Making memories one safari at a time - Friends and family in Bandhavgarh

Sir David Attenborough had famously said, "If children do not grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it. And if they do not understand it, they will not protect it. And if they do not protect it, who will?"

It was my ardent wish to introduce my 7-year-old grandson Ahan to the wilderness of India. He had just moved back from Australia with his parents. So when my dear friend Adesh asked me if we wished to join an excursion to Bandhavgarh along with his family and other common friends, he had made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

We were a motley group of friends all bound by a common passion – love for nature and wildlife. Adesh, Sweedle and their 9-year-old son Aranya, Nosherwan, Farook, Amey and Rujuta, Saurabh, Nikita and their children, 3-year-old Tara and 17-year-old Krishiv, Joel and Shiny, my daughter Akshata, son-in-law Karan and my 7-year-old grandson Ahan and me, of course.

At first, I was apprehensive about how, not just Ahan, but the other two children would cope. Would they be able to tolerate the sizzling heat and dust of central India, would they get bored on the 5 hour long safaris, would they want to poop in the middle of the drive, how would they cope with the 4-5 hours of sleep everyday and how would they take their (Ahan’s first) overnight 16 hour journey in the infamous Indian railways?

But the kids had adapted like fish take to water. Little Tara was the scene-stealer! Her every sentence started with, “Aai!” Ahan was curious and awestruck. “How will bunk beds fit in the train, Ajji?” Ahan was genuinely concerned. But it was not too long before he learnt! Aranya was the pro-kid around, having enough knowledge abouts birds and trees. With a knowledgeable ornithologist father like Adesh and a PhD botanist mother like Sweedle, could one expect any less? Krishiv was honing his photography skills under his professional father Saurabh’s guidance. The sporting young man played along with Aranya and Ahan and they got along like a house on fire playing ‘tag’ at the littlest of opportunities. The three days that followed were the most enjoyable moments of my life.

Adesh was already in Bandhavgarh with the participants of his wildlife and birding trips that he conducts under his banner Nature India. After our sixteen-hour train journey from Mumbai, and a sumptuous Indian thali at the Panchavati Gaurav in Jabalpur, we joined him at the beautiful Aranyak Resort where we would spend the next three days together. He, along with Saurabh, Amey and Rujuta had meticulously planned everything right from our travel to our stay to the safaris. Everything with careful precision.

Ahan was beaming with joy and full of energy at 5.30 the next morning as our safari jeeps entered the Magadhi zone. It was the very first Tiger safari of his life. Nosh and Rujuta occupied the front seat with Ahan wedged between them. Karan, Akshata and I were at the back. As we entered the forest the dappled rays of the rising sun filtered through the lush green leaves of robust Sal trees. The frantic call of the Common Hawk Cuckoo with its “brain-fever, brain-fever, brain-fever” rising in pitch following us throughout the day. The Indian Pitta’s familiar call must have enthralled little Tara who was following us in another jeep. Her adorable and innocent answer to our relentless “Tu jungle madhe kay baghnar ahes Tara?” was a sweet one-word answer “Pitta!” Ahan was quick to learn and imitate the “wheet-teuu”, the Pitta’s unmistakeable call. It is the beginning of their breeding season so they were very vocal and throughout our five safaris we could hear their relentless calls. The Pitta is known by various names across India – Navrangi, Hariyo, Bornali….. It’s also called ‘aru-mani kuruvi’ in Tamil, which translates to the “6-o-clock bird”. This refers to its curious habit of calling at 6 AM and 6 PM. Of course the bird doesn’t always call at that exact time. This is just an allusion to its crepuscular behaviour of being active during dawn and dusk!

Within the first five minutes of having entered the forest, as our jeep crawled along allowing us to take in the sights and sounds of the forest, there was a sudden burst of excitement. We had seen our first tiger. Salimbhai, our ever-so-exuberant and skilled driver had spotted the big cat walking at the edge of the Mahaman waterbody. Although the tiger was pretty far from us, Salimbhai’s keen eye had identified him as the male cub of Raa the dominant tigress of the Khitauli zone.

