Temples at Khajuraho

After a really long vacation involving three wildlife sanctuaries and loads of travelling, the final stop before home was at Khajuraho. Famous for its medieval Jain and Hindu temples, the city always has a multitude of tourists, guides and touts. Other tourist spots like cafes, restaurants and lodges also are present everywhere. The fact that the temples were lost for hundreds of years is probably the reason they are still in great shape.

A sound and light show in the night at the western group is a nice way to explore their history. The western group is the best preserved and the largest complex among the temples there. The sound and light show every night is informative and entertaining. The complex itself has one temple which is still in use and has a separate entrance but the others are more serene. The entire complex is very well maintained and is a great picnic spot if not anything else. The architecture and sculpture of course is exquisite.

The eastern group and the southern group are smaller clusters with one or two temples scattered, although the Jain temple complex is quite impressive. A museum near the jain temples houses some more sculptures. A couple of temples in that area are not very well maintained but the others are fenced off and worth a visit. Although we did not hire a guide, one day would be more than sufficient to cover it all even with a guide explaining everything.

Panna and Ken Gharial national park

About 4 to 5 hours north of Bandhavgarh lies Panna. The park is located very close to the city of Khajuraho, which is quite a convenient place to stay as there are not many hotels or amenities near the park. In the news a few years back due to the complete loss of tigers, a few tigers were relocated here from other parks. Tigers are of course spotted very rarely here. The low density and the number of gorges where it would be almost impossible to spot them makes tiger sightings very rare compared to the more popular Bandhavgarh.

However there is much more to see in Panna. The sheer number of savannah nightjars we spotted in 2 safaris was fantastic. They must be the easiest ones to spot since they are the only nightjars to call whenever the jeep got close. We did spot a grey nightjar as well which made no sound at all even as a savannah nightjar shrieked away behind it. Other interesting spots were pairs of painted sandgrouses, chinkaras, wild dogs, jackals, pygmy woodpecker, a brown fish owl and grey headed eagles. The landscapes vary and the hills make for some lovely backdrops. The Ken river running through it is an ideal place to find lots of birds. Boating allowed inside the forest in Ken river also makes for a nice change of pace. Leopards are seen often but early in the morning or late evening. We were unlucky not to spot one even as a sambar in front of us kept calling and a distant growl gave us fake hope in the dying light.

The Ken Gharial national park is also a must see. Closer to Khajuraho, we were able to spot vultures and griffons, gharials though were not out. Raneh falls however is a sight to behold. The rock formations of varying colors are beautiful especially when there is less water. We saw photos of the rainy season where the entire area was flooded and except the tip of the rocks, no waterfall existed. Till winter, it turns to a waterfall and as summer sets in, there are only rocks and small puddles. The landscape is different every time you see it.

Bandhavgarh

Bandhavgarh is considered one of the best places to see tigers in the wild in India. It is also one of the most expensive places to go on safaris in India and along with the limited number of jeeps that are allowed into the park, bookings have to be done early. You are bound to hear how luck plays a huge factor as far as sightings are considered, however you would be considered quite unlucky if you were not able to spot a tiger in Bandhavgarh after a few safaris. The plain areas with large visibility and thee extremely high density of tigers in the park make for a high incidence of the large cats crossing paths with the tourists.

There are 3 zones with the highest sightings reported from Tala zone followed by Magadhi. The Khitauli zone is known more for the lack of tigers due to which other predators like wolves, bears and leopards are seen more often. Our safaris were 4 in the Tala and 2 in the Magadhi zone. The first afternoon safari started off in the Tala zone with no tiger, but a quite a few paw prints and calls, a couple of gaurs, loads of prey and some birding. Guides there are also completely focused on finding a tiger more than anything else, birding requests need to be repeated and specific as any trip without a tiger is considered a disappointment by quite a few guests.

The next morning was a lot more eventful with a pair of mating tigers spotted early on near a road common to Magadhi and Tala zone(our safari was for the Magadhi zone). With over 20 jeeps and a couple of elephants trying to get close, we could manage a few glimpses as the male, the lesser timid of the 2 ventured out for a while. Soon they disappeared, apparently irritated with the large fan following and we got back to searching for others. The afternoon safari at Tala was a lazy one with some birding and landscapes.

