Remember the Madhya Pradesh tourism ad in which a captivating voice used to sing "Hindustan ka dil dekho" to a catchy tune? That was way back in 2007 (feel old already?) I had been to Gwalior and around with family before, but this ad convinced me that I hadn't yet seen the real MP. I was eager to go see everything the voice sang about in the ad and to make a video of my own just like it.
Of course, I was just a teenager with ideas. Life went on over the years, and my fascination with Madhya Pradesh got overshadowed by my growing love for the Himalayas. That was, until last week, when I finally set foot in the heart of Incredible India.
The reason that finally brought me to Madhya Pradesh was a work tour to Jabalpur, which we conveniently scheduled on Friday so as to give us the extended weekend to explore the less frequented east-central region of Madhya Pradesh. And by God, one hell of a 'work' trip it turned out to be!
After wrapping up work early on Friday evening, we set out to explore what little part of Jabalpur we could in an evening. We first drove down to 'Balancing Rock' to witness the famous volcanic rock that has remained balanced on its base rock for hundreds (or thousands?) of years despite very little surface contact between the two. I had heard about this rock, and even though it is an attraction you can hardly spend 10-15 mintes at, I think it holds a sense of wonder and is well worth the trip.
One of Jabalpur's most popular attractions, the Balancing Rock has visitors coming from all over just to catch a glimpse of this gigantic rock balancing on a tiny portion of its base rock. The complex has several such huge boulders formed by the erosion of volcanic rock formations. These otherwise nondescript rocks are said to have survived earthquakes of magnitude up to 6.5 on the Richter scale without losing balance, fancy that! 😀 A post shared by Mahima Kohli (@kohliaroundtheworld) on Apr 29, 2018 at 4:58am PDT
From there, we drove to Rani Durgavati Fort nearby, where we had to hike up a series of stairs for 15 minutes (including frequent breaks to catch our breaths) to come face to face with a beautiful little hill fortress cum watchtower. Built in the 11th century by the ruler Madan Singh, the fortress was renamed by the MP state government to honour Rani Durgavati, an indomitable Gond ruler and a female icon of the region.
The view from the top of Rani Durgavati Fort, Jabalpur. Rani Durgavati is relatively unknown among women stalwarts of Indian history but her story is awe-inspiring. Born into the Chandel dynasty in 16th century and married to a Rajgond ruler, she took over the reigns of the Gond kingdom when her husband died unexpectedly. She led her army in combat and won several battles by the sheer power of strategy and courage despite having lesser military strength. Finally, when her army was vanquished at the hands of a Mughal battalion, she killed herself on the battlefield with her own dagger. To honour her legacy, the MP government had Jabalpur university as well as this fort renamed after her. Sunset views from this little fortress were stunning. 😍🌄A post shared by Mahima Kohli (@kohliaroundtheworld) on Apr 28, 2018 at 3:31am PDT
We ended the eventful day with dinner at 70mm Dining, a trendy restaurant which seemed like Jabalpur's version of an up-and-coming Bollywood-themed cafe where young (and young-at-heart) junta could hang out. It wasn't the best meal I've had, but full marks to 70mm Dining for trying.
The 3-3.5 hour road journey was paved for most part by grassland and forest. The region is known for its abundance of Mahua and Sal trees that shed their leaves in the winter and begin to grow them back, first red then green, at the beginning of summer. The road was narrow, smooth, and stretched out up to the horizon. The bird-watcher in me kept looking out of the window, eager to catch sightings. But there were no birds. It was too hot to be sitting out in almost-bare trees, even though it was not half-past-nine yet. Villages and farmlands appeared on the sides of the road every now and then. The locals cannot be too well off around here, I thought to myself as our car slowed down to let a herd of severely malnourished cows pass.
We stopped on the way to chill by this little water body. I spotted plenty of birds (finally) and buffaloes cooling themselves in the water too.
The driver told us the road led up to Dindori and Mandla, both tribal districts. We asked if there was naxalite activity in the region, and he denied its being a problem. Some 30 km outside Tala, the gateway into Bandhavgarh National Park, we picked up our companion who was managing our stay arrangements. He was a wildlife and birding enthusiast, and the first thing he told us was not to get disappointed if we didn't spot a tiger during the evening safari. There were also cheetal, wild boars, Gaur bison, leopards and several species of birds to be seen. Spotting a tiger was entirely a matter of luck, and you could end up going on several safaris before catching glimpse of a single tiger.
We were famished by the time we reached Bandhavgarh National Park. We dropped off our bags in our respective log huts that were erected on cemented platforms with glass walls all over, a cottage-like roof on the outside and a tarpaulin ceiling inside to give them an authentic jungle camp feel. It felt like I was 'glamping' in one of those fancy resorts in Bali, Kenya or Sri Lanka that I've seen so many Instagram travel celebs post pictures of.
