By Shubhobroto Ghosh
When my wife Payel Biswas and I chose our long awaited holiday destination in Madhya Pradesh in August, 2024, there was a distinctive conscious endeavour to combine cultural artifacts and natural aspects during the tour. After all, the word, ‘conservation,’ in its original context, applied to the protection of cultural artifacts and places of historical and aesthetic significance. British Airways had an initiative named British Airways Assisting Conservation that assisted projects to preserve wildlife and venues of cultural and historical importance across the world. Protection of wildlife was spoken of as ‘preservation’ until 1960, when the founder of WWF, Sir Peter Scott, felt the need to change the term to ‘conservation,’ at a meeting of the Zoological Society Of London. With this in background, we set off from Delhi to Khajuraho on 15 August, 2024 on the newly started Vande Bharat train from Delhi to Khajuraho.
I have always enjoyed train journeys because they make me familiar with the vastness of my motherland. If one is alert during a train journey, one can admire the natural landscape and can observe many bird species whilst traversing long distances. In fact, birdwatching during train journeys has offered me the most pleasurable experience over the years and can be categorised almost as an activity by itself. The sight of Indian Rollers, Black Drongos, Cattle Egrets, Rose Ringed Parakeets and even Sarus Cranes have offered me the most unalloyed pleasure whilst traveling across the Indian countryside over the years. During one train journey in England, I came across the most captivating sight of a beautiful red fox standing beside the rail line, watching the train rush past. During the particular journey, we could observe the changing vistas with greenery covered hills as the view appeared when we were traveling through Madhya Pradesh.
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Animal paintings in Bhimbetka. Photo: Shubhobroto Ghosh.
Khajuraho is home to a group of Hindu and Jain temples in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Historical records reveal that the Khajuraho temple site had eighty five temples by the 12th century, spread over twenty square kilometres. Of these, we were given to understand, twenty six temples have survived, spread over six square kilometres. The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions, Hinduism and Jainism, indicating a tradition of respect and tolerance for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains in the region. It was a sublime feeling appreciating the intricate forms of art in the temples of Khajuraho set in the midst of a grand historical and cultural context. It was the experience of a lifetime to watch Jain monks participating in a very rare ceremony at the Atishay Kshetra Digambar Jain Temple, an activity that reinforces the principle of ahimsa, non violence toward all living beings. The astronomer and popular science author, Carl Sagan, in his book, ‘The Dragons Of Eden’ had mentioned that if there is one tradition that preaches reverence for all life and not just human life, it is Jainism.
What is notable is that in the midst of this poignant and graceful celebration of human achievement, there were natural treasures to behold that held us spellbound too. We witnessed several dragonflies, hovering around the temple, like revolving helicopters, a sight that I have found mesmerising since childhood. They were of varied colours, including red and black. Black dragonflies are considered to be a symbol of spiritual enlightenment, happiness and inner strength. Red dragonflies symbolize change and transformation. Sighting them in Khajuraho gave us this added satisfaction and delight because we knew the evolutionary importance of dragonflies. Dragonflies are an ancient group of insects that have existed for millions of years, and they flew with dinosaurs. It is important to cherish them for their ecological role as predators and the aesthetic pleasure they continue to provide all of us.
It was a delight to witness large congregations of Hanuman langurs in Khajuraho inside the temple premises in several locations. It is always a joy to witness primates in their natural habitat and langurs are no exception. They huddle in groups and exhibit incredibly human-like patterns of behaviour. Some of them had babies in their arms and they would stare long and hard if we looked at them. We learn, from the works of ethologists like Konrad Zacharias Lorenz and Marc Bekoff, that the true nature of wild animals can be best appreciated in the wild, where they are living free on their own terms. Observing animals like Hanuman langurs also helps me to understand how closely we are related to the animal kingdom and that we must cherish our kinship with the primates who are closest to us in the evolutionary ladder. The free living Hanuman langurs of Khajuraho gave us plenty of thought for self reflection and after clicking many photographs we retired for the day to continue our onward journey.
From Khajuraho, our sojourn took us to Orchha, a town two hundred kilometers from Khajuraho and reputed for temples and architecture. Orchha is situated near the city of Niwari in the Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh. It was established by Rudra Pratap Singh around 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state covering parts of central & north India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the bank of the Betwa River, only fifteen kilometers from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
It was in Orchha that I had an ornithological experience that will remain entrenched in my mind for the rest of my life. We arrived at our hotel after a four hour journey and were setting our luggage in place, when we noticed the cry of a child. We looked at the drawn curtains and through a small gap noticed a yellow bird perched on the window of the room. Eager to catch a glimpse of this colourful winged visitor, I cautiously pulled the curtain back. I was greeted by the sight of a pair of Golden Orioles, a male and a female, a charming and enchanting sight. Given the extremely elusive and shy nature of this avian species, it was a pleasant observation to say the least. The male, as befits the name, was golden yellow in colour with black streaks on the wings and the female was greenish yellow with small brown stripes. I clicked some photographs of the couple whilst inside the room and then decided to open the window to have a closer look. The birds then hopped from the window to the porch railing and then flew away. Convinced that I had got a good glimpse of this beautiful bird species, I shut the window, feeling happy that our entry into Orchha had been a pleasant one with this sighting. What followed was incredible and something I have never experienced in my life before.
