A Weekend Drive and Two chance discoveries!

Monsoon is THE month for Maharashtra. It turns the state into a lush green wonderland with places like Lonavala, Khandala etc coming alive with water falls and the hills / Ghats turning into a very bright shade of green. It is only after shifting to Mumbai I realized the love for Monsoon that people can have. I come from Assam, where rains are abundant. I used to love rain when I was younger. I was always fascinated by the sound of falling rain drops on the tin roofs of our "Assam type" houses. I said houses, because all my relatives, grand parents stayed in such Assam type houses. Gradually after moving out of Assam and staying the hostel in Gwalior, and then flats in Delhi I lost that fascination. It's only after staying in Mumbai, I fell in love with rains all over again.




So as the monsoon was bidding adieu for this season, we went out on a small day drive to Igatpuri. My father in law had been to Mumbai many times. But he had never been out of the city during rains to see how amazing the places turn to be. We started very early in the morning. It was not raining when we started. But as soon as we were out of city limits and reaching Shahpur it started to pour. The drive itself was amazing. We stopped at Krishna's Udupi restaurant for an amazing breakfast of fresh idlis, vadas and upma.

The bridge on Vaitarna river

P was at that area few days ago on work. So he lead the way. We entered Vihigaon. Saw the sign board Ashok Dabdaba but we did not head there as to reach the water fall you need to walk downhill for sometime and my father in law was not fit enough for that adventure. Instead we went further towards the bridge on Vaitarna river. It was beautiful. For us city weary souls the quietness that it offered that stroke the most.

FIL on the bridge on Vaitarna

Then we drove up on the road for sometime towards Upper Vaitarna. But did not go upto Upper Vaitarna and returned as we wanted to go to Vipassana center at Igatpuri.


Myanmar gate at Vipassana Center - Igatpuri



We reached the Vipassana center only to come to know that the center was closed for visitors that day. They allowed entry only till the hall. Point to keep in mind every alternate Saturday the center is closed for visitors. It is advisable to check once before you plan on a Saturday. As we were returning after spending about half an hour there; P just asked the security guard at the gate for his suggestion as where we could go to get a clearer view of the mountains. He said "Railway dam". We drove along the railway track asking people the way. Finally we were there at railway dam. I don't know if it has some other name. But the place is breathtakingly beautiful with a clear water body, lush florescent green fields and am amazing view of the hill. Besides that there was no one else. Only us.

Father in law was exhausted. So he decided to stay inside the car. I & P sat there for a while soaking in the nature, the silence and the breeze. It was a feeling I cannot put in words. You must experience this to feel that.

While going to Railway dam we had crossed one very interesting looking old church. While coming back we stopped there. P and I opened the closed gate and entered the church premises. There was a small hut but no one came out. A dog came running to welcome us. There was an old cemetery. Peeping though the church window we could make out that it was a functional church. The grey clouds, rustling of dried leaves, the curved crosses over graves and an old church dated 1892 - it was a perfect setting for some "para normal" activities. P commented " This is what ghost stories are made of ". We have to admit, we were so intrigued by the church and the surrounding. There was a letter box at the entrance of the church. We thought may be in old days, the church also acted as the post office for the village. Stories we would have loved to hear if got a chance.

The old church

Waiting for his master's mail!

Sometimes just wandering may lead you to places you do not find in guide books. The Railway Dam and the old church were such discoveries. This sure hardens my urge to wander even more!

How I fell in love with Kashmir

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment. May be when I first landed in beautiful Srinagar and was welcomed by that chill in the air or may be even before that when my co passenger offered me his window seat. Not to forget all those glimpses that Bollywood offered. Whatever be the reason, I admit I am smitten by this beautiful state of India - Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu has a family connection now with my sister married there. Srinagar and other part of the state always fascinated me. Last year when I finally landed in Leh, I fell in love with it even more. That's a different story; but for now let me look back when and how I fell in love with Kashmir.

