India - A Glimpse into Madhya Pradesh, 18 - 28 February 2013 - Edited

Hootoksi Tyabji, Shah Alam, March 2013

We were planning another trip to India, this time to Madhya Pradesh. I was browsing the internet while Rob was on Linkdin and came across Hashim Tyabji (photo), a naturalist, birder, writer & one of the most respected names in ecology, tigers, and conservation in India. Stroke of luck!

A quick look at the family tree revealed he was a distant cousin (Robert’s great Aunt Amina’s great grandson). Very soon a virtual connection was made, family lineage traced, news of relations exchanged, and we were in the best possible hands for information on our trip to the wildlife sanctuaries of Madhya Pradesh. We followed most of Hashim’s suggestions, our itinerary was charted out and most admirably executed by Quo Vadis, the travel agency he introduced us to.

When we began planning the trip it was just Rob and me but soon our friends Latha and DK joined us from Bangalore, Jer flew in from Canada, and Sinia took the train from Delhi and met up with us in Orchha for the second half of the trip.

We met at the airport in Mumbai on the 18th of February 2013. Our Spice Jet flight which should have left for Jabalpur at 11.40 AM was delayed till 7.40 PM. This meant we had to overnight in Jabalpur and we missed our first game drive the following morning in Bandhavgarh; but we weren't going to allow any of this to dampen our spirits! We cracked open the Macallen’s and in our hotel room in Jabalpur we raised our glasses to friendship and the adventures yet to come!

Our 10-day itinerary included three wildlife sanctuaries which could only be reached by road, so this necessitated us having to spend hours in our two designated and comfortable air conditioned Innovas.

Driving in rural India - not for the faint-hearted!

I found this hilarious account on Arun Srivastava’s blog. He said it was written by an expert from Baan Netherlands. It well describes our road trips so I have taken the liberty of posting it here!

 “Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best and leave the results to your insurance company.

The hints are as follows: Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is ‘both’. Basically, you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess.

Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality.

Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction. Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself. Except for a belief in reincarnation, the other drivers are not in any better position.

Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.

Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We horn to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts) or just to mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar.

Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rain waters to recede when over-ground traffic meets underground drainage.”

DK, Jer & Robert missed a lot of the scenery as their eyes were riveted on the road and their knuckles were white from clutching the seat in front of them as we swayed from left to right just missing kids, cows, potholes and oncoming trucks at what seemed like terrific speeds!

On the morning of 19 Feb, we drove 5 hours to Skay's Camp just outside Bandhavghar National Park. It is owned and managed by Satyendra & Kay Tiwari in Tala village. Satyendra is a fount of knowledge and kept us regaled with stories of wildlife and the history of the region. His nature photography is legendary, and we listened in rapt attention around a bonfire sipping wine of an evening. Kay is a talented artist and has painted stories of some of the tigers in Bandhavgarh that she has observed over the years and come to know personally.

Bandhavgarh National Park has the highest density of Bengal tigers in the world, 37 species of mammals, more than 250 species of birds, about 80 species of butterflies and several reptiles. In addition, it is also home to the largest deciduous forest in all of India and the scenery is quite spectacular. The park is surrounded by a “fort” (a fortified Table Mountain) and the history of the region can be traced back to the 1st century.

Game drives began in the early morning. We bundled up in our jackets, hats & gloves and piled into open jeeps eager and excited to see nature at its absolute best. All tiger viewing on elephant back has been stopped in Indian game parks and though many folks have seen tigers from their jeeps, we only saw the faint outline of a mother and her cubs in the FAR distance. We did however see lots of Gaur (Indian bison), Sambar, Barking Deer and witnessed an exciting spectacle of Chital being stalked by a jackal. In the park is an ancient ruin of a reclining statue of Lord Vishnu probably 1000 years old!

We spent one morning with Satyendra walking through the village, visiting homes, and watching people work in the fields. How simple and uncluttered their lives seemed to be. We were surprised to learn that Hashim owned a house in the village, a simple and charming little cottage set in a large garden very similar to all the other houses around. 

On day 3 of our stay, we piled back into our Innovas and drove another 200 kms (5 hours) to Panna, our next destination. At Panna, we stayed at Sarai at Toria, an exceptional earth-friendly but luxurious resort with stunning views of the Ken river below.

The resort is owned and run by Raghu and Joanna who are committed conservationists making a difference to the village folk in the area, both economically and socially. Between them and their wonderfully trained staff, we had a truly terrific stay! The food was exceptional, and every meal was served in a different location; under trees, on a terrace overlooking the river and in their tastefully decorated lounge.

Sarai at Toria is only a half hour’s drive from the Khajuraho temples, where we learned that the annual dance festival was taking place. Raghu organized free VIP passes for us so we freshened up and got into our cars again for the drive there.

What a treat that was! Being able to watch one of the masters of Kathak, dance to hauntingly, beautiful live music with the fabulous temples as a backdrop and a rising moon in the sky - pure magic!

The next morning, we were back visiting the world famous Khajuraho temples - splendid! They were built by the Rajput Chandella rulers who were greatly influenced by the Tantric school of thought.

There are 22 temples left standing today. We visited the most important group which are in the Western zone. Of them, we were all in agreement that the Laxmana temple, is the most imposing and spectacular. We also visited the Adinath and Shantinath Jain temples which are the largest and grandest temples in Khajuraho.