After that initial adrenalin rush, we drove along the dusty unending roads of the forest, slowly unfolding its wonders before us. Robust Sal trees dominated the landscape interspersed with Mahua, Palash, Kusum, Sagwan (Teak) Chironji, Amaltas, Tendu, Arjun and other majestic trees. A pair of Crested Hawk-eagles were busy making plans for their future. It was Karan’s first jungle safari too and I could see he was enjoying every moment of it. I noticed he had a keen eye for spotting birds and mammals. He and Ahan were learning new names of the denizens of the jungle. Akshata was quietly soaking in the sights and sounds of the jungle. A Crested Serpent-eagle looked down at us from his perch quizzically. As we drove along, a lone Lesser Adjutant Stork waited patiently at the edge on a pond as a Painted stork waded inside. 

Ahan was slowly getting familiar with Nosh ajoba and Rujuta mashi. Nosh ajoba resembled a cute Santaclaus and Rujuta maushi told him lots of interesting things about wild life.  His playful nudges to them as he swayed from side to side left them amused. 

Bandhavgarh National Park lies on the extreme north-eastern border of the present state of Madhya Pradesh. It shares its Vindhyan Hill topography with Kanha National Park. At the centre of the Park is the Bandhavgarh hill, rising 811 m above sea level. It is surrounded by many smaller rocky hills separated by gently sloping valleys. These valleys end in small, swampy meadows, locally known as 'bohera'. The lowest point in the park is at Tala, 440 m above sea level. The sides of the Bandhavgarh hill have rocky cliffs and eroded rocks. Streams cut across the northern ridges parallel to the Umaria Road which cuts through tiger habitat. At least twenty streams rise or flow through the park, amongst them Umrar (forming the western boundary) is the largest. The other important streams are Johilla (eastern boundary), Janadh, Charanganga, Damnar, Banbei, Ambanala and Andhyari Jhiria. All these streams eventually flow into the river Son, which is an important southern tributary to the Ganges.

Inside the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve guests, drivers and guides are prohibited from getting off the vehicle. Centrepoint is the designated place for breakfast and toilet facilities are available. Each day we were treated to delicious spreads of either cheese and jam sandwiches or some paneer parathas or samosas and fresh fruits alongwith piping hot tea. The familiar aroma of Maggi noodles which locals were brewing in the stalls set up by them at Centrepoint, didn’t escape Ahan’s olfactory senses. I’m sure the experience of eating his favourite Maggi noodles under the canopy of trees in the jungles of Bandhavgarh will stay with him forever.

The sight of an owl always brings to my mind this old nursery rhyme, which I often quote:

“A wise old owl sat on an oak,
The more he saw the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like the wise old bird?”

We found the stately Brown Fish Owl perched on a robust Sal tree near a stream. He looked at us inquisitively as if to ask, “what’s all the excitement about, guys?”  He was obviously oblivious that he himself was the reason for our excitement!

In the wild, animals and birds usually stay close to places where they are more likely to find their favourite food. As its name suggests, the Brown Fish Owl feeds on fish. So, it is most likely to be found perched overlooking water. Of course, it also feeds on amphibians, crabs, crayfish, reptiles, insects, small mammals and birds.

The Brown Fish owl’s way of hunting is rather different from other owls who use stealth to swoop on their prey. When in the search for food, this owl will sit attentively on a perch overlooking water and when it spots something, it will drop down, drag its legs in the water, and grab its prey with its strong feet. It might also wade into shallow water in search of food. 