The hotel curtains were open because we wanted a good glimpse of the outdoors. No sooner had we relaxed for some tea that we heard a child’s cry again and the male Golden Oriole was back, perched on the window pane outside. Thrilled by the fact that this rare opportunity had presented itself, we took out our mobile phones and cameras and clicked many photographs. The bird stayed put on the window and hopped on the porch railing and returned to the window. Sometimes, he would land on the floor of the porch and peck the lower bottom of the window. It was a heaven sent chance for taking pictures and we made full use of the occasion to photographically record the bird numerous times. We were expecting the bird to fly away after a time. This did happen, but the male bird returned every time, sometimes with the female bird, who was less insistent on staying.
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Ashokan edicts in Saru Maru. Photo: Shubhobroto Ghosh.
This pattern of this wondrous pair of Golden Orioles visiting us continued for the next two days. So frequently did the birds visit us that we felt sorry for them to stay in a place which was primarily meant for humans. On occasions, I would open the window and shout to the male Golden Oriole, waving my hands, “Go away, this is not your place.” The bird would fly away, only to return.
The Golden Orioles were also frequently present on the terrace and in other locations in the hotel. But the place which they favoured the most was the window of our hotel room.
A birdwatcher friend of mine, Dr Kanad Baidya, based in West Bengal, later threw light on this pattern of behaviour that we witnessed in Orchha. Kanad quoted from the book named, ‘The Bird Watching Answer Book,’ by Laura Erickson of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, published in 2009, “Many territorial birds are incensed when they discover another bird of their species and sex on their territory. Reflections in windows and auto mirrors can appear to be exactly this. Most likely the attackers are males, sometimes female birds will do this.”
The surroundings also had a profusion of other bird species, including Scaly-breasted Munia, White-throated Munia, Pagoda/Brahminy Munia, Long-tailed Shrike, Cattle Egrets, Peafowl, Black Drongo and Rose-ringed Parakeets. Baya Weaver birds were also visible, building their nests. If ever we have been blessed with armchair birdwatching, this was the occasion. There was more in store though.
We visited a number of temples and palaces in Orchha. Among them was the Jahangir Mahal, part of the Orchha Palace complex, which also has the Raj Mahal and Sheesh Mahal. The construction of the Jahangir Mahal dates back to the seventeenth century when the ruler of the region, Vir Singh Deo built the structure as a symbol of warm reception of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, during his first visit to the city. The grandeur of the imposing architecture conveys a magnificent impression to the visitor as it did to us. Here, flitting among the palace architecture, is a flourishing colony of Brown Rock Chats, who kept us constantly entertained with their antics. Sitting here, flying there, taking off when it was just the right time to click a perfectly poised photograph, the Brown Rock Chats of Orchha were a powerful reminder that the wonders of nature are very intimately intertwined with human history and culture. Needless to say, we photographed them whenever it was possible to do so.
Another major revelation of the Orchha trip was the vulture colony at the Chhatris, the cenotaphs that are amongst the most popular architectural tourist spots there. We were not aware that this place was a conservation centre for hosting vultures till a guide informed us of their presence. We entered the complex and noticed a signboard on vultures made by the forest department. Hoping to catch at least a glimpse of these birds, now facing extinction, it was a thrill to see a large bird flapping its wings and perching on a ledge. On careful perusal, it was revealed that there was a colony of vultures there and also nearby.
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Vulture in Orchha. Photo: Payel Biswas.
Naturally, our cameras focused on these birds that have been related to the mythical Garuda mentioned in the Ramayana epic. The fact that we do not get to see vultures commonly nowadays was a reason for enhanced appreciation of these birds that are known as nature’s scavengers. We noticed mainly one species, the Long-billed Vulture that had a commanding presence in the Orchha Chhatri. We read that five species of vultures have been recorded in Orchha, White Backed, Long Billed, Egyptian, Red-headed and Griffon. It was truly a majestic sight to behold when the vultures atop the monuments spread their wings against the backdrop of the sky.