As we were led to the restaurant for lunch, I found out that the vegetables they use in their food are mostly grown in-house on little farms and in greenhouses. We had a simple lunch comprising seasonal vegetables, rajma, the usual North Indian food accompaniments, and a delish fruit custard for dessert. The restaurant overlooks a small lotus pond, beyond which is a patch of tiger grass that constantly reminds us of our being in Bandhavgarh National Park.
With us were an experienced driver, who had started driving his own private jeep after working with the park rangers for many years, and a guide easily into his sixties, who had been born in the region and had been roaming these forests since the age of 14. During our first 10 km into the park, we saw plenty of cheetal, bison, peacocks, sambar, wild boars, and birds like partridges, jungle bush quail, painted spurfowl and several others I couldn't recognise. Then a safari group approaching from the opposite side told us two tigers had been spotted sleeping under a tree some 10 km away. We all decided it was worth skipping some wildlife spotting in the interest of heading first to where we had certain knowledge of a tiger being spotted. And so we rushed through the jungle at max velocity, making it one hell of a thrilling ride.
Thrilling ride in an open jeep through Bandhavgarh National Park
The story of how we came face to face not with one or two, but 4 grown female Royal Bengal tigers, and how we marginally escaped being shredded to pieces by the majestic beasts, makes for another blog post that I will write if enough readers ask me to. For now, it will suffice to say I have NEVER felt such a crazy rush of adrenaline in my life.
Have you ever almost been killed by a Royal Bengal Tiger? How about if there were 4 of them, all ferocious females? No? I was. Last weekend at the Bandhavgarh National Park. And it was the most incredible rush of adrenaline I've ever known. A post shared by Mahima Kohli (@kohliaroundtheworld) on May 1, 2018 at 4:16am PDT
After a wildly successful safari that ended with light showers and a windstorm, we returned to our log huts for a quiet night in the company of croaking insects, night birds, strange noises around the huts and the thrill of sleeping in the middle of a forest in a log cabin
Day 1 had ended in a whirlwind and we were excited for more. Luckily, Day 2 did not disappoint.
***(Stay tuned for the next post on our run-in with White Tigers and Black Bucks on Day 2 of the most incredible trip to Madhya Pradesh) Original link
Of course, I was just a teenager with ideas. Life went on over the years, and my fascination with Madhya Pradesh got overshadowed by my growing love for the Himalayas. That was, until last week, when I finally set foot in the heart of Incredible India.
The reason that finally brought me to Madhya Pradesh was a work tour to Jabalpur, which we conveniently scheduled on Friday so as to give us the extended weekend to explore the less frequented east-central region of Madhya Pradesh. And by God, one hell of a 'work' trip it turned out to be!
After wrapping up work early on Friday evening, we set out to explore what little part of Jabalpur we could in an evening. We first drove down to 'Balancing Rock' to witness the famous volcanic rock that has remained balanced on its base rock for hundreds (or thousands?) of years despite very little surface contact between the two. I had heard about this rock, and even though it is an attraction you can hardly spend 10-15 mintes at, I think it holds a sense of wonder and is well worth the trip.
One of Jabalpur's most popular attractions, the Balancing Rock has visitors coming from all over just to catch a glimpse of this gigantic rock balancing on a tiny portion of its base rock. The complex has several such huge boulders formed by the erosion of volcanic rock formations. These otherwise nondescript rocks are said to have survived earthquakes of magnitude up to 6.5 on the Richter scale without losing balance, fancy that! 😀 A post shared by Mahima Kohli (@kohliaroundtheworld) on Apr 29, 2018 at 4:58am PDT
From there, we drove to Rani Durgavati Fort nearby, where we had to hike up a series of stairs for 15 minutes (including frequent breaks to catch our breaths) to come face to face with a beautiful little hill fortress cum watchtower. Built in the 11th century by the ruler Madan Singh, the fortress was renamed by the MP state government to honour Rani Durgavati, an indomitable Gond ruler and a female icon of the region.
The view from the top of Rani Durgavati Fort, Jabalpur. Rani Durgavati is relatively unknown among women stalwarts of Indian history but her story is awe-inspiring. Born into the Chandel dynasty in 16th century and married to a Rajgond ruler, she took over the reigns of the Gond kingdom when her husband died unexpectedly. She led her army in combat and won several battles by the sheer power of strategy and courage despite having lesser military strength. Finally, when her army was vanquished at the hands of a Mughal battalion, she killed herself on the battlefield with her own dagger. To honour her legacy, the MP government had Jabalpur university as well as this fort renamed after her. Sunset views from this little fortress were stunning. 😍🌄A post shared by Mahima Kohli (@kohliaroundtheworld) on Apr 28, 2018 at 3:31am PDT
We ended the eventful day with dinner at 70mm Dining, a trendy restaurant which seemed like Jabalpur's version of an up-and-coming Bollywood-themed cafe where young (and young-at-heart) junta could hang out. It wasn't the best meal I've had, but full marks to 70mm Dining for trying.