Dal

It was during the Good Friday long weekend  in 2012 that I first landed in Srinagar. Jammu I had been before many times. But that was my very first visit to Kashmir. All thanks to Prim, who is another Kashmir fan and a veteran in the travel business, asked me to join her on a trip to Srinagar during the Tulip season. Thus I was on my way to my first trip to the beautiful Srinagar. But as luck would have it, both of us got different rows and I got a middle seat. The passenger next to me in the window seat was sleeping throughout the flight. It was only when the captain announced that we had begun our descend to Srinagar, he woke up. From whatever I could manage to see from my seat, I could see snow clad mountains at a distance and yellow paddy, small cottage type houses. He noticed me trying to see through the window and asked " First time to Srinagar?" I said " Yes". He very generously offered me his seat so that I could have my first glimpse of the valley from the sky. When I protested; he said " I insist and welcome to my beautiful valley." The patches of yellow paddy down, villages scattered around, snow clad mountains at far and a warm gesture of Kashmiri hospitality 35,000 feet above ground - I was falling in love with Kashmir.

The Tulips

My first trip to Kashmir was, as I mentioned before, to see the Tulip Garden. This is Asia's largest Tulip Garden. On the foothills of Zabarwan Hills and near the famous Dal Lake, this tulip garden is sure a must visit at least once. It opens only during the month of April, when the tulips are in full bloom. The tulip garden is a complete riot of colours. It is as if God himself has spread acres of colourful flower carpets to welcome one and all the valley. I had my first cup of Kashmiri Kehwa (the fragrant Kashmiri tea) there. And then there are the other royal gardens in Srinagar - Nishad Bagh, Botanical Garden, Chashme Shahi, Mughal gardens etc. All are very well maintained and worth a visit. In one of my later trips, I and my other half, spent a whole day moving from one garden to another completely at the mercy of the Auto driver we hired for the day. That day we did full touristy stuff. That's another story. But trust me if anyone is in Kashmir during April, please make sure you go and see the Tulip garden once. You will not regret.

The Bulb

My first visit to Srinagar meant my first ever tryst with Kashmiri cuisine too and for a foodie like me, Kashmir is heaven.  My first meal in Srinagar was at Ah Doo's , an iconic restaurant in the city. It started in 1918 and still going strong. For the first time in my life I tasted Tabak Maaz which is Kashmiri fried Lamb ribs. The Roghan Josh never tasted so spectacular and not to mention Kashmiri Phirni. I loved every morsel. In the evening we had a "light" dinner of many varieties of kababs with Kashmiri naan in a small place where locals were eating. Next day we had been to Gulmarg. There we made the customary stop at Tangmarg for breakfast of piping hot maggi, bread omelette and tea. I am talking about 2012, maggi was still a part of our lives! On our way back from Gulmarg we again stopped at Tangmarg for lunch. This time we had Kashmiri Biriyani. That simple no fancy restaurant served such amazing biriyani that I and my friend both were floored. In my later visits, I relished that most succulent and flavourful Goshtaba at Khyber Himalayan Resort in Gulmarg. But by then I was already a fan of Kashmiri cuisine.
It will be really unfair if I don't mention about the invitation for dinner at a Kashmiri household. Prim had been to Kashmir many times and she has many friends there. One of the families invited us for dinner and served us chicken saagwala with homemade naans. This chicken dish was unlike any Chicken Saagwala that I had before. This was simple, yet there was something very rustic about it and I could still smell the aroma as type the words in my keypad!


My first trip to Srinagar was a short one. But when I was coming back I already knew that this short trip was just the beginning of a much longer fascination. Since then, I had been to Kashmir 3 more times and still have all the plans to go again and again.

Through the flight window!

Dastarkhwan - e - Lucknow - Feasting in the land of Nawabs

Lucknow - For me, the name brings with it lot of Tehzeeb and Aada ( Manners and Elegance/Grace)  and a wonderful fragrance of royal cuisine or to put it more simply the aroma of good food. When P announced that he has some work in Lucknow over the weekend and asked me join him, the aroma of Awadhi cuisine wafted through the streets of Mumbai! And thus keeping the tradition of our sudden weekend trips, we landed in Lucknow late evening in the last Friday of February 2015.






