewhere…
The national
park also has large herds of Gaur a sizeable
population of the dhole or wild dogs water
fowls owls. Sambar nilgai chausingha and
sloth bears including the leopard make up
the impressive list. The water bodies
attract a number of migratory birds.
Kanha Is a
busy and popular National park tourist
pressure is heavy during the peak season and
holidays.
Entrance: You
can enter from Khatia in Mandla Distt, which
is north west of the park. Convenient for
tourists arriving from Nagpur and Jabalpur.
Mukki in Balaghat... south of the park is
the best for visitors arriving from Bilaspur.
Raipur
MP tourism has
comfortable log huts at Kisli. My favourite
one however remains the Kisli Forest
guesthouse which costs about 800 a day.
The Khatia
Forest guesthouse also offers comfortable,
cheaper accommodation. There are a surfeit
of private hotels jungle camps and lodges to
choose from. Kipling camp remains a
favorite... its offers old British days
comfort and yet maintains the jungle
ambience. The food is just great and the
people hospitable... easy to feel at home
.It has a well stocked library and an in
house Elephant too!
Pench
National Park and sanctuary.
Kiplings country.. mowgli
land…
The nobel
laureate Rudyard Kipling is said to have
based his world famous classic The Jungle
Book on the village and jungles around
seonee hills of central India.
Pench is a
young but interesting reserve park situated
80 km from Nagpur. Surrounded by the seoni
hills of central India. The park spills over
and lies partially in Maharashtra.
Pench
stretches to more than 600sqkm of dry,
deciduous forests, mostly teak and is the
natural habitat of a large number of animals
including the tiger and the very rarely seen
striped hyena.
It was evening
by the time I got to the jungle guesthouse.
The Karamjhiri forest guesthouse in the
heart of the jungle is warm and extremely
comfortable.
The camp has
its own pace and ambience and one is
transported back into time... Thankfully the
cell phones don’t work here and the clutter
and clatter of the modern world is left far
behind. The virgin wilderness of Pench
resounds with jungle sounds and rustling of
the winds.
Early next
morning the tranquility of the place was
suddenly shattered by the bloodcurdling
calls of the sambhar.... suddenly the jungle
was resounding with the alarm calls, the
langur the peacock... chitals all in
unison… the king was on the move and the
jungle alarm system had triggered off. The
alarm sounds moved along the path the tiger
was taking... as it moved off the sounds too
faded away. Sher Khan had left the area...
the jungle started breathing again.
The morning
drives are rewarding, apart from the
adventure and thrill of trying to locate the
tiger the drive and experience helps to hone
up your skills and senses…the guides are
experienced helpful and well informed...
always adding a little spice and folk lore
to their stories. The guides mainly come
from the villages around the reserve and
know the area well and are friendly. Most of
them end up narrating the folklore around
the wild jungle boy... a strange boy-beast
who had terrorized the area years ago…
Mowgli?
Pench has a
large number of Gaur and chitals including
wolves’ leopard chinkara chausingha and
sloth bears. The river has a good number of
water birds and also the tiger of the
rivers...the mahasher... Fishing is not
permitted.
It is said
that kiplings story was based on a potters
village Kanhiwada not far from Pench Mowgli
was a potter’s son.
Kanhiwada is a
2-hour drive from Pench, no sign of the
British legacy remains in the crumbling
potters village. Pottery still remains their
occupation and means of livelihood.
Near by the
SidhBaba Ghat offers you a spectacular sight
the wainganga river plunges down a deep
gorge disappearing into a cloud churning
foam and mist… this is the place mowgli
called Place of Death... The Pench river is
serene and picture perfect and brings to
life mowglis jungle book magic. There is
boating available for the visitors. White
water rafting is also possible along some
stretches of the river. The national park is
introducing a special package... a journey
along the river with camping facilities in
villages along the river for night halts.
The park
drives are like in all other parks… twice a
day early morning s and evenings. There is
usually no animal activity or movement in
the jungles in the afternoon so the
afternoons are yours to explore nearby areas
and in Pench... the Gond tribal villages.
The Gonds are really children of the
earth... they have genuine reverence for
nature and other life forms.
They respect
nature and all their tombstones bear
pictures of animals, birds and trees
including insects. They have a great
reverence for the tiger. The tiger is
venerated by them at the Bagh Baba Mandir...
The main alter of the temple bears the marks
and stains of years of offerings. The
offerings comprise cooked food, assorted
farm produce, seasonal harvest and even
chicken is offered to the tiger God... to
the tiger is the symbol of fertility. A good
offering at the temple promises the gond the
possibility of a male child and a good
harvest. If the tiger is happy the land too
will remain fertile and happy... this is
their simple belief.
The Pench
tiger reserve has a number of tree top huts
these are set up high amongst the trees a
little distance away in the jungle these are
really great if you want to experience the
solitude and the sounds of the jungle.
Many resorts
are coming up out side the park and there
are facilities and transport and guides
available if you decide to take an afternoon
trip into the countryside.
March to June
is the prime time to visit the sanctuary.
Pench Tiger
Reserve is 190 km from Jabalpur, 110 km from
Nagpur and 180 km drive from Kanha.
The roads are
rough and the drive is long.
A comfortable
stay is available in Pench at Karmajhari
Guest House, prices range from Rs. 50 for
a dorm to Rs. 00 for an air-conditioned
room. The Tree Tops is priced at 2000 a
night... Many private resorts and hotels are
mushrooming around Pench.
by Mike Pandey
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