Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Memorable Moments from the Satpura National Park


“Will we see a tiger?” was the first question Samhith asked, when I told him we were going to the Satpura National Park in Madhya Pradesh. “No”, I replied. “We might not see a tiger, and in fact, we aren’t looking for one. We are going to see the forest, and experience what this particular one is like.” It was quite a lecture, and I don’t think he really got it, but he did come along, I am sure, hoping secretly that we would indeed see one! Well, to cut a long story short, the tiger stayed well hidden, but the forest left us with enough memories to last a while… Let me share with you, some special moments…

Colour changing lake



On our first jaunt into the forest early in the morning, we came to this lake, covered with algae, the rising sun turning the surface a rusty shade, which made for some wonderful photos…



We came across the same lake on our evening safari. And, what a change there was! the rust was now a bright green, glinting in the setting sun!



There is apparently a very scientific reason for this – the algae in the water, which, during the day, absorb the sun’s rays to form chlorophyll, which turns them green. During the night, as the cholorophyll is used up, they turn red, which is how we had seen them, the first thing in the morning, before they had their morning dose of the sun! However, science apart, it was a fascinating sight, yet another proof that nature does things so much more beautifully than man ever can!

Hordes of gaur



We have seen Gaur (Indian Wild Buffalo) before, but never in numbers as we saw here. At various times, and at various places during our safari, we saw groups of easily a dozen and more Gaur in groups. They seemed least bothered about us, and continued munching away peacefully even as we happily clicked away. The pic I have chosen to show you has just one Gaur in it, but his brethren were busy eating, and this one seemed to pose so well with the sun and the path in the background! This is one of my favourite pics from the entire trip!

Giant Wood Spiders



Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that we are big fans of spiders. When we see giant ones which weave webs across trees from one side of the path to another, we go nuts trying to capture them on camera! The forest here seemed to be full of these spiders, considering we saw them everywhere we went! After trying unsuccessfully to capture them while on the jeep safari, we finally managed some decent shots when we went on a walking safari!

Owl in the daytime



Neither of us had seen an owl before, which is why spotting this huge one (It is either an Indian Eagle Owl or an Eurasian Eagle Owl; I am not sure which) was such an excitement! Kudos to our guide for spotting it, sitting peacefully (and probably sleeping before our arrival) on a rock! It took us a while to actually spot it, so well was it camouflaged! Getting a photo was just a bonus!

Birdwatching on the river, a hot cup of tea in hand!

Photo Courtesy : Anuradha Goyal 


We have gone birdwatching in boats before, but have never had chai while doing so! Height of luxury, it was, and not something we are ever likely to forget!! And yes, we spotted loads of water birds – ducks, stilts, herons, and terns, but more about them in another post. The tea on the boat was the highlight here!

Bears and birds in the night!

When we headed out for a night safari, I left my camera behind. We hadn’t seen wild animals during the day, and we weren’t likely to see any at night. It turned out to be one of those occasions when I was proved wrong, and acutally happy with it, because we ended up seeing a pair of bears, and a number of nightjars! The bears were sheer luck! We were following the sounds of an owl, and two pairs of gleaming eyes from behind the bushes alerted us to the presence of the bears. One then obliged by crossing the road, and giving us a better look! As for the Nighjars, we first saw one, sitting on a perch atop a short tree. Then, we saw another one, on the road, then, another flew past, and then, yet another one! Oh, and we even saw a stork sitting in a nest atop a tree! Never have I regretted not carrying my camera more! Even though I doubt I would have got any decent shots with mine!

Two months have passed since, and yet the memories remain fresh, even for my tiger enthusiast son! But, with moments like these, it isn’t surprising, is it?


I was invited to Denwa Backwater Escape by Pugdundee Safaris in November 2014 to explore the Satpura National Park. We went on two safaris inside the national park, followed by a boat safari, a walk into the forest area, and a night safari in the buffer zone.  Note. Children below 10 aren’t allowed inside the national park on foot. 



Information:
  • The Satpura National park is located in Madhya Pradesh, and the backwaters of the Denwa river from the Tawa dam marks one of its boundaries.


How to Reach:
  • By Air: The nearest airport is at Bhopal (176 Km)
  • By Rail: The nearest major railway station is Itarsi (70 Km), which is well connected to all parts of India. Other accessible railway stations are Pipariya (50 Km), Sohagpur (19 Km) and Hoshangabad (50 Km).
  • By Road : There are a few local buses to Sohagpur, but there is hardly any regular public transport to the sanctuary itself. It is best to hire a car from Itarsi or Pipariya.

Where to Stay: There are plenty of hotels in the vicinity of the sanctuary to suit all budgets. We stayed at the Denwa Backwater Escape, which is certainly one of the best options in the area. The forest department also has accommodation near the entry gate of the sanctuary.




Comments

  1. Satpura looks wonderful. Nice post, Anuradha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It certainly is beautiful, Niranjan. you must plan a trip sometime.

      Delete
  2. Wow.All photos are superb.Especially I like the colour changing lake.Definitely a must visit place.
    Please look at our website in your free time.
    Krithiga S
    www.srikri.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Anu.
    Don’t know how you do it but you hit the bull’s eye of my travelling fantasy! No matter the six lane highways or the unconquered path among the clouds nothing compares to the joy and thrill that clutches the aorta while wheeling down those two parted trails taking us into the wilderness. The lake must have been the day’s favorite I guess. Keep travelling and don’t forget to write and amuse me. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot, Revathi. Good to see you here, and hope to see you more often!

      Delete
  4. Anuradha This is an excellent stuff, i love your post too much

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie