I’m not superstitious but I guess the jungle is no place for urban wisdom. And so it was that the day the lucky Ruddy Mongoose crossed my path, I finally saw my first tiger in the wild.
I had landed in Khajuraho two days earlier to a really warm welcome — 44°C to be precise. But it was the beginning of the week and instead of grappling with Monday morning blues, I was on a four-day wildlife safari. I wasn’t complaining. On my itinerary were the Panna and Bandhavgarh national parks in Madhya Pradesh. My first stop was Pashan Garh, the Taj Safari jungle lodge, about 50km from Khajuraho and 20km from Panna National Park. Taj Safaris is a joint venture between And Beyond (Africa) & Indian Hotels (TATA group) and it boasts of the country’s only luxury wildlife circuit.
Day one at Panna was spent chilling at the breathtakingly luxurious lodge, a sprawling 200-acre property with a cluster of rugged-looking sandstone cottages atop a small hill.
That night just before the lovely lantern-lit dinner set up in quaint little ox carts in the middle of the jungle, my naturalist for the trip, Sajith (trained by And Beyond), informed me that my game drive would start by 5.30am. Though I had no complaints (really!), whatever little whining I was about to indulge in was forgotten the moment our Tata 4x4 pulled into the reserve.
We were greeted by a herd of nilgais heading towards a watering hole. Though all eyes were, of course, strained for a glimpse of a tiger, the majestic teak forest introduced us to a host of its other inhabitants.
Apart from the chital, sambar and langur, the forest was a burst of winged colours and sounds. We spotted the master of camouflage, the Grey Nightjar (I kept looking for the bird for 10 minutes — thinking it was a stone — till Sajith helped me spot it), a Painted Sandgrouse, a Pied Kingfisher, an Indian Roller, a Black Drongo, Plum-headed Parakeets, Red-wattled Lapwings, Crested Serpent eagles and Green Bee-eaters.
Panna is also home to hyenas, wolves, leopards, wild boars and sloth bears and is dotted with ancient rock paintings, believed to be around 2,000 years old.
There was still no sight of the feline beauties but what we saw next made my day. Barely a minute into our boat-ride along the River Ken, that runs along the park, we spotted a marsh crocodile sunning on the rocky bank and another one soon after it, with its mouth wide open — very National Geographic!
Later, we learnt that another group in the park spotted not only one of the tigresses but a leopard as well. My Big Cat luck sucked. Our safari, meanwhile, wrapped up with that and an al fresco breakfast by the river — a charming idea, though it’s probably more enjoyable in winter. It was just 8.30 am but the mercury was nearing 40 °C already.
Besides, after guzzling on two bottles of water to beat the heat I could barely wait to get back to the lodge. I’d overlooked that one very euphemistic bullet point in the brief given to me before the drive — ‘There are no formal ablution facilities in the park’. Translation: No bathroom, folks!
On Day Three I set off for the other Taj Safari lodge, Mahua Kothi in Bandhavgarh. Mahua Kothi is a pleasant contrast to Pashan Garh. It’s charmingly rustic with kutiya — or hut-style suites with mud-coloured walls in lime and earth washes and handmade pottery roof tiles. Bicycles in the parking yard are an invitation for guests to explore the property or even go into the nearby village.
A luxurious stone cottage in Pashan Garh
Bandhavgarh National Park, nestled between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, has one of the highest densities of tigers in the subcontinent. At present there are 40 in the park, my naturalist Himanshu informed. Other animals that share this dense sal forest include leopards, chital, sambar, nilgai, wild boar, chinkara, sloth bear, rhesus macaque, grey langur, jungle cat, hyena, fox, and wild dog. Apart from the wildlife, the ancient Bandhavgarh Fort atop the hill in the park makes for a stunning sight, as does the 10th-century statue of Lord Vishnu reclining on a seven-hooded snake halfway up the hill.
The fort, visible from the forest, is believed to be 2,000 years old. To get to the Sheshaiyya statue, one has to trek uphill. It’s located in a pool of spring water, said to be the source of the Charan Ganga, that’s one of three perennial streams flowing through the park.
Summer is perfect for tiger sightings but after Panna I was feeling sceptical. My game drive in Bandhavgarh started with the usual langur, chital and sambar sightings and the forest, in its different shades of green, brown and grey, was a sight to behold.
But even after two hours of driving and plenty of false alarms, the tigers remained elusive. Just then a Ruddy Mongoose scampered across. “That brings good luck. Get ready for a tiger,” smiled Himanshu. And sure enough, after another half-hour, I saw my first Big Cat in the wild. A tigress by a watering hole.
There’s hardly any adjective that’s not already been used to describe seeing this majestic animal in its natural habitat. So I’ll go for a noun. Respect. It’s the first word I could think of when a friend later asked me “How did you feel seeing a tiger up close?” I saw another tiger that day apart from a rare sloth bear sighting.
The next day was equally rewarding. Dancing peacocks played swaggering roadside Romeos to impress the peahens at the watering hole, a Red Jungle fowl, a white-naped Woodpecker, Black-hooded Oriole, Tailor Birds and Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher made for awesome visual treats apart from two more tiger sightings. The second one — my closest encounter — will remain unforgettable. A 60-year-old tusker lumbered to within a heart-pounding 5-feet distance of a lazing tigress — a feeling that made me decide I’d come back for more.