The morning’s jaunt in the forest had given us a glimpse of how full of life every part of a jungle can be –   big flocks of Spotted deer crossed our paths cautiously, a few Sambar deer raised their heads at being disturbed while grazing, Rhesus macaques and Langurs hung around in family groups. An Indian Grey Mongoose scurried away on seeing our jeep. “Ajji, is that Detective Ruddy?” was Ahan’s innocent question to me, as he had been reading Rohan Chakravarty’s book Detective Ruddy. He soon learnt that Detective Ruddy, the character from Chakravarty’s book was another species of mongoose called Ruddy Mongoose. He was thrilled to see a Ruddy Mongoose just a day later, as it scurried into the bushes past our jeep.  

As we left the Magadhi zone after a wonderful morning in the forest, we noticed that Raa’s male cub whom we had sighted in the morning was still lazing at the edge of the same waterbody. Tigers sleep between 16 and 20 hours every single day. This massive amount of rest is not out of laziness, but is a crucial survival mechanism required to conserve the significant energy needed for stalking and taking down prey. They often seek out shade, dense forests or bodies of water to sleep, which helps regulate their body temperature and keeps pesky biting insects away.

Our evening safari, that day, was to the Tala zone. A massive muscular Gaur continued to graze, unfazed by our presence. According to the usual rotation of occupants in the safari jeeps, Adesh was in our jeep today. As he regaled us with stories and information about tigers and other wild life, a Crested Serpent-eagle who was feeding on something on the ground, took to his wings on seeing us. But he had ensured that the Buff-striped Keel-back snake, that he was making a meal of, didn’t escape his firm grip and went and perched on a branch with the snake in his beak.

During the rest of the evening safari, excitement and thrill was experienced in abundance. We had four tiger sightings in a span of one and half hours. The first was a sub-adult cub resting amongst the thick clusters of bamboo grass. Tiger cubs typically stay with their mother for around 18 to 24 months, depending on whether they are male or female. Male cubs often leave the mother's territory between 18 and 20 months, while female cubs may stay with her for up to 24 months. During this period, the mother teaches the cubs essential survival skills, including hunting and recognizing their territory. As the cubs approach adulthood, the mother's influence begins to wane, and she may start to push them away to make room for her next litter.

A few minutes later, the commotion caused by the hushed curiosity of some jeep occupants nearby, took us to that spot. Another sub-adult cub lay there. This one got up and walked a bit before settling down once more amongst the bamboos.

Then in the next few minutes, while we drove through the Siddhababa meadow towards Chakradhara, the mighty Barang was striding majestically along the periphery of the tall grasses. Our driver Gopal skillfully maneuvered the jeep so that we could get to a good vantage point to see Bajrang more clearly. But his efforts were in vain as Bajrang was reluctant to go any further due to the presence of a massive Gaur. While tigers are capable of stalking and hunting adult gaurs, a healthy adult bull, who has already noticed the tiger’s presence, can easily overpower and even kill a tiger in a direct, head-on fight. So Bajrang was not taking any chances.

We soon reached the Chakradhara meadow from where we could see the magnificent Bandhavgarh Fort. No one is really sure of who built the fort of Bandhavgarh, though scores of myths about its origin continue to do the rounds. The Chandela dynasty of Bundelkhand, famous for having built the Khajuraho temples, frequently attacked the rulers of Bandhavgarh, but are believed never to have established their rule here. The Kalchuris who ruled the fort gave it away to the Baghelas in dowry, when one of their daughters married a Baghela prince around 12th century. Subsequently, warrior clans fought and lost many battles for possession of the fort, but what is known is that in the 17th century, the Baghelas were still in control and that the Bandhavgarh Fort was their capital.

The god-fearing insist that Lord Ram stopped here after vanquishing Ravana in Lanka and that it was Hanuman’s simian architects, who built the bridge to Lanka, also built the Bandhavgarh Fort. Lakshman, Ram’s obedient and dutiful brother, is said to have been gifted the fort, thus the name (bandhav – brother; garh – fort). People of the area still worship Lakshman at a temple within the fort precincts.

