Bandhavgarh - Brats & Cats !!!
Trip Date : Dec 2015
‘Bandhavgarh’ – The brother’s fort, was gifted by Lord Rama to brother Laxmana. The significance of Bandhavgarh to Hindu mythology and Indian history is intricate in its 32 hillocks, rock paintings and monuments. Surpassing such delicate and strong threads of religion, today not many visit Bandhavgarh for mythological resemblance or its enriching history. The place is famous for live, walking tigers, the original rulers of Bandhavgarh that have reclaimed the forts and grounds from the rulers of the past.
‘Bandhavgarh’ – The brother’s fort, was gifted by Lord Rama to brother Laxmana. The significance of Bandhavgarh to Hindu mythology and Indian history is intricate in its 32 hillocks, rock paintings and monuments. Surpassing such delicate and strong threads of religion, today not many visit Bandhavgarh for mythological resemblance or its enriching history. The place is famous for live, walking tigers, the original rulers of Bandhavgarh that have reclaimed the forts and grounds from the rulers of the past.
Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the popular national parks in India, located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. This park has a large biodiversity. The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is one of the highest known in India. The park has a large breeding population of leopards too. The vegetation of bamboo forests, vast spreading grasslands makes it comparatively easier to spot a tiger here, than in Corbett or Kaziranga- which also have a higher density of tigers. Almost guaranteed sightings of Tiger have helped the guides and regular tourists to understand tigers of Bandhavgarh, more deeply than at any other place.
The four main zones of the national park are Tala, Magdhi, Khitauli, and Panpatta. Tala is the richest zone in terms of biodiversity, mainly tigers. Together, these four ranges comprise the 'Core' of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve constituting a total area of 694 km². The buffer zone is spread over the forest divisions of Umaria and Katni and totals another 437 km². The wide valleys along the streams carry long linear grasslands flanked by Sal forests. Rich mixed forests consisting of Sal (shorea rubusta), Saja, Salai, and Dhobin, etc. with dense bamboo thickets occur in many places.
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| Zones |
The image which came to my mind when people spoke about Bandhavgarh was the Vishnu statue majestically sleeping in the Sheshashayana form. Post rains the statue turns green due to the algae formation and gives it a far more divine effect. The head of Lord Vishnu is towards east direction and legs are on west direction from which a gush of natural water comes known as Bandhavgarh’s life line river “Charan-ganga”. On occasion of Janmashtami festival (birthday of Lord Krishna), thousands of devotees visits Sheshshaiya & Bandhavgarhdheesh Temple.
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| Sheshashayana |
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| Sunil |
Our Plan
Day 1
Team arrive at Jabalpur and will be transferred to Bandhavgarh. We reach the Resort by late evening.
Day 2
Two regular safaris Morning and Evening (TALA or MAGDHI)
Day 3
Full Day Safari (First half one fixed zone, Second half flexible). We enter the park 15 minutes before the sunrise with packed breakfast and Lunch and exit the park at sunset
Day 3
Full Day Safari (First half one fixed zone, Second half flexible). We enter the park 15 minutes before the sunrise with packed breakfast and Lunch and exit the park at sunset
Day 4
Two regular safaris Morning and Evening (TALA or MAGDHI)
Day 5
After a good Breakfast the participants will be transferred to Jabalpur Airport
Two regular safaris Morning and Evening (TALA or MAGDHI)
Day 5
After a good Breakfast the participants will be transferred to Jabalpur Airport
Groups with team leaders was decided much in advance. What was kept in mind was that we put one experienced wildlife photographer with each group. So four jeeps with four leads. But when we landed there to our horror the groups were all mixed due to the goof up by our naturalist. We hoped since it was a mature group (Assumed) things may run smooth.
Safari Timings
Family Tree of famous Tigers of Bandhavgarh
Some tigers we had a great chance of sighting on this trip:
We were at the jungle which was once upon a time hunting ground for the Maharajahs of Rewa kingdom. Bandhavgarh national park named after the hillock hosting the Bandhavgarh fort is home to a high density of Royal Bengal tigers and is teeming with wildlife and birds. The park is divided into four zones and we were on the lookout for tigers in the Tala zone of Bandhavgarh.
Day one proved to be a "DRY" day. A word coined by famous wildlife photographers or social media attention seekers if they do not see a wild cat on a safari. But what a forest... enjoyed every bit of it.