After having more than our lot with birds in Orchha, we travelled to Ratapani Reserve Forest where a colleague of mine, Shibajee Mitra, is Manager of the Madhuban Eco Retreat run by the Somaiya group. Situated in Raisen and Sehore districts of Madhya Pradesh, it spreads over 825.90 sq km. Situated amidst the Vindyan hills, the sanctuary encompasses a World Heritage Site , the Bhimbetka Rock Shelter, and many other historical and religious destinations like Ginnourgarh Fort, Prisoner Of War camp, Keri Mahadeo temple, Ratapani dam and Jholiyapur dam. Ratapani is only a couple of hours away from Bhopal.
The resort itself is within a very well vegetated area covering one hundred acres. Many varieties of trees have been planted inside the resort area in an effort to boost the natural ambience and to attract birds and butterflies. We saw a host of animals in Madhuban Eco Retreat, including numerous species of birds. Among them were Paradise Flycatchers, daintily flitting from one perch to another with their ribbon like tails fluttering during their flight. There were Ashy Prinias, Common Ioras and Little Brown Doves who kept us entertained with their antics within the compound. We were also greeted with the sight of toads croaking at night and fishes in a small stream that crossed the resort. There were freshwater crabs also, that showed their pincers menacingly when disturbed. We spotted a Common Krait in the forest to our great excitement and delight. Butterflies of several species filled us with gay abandon at all times of the day. We also saw several species of beetles and the intriguing jungle cockroaches in the forest. One reptile that was of particular interest in the Madhuban Eco Retreat was a baby fan-throated lizard, a first time record for us. This creature is known for the display of the males who puff their throats displaying the colourful red sacs that are a delight to naturalists and laymen alike.
Shibajee kindly took us to visit the Keri Mahadeo temple, situated on a hill within a forest. It was a novel experience climbing the hill to visit this shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Also of intrigue was a large colony of hanuman langurs that we saw in the woods. Whilst visiting Ratapani dam, we also observed jackals and a single Bengal fox, an animal I saw in the wild for the first time. Shibajee informed us that Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary was undergoing an evaluation process currently and is awaiting the status of being a tiger reserve. He told us that he had seen tigers in this area on a number of occasions, and some of them were seen and heard in the vicinity of our lodge. In December, 2024, Ratapani reserve forest was declared as the fifty seventh tiger reserve of India.
It was also a very humbling and enlightening experience visiting the Saru Maru caves that house Ashokan edicts. Emperor Ashoka’s edicts on safeguarding animals written during his reign in India date from approximately 268 BC to 232 BC. These statutes offering protection to animals count as among the first provided for saving animals in the world. I have been interested in the life of Emperor Ashoka since my childhood, especially his transition from Chandashok, the killer, to Dharmashok, the pious, because he indicates the notion that a person can change from evil to good, a journey that is of much relevance to the world today where we have simultaneous conflicts going on in different parts of the world. It was a symbolic sighting that near the Ashokan inscription, there was a bark gecko resting and very close by there was a beautiful skittering frog hopping. We also saw a young fan-throated lizard darting around the Saru Maru caves and the animals we saw there represented to us a sign for reverence for all life, as preached in Buddhism. For a city dweller, the silence surrounding the Saru Maru caves is a phenomenon to relish.
It has to be mentioned that during our road trip in different places around Ratapani and indeed across the various locations that we visited in Madhya Pradesh, we noticed large herds of abandoned cows roaming freely in the streets. Whatever the reasons for this abandonment, the existence of this phenomenon of cows moving around in highways amidst traffic seems to be a dangerous proposition and an act of animal cruelty. Shibajee informed us that in Ratapani, tigers and leopards prey on these cattle and they have now become an additional diet in addition to their natural prey inside the forest like deer. The Ratapani dam houses marsh crocodiles and is a location of scenic beauty enjoyed by many tourists. Indeed, the relative seclusion and isolation of Ratapani Tiger Reserve makes the place more enjoyable than just hankering for a big cat sighting or chasing to see as many animal species as possible, as is the norm in most protected areas in India.
There are some admirable efforts to make local communities and children in Ratapani more environmentally conscious and there are regular interactions carried out by Madhuban Eco Retreat to raise ecological awareness. The Aryabhat Foundation also carries out introductory astronomy courses for students inside Madhuban Eco Retreat. The combination of astronomy and biology is an ideal one in a location like Ratapani because both subjects deal with the wonder of nature and the evolution of life. In India, some protected areas like Pench have been in the news for offering astronomical observation facilities alongside wildlife viewing, which is really a grand thing to do, a most commendable endeavour to show the interconnectedness of celestial objects and living beings. As the astronomer Carl Sagan said, “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the carbon in our apple pies, were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. The cosmos is within us, we are made of star stuff.”