As we waited on the road skirting the tall elephant grasses of the Chakradhara meadow, there was another surge of anticipation as one of the drivers had spotted some movement in the tall grasses. This time it was a female sub-adult cub. We could see flashes of orange and black as she walked in the cover of the tall grasses and when she stepped out to cross the road, we were awestruck to say the least. Such grace, such beauty! Those few seconds that she took to walk across the road so lithely, would remain etched in our memory forever.

After the exhausting yet thrilling morning and evening safaris, evenings at the resort were relaxing times spent together in the patio opposite our rooms. While we adults chatted about the day’s sightings, laughed on silly jokes cracked at one another (especially Nosh and Adesh’s playful banter at each other), and shared wildlife and other stories over glasses of chilled beer, the energy levels in both the boys, Aranya and Ahan didn’t seem to have waned. Krishiv sportingly played ‘tag’ with them as they darted from one place to another, until they were reined in by their parents with some games of Uno and Dobble.  And Tara had found comfort in Shiny Mau’s arms. Her adorable chatter left us all smitten.

We would spend the next morning once again in the Tala Zone. Although we didn’t spot a single tiger during this session, there was joy in the knowledge that the jungle was alive and bustling with life.

Two male spotted deer enthralled us with their rutting ritual. They dug their antlers into the ground, stamped their hooves and strutted around the herd proudly, with their antlers ‘decorated’ with grass and twigs.  The ‘rut’ is the mating season of deer and antelopes. During the rut, males often rub their antlers or horns on trees or shrubs, fight with each other, or decorate their antlers with grass or twigs, as if to self-anoint. It is a ritual of marking territory, asserting dominance, and showcasing their strength in the untamed world. The life of animals in the wild is fascinating indeed!

Deep within the jungles of Bandhavgarh, a spectacular centuries-old statue of Lord Vishnu, carved out of sandstone reclines beside a pond teeming with oxygen-producing cyanobacteria. Carved out of a single rock, it depicts a reclining Vishnu resting on a seven-headed serpent (Sheshnag). The statue is 40 feet long and the place it rests is believed to be the source of the perennial Charanganga River, which passes through the park and is its lifeline. Called Shesh Shaiya by locals, it is believed to have been built by the Kalachuri dynasty of Tripuri, and is the only place in the whole forest that you are allowed to get off the vehicle and explore by foot. Apparently, there are 10 such monumental statues depicting the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu in the higher reaches towards the base of the fort. Incredible indeed!

I had been to Bandhavgarh a couple of times before but never had I got the opportunity to see this marvel. This time on my request, Amey, very sweetly promised that we would make a stop there. This proved to be the ideal place to take our mandatory group picture.

The rest of the morning I remained awestruck by the spectacular wonder that I had just seen. 

Before we called it a day, or rather a morning, we enjoyed watching a committee of vultures resting on the ground near a waterbody as a Painted Stork and a Lesser Adjutant Stork waded in the water. The Spotted owlet that had made the hole in a tree near the Tala gate its home, gave us an inquisitive look.

The evening safari to the Khitauli zone that day could well qualify as the highlight of the trip. We spent a good two hours watching the massive and formidable D1, the dominant male tiger of Khitauli, as he enjoyed his siesta in the Ghugra Nala. For most part of the time, he catnapped, occasionally opening his eyes to glance at us, rolling over to one side and then the other and then back again with his legs suspended in the air once in a while. Luckily all seventeen of us riding in three different jeeps got to experience the spectacle. As we waited in eager anticipation for him to get to his feet, he sat up, crouched to take a sip of water, then ultimately obliged. He stood up, gave us an indifferent glance and walked away slowly towards the jungle. When he stopped near a tree I was hoping he would scent mark it, as tigers usually do to mark their presence. But instead, he pooped before disappearing into the jungle. The thrill of seeing a wild tiger in its natural environment cannot be described in words.    