The entire complex is a designated UNESCO world heritage site, beautifully preserved and maintained.

After spending the day in Khajuraho we returned to Sarai at Toria and passed a leisurely evening on a small rowboat on the Ken river. We spent the next next three hours watching a multitude of beautiful birds.

There was a wide variety of water birds, kingfishers and even a big owl that flew out from among the rocks, barely missing us. We were so stunned, none of us managed to photograph the bird!

The next morning, we were back in our cars and drove another 205 Kms (5 hours) to Orchha.

I loved the scenery along the way - vast fields of mustard and every now and again a fabulous monument, a tomb, a chhatri (cenotaph) in the middle of nowhere - man’s artistry against the backdrop of God’s creation.

Orchha is a 17th century walled fortress city, once the seat of power for the Bundela Rajput dynasty. The city stands on the rocky banks of the Betwa River. The modern town is surrounded by wooded bushland that has grown around the ruins of the old city.

 We stayed at the Amar Mahal, a modern hotel fashioned after an old Mughal Palace. One side faced the fabulous Royal Chhatris built in remembrance of those widows who committed sati (self-immolation)when their husbands died.

My dear friend Sinia had arrived at the hotel before we got there and was at hand to give us a terrific welcome. After a quick freshening up, we went on a tour of the 17th century Jehangir Mahal and the Ram Raja Temple. The architecture at both these places was stunning but the sites were run down and in dire need of repair and care.

That evening was a full moon night and we went to a sound and light show at the palace. This gave us a good background of the people who lived there during that time and the history that shaped their destinies.

From Orchha we drove to the Jhansi train station where we boarded the Shatabdi Express train to Bhopal. The 4-hour journey was most luxurious as we were in an executive chair coach complete with liveried bearers, food service and enough space for a tall person to stretch his legs!

In Bhopal we were met and driven 3 hours to Satpura National Park. After having to stop at several manually operated level crossings for trains, we finally arrived at Satpura after dark. Rishi Sharma, the manager of the Lodge, welcomed and settled us into our beautifully appointed cottages.

All the stress of the drive was quickly washed away by the drinks and the ambiance on the terrace of the lodge on a full moon night!

Forsyth’s Lodge is co-owned by Hashim, I found this introduction on their website which they lived up to!

“Much like our namesake, James Forsyth, we’re seekers in the wild; constantly searching for new stories, great adventures and a sense of profound oneness with all things living. We welcome responsible travelers, adventurers, naturalists, ecology and wildlife enthusiasts or simply individuals looking to escape the mundane and experience something raw and real. We’ve built an inspiring eco-conscious luxury jungle lodge utilising only 10% of our land, with a unique wilderness experience on the edge of the buffer zone of the Satpura Tiger Reserve. Hidden in dense deciduous forests, it’s a glimpse into our world the way it was always meant to be — untouched and boundless.”

After a hearty dinner and a good rest, we woke at the crack of dawn, got into our jeeps and took off with our trusty guide into the Satpura National Park, which lies across a wide river. It covers an area of 524 sq kms, and the terrain is rugged. About 15 mins after we crossed the river on a speedboat and entered the park, our jeep stalled, spluttered, and stopped. No amount of cranking or coaxing would get the engine fired up again - we had run out of fuel! Our driver walked all the way back to the main gate of the park while we sat and hoped we would not be mauled by a Gaur or attacked by a tiger!!!! It was quite special sitting in the jeep in silence in the middle of the jungle and listening to all the sounds around us. A replacement vehicle soon arrived, and we were off! We saw lots of gaur, a black bear, Chital, Nilgai, monkeys and beautiful birds - but not the elusive tiger!!!!!

Key to photos, Satpura Tiger Reserve:

One afternoon, some ladies from the village came to the Lodge and cooked us a traditional lunch. We watched them produce delicious dishes on a coal fire and later we heartily feasted on the delicacies they produced.

On day three, we reluctantly piled into our cars again and drove to Bhopal stopping on the way at Bhimbetka.

The Bhimbetka caves were only discovered in the 1950’s and exhibit the earliest traces of human life in India. People (Homo Erectus) lived in them more than 100,000 years ago and some of the rock paintings are of the Stone Age and about 30,000 years old. They were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003.

Standing before these ancient rocks and seeing paintings that had stood the test of time - thousands of years - was an awe- inspiring experience.

Driving from Bhimbetka to Bhopal was perhaps the hairiest of all the drives. We navigated through small towns and markets. Our drivers seemed to be constantly leaning on their horns, along with every other driver on the road, and swerving to avoid oncoming traffic, cows, goats, people, children, bicycles and produce.

We finally arrived in Bhopal and drove to Ivy Suites, a boutique hotel on a hill overlooking the lake.

Bhopal is a charming town with a fabulous Tribal Museum of Man. Set high up on a hill it is a collection of homes built by artisans from all over the country, showcasing their tribal art styles. There are fables and paintings that adorn the walls of the houses – I could have spent a lot longer looking and admiring all the art around us.

Bhopal was our last stop on a terrific 10-day journey into Madhya Pradesh. All of us will treasure lasting impressions and memories to savour as time goes by…………..