Day 2 :
Then the naturalist did the unthinkable. When Dotty started moving away he made a call of a Male Tiger and she just froze and started moving towards us. With my 500 mm locked focused on her all I could see was the face. She came that close and the picture below is when she looked straight at me. We live for such moments. She was gorgeous with light eyes and then we moved on hoping our other jeeps would have had a sighting.
Safari Timings
Family Tree of famous Tigers of Bandhavgarh
Some tigers we had a great chance of sighting on this trip:
Spotti (T41) – This Tigress enchanted the visitors in the famous Tala zone. Infact during the winters she kept the healthiest record in sightings with her presence. She was seldom accompanied by the male of this region. This pair was seen mating at Andhiyari Jhiria, Rampur Road and Bandarchui. This togetherness resulted in Spotti becoming a mother of her first litter of three cubs. In June this entire Royal family was seen at Damnar for three consecutive days. Guests who saw these cubs with their mother had sleepless nights.
Rajbehra Tigress (T34) – A very intelligent and an experienced Tigress. Initially she kept her cubs away from tourists behind Bathan area. Later in the season they were seen regularly as a family at Jhilki Nala. The summer months were quite amazing to see the whole family in the Sehra grassland. Almost every visitor in Magadhi had a glimpse of her with her cubs.
Sukhi Patiha Tigress (T5) was active from October to January near Patiha water hole. She was seen cooling off in summer months in the same water hole. Also her sighting was with T 18 near Dabhadol area. This area was also inhabited by a sub adult T 53 and has a healthy population of Indian Gaur.
Choti female (T40) – Mother of 4 cubs seen regularly in Khitouli. #Kodghar Nala, #Darha Talab and #Nigah water hole became popular this season. All thanks to T 40 and her cubs.
Chota Charger (T47) has been seen in Khitouli near #Nigha daria and #Kansa area. His name kept after his habit of mock Charging. Father of four cubs from Nigha or Choti female.
Bheem (T22) the male at his prime has been seen both in Magadhi and Khitouli. True to his name well-built challenging and winning the battles for dominancy from other males. It is most likely that he might fill in the void left by Bamera. He has all the requisite qualities to dominate the area. Besides, he is overcoming his shyness of tourists gradually.
We were put up at Tiger Trails Resort... very decent place .. woody .. rustic and ample opportunity to do birding. It had a lotus pond which attracted water birds. Fruity trees for colourful birds and a large banyan tree which housed resident owls. It also had nice open area for camp fire and get together to have discussions.
चीतल बोला, बंदर बी, ऐरे ताज़े पंजे बी हैं.. ... these are constant words we keep hearing during safaris.. which translate to cheetal's alarm call, langur call, pug marks...
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| Tiger Trails Resort |
DAY 1:
The jeeps arrived at 5:30 AM with their seats removed. One jeep had one of the seats on as it had rusted and could not be removed. Cribbing started with people in that jeep wishing not to go if the seats were not removed. Our own so called friends started acting boss here but then they had paid money and want the best and we had to accept as tour operators we must oblige. We could have offered them our jeep but then we left it there. Asked the guide to get it removed for the next safari or get a different jeep.
No seats meant that we could get lower and go eye level with the subject. Put bedding's to give our bums a soft landing... it was a huge risk I took along with one more person as we had a herniated disc problem. But what the hell .. passion prevailed.
The jeeps arrived at 5:30 AM with their seats removed. One jeep had one of the seats on as it had rusted and could not be removed. Cribbing started with people in that jeep wishing not to go if the seats were not removed. Our own so called friends started acting boss here but then they had paid money and want the best and we had to accept as tour operators we must oblige. We could have offered them our jeep but then we left it there. Asked the guide to get it removed for the next safari or get a different jeep.
No seats meant that we could get lower and go eye level with the subject. Put bedding's to give our bums a soft landing... it was a huge risk I took along with one more person as we had a herniated disc problem. But what the hell .. passion prevailed.
It was cold and with all the thermals on and jacket on it was still very cold. We could hardly recognise each other with all the woollen. If you visit the jungle of Central India in winter I strongly recommend... thermals, dust cover, swollen cap, hat, a layer of woollen and a jacket. Also you get these at Decathlon. At times I could not move from my seat or click a shot. That's how cold it was. But all this is worth for one good photograph that I can bring it to you all wild life lovers. We went near the safari gate and temperature further dropped as it was an open jungle. So the guides and drivers have a solution for this...
