Day 7 (28th March)
The day really starts early if one has to visit the core area of a national park. Veterans of getting up early and getting ready in time, we were ready when the gypsy arrived at 05:45. As we walked towards the reception area we could smell the clean morning air redolent with the aroma of Mahua. Bandhavgarh is peppered with these trees which flower in March - April. The ripe yellowish green fruits not only look like grapes but also share some qualities. They are sweet to taste and turn into a potent intoxicating wine when fermented. Typically, the ripe fruits drop down from the trees at around sunrise and the surrounding area turns musky with the sweet, distinctive smell of Mahua. The fruits of Mahua are a great favourite of elephants, sloth bear etc who get attracted by the intoxicating aroma and are hooked on by the taste!! For ages, Mahua has sustained the tribes for ages and is rightly called “Garibon ka Kishmish” (Raisin of the poor). A giant Mahua tree adjacent to the reception area was in full bloom and the ground underneath was carpeted with ripe fruits. We were to discover later during the day that the Resort staff collect the fruits of the Mahua trees, dry them in the sun and sell the same.
Soon our gypsy was parked in front of the closed gates of the core area. The paperwork at Bandhavgarh seems to take longer than at Kanha. Even as we waited patiently, an astonishing, once in a lifetime occurrence unfolded before our eyes. Our gypsy was parked right in front of the closed gates of the core area. Suddenly, we heard the desperate shouts of a man and, even before we could realise what was happening, a man literally stumbled and fell down as if pushed down by brute force. And a brute force it was indeed, a full grown male wild boar had attacked a hapless forest guard, had pushed him down and was actually attacking the poor chap even as the victim cried for help. We just sat in the gypsy and saw the real life drama unfold – too stunned to react. And as suddenly as it had started, it ended. The wild boar suddenly turned its back towards us and ran back into the jungle. Thankfully, the man did not sustain any broken bones, though he had a nasty gash on his thigh where the boar had gouged into him. Soon a crowd of drivers, guides etc. collected and amidst the chaotic excitement the poor guy was taken to a hospital. Jenny was to mock Rituraj later for not being able to capture the drama in his camera once again!!!
The commotion settled down and we were soon within the confines of the core area of Bandhavgarh National Park. Flanked on two sides by towering hillocks Bandhavgarh is a more scenic forest than Kanha. The guide and the driver told us that it was a good omen to see a wild boar in the beginning. Armed with this good omen we really were hoping to sight a tiger during our very first foray into the Bandhavgarh National Park.
But even as we roamed all over, there was no tiger to be seen. We did hear some alarm calls of spotted deer but they were from deep within the forest. We did see lots of other wild life though – spotted deer, sambhar, common langur, barking deer, adjutant storks etc. but what we were hoping to see kept eluding us. It was almost 08:00, and not only had we not sighted a tiger but it seemed no one else had either. So we headed towards the Centre Point of Bandhavgarh.
The Centre Point of Bandhavgarh is a damp squib as compared to Kanha! While hot tea and pakodas sold by the locals are appetising, the toilets are practically nonexistent and filthy. What it lacks is the organisation displayed at Kanha. It is, however, again a convenient point for exchange of news – especially about the tiger. Today, the exchange was going to be an exercise in futility for everyone. Nobody, it seemed, had sighted the mighty beast today. Rituraj opined that the tigers had taken a weekly off – what with today being a Sunday!!!
Tea, pakodas and a fruitless exchange of news later we left Centre Point for further forays into the jungle. Hardly had we driven about a kilometre than we saw a jackal on the road ahead. It was trying to lift something in its powerful jaws, but as we approached closer it ran into the bushes alongside. Closer now, we could clearly see what the jackal was trying to drag away. It was a young spotted deer that had met its end at the jaws of the jackal. The dead chital was certainly much larger than the jackal but must have been caught unawares and had its neck strangled under the powerful jaws of the predator. It had been killed minutes before and the predator was trying to drag the carcass into the bushes when our gypsy had intruded upon and literally ambushed him.
