Flame of the Forest

"Flame of the Forest" might be a romantic sounding name, but don't forget, it's also called Bastard Teak, lol.

The beauty of the dry deciduous forests of India reaches the peak when most trees have dropped their leaves, and the Flame of the Forest is in its full bloom.

Some of you might be interested to know that spoons made of this tree are used for ghee-oblations, and in the days before matchboxes, the bark of this tree was lit and used to start the daily agnihotram at sunrise and sunset.

Because the tree is indigenous to India, it finds mention in many literary sources, from vedas to love poetry.

If you've heard about the Battle of Plassey - where the English defeated the Nawab of Bengal - that comes from Palash, the Bengali word for this tree.

Tagore chose the Palash to celebrate the basanta ustsav at Santiniketan. See that little curved hook on the flower? Like Santhali women, you too can use the hook to tuck the flower behind your ear as you walk the lanes of Santiniketan.

Photo clicked by yours truly, in Ranthambhore. You can also spot these trees in Delhi, in the Central Ridge, or at Qutb Complex, or near the Kalkaji temple.

How to visit the Hill forts of Rajasthan, now on UNESCO World Heritage List

Last week, a set of 6 Hill Forts of Rajasthan were declared UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The forts range from the 7th century to the 16th century. Taken together, these rugged hill forts tell us about the political, cultural, social and architectural evolution of the ruling Rajput caste in the history of India.  Many are scenes of valour, and exemplify the Rajput belief in "death before dishonour".

These forts are built strategically on the Aravalli range, which is the oldest mountain range in India. According to UNESCO, they constitute "the most authentic, best conserved and most representative sites of Rajput military architecture".

Since there will likely be renewed interest in these forts, I thought I'd write something practical about where these forts are located, and how to get to them.

The forts on the list are:

(1) Chittorgarh (Chittaurgah) - this fort is 2hrs to the north-east of Udaipur. If you are driving between Jaipur and Udaipur, you can visit this fort on the way, although it will make for a long day. The ideal way to visit it is as a day excursion from Udaipur. See more details here: http://udaipurmagic.net/excursion-chittorgarh.html

Chittorgarh Fort, where the poetess Meera and the famous Rani Padmini lived

(2) Kumbhalgarh - it is 2.5hrs to the north of Udaipur. If you are driving between Udaipur and Jodhpur, you can visit this fort. Also, you can combine it with a visit to the temples at Ranakpur. You can do a day excursion from Udaipur, see details here: http://udaipurmagic.net/ranakpur-and-kumbhalgarh.html. You can also choose to spend the night at Kumbhalgarh, the Aodhi hotel is a very nice option. There's a sound and light show in the evenings.

Kumbhalgarh Fort, said to have the longest wall after the Great Wall of China

(3) Gagron Fort - this fort is in Jhalawar, in the south eastern part of Rajasthan. Surrounded by the waters of the Ahu and Kali Sindh rivers on three sides, it is one of the finest examples of water forts. If you are driving between Udaipur and Jaipur, you can take a break at Bundi and visit Gagron as a day trip from Bundi. It is about 2.5hrs drive from Bundi.

Gagron Fort, Jhalawar. Rajasthan's only strategic water fort.

(4) Ranthambhore Fort - located uniquely inside a tiger sanctuary, this fort is home to a popular Ganesha temple. It is accessible all days of the week and makes for a good visit combined with jungle safaris. Ranthambhore is 6hrs drive from Agra, and 4hrs from Jaipur (the nearest airport). More about my tiger sighting at Ranthambhore here. It is very popular with tourists, so expect crowds. 

Ranthambhore Fort, as seen from entrance to Zone 2 jungle safari

(5) Amber Fort - Most tours to India include a visit to Amber in Jaipur. In fact, Amber (also called Amer) is probably the most visited fort in Rajasthan, because it is part of the popular Golden Triangle circuit. There are elephant rides to the top of the fort. For how to visit Amer Fort, see this link: http://delhimagic.com/golden_tri.html

(6) Jaisalmer Fort - Jaisalmer Fort, or Sonar Qila, the Golden Fort - Its massive yellow sandstone walls are a tawny lion color during the day, fading to honey-gold as the sun sets. Jaisalmer is 6hrs drive from Jodhpur. At the moment there are no flights to Jaisalmer.

Sonar Qila, Jaisalmer

I created a map, showing where these forts are located. I'm sure you'll find it useful.

Map of HILL FORTS OF RAJASTHAN

Each of the hill forts selected in this list is of "Outstanding Universal Value" with "advanced construction techniques exploiting natural terrain and contours for defense". They also have "unique social associations with Rajput courtly life". Many are the sites of ritual suicides, the Rajput mass-immolations called jauhar. The temples and palaces inside them are extraordinarily beautiful. These hill forts represent the most sophisticated and evolved examples of secular Hindu Rajput architecture, utilizing the wealth of natural resources and located in an extraordinary geographical setting.  .

