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N. Shiva Kumar

Crisp and clean air, verdant vistas, hills surrounded by swamps and savannahs, a crumbling fortress, big cats, beautiful birds and curious contours in the terrain are the attributes of the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

The Bandhavgarh fortress looms large across the park's landscape

Bandhavgarh is a small, secluded and, believe it or not, sweet-smelling sanctuary with the aroma of blooming swathes of forest flowers. Crisp and clean air, verdant vistas, heterogeneous hills surrounded by swamps and savannahs, a crumbling fortress, big cats, beautiful birds and curious contours in the terrain are the attributes of the Bandhavgarh National Park in the heart of Madhya Pradesh.

The warmth of daybreak and the twilight hours of dusk were the most exciting. Wandering in the overpowering atmosphere of wild world for seven days was a remarkable experience.

While the striped cats dominated the demands of the common tourist and the wildlife enthusiasts alike, there was much more than just tiger viewing. The anticipation of a tiger emerging out of the tall grass or pursuing the pugnacious pugmarks crossing the jeep tracks only to be lost on the carpet of green meadow was both magical and mysterious. But birds with their wings in the wind had the liberty of free flight and thus regaled us when the tigers were not around.

Bird watching at dawn is a boon in the cool winter winds when the migrating flocks of birds coupled with the local species enrich the surrounding jungles with their chorus.

The crested serpent eagle perched on a tree in the park.

Birds such as the warblers, pipits, chats etc. fly in from far-off climes to enhance the number of residence birds, turning the area into a veritable goldmine of delightful melodies in a perfectly placid situation.

One early morning, 10 minutes after we entered the sanctuary gates we saw a single stately bird walking on long legs. Strutting up and down the edges of a slow moving stream, the Adjutant Stork did not bother to look us up as we patiently waited, barely 200 metres away. Many miles away into the forest we located a flock of Malabar pied hornbills making a racket as they flew in a tight troop of 12. It is rare to see these birds in such large numbers in these jungles or elsewhere in India.

According to local experts, the total number of bird species recorded in the area is nearly 250. Of the 250 birds recorded here, we managed to see about a hundred in the 14 trips made into the Bandhavgarh National Park.

A helpful checklist of birds of Bandhavgarh had been prepared and published by Hashim Tyabji in 1994 as a compact, pocket-size booklet. This useful guide has been out of print for some years now.

The Bandhavgarh National park was first established in 1968 with an area of 100 sq km having a lush jungle with excellent stands of tall sal trees. Now covering an undulating terrain of 448 sq km, Bandhavgarh National Park is situated in the Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh. Nestling among the outlying hills of the Vindhya Range, the park contains some unique flora and fauna.

At the centre of the Park is Bandhavgarh hill, rising 800 metres, and surrounding the rocky outcrop are a large number of hillocks separated by gently sloping valleys. The valleys end in small, swampy meadows interspersed with grasslands, locally known as `bohera'. These are hotspots where wildlife usually congregates to quench their thirst and hunger. Over 20 streams meander through the park nurturing the sal forests in the valleys and on the lower slopes.

In another part of the forest, we went looking out for the stone curlews and found them in the usual dry parts of the sanctuary. Being highly camouflaged, they perfectly merged with the leaf litter on the forest floor.

Walking with hesitant steps and stiff leg movements, the birds moved away as we got closer for better photo opportunities. Also known as thick-knees, these birds have cleverly evolved to disappear into thin air even while positioned in the open grounds.

On the fourth day, we encountered a strange phenomenon as we passed a dry area with many ungainly boulders strewn about. Just as the jeep passed by, we heard a strange call of bird that turned out to be a nightjar.

What's a nocturnal bird doing in daylight fully exposed to the sun? Squatting on the ground, the jungle nightjar was beautiful in the afternoon light with rich chocolate camouflage colours. Habituated to the passing gypsy jeeps the bird emits this strange single call, as if in acknowledgment of its presence in the area. The accompanying guide told me that the nightjars in Bandhavgarh have learnt to respond to this fly-past of jeeps.

Wheeling in the azure sky were vultures, a sight every birdwatcher, today, wants to see, because of the paucity of healthy vultures. Collectively, there were at least 50 white-backed vultures circling the skies. Sprinklings of long-billed vultures were also visible.

By the penultimate day of our stay, we fully realised and relished the thrill of the chase in full throttle, sitting in an open gypsy and biting the dust. The urge to yield to a field of green grass and actually seeing one big tiger emerging merely for a lingering moment was breathtaking.

Once the collaborative curiosity of the driver, guide and the passengers is quenched, one ventures into another adventure for more wildlife and maybe another tiger in a different territory.

Even the humble crow chasing a crested serpent eagle, as we noticed turned out to be equally thrilling when the bird of prey took a sudden topsy-turvy turn and nearly knocked off the pestering crow with its talons in mid-air. At the end of the seven-day trip, we managed to see at least one tiger a day and numerous birds.

As we were leaving the park at dusk a full moon rose up the horizon and the strong moonshine penetrated the leafy canopy covering the forest floor with a silver sheen.

Pictures by the author.

Fact file

Getting there

By air: The nearest convenient town and nearest airport from Bandhavgarh is Jabalpur (165 km and takes four hours).

By rail: Umaria is the nearest railhead (30 km). The other nearest railways stations are Jabalpur (165 km), Katni (102 km) and Satna Satna (120 km).

Accommodation: There are varied options for accommodation in the villages adjoining the park. The Taj group has a hotel with standard rooms as well as tented accommodation. Madhya Pradesh Tourism also hotels and booking is possible from their various offices in India. There are other resorts that offer accommodation too.

Best visit: The park is open to visitors from October to June. But the best season to visit is November to April. This is the time when tigers and birds can be easily spotted.

Getting around: Jeeps, mostly Gypsy's are used to explore the park. The reservation of these can be done at the Project Tiger office or the hotels where one is staying.

The tour is accompanied by a guide and in the park one must adhere to the allocated route.

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