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| Guide ,, Sunil and myself at a fire place |
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| Sal Trees and Grasslands |
The Sal trees were towering up on one side and the other side opened to huge grasslands, it was a mesmerising sight with the early morning sun kissing the glass blades. For people from South India this was like being in Africa... getting a shot of an animal in open grasslands is just like a marriage made in heaven.
The jeep came to a halt near a watering hole where there were fresh pug marks. (For the first four years of my wild life trips this is all I had seen). This being one of the usual spot to see a tiger and being early morning, there was a chance for the tiger to come for a drink. A herd of deer came by to have a drink. The last thing we want to see in a forest is a calm and composed deer which is a sure sign of predator not being around.
The jeep came to a halt near a watering hole where there were fresh pug marks. (For the first four years of my wild life trips this is all I had seen). This being one of the usual spot to see a tiger and being early morning, there was a chance for the tiger to come for a drink. A herd of deer came by to have a drink. The last thing we want to see in a forest is a calm and composed deer which is a sure sign of predator not being around.
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| Pug marks near the water bed |
Day one proved to be a "DRY" day. A word coined by famous wildlife photographers or social media attention seekers if they do not see a wild cat on a safari. But what a forest... enjoyed every bit of it.
Day 2 :
It was a full day safari and it got us all excited as this was a new concept and very few of us had experienced the same. What this meant was we stay in the forest for more then 12 hours with no restriction of zones. Also we get to enter the forest 30 minutes early and leave 30 minutes later than the regular safari jeeps.
We were blessed with the sighting of a phenomenally beautiful Tigress called “Spotty” or “Spot-T”. She is one of the first litter of the Tigress called “Sukhi Patiha” and also the sister of another young Tigress called “Dotty Krishna”.
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| Dotty - Our First cat sighting |
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| Close Up |
Then the naturalist did the unthinkable. When Dotty started moving away he made a call of a Male Tiger and she just froze and started moving towards us. With my 500 mm locked focused on her all I could see was the face. She came that close and the picture below is when she looked straight at me. We live for such moments. She was gorgeous with light eyes and then we moved on hoping our other jeeps would have had a sighting.
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| That STARE |
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| Rajbhera Cubs |
We moved around and came near the Chakradhara and Rajbhera Meadows. The naturalist and the driver kept chatting and for a moment I felt they were losing focus but they proved me wrong. Again the instincts of the naturalist worked and we could see four fur balls rolling in the field at a distance. When I focused my lens I could see one of the cubs vanish into the tall dry grass. Could not see the mother. We then decided to settle down to grab some lunch.
Day 3:
The image above is very apt for what happened next. While all the jeeps had sightings one jeep proved unlucky and Day 1, Day 2 (full day) went dry for them. This opened a pandora box with a couple of them who had a history of having seen a tiger on every safari they made till then. But then its a jungle and luck plays a role too. One of them sent me a stinker stating the trip was not well organised they he felt let down. Added to this there jeep on Day 3 evening safari went late. Reason being I had asked them to shift to Khitauli to see if their luck changes. Now they saw the Dharaha female with her 3 cubs on this trip. Here I lost my cool and gave them a mouthful stating they need to behave like adults and enjoy the jungle. If I look back i should not have even reacted. But easier said.
We were a large group and hence its bound to have people who were seeing the jungle for the first time and were all excited. It would have been ok if they felt the frustration of not seeing a cat but then this behaviour was demonstrated by so called mature wildlife lovers. This added a lot of pressure on us first time tour organisers. They wanted us to change the seating in jeeps... change naturalists... sending us stinker messages that we were not taking care of them. No one can assure you a tiger sighting.
The learning here is that if tigers could be called to pose in front of you on every safari you could as well go to a zoo and not come to the jungle. As a tour organiser we need to stay away from politics and not react adversely. We are bound to have jokers and immature members on every trip. Just need to handle them calmly.
While having our lunch I could see some movement around the bushes. I held my breadth for the moment I dreamt all my life. Was it going to be true. Yes it did and a munchkin emerged from the grasses staring at us as if to see "Which species are you???" This was an epitome in my wild life journey. It was as if the tiger cub completely trusted us. Those few seconds I woke up my friend Jaya Prakash Bhojan who was feeling unwell and we both got one shot.