I hope you will visit at least some of these forts this year. If you need help with planning the trip, please email me at deepa@delhimagic.com

Photo sources:
Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Jaisalmer - Wikimedia Commons
Gagron Fort, Jhalawar - http://www.liveindia.com/rajasthan/jhalawar12.jpg
Amber Fort: Stephen Mullis sent this photo to me, he travelled with Delhi Magic to Jaipur
Ranthambhore Fort - my own camera

Tiger sighting at Ranthambhore - May 2012

The summer months of April to June are the best time to visit Ranthambhore. The undergrowth is sparse, water sources are limited, and the sighting is therefore much better. 

We did 3 safaris and thoroughly enjoyed all three. We stayed at Khem Villas, and can't say enough good things about it. Their commitment to the forests and to the people of the land is incredible, and the work they do to protect the whole ecology of the place is admirable.

On our very first safari, into the tiny Zone 1, we spotted this beautiful tigress:

Side view of T-39, in Zone 1

She is a very young tigress about 5 years old, and she has just given birth to a cub. She is quite thin right now, what with looking after the cub as well as hunting. When we saw her, she had hunted two days ago, with a successful deer kill. Now she was on the prowl again (but you can see she is hungry and her stomach is absolutely shrunken). On a close up of the photo you can see teats, she has been nursing. She is very graceful.

Tiger on path - T-39 goes in search of water

We were lucky she was walking towards us! The photographers in the other jeeps were behind her and could get only butt-shots :) The forest has shed a lot of its leaves and the undergrowth has dried up.

T-39 alert!

She stood, alert and poised, when she saw some prey. It was amazing, the transformation from sleepy walk to alert awareness.

Tiger hidden! T-39 walks into shrubbery

After a while she walked away from the road, beautifully camouflaged in the forest. If this had been winter we could not have seen anything! Because it was summer, we could follow her, and later we saw her emerge from a ravine and climb up a small hillock.

If you are visiting Ranthambhore in winter, the chances of sighting drop substantially. Can you imagine the photo above, if it were full of dense green shrubbery? How would you even know that the tiger was there ! Fortunately, tigers love walking on the forest roads, because it is easier on their paws. So the paw-prints can give you clues about where they are. After that, it is just luck and perseverance!

Ranthambhore is more than just tigers, though. Just being there amidst the jungle is very soul-satisfying. Learning about the ecology of the place, the BALANCE of everything, the seasons, the way the food chain works, the birds of each season...all of it made me feel a sense of peace.

The dhok, the most widespread tree in Ranthambhore

The dhok is particularly well-adapted to the harsh climate of this region, shedding its leaves to survive the summer. It has a hair-trigger response to rains, and begins to sprout leaves with the first few drops. While we  were there, it rained very briefly (unseasonal) and we saw the trees already with their opportunistic response :)

Not all parts of the jungle are dry - there are zones which are green and beautiful. 

Green lush areas of Zone 5 - very refreshing

This photo was taken at the far end of Zone 5, near Bakola. Zone 5 has bone ratting rides up the hill before you get to this ravine with water :) The temperature here is at least 2-3 degrees lower than the rest of the forest, with a moist inviting forest smell. We saw paradise flycatcher, golden oriole, and black-tailed mongoose, I didn't want to leave! 

Zones 2 and 3 are also very scenic, with large lakes. Here you can see not only a lot of waterbirds, but also a wide range of animals. 

Female sambar in Rajbagh lake - Zone 3 

Sambar are good swimmers and often feed on the grasses and water plants. They have good sense of smell and hearing but poor eyesight. The safari path skirts the lake (see jeep in photo), so you are treated to a beautiful vista, and you can really get a sense of peace here if you switch off the engines and sit quietly for a while.

While the female sambar remained unconcerned, nearby, the stags were in a confrontational mood:

Male Sambar fighting - Zone 3

Surprise information: they make tiny mewing sounds when they fight!

We were also treated to this almost comic confrontation scene between one macaque and a whole group of langurs.

Ruffian Macaque and Lady Langurs :) 

This single male macaque (you can see him in the centre of the photo) managed to scatter a group of langurs, mostly females with young ones. I was surprised. There were at least 20 langurs, but they all moved away. Only one older female stood her ground, hissing and snarling at him. One young male tried to stand up to him, then got the fright of his life and bounded away into the trees!

I have lots more photos of this Ranthambhore trip, but this blog entry will become too long if I put up everything. Maybe another post, another time!