Posts Tagged ‘Bandhavgarh National Park’
Bandhavgarh National Park: A historical tiger reserve
Bandhavgarh National Park is situated in central India in the State of Madhya Pradesh, and has delighted tiger enthusiasts for many years now. Tigers like ‘Charger’, ‘Vijaya’, ‘Spotty’, ‘Dotty’ and ‘Solo’ to name a few have made a name for themselves as real world stars of ‘Mother Nature’ showing off a beauty and charisma found only in a few other places in India.
One of ‘Spotty’s cubs lounging at a waterhole in the interior…!
I have made four trips to Bandhavgarh since November 2014, and have been able to get some very nice tiger photographs including the famous sisters named ‘Dotty and Spotty’. The park is made-up of three zones (1, 2 & 3) and tigers are found in all three. However, one cannot be absolutely sure to get the striped cat and at times, it can be frustrating to say the least, especially when the Forest Department is burning leaves along the side of the road in March. The best time to come is during the hot season (April-May) when water resources are low, and prey and predator are not very far away from the waterholes. My first trip here came-up dry with just a few pug-marks here and there.
‘Spotty’ (in the foreground) leading her two cubs close by the road…!
Being very spiritual, I have come to believe in two mystical beings that are found here. There is a shrine by the side of the main road and another one inside the park in ‘Zone One’ where ‘Siddh Baba’ lives. The other spiritual being is ‘Siddi Mama’ who lives in all ‘Banyon’ trees found throughout India. One day in 2015 as I was motoring around in ‘Zone Two’ after three consecutive days of no tiger sightings in ‘Zone One’, I bumped into a remarkable Indian lady, her husband and their daughter in another jeep. As usual, the drivers stopped to exchange ‘tiger information’.
One of ‘Spotty’s cubs scent marking by the road…!
The lady asked me where I was from; I said Thailand and then mentioned that I had not seen any tigers yet…she then said, “maybe your luck will change as you (me) are under a banyon tree” and “you need to go into town and buy a coconut, some incense and then make an offering to the small roadside shrine where ‘Siddh Baba’ lives out on the main highway.
My first tiger in Bandhavgarh: A sub-adult male in ‘Zone Two’…!
We parted company and said our goodbyes. A few minutes later and around the corner like magic, a juvenile male tiger stepped out onto the road and I got some amazing shots of the young striped cat. Boy, my luck changed immediately. My driver and I then went into town for lunch, and we got a coconut and some incense. We were going to pray on the way back but time was limited so we decided to stop by the shrine after the evening safari.
‘Dotty’ on the road in the interior of ‘Zone Two’: My second tiger that lucky day…!
We got to the gate and waited for the 3pm opening. After a half hour, we split up from the other vehicles and proceeded into the park by ourselves. Around a corner, and we mystically bumped into ‘Dotty’, a mature female tiger standing on the road. I was elated to say the least but it did not take long for a bunch of other jeeps to show up and then the free-for-all mayhem began. But I was lucky to get her with no commotion and undisturbed. She then slipped into the forest after all the noisy drivers started shouting and crashing into each other tying to get a glimpse of her. We departed and I felt great. We stopped by ‘Siddh Baba’s shrine on the way back in darkness and payed our respects for my good fortune. I now stop by every time I visit Bandhavgarh. There is also another ‘Siddh Baba’ shrine in ‘Zone One’ several kilometers in by the side of the road.
My first tiger in ‘Zone Three’ in 2017: A sub-adult male in late afternoon…!
I have just returned from Bandhavgarh and got ‘Spotty’ and her two cubs in ‘Zone One’ in the afternoon of the third day shown above. News quickly spread that the three were next to the road. When we got there, some 20 jeeps were packed into a small section following every move they made. The going’s-on was almost deafening all trying to get the best position.
My second tiger in ‘Zone Two’ in 2017: Her name is ‘Solo’ and she was out hunting in the morning sun…!
Funny enough, ‘Spotty’ and her cubs do not pay to much attention to the din. I did however get a few shots but it was difficult to say the least. So that makes 49 tigers I have photographed in India. I did however, get a fresh pile of tiger scat on the rode in the interior of ‘Zone Two’.
‘Spotty’ in ‘Zone One’ in 2017: She is a very popular tiger and very photogenic…!
I also got a leopard on a rocky outcrop shown below just past the ‘Siddh Baba’ shrine not far from the gate at ‘Zone One’. That was just after my guide told me that the ‘ghost of the forest’ are occasionally seen in this patch of forest. Now that’s what I call ‘extreme luck’…!
A leopard spotted in a rocky outcrop not far from the ‘Siddh Baba’ shrine in ‘Zone One’…!
So with that in mind, I recommend giving Bandhavgarh a try but be prepared for some unpleasant mix-ups when a tiger is spotted. The Forest Department here really needs to fix this problem for the future and maybe take-up the new regulations and rules that are now in place in Kanha Tiger Reserve. See my story on my recent trip to Kanha…! (:http://brucekekule.com/photography_abroad/kanha-national-park-the-best-run-protected-area-in-india/)
Long live the tigers in Bandhavgarh…!!