The Ruddy Mongoose charm is potent obviously. And now I’m a believer.
I had landed in Khajuraho two days earlier to a really warm welcome — 44°C to be precise. But it was the beginning of the week and instead of grappling with Monday morning blues, I was on a four-day wildlife safari. I wasn’t complaining. On my itinerary were the Panna and Bandhavgarh national parks in Madhya Pradesh. My first stop was Pashan Garh, the Taj Safari jungle lodge, about 50km from Khajuraho and 20km from Panna National Park. Taj Safaris is a joint venture between And Beyond (Africa) & Indian Hotels (TATA group) and it boasts of the country’s only luxury wildlife circuit.
Day one at Panna was spent chilling at the breathtakingly luxurious lodge, a sprawling 200-acre property with a cluster of rugged-looking sandstone cottages atop a small hill.
That night just before the lovely lantern-lit dinner set up in quaint little ox carts in the middle of the jungle, my naturalist for the trip, Sajith (trained by And Beyond), informed me that my game drive would start by 5.30am. Though I had no complaints (really!), whatever little whining I was about to indulge in was forgotten the moment our Tata 4x4 pulled into the reserve.
We were greeted by a herd of nilgais heading towards a watering hole. Though all eyes were, of course, strained for a glimpse of a tiger, the majestic teak forest introduced us to a host of its other inhabitants.
Apart from the chital, sambar and langur, the forest was a burst of winged colours and sounds. We spotted the master of camouflage, the Grey Nightjar (I kept looking for the bird for 10 minutes — thinking it was a stone — till Sajith helped me spot it), a Painted Sandgrouse, a Pied Kingfisher, an Indian Roller, a Black Drongo, Plum-headed Parakeets, Red-wattled Lapwings, Crested Serpent eagles and Green Bee-eaters.
Panna is also home to hyenas, wolves, leopards, wild boars and sloth bears and is dotted with ancient rock paintings, believed to be around 2,000 years old.
There was still no sight of the feline beauties but what we saw next made my day. Barely a minute into our boat-ride along the River Ken, that runs along the park, we spotted a marsh crocodile sunning on the rocky bank and another one soon after it, with its mouth wide open — very National Geographic!
Later, we learnt that another group in the park spotted not only one of the tigresses but a leopard as well. My Big Cat luck sucked. Our safari, meanwhile, wrapped up with that and an al fresco breakfast by the river — a charming idea, though it’s probably more enjoyable in winter. It was just 8.30 am but the mercury was nearing 40 °C already.
Besides, after guzzling on two bottles of water to beat the heat I could barely wait to get back to the lodge. I’d overlooked that one very euphemistic bullet point in the brief given to me before the drive — ‘There are no formal ablution facilities in the park’. Translation: No bathroom, folks!
On Day Three I set off for the other Taj Safari lodge, Mahua Kothi in Bandhavgarh. Mahua Kothi is a pleasant contrast to Pashan Garh. It’s charmingly rustic with kutiya — or hut-style suites with mud-coloured walls in lime and earth washes and handmade pottery roof tiles. Bicycles in the parking yard are an invitation for guests to explore the property or even go into the nearby village.
A luxurious stone cottage in Pashan Garh
Bandhavgarh National Park, nestled between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, has one of the highest densities of tigers in the subcontinent. At present there are 40 in the park, my naturalist Himanshu informed. Other animals that share this dense sal forest include leopards, chital, sambar, nilgai, wild boar, chinkara, sloth bear, rhesus macaque, grey langur, jungle cat, hyena, fox, and wild dog. Apart from the wildlife, the ancient Bandhavgarh Fort atop the hill in the park makes for a stunning sight, as does the 10th-century statue of Lord Vishnu reclining on a seven-hooded snake halfway up the hill.
The fort, visible from the forest, is believed to be 2,000 years old. To get to the Sheshaiyya statue, one has to trek uphill. It’s located in a pool of spring water, said to be the source of the Charan Ganga, that’s one of three perennial streams flowing through the park.
Summer is perfect for tiger sightings but after Panna I was feeling sceptical. My game drive in Bandhavgarh started with the usual langur, chital and sambar sightings and the forest, in its different shades of green, brown and grey, was a sight to behold.
But even after two hours of driving and plenty of false alarms, the tigers remained elusive. Just then a Ruddy Mongoose scampered across. “That brings good luck. Get ready for a tiger,” smiled Himanshu. And sure enough, after another half-hour, I saw my first Big Cat in the wild. A tigress by a watering hole.
There’s hardly any adjective that’s not already been used to describe seeing this majestic animal in its natural habitat. So I’ll go for a noun. Respect. It’s the first word I could think of when a friend later asked me “How did you feel seeing a tiger up close?” I saw another tiger that day apart from a rare sloth bear sighting.
The next day was equally rewarding. Dancing peacocks played swaggering roadside Romeos to impress the peahens at the watering hole, a Red Jungle fowl, a white-naped Woodpecker, Black-hooded Oriole, Tailor Birds and Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher made for awesome visual treats apart from two more tiger sightings. The second one — my closest encounter — will remain unforgettable. A 60-year-old tusker lumbered to within a heart-pounding 5-feet distance of a lazing tigress — a feeling that made me decide I’d come back for more.
The Ruddy Mongoose charm is potent obviously. And now I’m a believer.
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