Day 1 in the Heart of India
On Saturday morning, I woke up early to embark on a road trip to Bandhavgarh National Park with my colleague and partner-in-travel. A quaint little jungle resort was to be our home for the night.The 3-3.5 hour road journey was paved for most part by grassland and forest. The region is known for its abundance of Mahua and Sal trees that shed their leaves in the winter and begin to grow them back, first red then green, at the beginning of summer. The road was narrow, smooth, and stretched out up to the horizon. The bird-watcher in me kept looking out of the window, eager to catch sightings. But there were no birds. It was too hot to be sitting out in almost-bare trees, even though it was not half-past-nine yet. Villages and farmlands appeared on the sides of the road every now and then. The locals cannot be too well off around here, I thought to myself as our car slowed down to let a herd of severely malnourished cows pass.
We stopped on the way to chill by this little water body. I spotted plenty of birds (finally) and buffaloes cooling themselves in the water too.
The driver told us the road led up to Dindori and Mandla, both tribal districts. We asked if there was naxalite activity in the region, and he denied its being a problem. Some 30 km outside Tala, the gateway into Bandhavgarh National Park, we picked up our companion who was managing our stay arrangements. He was a wildlife and birding enthusiast, and the first thing he told us was not to get disappointed if we didn't spot a tiger during the evening safari. There were also cheetal, wild boars, Gaur bison, leopards and several species of birds to be seen. Spotting a tiger was entirely a matter of luck, and you could end up going on several safaris before catching glimpse of a single tiger.
Authentic jungle cabin experience
We were famished by the time we reached Bandhavgarh National Park. We dropped off our bags in our respective log huts that were erected on cemented platforms with glass walls all over, a cottage-like roof on the outside and a tarpaulin ceiling inside to give them an authentic jungle camp feel. It felt like I was 'glamping' in one of those fancy resorts in Bali, Kenya or Sri Lanka that I've seen so many Instagram travel celebs post pictures of.
As we were led to the restaurant for lunch, I found out that the vegetables they use in their food are mostly grown in-house on little farms and in greenhouses. We had a simple lunch comprising seasonal vegetables, rajma, the usual North Indian food accompaniments, and a delish fruit custard for dessert. The restaurant overlooks a small lotus pond, beyond which is a patch of tiger grass that constantly reminds us of our being in Bandhavgarh National Park.
Incredible Tiger Safari through Bandhavgarh National Park
Around 3.15 PM, we left for the tiger safari that starts at 4 and lasts till 6.30 or 7. We reached the gate of the national park, where you're supposed to get tickets and approval of the forest ranger on duty for your safari, only to discover that the ranger was absent and there were scores of people waiting to get their permissions before us. After over half an hour of speculations and mild cursing on how the ranger could be absent at the time of the daily evening safari, it was heard that there had been a forest fire somewhere in the jungle and the ranger was required to be there. So permissions were sought on the phone and after a long, tiring delay in the intense heat, we were finally on our way to spot tigers in the wild.With us were an experienced driver, who had started driving his own private jeep after working with the park rangers for many years, and a guide easily into his sixties, who had been born in the region and had been roaming these forests since the age of 14. During our first 10 km into the park, we saw plenty of cheetal, bison, peacocks, sambar, wild boars, and birds like partridges, jungle bush quail, painted spurfowl and several others I couldn't recognise. Then a safari group approaching from the opposite side told us two tigers had been spotted sleeping under a tree some 10 km away. We all decided it was worth skipping some wildlife spotting in the interest of heading first to where we had certain knowledge of a tiger being spotted. And so we rushed through the jungle at max velocity, making it one hell of a thrilling ride.
Thrilling ride in an open jeep through Bandhavgarh National Park
The story of how we came face to face not with one or two, but 4 grown female Royal Bengal tigers, and how we marginally escaped being shredded to pieces by the majestic beasts, makes for another blog post that I will write if enough readers ask me to. For now, it will suffice to say I have NEVER felt such a crazy rush of adrenaline in my life.
Have you ever almost been killed by a Royal Bengal Tiger? How about if there were 4 of them, all ferocious females? No? I was. Last weekend at the Bandhavgarh National Park. And it was the most incredible rush of adrenaline I've ever known. A post shared by Mahima Kohli (@kohliaroundtheworld) on May 1, 2018 at 4:16am PDT
After a wildly successful safari that ended with light showers and a windstorm, we returned to our log huts for a quiet night in the company of croaking insects, night birds, strange noises around the huts and the thrill of sleeping in the middle of a forest in a log cabin
Day 1 had ended in a whirlwind and we were excited for more. Luckily, Day 2 did not disappoint.
***(Stay tuned for the next post on our run-in with White Tigers and Black Bucks on Day 2 of the most incredible trip to Madhya Pradesh) Original link
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