Saturday P got done with his work by evening and we had time till Sunday afternoon; so we decided to make most it and when in Lucknow, you let your stomach make the decisions. First stop - Hazratganj, the most happening place in the city.

Royal Café : This place is a full fledged multi cuisine restaurant. But Royal Café is famous for the chaats; topping the list is the Tokri chaat. This one is very interesting. The whole chaat is served inside a tokri which is edible too. The chaat counter is outside the actual restaurant.

Tip : Avoid the restaurant and eat with the crowd outside.



The famous Tokri Chaat

There we met the steward named John Bell.

As he was moving with a smile from one customer to the other serving orders, clearing the dishes; we got talking with him. He said his grand father had come from Germany and his name was Arnel Bell. Arnel fell in love with an Indian lady in Lucknow and stayed back. John has been with Royal Café since last 9 years. Educated at La Martinere school, this father of a daughter and a son said he loves Lucknow and happy in his place. It was fun watching him work there, smiling and with a twinkle in his eyes.

Tunday Kababi : THE MOST iconic place in Lucknow. Any visit to this city of Nawabs and Kebabs is incomplete without eating at Tunday's. We went to the one at the Naaz cinema lane, near Aminabad. The original one is at Chowk,in the old city.This is where Haji Murad Ali single handedly began this  100 year journey of world Kebab domination!

Tunday Kababs deserve all the accolades that they enjoy. Their famous Galauti Kabab is a riot of flavours and just melts in the mouth. What one remembers is how the flavours of the  160 ingredients that go into creating this kebab reveal themselves layer after layers...wonder how Ghalib or Mir would have described these kebabs in their poetry. We had decided to get Kebabs packed next day for our friends in Mumbai. So we thought of going slow that evening and ordered only one plate with one Ulte Tawe ka paratha. But no true lover of good food can eat just one Galauti there. We ended up ordering another plate with Sheermal. They are heavenly and quite reasonably priced too!

Prakash Kulfi : Walk a bit from Tunday Kababi towards the main market and you have another famous place. Prakash kulfi is known for the awesome, mouth watering kulfis.

The Mughal's Dastarkhwan : There are many Dastarkhwans in Lucknow. All claiming to serve       " Authentice Lucknowi cuisine". For this we took the help of my colleague from Lucknow and went by his recommendation. This Mughal Dastarkhwan is at Lalbagh, opposite Islamia College. This one is the oldest in town. We reached pretty late and when we were finally seated, ours was the last order. We had Mutton chops for starter, Mutton Biryani for Mains and Shahi Tukda for Dessert. Each one of the dishes were very finely cooked. In each place the biryani has a unique taste and feel to it. Kolkata Biryani is very different from Hyderabadi biryani and Lucknowi biryani is again very distinctive from both.

Lucknow is surely a " paradise for foodies". With just one evening and a half day in hand it was not possible for us to explore the way we would have loved to. But it will be really unfair if I don't talk about the lunch that we had on Saturday. It was with a Sikh family residing in the city since last so many years. They made Kadhi Pakode, Chicken curry, Paneer Matar, Chapatis and Veg Pulao for us. The North Indian Kadhi Pakode is my favorite and when I saw that on the dining table I was sure elated. Nothing was over spicy or too oily. Everything was cooked with simple spices but each morsel tasted divine. For dessert, they served a super simple version of the classic Gajar Ka Halwa. It had no ghee, no mawa and no sugar either. Simply garnished with chopped cashew nuts, this is one Gajar ka Halwa I can indulge in without feeling guilty. Incidentally my version of Gajar ka Halwa is equally simple but I do use one spoon of sugar and little oil.

On Sunday early morning we went to Bara Imambara and the old city.We thought of having breakfast somewhere at the Chowk area but could not manage time as we had to get Kebabs and Biryani packed before we check out and head to the airport. Next to Tunday Kababi, there is Wahid's Biryani who serves excellent biryani. We got the biryani packed from there.

The foodie in me fully satiated, I had make a quick visit to the shopping area too. Thankfully the Aminabad market is full of Chikan Kari shops and I did manage to pick up a thing or two too. That was surely the icing on the "Lucknowi cake" :D


PS:-Reasons to go back?
we missed having Makkhan Malai at Chowk and the dahi bhalles...there will be a next time soon.