We decided to wait for this lifetime opportunity to see a predator drag away its kill. Meanwhile, some more gypsies joined us and though the jackal kept circling, it did not venture near its kill. We edged the gypsy farther away, urged the others to do the same but the jackal remained wary. We patiently waited even as some others left, and twice the jackal came close to his kill … but did not grab it and made no effort to drag it into the bushes. The intrusion of humans had disconcerted him and it was not going to oblige the rude intruders. We rued our misfortune at having missed out on this extraordinary opportunity and moved on.
Our driver seemed to be an impetuous and impatient guy. He seemed to be zipping across the forest. As if that was not bad enough, he justified it by remarking that the speed was to ensure that we did not miss the tiger!! Phew … as if the tiger had given him an appointment which had to be met. Anyway, he did drive slowly upon being urged to do so and gradually we reached a large meadow flanked by a large water body on one side. Due to ready availability of water the meadow was swarming with wild life including some rare avian species like the endangered vultures, the majestic eagles and the graceful kingfishers.
We waited for some time, but there were no tell tale alarm calls signalling the presence of a tiger. The tigers of Bandhavgarh were truly were enjoying their Sunday!! It was past 09:00 and only a stroke of extreme good fortune could have enabled us to sight a tiger now. Tigers are fundamentally lazy creatures and abhor heat. As the sun rises higher they retreat under the cool confines of a canopy of leaves, stirring only for water – either to drink or to wade in. Consequently, it is only during the early mornings or late afternoons that one has a chance to sight a tiger.
We, therefore, drove atop a hillock which has a huge idol of Vishnu, lying on the Shesh Nag. On the steep climb of this hillock we saw a mammoth stable and court room which had been carved out of rocks. Bandhavgarh was part of the princely state of Rewa and these were relics of those days. Wondering at the human enterprise which carved out such huge caverns in such a remote area, we reached the top of the hillock. A small climb up the steps and we were in front of the supine idol of Vishnu. Next to Vishnu was a monolithic Shiv Linga. And almost at the feet of Vishnu was a cool stream of fresh water – flowing straight out of the rocks. This seemingly small but perennial stream, we were told, turns into a river called “Charan Ganga” signifying that it originates from the feet of Vishnu. Being perennial it provides water to much of the forest of Bandhavgarh and gently flows out of the forest to provide drinking water and irrigation to the nearby villages. A small pool in front of the idol looked green and dirty, but our guide just stirred the algae on the surface and filled up a bottle with crystal clear water. He pronounced that the water was perfectly safe to drink, and promptly drank it too. We were, however, too scared to embark upon any such bravado but Jenny negotiated across the pool to the origin of the stream and sampled it. She pronounced that it was really refreshing and certainly had no ill effects later on. Therefore, either the water was pure, or Jenny’s tummy is robust!!!
We savoured the panoramic view of the forest of Bandhavgarh from this vantage point while young rhesus monkeys entertained us with their antics. During the drive down the hillock we came across pug marks of a tiger but obviously these were a few hours old. The guide informed us that Bandhavgarh Fort, or what is left of it, is located atop another hillock. Ruins of the fort afford good shelter and the presence of ample water bodies atop the hillock (22 if our memory is correct) has turned it into an ideal habitat for wild life – tigers included.
Finally, we were out of the forest without even a fleeting glance of the tiger. So much for the good omen of the wild boar!!!
The outdoor shower attached to our room now beckoned. As the surprisingly cool water washed off the dust, sweat and grime, the pangs of hunger came calling. We wanted to catch up on sleep and so strategically decided to have a heavy brunch; rather than having lunch later. And satiated with the sumptuous brunch we were able to catch up on our sleep and be ready for the afternoon sojourn into the forest.
We were within the forest by 16:00 and the disappointment of a “tigerless” morning was about to evaporate. Barely 15 minutes later, the tell tale stationary gypsies galvanised us all into excitement. The equally excited gestures from others indicated the presence of not one but two tigers next to a stream!!
We edged closer, the driver chose a vantage point on the culvert and we could clearly see two semi adult tigers sleeping underneath a tree right next to the flowing water. Even the commotion created by the presence of multiple gypsies and their occupants did not disturb them; they barely stirred and carried on with their siesta. The guide told us that these two – a male and a female – were approximately 15 – 18 months old and were part of a litter of three. Their third sibling and the mother were obviously somewhere close by but well beyond the reach of our prying eyes, cameras and binoculars. As more and more gypsies joined in, a jungle of jumbled up gypsies soon created a traffic jam on the culvert. However, even the feverishly whispered shouts of the drivers cursing each other did not disturb the cubs. Every once in a while either of them would lift its head majestically, look around disdainfully and carry on its siesta.
