* MY GOOD-WEEKEND-HOLI-DAYS IN RANTHAMBHORE *
* MY GOOD-WEEKEND-HOLI-DAYS IN RANTHAMBHORE *
I had been to Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan in March 2008. The weekend was a long one with Good Friday, Holi and Sunday coming next to next. The trip was a great one though i started from Delhi alone. There is a lot to say. I enjoyed it completely as i come across with a group of people and spent 2 days with them. I met them in Sawai Madhopur which is the nearest town to the park. The six men group from Hindaun in Rajasthan was heading to a Ganesh temple located inside the Ranthambhore fort which is six kilometers inside the National park. We walked this stretch to the temple in 2 1/2 hours enjoying the beauty of the jungle. Steep rocky hills, abundence of trees and the silence adds to the beauty. They said it is more beautiful in rainy season. I stayed with them for 2 days in the temple surroundings. And we travelled inside the jungle. Ancient temples and big and small lakes are there inside the jungle. A bath in the lake energises you to carry on the walk. We saw lots of monkeys, peacocks, different types of birds and a few deers.
One can take Canter or Gypsy safari to 5 different routes in the jungle. I managed to get a seat in a Canter, which is a non-roof van and headed to the jungle outside the fort. We reached a big lake. There was a gypsy parked there and we were told that tiger is there inside the long grass in the bank of the lake. We halted on the bank and waited. Soon we could see the grass moving. Everyone in the canter, some foreigners and a Bengali group are now ready with their cameras. And to everyone's astonishment 4 big cats came out from the grass and walked towards our vehicle very calmly. They came so close to our vehicle ie; barely 2 metres away. They didn't give a damn to us and walked towards the lake and halted there for a while to play in water and crossed the lake in a relaxed mood. We all watched this with tight lip. No one did expect such a beautiful sight. A fifth tiger which is the father was on the other side of the lake. These four are the mother and children, all fully grown up. I couldn't distinguish them. As per the guide the mother is called 'the lady of the lake'. Normaly they roam seperately and rarely be together. Now we headed towards the other side of the lake and saw a herd of deers. As we were watching them, all of a sudden they started fleeing. There were many of them who were not visible to us till now. That was quite a scene till date i saw only in TV. The deers were running in high speed making sound. Now we heard the cry of a deer from the background and assumed tigers got their prey. The driver adjusted the vehicle for a better view and we saw it in a distance of around 50 metres. We saw a few crocodiles in the lake. There were ancient man-made structures in the forest.
The Ranthambhore fort is spread over a vast area and not a roaming place of wild animals though it is possible for them to be there. The fort itself is a wonderful one as it is not only located inside the jungle but also on top of mountain. From the top of the fort one can have an excellent view of the surrounding jungle and lake. The group of people, i was with, know the routes inside the jungle. One among them, a Sadhu, is a Yoga expert. The rest of them also very nice people. They prepared nice Rajasthani meals in the evening. We enjoyed Dal-Bhati-Churma & Besan ghatta. And one more person who is noteworthy is the priest of the temple where we stayed. It is a small Kali Temple and 1/2 km far from the Ganesh temple. The Panditji is a very knowledgeable person and engages himself in discussions and preachings with the devotees and the localites, when he is not doing his regular work. Don't misunderstand that he is a typical preacher with stereotyped advices. Indeed he indulges in much practical, good-intentional discussions. During Vinayaka Chaturti people travel from the Ganesh temple to another temple called Sholeshwar which is 8 km far and deep inside the forest. This six men group make frequent visits to the temples in the forest. According to them there are more ancient temples out there.