My Super Six for Leh



27th Jan 2015

It is said that : while coming out if you look back at the Taj mahal; you will be back one day. I have also heard the saying that pick up a pebble from Ladakh and you will be back for sure. I have done both! Success rate of these sayings; I had been to the Taj thrice since 1993 and Ladakh once that too only last year. Needless to say I picked up not one but quite a few pebbles on my way back.


Ladakh had always been on my travel wish list. With so many people visiting and coming back with so many stories; who would not want to go to Ladakh. It's the dream destination for hard core bikers across the country. I am not a biker. But Ladakh fascinated me since I started my career in travel industry in 2003 and its only in 2014 that I finally landed there. While I was always a Ladakh fan, now that I had been to this magical place; here goes my top 6 ways of travelling to and in Ladakh without cutting a big hole into your pocket. These are what we ( I & P) did. Trust me when I say this; budget travel is very much possible here.

Just out of Kargil town

1.Land in Srinagar. Srinagar is more well connected to the rest of the country than Leh. Limited flights to Leh and during the " season" air fares touch the sky. While airfare to Srinagar is also no less, but if planned way in advance you could save a lot. You can always fly out from Leh. The road transportation in Leh will be on the higher side if you are a solo traveler hiring the whole vehicle to yourself.


2. Depending on your fitness level, you can take a shared cab to Leh directly or if you wish to take it slow and go the recommended way; take a shared cab to Kargil. Spend one night there and then next day continue to Leh. The distance between Srinagar and Leh is approx. 435 km.You will be travelling on NH1; one India's best roads and will be greeted by breathtakingly beautiful sceneries in each turning.  This will give you ample time in acclimatizing yourself to the heights. Srinagar to Kargil takes 6 hours and from Kargil to Leh 5 hours. In Srinagar just go to the TRC ( Tourist Reception Centre) previous evening or same day very early morning to catch a shared cab to Leh or Kargil.
The other scenic road to reach Leh is from Manali. I have heard that too is mesmerizing. That's next on my wish list.

Zojila Pass

3. There are tons of stay options available in Leh town. From expensive hotels to simple homestays; you will be spoilt for choice. We stayed at a hotel called Oriental Guest house. Even they have 3 wings with 3 different rates. Wing A and B with simple rooms with attached bathrooms @ Rs. 800 - 1000 and the newer Wing C with wooden flooring and bigger rooms with spectacular view @Rs.2000 - Rs.2500. ( Recommended to cross check the rates as they are revised each year)


4. Don't worry about travelling to Pangong or Nubra valley or any other place for that matter. Walking around Leh market keep looking out for the notice boards put outside local travel agents. They put out notices for shared travel to all places. Travel is also about meeting new people and sharing your stories; isn't it? We shared a cab to Pangong lake with 3 Korean students and 1 girl from Delhi. It was fun and even though we spent the night at Pangong at different places we came back together again.  Besides that you can hire a bike too if you want to ride to these places.


5. Leh is full of eateries suiting all palates. From simple Thukpa to lavish Italian fine dine, you name it you have it. Let me share some of the places where we ate and loved. Café Jeevan on Changspa road. Just be there, sit enjoy relax while gorging onto their excellent food. For Pizzas it is Il Forno. We went there during the day; but during evening the whole place wears a different look. We had dinner once at World Garden Café. They serve super momos and wood fired pizzas. And our last night in Leh we went to Bon Apetit, a place highly recommended for a special evening. The ambience, the service and the food : just perfect for a cozy relaxed evening. We had Khao Suey. They do not serve alcohol. It's a task to find this one though!


6. Ladakh is a highly eco sensitive zone. Please be responsible and avoid plastic or any hazardous material as much as you can. Water is precious in this barren desert. While packaged drinking water is sold in every shop, it is highly recommended to keep on refilling the bottles at your guest house or any place with the sign of " Refil your water bottle here". They charge very nominal. If you are

carrying any plastic or any other such things on your rides or trips; please make sure you bring them back with you. There is no recycling plant available in Ladakh yet. This little place should not be turned into a garbage ground in a few years. This is our responsibility.