The cubs, supremely confident of themselves, contemptuous of the gawking mankind, oblivious to the commotion and content under the shade, were to remain there for more than an hour. The sheer magnetism of the tiger in the wild was enough to keep all of us glued to our spots as we savoured their activities. The male sibling was appreciably bigger and its yellow striped coat was brighter than that of the female. It also seemed more lazy. The female was more alert and was decidedly more concerned with personal hygiene as she frequently kept cleaning her undersides and paws. There was a great similarity though – both of them were loath to move in the heat of the afternoon sun. The female once got up, grunted, yawned deeply and stretched her body as if to shake off the effects of slumber but promptly went back to sleep. After 45 minutes or so the male finally got up, and unhurriedly walked into the stream and lay down in the shallow water to cool itself. His sister was also fully awake by now, but she refused to follow the lead of the brother and seemed content under the shade.
As the sun rays weakened and turned a pale yellow, we kept wishing that the mother and the third sibling would make an appearance but that was not to be. The male cub cooled its body in the flowing water for about 15 minutes and then got up, yawned, looked around and then turned its back on the gawking onlookers as it regally ambled up the gentle slope and slowly vanished into the bushes. The female sibling alone now, seemed to enjoy being the sole centre of attraction and remained glued to her resting place for around 15 more minutes before she too slowly ambled across the stream, climbed up the slope and following the trail of her brother disappeared into the bushes. The cubs had probably gone towards their mother and the sibling. But they had whetted our appetite and we gave a silent thanks to them for having provided such a splendid show. Rituraj, it seemed, was keen on making up for the earlier lapses with the camera and had captured the cubs in their various moods.
It was almost 17:30 by now and as we wandered farther into the jungle we had a beautiful view of a full grown male barking deer. Barking deer are the smallest of the deer family in India and when fully grown are the size of a goat! They are also very shy by nature and their small size helps them easily hide in the bushes and undergrowth making it difficult to sight them. Unlike the other species of deer found in India, the barking deer also prefer to stay alone rather than in a herd. Later on, we came across a giant adjutant stork – so named because of its measured way of walking like an adjutant – a herd of wild boar, a herd of sambhar and countless spotted deer.
It was now time to return and we were more than content. But nature had more in store for us. We were barely a couple of kms from the main gate when we were to see two more tiger cubs!!! These cubs were younger than the ones we had seen earlier and were part of a litter of three. Their mother went by the nick name “Langdi” as she was lame. Must have been a hell of a tigress – to survive in the wild with a lame foot is a feat indeed, but this gutsy tigress had gone a step ahead, had produced cubs and was successfully rearing them. Rearing cubs is a thorny problem for the tigress. Not only does she have to rear the cubs all alone, she also has to save them from the male tiger and other predators. Even during her pregnancy and immediately after delivering the cubs she has to hunt – even in that weakened state – not only for herself but also for the cubs. The tigress lovingly nurtures her cubs, saves them from hostile predators, hunts for them and teaches them the tricks of survival in the wild. This seems to be a tall order even for the fittest tigress and many a cubs do not survive to see adulthood. But here was an intrepid tigress, who despite her handicap was boldly nurturing her cubs. We wanted to see this gutsy creature but could not. She was behind a ridge. But two of her cubs were literally prancing in the bushes. We silently saluted the plucky tigress, wished her god speed and moved on.
We had by now seen 8 out of the 1411 tigers – all within a span of a few days. Our wildest (pun intended) wishes seemed to be coming true.
Rituraj wanted to buy a bottle of rum – not in celebration, but because he was running out of stock – and so we hunted for a liquor shop at Tala, found one and Rituraj came back grinning like a Cheshire cat!! After the customary bath we spent the evening in repeatedly looking at the pics stored in the camera, Rituraj carried on with his silent tribute to “Kaal Bhairav” (for details read the blog on Ujjain) while Jenny tried to catch up with her TV serials. And amidst the thundering silence of the jungle, dinner and slumber soon arrived.
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