The next day consisted of 2 safaris in Tala and on both we managed to spot the same male again. The morning as we waited and tracked calls for about an hour and in the noon as we turned into a road and found him sitting less than 2 meters from a jeep. The tiger called a Mukunda male was not a shy one but each time, he left after posing for a few photos. The last safari at Magadhi was more about birding as we found quite a few hawk eagles, vultures, yellow wattled lapwings and bush-quails.

On one of the days we ventured out to the fort in the Tala zone between the safaris. The 3 km trek to the top is moderate but could be tiring in the midday sun in summer. The fort itself is the reason for the name Bandhavgarh (brother's fort) as legends claim it is the fort gifted to Lakshman by Ram. Later the same night, as we had to travel 14 km from the Tala gate to a nearby village to get to an ATM, we spotted 4 foxes and a domestic cat which we mistook for a jungle cat initially. The wildlife on the roads at night is considered quite normal with foxes, wolves and deer seen commonly and atleast a couple of drivers claimed to have seen even tiger and a bear near the roads.

Jhansi and Orcha

Getting from Bangalore to Bandhavgarh is a bit of a hassle especially when traveling by train. We had a stopover at Jhansi for a day. A tour around the city seemed like a good idea and the a chance for some good food.

The city is historically important for being the stronghold of Rani Lakshmi bai, a quintessential heroine in the annals of Indian history. There are a few places of interest in the city. The fort is quite well maintained with a a few notable sights such as the kadak bijli canon, a few temples and gates. There is a board which marks the spot where the queen jumped off which seemed to be amusing if not too historical. The Rani Mahal has been converted to a museum although it looks more like a storehouse for statues and artifacts. The city museum on the other hand was far more informative and interesting.



Less than 20 kms away from Jhansi is the city of Orcha in Madhya Pradesh which is more popular amongst the tourists. The ruins and the temples are of course much better maintained, and more photogenic. More interesting among them are the palace, the Jahangir Mahal, the Chaturbhuj temple and the Rama Raja temple which is religiously important. The complete trip took us no more than half a day to all these places.

The owner of the paw prints

One long drive back to Nagpur from Tadoba and a slightly shorter drive from there into MP got us into Pench. Staying at Mowgli’s Den was a little more expensive but a lot more comfortable. Too late for the evening’s safari, we just rested. There are three gates for Pench with the Turia gate being the more popular one with about 50 jeeps, the other 2 have around 10 and 5. The number of hotels also is higher and the crowd on weekends justifies that.

A lot stricter about the guide and driver rotation than Tadoba, but Pench is a little more lax on the timings. The morning safaris last from 6.30 to 11, give or take 10 minutes while the evening ones go from 2.30 to 5.30. There is an exhibit/ mini museum near the gate which is open all the time. Routes are fixed in the morning but all five of them do overlap. The morning session also has a common stopover for breakfast. A dead gaur calf near the stopover allowed vultures to also have their meals. Elephant rides to get closer if a tiger is spotted are also a possibility.

Scenically, Pench is fantastic. The forest is among the most beautiful ones I have seen. It made Tadoba look really dull in comparison. The variations in landscapes, scenic lakes, coupled with the amount of herbivores and birdlife makes sure you have plenty to look forward to. The guides also have quite a few fixed spots as in an Indian nightjar, lots of collared scops owls, mottled wood owls and the like. Was a bit unfortunate to have missed a pair of Malabar pied hornbills, but there were plenty of other birds found in their expected spots.

The evening safari on the first day though had a bit of a twist. Hadn’t expected a tiger sighting in Pench due to the standard routes and the size of the park, but as we were leaving the park a few jeeps stopped us and told us a tigress was inside the bushes. Late in the evening with light fading quickly, we saw glimpses of the head and tail through the heavy thicket; it decided to walk off further into the bushes. We doubled back to another road and sure enough in a few minutes she walked across the road, past our jeep and into the forest. She did not have her cubs with her at that time unfortunately.

Managed to get the same guide and driver the next day as well, this time at the stopover, they told us that they had spotted a tigress with 4 cubs and were tracking it, unfortunately it did not stop so we could not see it but there were jackals near the carcass as well that day and a pair of mottled wood owls ended the trip.