Besides these, Ladakh is not the place to show off those hot pants. Please refrain from doing so and respect the sensibilities of the locals.

Leh Palace

I have heard many people who had been to Ladakh say that this place touches you like no other. Something is stirred within and you become a different person than the one you were. Now I completely believe that. The harsh barren terrains of this cold desert, rocky naked mountains, the clear sky, the fresher air, the colourful prayer flags swinging everywhere and above all the simple people living in the extreme conditions; they all touched me like no other place in India. And I cant wait to go back; again and again.

The Khyber you must not pass

2014 was ending in 10 days and keeping up the trend of sudden trips that we had in the whole year, P decided to extend his stay by 2 days once his work was over and I decided to sneak out a leave and join him there. "There", this time, was Gulmarg. P was there for the shoot of the Dewarist Season 4 and the whole team stayed and shot at Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa ; which within 2 years of its existence has been ranked as one of the top Ski resorts in the world. This sure turned out to be one of the most memorable trips of 2014 thanks to the wonderful hospitality extended by the team of Khyber in Gulmarg.




The rooms

From the moment you enter the vast lobby; the warmth of Kashmiri hospitality greets you and each one of the members of the team Khyber makes sure that it stays with you even after you leave. This luxury resort is an experience in itself. Located very near to the Gulmarg Gondola; Khyber Himalayan Resort has 80 rooms 4 Luxury cottages and 1 Presidential Suite; all offering breath taking views of the Affarwat peaks or the evergreen Valley of Gulmarg. We stayed in a room with a balcony overlooking the green meadows of Gulmarg. Though it had not snowed properly yet; there were patches of white from the earlier scattered snow falls.Winter was already setting in, paving the  way for a whiter Christmas and New Year. Since I was there for just 2 days, I decided to make most of it and soak in the luxury that Khyber offers in the midst of  beautiful and serene Gulmarg.




Our room








One of the sitouts

I firmly believe that any resort or hotel , to feature in my personal list of good hotels worth recommending to friends and family, must serve real good food. Khyber sure tops the list in this.With huge glass windows over looking the mountains and meadows; Cloves  is their multi cuisine restaurant offering an array of food from across the globe and Kashmiri cuisine too.  I had one of the best Goshtaba at Cloves. It was perfectly cooked, juicy but really subtle in spices. In fact in all the food, the spices used were never too over powering and I loved every morsel I ate at the Cloves. Add to this the attentive staffs serving each table with a smile; Bilal, Saptarshi, Sajjad to name a few. Besides that, I also had an awesome dosa for breakfast the next morning. I admit I am not at all a Dosa person. Even if I had to have, I avoid the sambhar completely as somehow that ends up ruining the dosa for me. Even in most "authentic" of dosa places, I donot have sambhar. But one fine December morning, I had an amazing Dosa and Sambhar, the signature dish from Southern part of our country, in one of the extreme Nothern corners of the country; thanks to
Chef Chotelal.

Chaikash

The  two evenings that I was there, I spent them doing the same thing. First an hour inside the heated pool overlooking the majestic mountains and after that sipping into a hot cup of Kashmiri Kahwa at Chaikash, the tea lounge. Even though I wanted to, but could not find time to go the Khyber spa by L'OCCITANE . As the spa rightfully claims it "brings to life the changing seasons of Gulmarg with signature treatments where guests are encouraged to choose from a repertoire of home grown seasonal flora which are mixed with natural L’OCCITANE products and fresh Himalayan water to create fusion recipes." But trust you me, this is sure an amazing indulgence not to be missed.  Well for me, I guess this is the reason for me to plan another trip to Gulmarg and Khyber.

On the day we were leaving Gulmarg, all the signs of an impending snowfall were staring at our faces. But alas; we weren't meant to witness  our first  flurry of snowfall that  turns the green meadows into powdery white this time. One more reason to go back.

