Bandhavgarh Tiger reserve

The next two days we spent on morning and afternoon game drives in Bandhavgarh National Park. It is a small national park, but has the highest density of tigers in India, as well as the largest breeding population of leopards. The park is also home to wild boar and jackal and at the centre of the park, high on the cliffs, sits an ancient fort which is home to a wide array of birds of prey including vultures and eagles.
The morning drives are quite chilly at the beginning, and we were glad we brought our fleeces. The temperature soon rises as the day progresses. We see many buck, plenty of birds, elephants but it was only towards the end of the drive that our guide received a signal that three tigers had been seen off another track. Holding onto our hats we drove rally style to the spot and there they were. Two cubs, about 15 months old playing in the long grass, Mum had wandered off, but they were quite happy still play fighting with each other. They are glorious creatures and it was such a privilege to see them in their natural environment.

 The second sighting was on the final morning when we saw the female cub close to near the road. The park rangers were there on elephant back and when they got too close to her the roar was a mighty one, glad it wasn’t Mum so close to us.

 

 

 

 
 We have to leave this wonderful place this afternoon to drive to Jabalpur airport for a flight back to Delhi with an overnight stay at Jaypee Siddharth and then tomorrow morning a flight out of Delhi to Cochin.



Khajuraho

 

 

 

Set in a rich agricultural plain, with the Vindhyan Hills as a backdrop, Khajuraho was formally the capital of the old kingdom of Jijhauti. The temple complex is a designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples were built between 950 and 1050 AD, they were lost for centuries and then discovered by a British Army engineer in 1838. The intricate and erotic carvings that cover the temple walls are widely considered to be amongst the finest examples of temple art in India.

We were picked up by our guide from our hotel (The Radisson) and had chance in the morning to go bird spotting, but our first call was to see the fruit bats roosting in the bamboo trees near the hotel. The area is very picturesque, especially around the water chestnut “paddy fields”. Plenty of new bird species for us to see.

 

 

 

 Next we arrived at the temple complex, the first thing that shocks you on arriving here is the number of temples. Each temple is ornately carved with images of gods and goddesses, ‘apsaras’ (celestial maidens), animals, soldiers, dancers and musicians. Probably the best preserved is the Lakshmana Temple, which took over 20 years to build. 

 

The largest one is the impressive Shiva temple of Kandariya Mahadev.

 The Matangesvara Temple is the only temple where worship continues today and the ruined Chausath Yogini Temple is believed to be the oldest temple in the complex.

 

 We are now completely templed out, and our driver sets off with us in the back for the long road trip to Bandhavgarh National Park (275km). We are staying at the Tiger Den complex.