It was December and winter in Northern India. We were in the State of Rajasthan, visiting the Ranthambore National Park. A Canter truck belonging to the Forest Department picked everyone up early morning from their hotels as no private vehicles are allowed inside the park.
It was eight degrees centigrade and notwithstanding our monkey caps and jerseys, we found it extremely cold. The hotel had given us blankets to wrap ourselves with inside the open truck. The freezing wind whistled through and we shivered, our fingers numb, sometimes unable to even click the cameras.
 |
| The majestic Tiger. |
 |
| Rufous Tree Pie or Tiger dentist and male and female Sambhur at play |
 |
| The Nilgai or Blue Bull |
Within ten minutes of driving through the park we came by the Rajbag Lake and our ears picked up the alarm calls of the langurs and spotted deer which echoed in the misty air. To our amazement and delight the observant driver remarked, “Look Tiger”. Amongst the tall grasses and reeds on the other side of the lake was the big striped cat moving stealthily, obviously stalking a prey for breakfast. We glimpsed it for about five minutes but far too soon it walked into the tall grass and was lost from sight.
These graceful felines are extremely elusive and sometimes visitors do many rounds in the park but go back not having seen them. So we considered ourselves quite lucky.
Ranthambore park has an abundance of animal life and since most of the animals are rather uninhibited, it is possible to capture them on camera since they do not panic at the sight of visitors unlike in our Sri Lankan parks. This is due to the restriction of visitors to the park, as the vehicles inside the park are few and far between.
Driving through we saw many sambhur andherds of Spotted Deer. Later around the second lake, basking in the sun which was hot by now were huge crocodiles and at some places baby crocodiles. Our truck crossed the water and we came by to a savanna where we spotted the Chinkara also know as the Indian Gazelle, lying down in the grass and chewing lazily. Its ringed antlers are quite novel. Also grazing were the Nilgai known as the Blue Bull, buxom, beefy looking creatures, the size of a bull and quite powerful. On a rocky outcrop we spotted mongooses and a jackal.
The most interesting bird we came across in India was the “Rufous Tree Pie” – a bold inquisitive bird which demanded crumbs of any sort and would keep landing on the side mirrors of the truck and its frame. Indians call it the Tiger dentist – because, interestingly, it picks out little pieces of meat stuck in-between the Tiger’s teeth, after it has had a meal. The Tiger too is quite happy to have its teeth cleaned this way.
The Ranthambore National Park , 410 square km in extent is embedded with memories, of the Hindu kingdom, the Moghul invasion, and later having been the private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur. Finally it was declared a national park around 40 years ago.
The Ranthambore fort is by the entrance to the park and both Hindu and Moslem devotees come here as the fort has also houses places of religious worship. The breathtaking view of the forest and the lakes from atop the fort was worth the many steps we climbed. The king’s palace still remains inside these precincts, although not open to visitors.
We left Ranthambore full of respect for the Indian Forest Department which maintains the wild life parks, especially their meticulous procedures to curb over-visitation. |
E-mail