From Khyber, the Gulmarg Gondola is just few meters away. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around the area during the day with the soft winter sun playing hide and seek amidst clouds. As it was predicted to snow within a day or 2; the Gondola phase 2 was closed for maintenance on that day. P had been to phase 2; just a day ago for shoot. As he vouches for it, this sure is a must in Gulmarg. The ride to phase 2. This time I could go till phase 1 only. I am so convinced that Gulmarg wants me to be back for sure and I know where I am staying.

The wonderful team - Khyber

Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa is a luxurious experience to indulge and enjoy. A special mention of Mr. Jerin Philip, the very welcoming front office manager and ever smiling Aman Dhiman. Actually the whole team of Khyber; it's their warmth and their hospitality which set them apart.

The recognitions

The Magic in the sky

This is not about any place or any specific destination. It's an experience that as a traveler I had to share with everyone. And I am sure many would agree to the same.

I hate taking early morning flights. I mean the ones which have the departure time of 5am / 5.30am. This means waking up at 3am and reach airport by 4am latest. What surprises me is how crowded the airports are even at that time; specially airports of metro cities. And if that happens to be the " Season" then you had it. I am talking about the school holidays or any festival. You must report by 3am for a 5am flight because by the time you complete all the check in formalities and clear security, your flight is announced!

As my luck would have it, in most of the early morning flights I would end up in an aisle seat or middle seat. Very rarely I would get a window seat. Even if I did, I confess, I only slept. Yeah, not even waiting for the take off, I would close my eyes and happily doze off.

Just few days back I and husband had to take a flight at 5.30am. This time we got an window and a  middle seat. We were going home for a family function and I was super excited. My excitement kept me awake and aren't I glad for that. It's the magic the unfold in the sky just before the sun gets ready to rise is awesome. Its an ethereal sight to behold. My husband would always talk about the importance of "magic hours" in his profession. I never fully understood that. But that day when I saw the sky turned magical, I realized what he meant.

 
 

 
 This happens everyday. Hundreds enjoy that moment everyday too. But my "concrete city dweller" of a soul misses it. If you ask me, it was a very humbling experience for me. The whole sky erupts with colours of joy as it gets ready to welcome the sun heralding a new day. A new beginning and new hope. May we all always fly towards the sunshine.

And yeah; this sure makes up for the effort of getting up at insane hours to catch such early morning flights.

 

 

On Tiger Trail

  “Bhaiyya Kitna time lagega Swai Madhopur tak?” ( Brother, how long will it take to reach Sawai Madhopur?) We asked the passenger next to us. We, I and my husband P, were on the way to Ranthambhore National Park in a Rajasthan Roadways bus. He replied “ 3 hours” . “ WHAT…oh no no, we have our afternoon safari booked and the pick up is at 2.15pm. We must reach by 1 pm anyhow at least to check in.” I turned to P and blurted “All because of your Rawat ki Kachori, we will miss our safari” Before the bus became our drawing room (our battle ground at home!); the alarmed bus conductor intervened. He said “ Don’t worry, we will not stop at every turning and the driver is very good. You will reach on time.” We decided to believe him and depend on our luck. The Rajasthan Roadways bus driver and the conductor did not disappoint and when we got down at the Sawai Madhopur Bus stand the clock struck 1 pm.

 

It was a spur of the moment decision and a SOS call to Biju our friend who works in a travel company in Delhi, we were on our way to Ranthambhore National Park for a short weekend trip. That Saturday, because of the runway closure at Mumbai Airport the flight was rescheduled to 4.30am from the usual 5.55am. It was still slightly dark when we landed in Jaipur airport at 6.00am.

 

Since it was early we decided to go to the city and take a Rajasthan roadways bus to Sawai Madhopur, the nearest town of Ranthambhore. P suggested to have the famous “ Rawat ki Kachori” for breakfast before getting into the bus. The Rawat sweets shop is located very near to the bus stand. It was indeed something not be to be missed. But in all these, we came to know that the only bus to Sawai Madhopur left early in the morning. The guys at the bus stand suggested us to take a bus to Tonk and change to another one to Sawai Madhopur from there. Ranthambhore National park is approx 180 km from Jaipur city. However due to the road conditions, the Roadways bus option would have taken 4-5hours. The other option was to hire a cab. Actually the airport is already on the Tonk road around 16km out of Jaipur city. Since we came to the city, we decided to go ahead with the roadways option.