D1 and his many moods 

Until just a month ago, Pujari was the dominant male tiger of the Khitauli zone. His powerful and formidable, yet exceptionally dignified presence had left me in awe when I saw him just over a year ago. At the same time, D1 whose territory overlapped that of Pujari’s, had also established his quiet authority in Khitauli. Tigers being solitary and extremely territorial animals, fight tooth and nail to defend their territory. In the month of May this year, D1 got into a brutal territorial fight with Pujari. The mighty Pujari was vanquished and killed and D1 became the undisputed king of Khitauli. But this fight was not just over territory. Pujari was also part of Tara’s world. Tara, the beautiful tigress who ruled the Khitauli and Panpatha zones with quiet resilience for years.  Both the male tigers knew that only one of them could take Tara as their consort. With Pujari having lost his life in the brutal fight with D1, only time will tell if D1 is successful in charming Tara!

D1 now occupies Pujari’s territory and his favourite water hole, the Ghugra Nala. The challenger had taken charge of his new territory and the vanquished had perished. Such is the law of the jungle.

Ironically, this is the same waterhole (Ghugra Nala) where I saw Pujari last year.

Just minutes after driving away from the spectacle that had only minutes ago, left us awestruck, we found Raa, the dominant tigress of the area, taking a dip in a pond nearby. She was completely immersed in the water with only her head above it. On seeing us she swam towards the edge and walked away. Her grace and gentle demeanor left us overwhelmed.

As if two tiger sightings weren’t enough, we ran into some luck with another two sightings. Both sub-adult cubs taking their naps in the bamboo thickets.

Back at the resort, as we were about to retire for the day, I noticed Krishiv crouched with his camera near a bush. He had spotted a tree frog and was trying his hand at a macro shot. Frog populations have been declining worldwide at unprecedented rates, and nearly one-third of the world’s amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Up to 200 species have completely disappeared since 1980, and this is NOT normal: amphibians naturally go extinct at a rate of only about one species every 500 years!!! Frogs are bio-indicators of a healthy ecosystem. They have permeable skins that can easily absorb nasty chemicals. That makes them very susceptible to pollution. So, if frogs are in trouble, it is nature’s warning signal that something is wrong in the environment. They are also important predators of many insects, including disease-spreading mosquitoes. In turn, they are also food for bigger animals like snakes, lizards and birds. Without frogs the whole ecosystem would change forever. Krishiv is blessed to have parents like Nikita and Saurabh who are instilling in him the love for nature.

The last morning of our trip was once again in the Magadhi zone. As we rolled along, a dancing peacock attracted our attention. We stopped to take in the visual spectacle that was on display. The peacock had fanned his vibrant tail feathers. We wondered who he was regaling though, as his mate was nowhere in sight! We soaked in this celebration of life as it were. A huge monitor lizard was on the verge of moulting its skin. The Indian Pittas’ relentless calls echoed continuously through the jungles.

As our exciting and exhilarating trip came to an end, I thought about those who made this possible. I owe our tiger sightings to our drivers Salimbhai, Gopal and Vinod. It is their detailed knowledge of the terrain, from patches of grass to rocks, waterholes, caves and streams that enables them to take their jeeps in areas which would otherwise be inaccessible. Their innate instincts about the location of tigers and their movements deserve to be applauded.

The return journey back home by train was the most enjoyable. Farook and Nosherwan’s X-rated jokes, the wonderful dinner of Dominos pizza that was enough to feed an army! 😉The famous and yummy snacks from Ketkar Udyog, which never saw the light of the day! 😉The kids jumping from one bunk bed to another. Although Aranya was a bit under the weather, he was sporting enough and played along.  

And in the end, I was pleased that my ardent wish to introduce Ahan to wild India was finally fulfilled.

We must teach our children to smell the earth, to feel the rain on their skin, to touch the wind, to see things grow, to hear the birds sing as the sun rises and night falls – to care. After all, they are the future guardians of our very fragile environment.

 

Nivedita Kothare

2^nd to 6^th June 2026 – Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve