I visit India every year to see family and friends but hesitate to travel because the environment is not tourist friendly and fraught with delays and complications. I have traveled through a good part of India but had never visited Khajuraho. Khajuraho is the scene of famous erotic temples rediscovered by a British army officer in 1850’s. I decided to go there this time because it is only a short flight from Delhi. I looked around for what else was in the area and discovered that several national parks were in the vicinity notably the Tiger park, Bandavgarh. A distant relative runs the tiger safari and assured me that I would see the tigers and made the arrangements.

                                   I flew from Delhi to Khajuraho by an uneventful flight to Khajuraho and 4 hours later was on my way to the temples. A guide then related the story some true some embellished but generally descriptive at a tourist level and I could fill in the details. Khajuraho, lies in the center of Indian plains surrounded by barren dry land and a difficult terrain. Khajur(date palm trees) and Rah(village) account for the name of the place. It was near the capital city of Chandela dynasty of Hindu Kings that ruled and enjoyed this part of the world between 10th and 13th century ACE. The uniqueness lies in the Hindu architecture not yet influenced by Moghul or Western architecture and the erotic carvings in sandstone on  religious temples dedicated to the usual triple deity of Hindu gods namely Brahma(creator, Vishnu(maintainer) and Shiva(destroyer). Hindus had evolved in this period of time to Tantric Yoga advocating the marshaling of sexual energy to spiritual energy and celebrating sexuality rather than suppressing it. The uniqueness of this approach is lost even to Indians today that fail to mention it in the entertaining but obscure “Sound and Light” show in the evening. The base of the temples is constructed with granite and carvings in sandstone keeping in mind the direction of sunrise and sunset and enough light inside the temples. There is even a place in front of the main statues inside the temple for a dance in the honor of gods and a balcony for the royals. The construction of a temple is designed to simulate the Himalayan peaks. The outside walls are decorated with similar statues carved in sandstone displaying gods, goddesses, playful scenes, drinking, dancing, make up, sexual poses all executed with marvelous detail evoking amusement, veneration of beauty, amorousness and reverence. The temple has stood the test of time over a thousand years and still beckons to a bygone time when sexuality was not prohibited, sinful or shameful but divine.

                                        The grounds have 5 temples built in slightly different styles with similar statues decorating the exterior. Group sexual scenes on the sides, scenes of daily royal life on outer walls mixed with divine statues of gods and goddesses. May be India would have been a different country if the conservative Muslims and British had never set foot in India. If you do go to India do not miss this trip after Taj Mahal this may indeed be the reason to visit India.

Tiger Trails

 

                                                     My driver intimated me that we should leave early tomorrow for 6 to 7 hour drive because the road was not “quite right.” I did not take him seriously figuring there are few Indian roads that meet the test of safety and comfort. I was in for a rude shock as the road soon gave way to giant potholes most of the way. We drove at an average of 30miles/hour bouncing along for the next 9 hours. I finally lay down on the back seat listening to audio books while the driver struggled gallantly with the road. By dusk we arrived at the destination, a resort by the name of Tiger Trails. A rustic setting out in the jungle maintained on the colonial style not unlike the Africans. I personally resent the pampering that treats me like an invalid but food and service were excellent.

We left for the first drive before  dawn in an open jeep with a driver and a naturalist. The gate opens at 6:15 am and there was already a long line of jeeps stuffed with mostly Indian tourists. We soon left the crowd and ventured on our own way looking for trails. The idea is to spot a tiger’s footprints in the dirt track and then follow them on the twisting dirt tracks till you actually see a tiger. The driver and another guide lent by the National park were able to spot these marks yards way and then communicated with other drivers passing by. We drove around in a hurry not seeing anything remotely like a tiger. Another driver coming back told us we must hurry, there is a “Tiger Show.” We drove rapidly to arrive at another dirt track with 20 other jeeps lined up. A pair of elephants was taking the tourists 4 at a time for the Tiger sighting. Each trip took 20 minutes and I calculated my turn was at least 3 hours away. Will the Tiger wait??

                                         Smiles on the faces of returning passengers encouraged me to stay on. Then came along an old man dressed in the Indian politician garb of white hand made cotton. He announced to anyone who would listen, “I have already seen the Tiger. I wonder if I should wait here.” Since nobody seemed impressed with this statement, he intoned, “We saw the tiger on the way to the park. We thought it was a cow on the road so we turned on the headlights and then we saw it was a TIGER. HE WALKED IN FRONT UNCONCERNED BY OUR PRESENCE HARDLY 200 YARDS AWAY. We followed. HE STOPPED ON THE TRACK, DID NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO. LOOKED BACK AT US, SNARLED AND WALKED AWAY.  He was MAJESTIC.” He repeated the story umpteen times embellishing details each time. We waited amidst murmurs of crowd, picture taking of the elephants, flies and chirping birds. Finally my turn came but I was told the elephant could not take anymore and that I could go on the next ride. Half an hour later, it was finally the time to take a look. Elephant ride through the jungle is not exactly pleasant as you are smacked by tree branches and the recalcitrant elephant would repeatedly stop in its tracks or start  eating another juicy plant. The elephant driver would shout, push his feet on his neck, hit him on the head with a stick and finally jab him with a iron stick. I could not understand all the fuss till I understood the Tigress had left with her cubs. We searched in vain in the thick foliage and returned disappointed. The naturalist reassured me we would see them in the afternoon.

We hurtled fast on the tracks in the afternoon from one end of the park to another while the driver would periodically point to “Panje(footprints)”. This time I understood enough of the local language to understand the drivers talking to each other. They would excitedly tell each other of the find of “Panje”  and hurry on in another direction. The way this works is that if you know the footprints(The left rear paw of tigers, they can actually tell which tiger!), you can divine with the topographical knowledge of the park the direction of the tiger. Tigers however have learned how to elude their human pursuers. We had little success in actually sighting a Tiger but did get to see a few deer and monkeys. But I came here to see the Tiger! We returned disappointed in the evening. Late in the evening I began to wonder if this tour had been worth it. Several of family and friends had warned me not to expect any sighting. They had all been there and not seen any.

 

                                              Next morning we took off again at a rapid pace eager to conquer. I had resigned myself to enjoying the rides. We saw several “Panje” and even heard them roar in a distance and the elephant trackers pursuing them. We waited first in line but the elephant trackers never showed up. We soon heard of another “Tiger show”. We flew across the dirt track and 30 minutes later I was 13th on the list. A seemingly endless wait later I was up on the elephant headed for a rendezvous. A few minutes later the elephant driver(Mahout) pointed in the bush below, ”Yesterday, you did not see any. Today you will see four. Barely visible from up high, a tigress lay nursing her four cubs. The scene is benign enough with its motherly overtones and we craned out necks to take a good look. A cub decided to give us a look and came out far enough to see clearly. Other tourists demanded a better view so the Mahout prodded and pushed the reluctant elephant close enough that the Tigress started to take a walk as we left. I caught a glimpse of that golden orange with dark stripes through the tree branches. It is not only unexpected that one would see such bright colors but would probably be frightening if one was on foot! The tigress soon disappeared with the cubs. Indeed ours was the last trip on the elephant. Delighted at having actually seen one I was happy! We toured a little more and headed back for lunch.

                      The naturalist enquired of me if I wanted the afternoon drive. I said, “You bet, I do.”  We took off on another tour looking not for the tigers but the environs of an erstwhile King who had a fort on the hill. The old man had recently died and his children were in battle in court. The king had owned a hotel in a big city but the manager embezzled the hotel. The queen had continued to receive imported cigarettes from the hotel for some time. The sons were also in court battles. The oldest son had not talked to his father in years and so on.. The Moghuls had a treaty with the kings and never came here and the British had been persuaded by the King so this area had been independent the whole time. The barren land and difficult offers few incentives. The area however had served as a place for visiting Royalty to hunt tigers and loins. Then the King gave up the hunting. They had watch towers but those were taken down after the poachers came in. They did not tag the tiger with radio transmitters because of the opposition by Wild life enthusiasts. They do have doctors that will administer medications if they spot a sick tiger.

                                        We were talking and descending a steep hillside when we were told that someone else had seen some tigers. We sped off again to spot 3 tiger cubs hurrying up the hillside all but obscured by the thick jungle. I was finally able to spot the tiny legs scurrying up the hill. We wandered off again. Soon we heard, “They saw a Tiger at the same place.” It was late afternoon, we figured another look can not hurt. We arrived on the scene. A few jeeps were on the dirt track looking through tall grass. I stood up on the seat and could see in distance some dark stripes on the white belly but no golden orange. The tiger had come down for a drink at the water after a meal(full belly) and was now taking a nap. We sat and waited noiselessly for the tiger to get up. But he was intent on having his nap. With little to do we settled down, peered with binoculars and chatted about whether this was the one roaring earlier. Someone concluded it was “Challenger”. ‘The name had been given to a male cub 3 years ago who challenged his father early on for the territory. When he was young he would come to the tracks to watch jeeps. He must have been injured in the fight with his father. Did he need treatment? We don’t know for sure. We have not really seen his wounds. We will know when he walks. They can heal themselves.’ So it went till someone let off the car alarm ‘accidentally’. The Tiger woke up in annoyance ruffled at this rude intruder, looked around and went right back to sleep. We waited till it was almost dark when he woke up. He yawned and looked directly at us. I could see the big teeth and the full open mouth. The full face looking straight at one is indeed a sight to behold. The big eyes, whiskers, golden orange color and the black stripes and this is not a zoo! I snapped film and video as fast as I could through the high grass for the precious seconds he stood up surveyed the environment  and had another drink of water. He tried but could not do Number two and walked towards and disappeared in to the jungle. Majestic, awe inspiring, unconcerned, prince of the jungle just vanished… I had seen 8 tigers in one day!

 

 

Tips for the Tourist:

When to Go: Best time for wild life views April to June (very hot), The tigers can be easily seen by the waterholes in summer.

Cost: my cost total for 5 days $500.00. Your cost may be higher as an international tourist. The charges are at times 10 times the local rate but it is still only $11.00 for entry fee.

How to go:

Khajuraho: Fly from Delhi

Bandavgarh: Fly from Mumbai to Jabalpur then  200 Km Drive

or

Train from Delhi to Jhansi, Train from Jhansi to Umaria, one hour drive to Bandavgarh.

Travel agent: Mohit Aggarwal, wildindiatours@vsnl.com

Where to stay:

 Khajuraho: Holiday Inn, eat elsewhere

Bandavgarh: Look for A/C in summer, winter: Tiger Trails Resort