In the 13th century, Marco Polo, in his “book of marvels”, described a
wondrous land filled with curious animals – elephants, rhinos, great striped
cats. The greater marvel is that India’s animals are still here. Wildlife
aficionados find their choices are as varied as the deities in the Hindu
pantheon.
They could get acquainted with a tigress in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National
Park as she leads the Jeep past a 1,000-year-old fort, or watch a pair of
gaur locking horns as they sail on the Kabini river, or get marooned on a
machan (lookout post) in the shallows of Kaziranga National Park while
rhinos below loiter with intent.
Safari-lovers come to India in search not just of the tiger, but a host of
other species, such as the 12-horned barasingha deer, wild dogs, Gangetic
dolphins, wild boar, grey langurs, red panda and the few remaining Asiatic
lions. They come to hear the call of the hoolock gibbon and to follow the
pugmarks of the elusive snow leopard. They get acquainted with chinars,
peepul and spectral banyan trees.
Framing wildlife photographs against India’s stunning features can be very
rewarding. Since many national parks were the private hunting grounds of
maharajas until 1947 and India’s independence, they are replete with
historic forts, hunting pavilions and step wells. Tigers patrol the ramparts
of forts, wild elephants wander through crumbling temples and brahminy kites
soar over hilltop shrines.
The wildlife is intertwined with religion and mythology: as well as the monkey
god Hanuman and the elephant god Ganesh, the fish, boar and tortoise are
reincarnations of Vishnu. Shiva rides the bull, Brahma the deer, Saraswati,
goddess of learning, the goose, and Kartikeya, god of war, straddles the
peacock. The goddesses Durga and Kali ride the tiger.
Hindus and Buddhists believe in the transmigration of souls between species,
and that all life on Earth is part of the same divine energy and must be
respected. This philosophy, coupled with vegetarianism in some parts of
India, has surely helped the wildlife cause.
In a sprawling country with 75 national parks and over 500 wildlife
sanctuaries, it can be hard to pick a place to visit. It’s best to go
between December and March, when it is dry, the weather is pleasant and the
reserves are less crowded. Try to book Jeeps and elephants ahead, and book
guides through the lodges. In terms of wildlife sightings, these are some of
the best of the country’s national parks, all of which can be easily found
on the internet:
Bandhavgarh National Park. Nestled in the Satpura Hills of central
India, this is the most tiger-dense jungle in the country.
Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh. This is one of India’s most
beautiful forests. Tigers are spotted consistently and the general game is
very good too.
Corbett National Park, Uttar Pradesh. The park is a vast wilderness.
Great bird-watching, wild elephants, tigers and general game.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan. A dry, deciduous jungle setting
enhanced by a historic fort. Tiger sightings are erratic at the moment but
there is good game in general s
