In search of a royal kingdom

Wondering if it is worth visiting national parks like Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger Reserve without spotting the ‘prized’ Royal Bengal Tiger? The answer is a yes and a no!

PHOTOGRAPHS AND TExT BY: NIDHI RAJ SINGH

à indian Wildlife

Ãindian Wildlife

Having been to Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh before, I was not sure what to expect from my trip to the national parks in Madhya Pradesh,

Bandhavgarh and Kanha. The last trips have indeed left me awestruck by the wilderness and of course the sight of the stripped royal beauty. Little did I know that this very trip is going to move me to a great extent, if not making my senses upside-down. Various projects to save our national animal also seemed so personal and so urgent.

This was mostly because of the resort we chose to stay, Kings Lodge in Bandhavgarh and Earth Lodge in Kanha, managed by Pugdundee Safaris. More than a hospitality group, the team comprise of conservationists, naturalist and true nature-lovers. Shyamendra Singh manages the Ken River Lodge, Panna that has become a centre for conservation education for tourists and local residents alike. Naturalist Karan Rana, in-charge for the Pugdundee team knows the wild like the back of his hand. The team has a strong conservation policy and realise the importance of sustainable wildlife tourism. They have also created Pugdundee Safaris Conservation Cell with an aim to engage in action-based wildlife and local peoples issues. Their conviction made me think about my next step to save our forest. I also realised that sitting in our comfort zones, clicking the ‘like’ option on conservation pages on social networking sites is certainly not the answer!

BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARKThe tiger tales started way before we hopped on our open Gypsy to take a trip into the jungle. (One can also hire an elephant for a closer look at the jungle, but it comes with a higher price tag). Our driver Ajju and the Forest Department guide were fi lling us up with mesmerising tales of man-tiger confl icts. “You have to be really unlucky not to spot a tiger here,” the guide smiled and we shifted in our seats. We wanted to believe when they said that the tiger ‘actually’ wants to avoid human contact and keep a distance from us!

The driver maneuvered through the routes marked for our vehicle through the Jungle lined by trees like mahua, Indian Ghost tree, Sal and surrounded by the Vindhya hills of Madhya Pradesh. The panorama was breathtaking! There is 624 square km of core area and 537 square km of Buffer Zone. It was heartening to know that this national park, once the ‘shikargah’ or hunting preserve of the erstwhile Rewa dynasty, is now persevered ardently.

After soaking in the beauty of the terrain of the jungle and clicking the photographs of the ‘praja’, we were getting impatient to see the ‘raja’. Our guide kept us distracted with spotted deer, black-faced langoor, sambhar, eagle and wild boars, without being distracted himself. He listened to every little sound in the wild as any alarm call by barking deer, sambhar or langoor means that the tiger is on the prawl, somewhere near, watching us maybe.

FACT FILE• There are 32 hills in this part of the park and the ruins

of the grand Bandhavgarh Fort. Recently, trekking has been allowed and one has to leave the vehicle near the ‘Sheshshaiya’ where a large rock idol of reclining ‘Vishu’ lies with ‘Shivlingam’, ‘Sheshnaag’ and a small pond. If guides are to be believed, the chances are high that you come across a tiger while trekking up! The fort’s cliffs are 2625 feet (800 meters) high, 1000 feet (300 meters) above the surrounding countryside.

• Winter season (November-mid to February) has freezing temperature at night to around 68 degree Fahrenheit in day. Summer nights are cooler than day when the temparature rises to 104 degree Fahrenheit.

• The park is closed during the breeding season, which coincides with the monsoon (July to October).

As our guide spotted pugmarks of a tiger, he guided the driver to drive to a spot called Chua. Guides of other vehicles passing by exchanged quick glances and notes as our very own guide concentrated on alarm calls by animals around. We stationed our vehicle and were amazed to see more than ten other vehicles with tourists ready with their shutterbugs.

The minutes passed like hours as we felt the hair rising at the back of our necks. Some of the cameras started clicking and we knew that ‘it’ is here. Finally, we saw the tiger coming steadily from behind the bushes. The tiger, as we were told later was the current dominant male B2. Even an old, seemingly tired tiger with a clear scar on its neck walking past us could make our heart rate faster! It must be a less than a 15 second walk, crossing the path nonchalant of the presence of dozens camera fl ashes and vehicles but was enough for us to freeze at our places. However, later I strongly felt that more than being an old tiger, it was a ‘thinking’ tiger, planning a strategy to win its next fi ght with its son ‘Kalua’ that seems too eager to topple its father’s kingdom and start its own. The only thing that I really missed was a pro-am SLR!

Once B2 disappeared discreetly into the bushes on the other side of the path, we geared up to have a relaxed time with the diverse fl ora and fauna of the national park while on our way back from our three hour allotted time. Currently, the Tala region has the maximum number of tiger sightings. The guides, interestingly, referred to each tiger by their name, B2, Kalua, Bhitari, Chakradhara! Strangely, once the tiger is spotted, the excitement and admiration for this amazing animal overcomes the fear. I can assure that it is much more exciting than going to the zoo.

Photograph

cou

rtesy M

P Tourism

KANHA TIGER RESERVESo intense is the magic of the jungles of Madhya Pradesh that Rudyard Kipling created some of the most-loved characters based on it for his famous Jungle Book, from ‘mowgli, ‘baghira’, ‘bhalu’ and, of course, ‘sherkhan’. Seeking pugmarks (foot prints) of a tiger in the wild and spotting animals as they laze around gazing at you with caution and suspicion was becoming almost a habit.

One strikingly different feature of Kanha are the long stretches of open grasslands or meadows and it is exactly where the adventure begins. Herds of chitals or spotted deers can be seen grazing, stopping to look up every time a vehicle stops to click their photograph or capture their beauty in their handy-cams. We were very close to a sloth bear that was hidden in a bush treating himself to some termites. Our patience did not bear fruits as it did not come out of its hiding. We came across herds of Indian gaur on paths, in the woods grazing and near the water body. The lonely gaurs spotted on the path were the ones discarded from their herd after losing a fi ght against another male gaur of its group. We had little time left for Kanha Tiger Reserve and unexpected rainfall in the morning lessened our chances of spotting the king of the jungle. We decided to go for tiger show.

Contrary to its name, a tiger show is not where tiger jumps through fi reballs or stands on chairs. However, it is also no less than spotting a tiger on your own. The mahouts and guides track the tigers on elephant back till they settle at one place somewhere in the jungle. Four to fi ve elephants surround the tiger(s) or tigress with her cubs. Tourists take their allotted number and have a close look at the ‘royalty’ on elephant’s back. Tigers? They don’t seem to mind. During winters, tigers are hassled by the fog and dew and thus they prefer to walk on the open pathways rather than settling into the woods. During summer season, tigers are spotted near the water bodies, especially in the evening.