 

It was fun crossing all those small towns and villages. We started from Jaipur bus stand at 7.30am and we reached Tonk by 11am. We got a bus to Sawai Madhopur almost instantly. We were booked in Ranthambhore Regency. We dumped our bags in the room and headed straight to the restaurant for lunch. The Safari canter came exactly at 2.15 and there were 6 guests from our hotel on it. In Ranthambhore there are 2 options for safari. Either by gypsy or by canter. Since ours was a last minute decision we could not get a gypsy safari. A canter accommodates 20 people whereas a gypsy is for 6 people. Every vehicle is allotted a specific zone inside the park for a particular day. On each vehicle there is a naturalist besides the driver. At the entrance of the park, we had to show our identity cards. You have no option but to go with the allotted vehicle and to the allotted zone. Each vehicle works on roster maintained by the national park authorities. We entered zone 3 on that day. 20 minutes into the safari we came to know of the presence of a tigress nearby. There were many vehicles at the spot. We could barely see the stripes lying on ground. The tigress was fast asleep. Our naturalist suggested that we should wait for sometime and as the sun goes down she will get up and we would get to see her. At times the naturalist and the driver made such type of pact to save fuel. But since it was a rare opportunity most of us agreed. However some people insisted on going inside the jungle till the sun sets. So we did and when we came back she was gone! We returned to the hotel disappointed at the missed opportunity.

 

Ranthambhore was once the gaming park for the Maharajas of Jaipur. However in 1973 when Project Tiger was started it got enlisted as one of the nine Tiger Reserves. Later in 1980, an area of 275 sq km from within the Tiger Reserve was declared the Ranthambhore National park.The Park is one of the best national parks in the country to spot a tiger. In fact it is said that the tigers of Ranthambhore are the most photographed in the world with “Machli”, the tigress being the most famous one.There are villages surrounding the National park. With the problem of poaching and deforestation, the number of tigers dwindled and the age old man-animal conflict increased. But the park doesn’t have only tigers. It is home to a number of other animals like sloth bear, crocodiles, deers, macaques, leopards and more than 270 species of birds.

On a hilltop overlooking the park is the Ranthambhore Fort built in the 10h Century by Chauhan rulers. Because of its strategic location, the fort was one of the most difficult to invade. For years the brave Rajputs fought against invaders. Later the fort went into the hands of Mughals and it is believed that Mughal Emperor Akbar stayed here sometimes between 1558-59.  Now the ruins house a Ganesha temple which is thronged by devotees all over the country. Apart from the Ganesha temple there are ruins of other temples, mosques and other palaces. Most of all it’s the breath taking view of the park that the fort offers is worth the effort of trekking uphill to the fort. One should keep a full day for the fort. We couldn’t go as we didn’t have time!

Next day early morning we were picked up for the morning safari. This time we had a more vocal and a strict naturalist named Shiva. He made it very clear to questions of possible “citing” that the park is not only about tigers and if one ran after the tiger he would miss a lot of things. No one can guarantee a view of the tiger. We were allotted zone 2. We went very deep into the jungle. When we were returning suddenly Shiva signaled the vehicle to stop. There she was! The big cat was sitting in the shade in her full regalia, T17 also called “Sundari”. Since ours was the last vehicle left inside the park and official safari time was almost over, we could not wait for long. But that glimpse was enough to make us gone through a lot of emotions. Happy that we could see the majestic big cat; wonder at the royal air it exuded, sad that we do not know how to value this beautiful national animal of India.

 

 

How to reach::

By Air: Jaipur, about 4 hrs drive, is the nearest airport. Usual bus services are available between Jaipur and Ranthambore.

By Rail: Sawai Madhopur is the adjoining Railhead. Different trains connection Sawai Madhopur to cities as Jaipur and Delhi are available.

By Road: Sawai Madhopur is the nearby township from Ranthambore which is well linked to Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.