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| Rajbhera Cub |
The image above is very apt for what happened next. While all the jeeps had sightings one jeep proved unlucky and Day 1, Day 2 (full day) went dry for them. This opened a pandora box with a couple of them who had a history of having seen a tiger on every safari they made till then. But then its a jungle and luck plays a role too. One of them sent me a stinker stating the trip was not well organised they he felt let down. Added to this there jeep on Day 3 evening safari went late. Reason being I had asked them to shift to Khitauli to see if their luck changes. Now they saw the Dharaha female with her 3 cubs on this trip. Here I lost my cool and gave them a mouthful stating they need to behave like adults and enjoy the jungle. If I look back i should not have even reacted. But easier said.
We were a large group and hence its bound to have people who were seeing the jungle for the first time and were all excited. It would have been ok if they felt the frustration of not seeing a cat but then this behaviour was demonstrated by so called mature wildlife lovers. This added a lot of pressure on us first time tour organisers. They wanted us to change the seating in jeeps... change naturalists... sending us stinker messages that we were not taking care of them. No one can assure you a tiger sighting.
The learning here is that if tigers could be called to pose in front of you on every safari you could as well go to a zoo and not come to the jungle. As a tour organiser we need to stay away from politics and not react adversely. We are bound to have jokers and immature members on every trip. Just need to handle them calmly.
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| Rajbhera Queen in all her Glory
End of day three we got to hear that the Jabalpur airport was shut indefinitely as a Wild boar hit the flight we had taken the previous day. Thankfully no damage done but for safety reasons the airport was closed. Now what do we do. There was a panic situation in the group as they had other commitments back in Bangalore.
Few wanted to take a flight out of Nagpur and the other option was to fly out of Raipur. We finally took a call and asked them to book flights out of Raipur and that meant we had to stay for a day more. (Wow.... ) The idea was to finish morning safari and start in the evening to reach Raipur next day. As the flight was only available on Day 6 early morning. This also meant we had to go through the Naxal infested jungles to reach Raipur in the evening.
Some adventure. So we quickly made some calls and knowing people at the right places helped and we got our jeeps booked. By now we had seven different cat sightings and it was already a good trip. But we never knew what was in store for us.
Day 4 :
The morning was full of action as there were pug marks everywhere. We entered a thicket and could see one jeep parked and in wait. They had just seen the Sukhi Patiha cubs enter the thicket. It was all excitement with adrenalin pumping. Was feeling slightly feverish and cold too. Just then we decided to go around and there they were playing inside the bushes and could see streaks of stripes and yellow. Then the cute fella emerged out. I could not get up on time but my partner Mohan got a lovely shot. The two other tigers ran across and it was great to watch them in a playful mood. What do you expect for a 1 year old tiger.
Our partner in crime Mr. Vasudevan Parthasarathy has to goof up on every trip we go. The previous day he had lent his camera to one more friend who was using it to shoot the night sky. In the morning we warned him to check the setting before using and he said all was good. But then when the tiger cubs showed up and he clicked his camera it went to a 10 sec timer mode. He had no clue what was happening. Its a learning again ... and we had blast at his expense. Wildlife is all about being proactive and sensing what the animal might do and keeping your gear ready. You have 3 to 5 seconds attires to get one shot. Go ahead and fire away to capture the moment. If the subject stays then look at framing and other experiments.
This got us all excited. The cubs scooted suddenly and after a few minutes men on foot (Forest guards) appeared. The tigers dread us and avoid us. Give them the space and they won't harm us.
One of our team members - Vasu got all enthu and he was making this gesture of having a head-on. Mohan and myself started looking at each other and had a smirk. But behold at the far end where the road curved we could see a figure walk slowly towards us with small fur balls jumping around. There she was .. the Rajbhera Mom with her four cubs coming straight towards us. What a moment.. should we thank the wild boar which hit the Spice Jet.. should we thank the stars .. our Naturalist and Driver Sunil or Vasu' s grit. Anyways luck favoured us and we had 7 tigers and a leopard on one safari.
The tiger mom gave one growl and the cubs all went in a straight line on the adjoining field. I guess she had made a kill and was leading them to it. Amazing to watch such tiger behaviour.
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