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Golden Oriole in Orchha. Photo: Payel Biswas.
Incidentally, some books that we were reading during our holiday were also apposite for the occasion. One of them was ‘Pedaling Resistance : Sympathy, Subversion and Vegan Cycling edited by Carol J Adams and Michael D Wise, with a foreword by Marc Bekoff. One portion of the book seemed very appropriate for our trip : “Speciesism is typically described as an intellectual and illogical prejudice that denies moral consideration to animals on the premise that they do not belong to the human species, stated in reverse, the speciesist believes that all and only members of the biological species Homo sapiens deserve full moral standing and consideration. What makes speciesism a prejudice, according to its critics, is its dogmatic character and its inability to withstand critical intellectual scrutiny. Pro animal critics of speciesism charge that the species boundary is not a relevant or defensible moral marker, and that the traditional markers of full moral standing found in human beings(such as sentience or subjectivity) are found in many animal species as well. Consequently, if the speciesist is to be logically consistent and avoid prejudice, then moral standing must be extended to all beings whether human or animal who bear the relevant moral traits.”
Madhuban Eco Retreat happens to be a wildlife friendly company affiliated to World Animal Protection, which means that as a responsible travel and tour operator, they do not sell or promote wildlife in captivity for entertainment, like elephant rides in Amer Fort in Jaipur in Rajasthan, or selfies with captive tigers in Thailand or dolphin shows at Sea World in USA. Most certainly, our stay in Ratapani, aided by my friend and colleague, Shibajee Mitra, who is a noted naturalist and wildlifer in his own right, was one in which we could enhance our appreciation and love for the wilderness in a responsible and ethical manner.
Our next stop was Bhimbetka, en route to Bhopal. Comprising over seven hundred and fifty ancient rock shelters, Bhimbetka is one of the largest prehistoric complexes in the world and has some of the oldest rock art in India. Bhimbetka is part of the Ratapani Reserve Forest and is also host to a significant biodiversity. The astonishing rock paintings, some of which are more than ten thousand years old, portray the history of mankind from the Stone Age through the late Acheulian to the late Mesolithic till the second century BC. There are paintings on a wide range of subjects and I particularly liked the depictions of elephants. Our stay at Bhimbetka was made doubly pleasurable because we had recently watched the pioneering television show of the master science communicator, Jacob Bronowski, entitled, ‘The Ascent Of Man,’ originally broadcast by BBC in 1973. In the first episode, Jacob Bronowski visits a rock cave with a painting and the episode ends with sublime music. This visual and audio presentation on television made a very deep impression on us and observing the rock paintings in Bhimbetka, gave us an inkling on how thrilled Jacob Bronowski must have been when he made his delivery on them on air. It was truly an instance of seeing in real life what we had imagined it to be after a depiction of a similar place on television.
The last image of Bhimbetka was of a butterfly among the rocks, a perfect example of harmony between the animate and inanimate creation.
Our final destination was Bhopal, a city I had visited more than twenty years ago to survey the Van Vihar National Park and Zoo. Van Vihar National Park is beside the Upper lake, also known as Bada Talab. Declared a national park in 1979, the area has free-living wild animals, as well as a captive animal display setup and a rescue centre.
Even in 2002, when I first visited Van Vihar National Park, I wondered if there was any need to have a zoo within a pristine forest area. I had the same feeling this time that keeping large animals in cages, no matter how expansive, is the right thing to do inside a Protected Area where animals are roaming free on their own terms. With the passage of two decades, there are some changes noticeable at Van Vihar National Park and Zoo. The road inside the national park is a proper road and there are vehicles available for riding inside the premises.
There is now a butterfly park with several species of butterflies at Van Vihar and a snake park. There is a signboard inside the snake park heralding the arrival of cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh, a major release and reintroduction programme in India since independence, although highly controversial. There are snakes and tortoises in the reptile house, with two specimens of what appeared to be Asian forest tortoise Manouria emys. The individuals on display appeared emaciated. If they are rescued creatures, then every effort ought to be made to rehabilitate and release them in their natural habitat. Wildlife belongs in the wild and should be cherished there, and not brought into captivity and left to languish in inadequate conditions.
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Butterflies of Ratapani Reserve Forest. Photo: Payel Biswas.
We saw a free living axis deer and a wild pig family with young, and these lifted our spirits in the midst of watching animals in captive conditions. There are big cats in Van Vihar National Park And Zoo, in large enclosures, tigers, leopards and lions. I have fond memories of 2002 watching tiger cubs in Van Vihar at very close quarters. I remember seeing leopards in a very expansive open enclosure in Van Vihar in 2002 and at the time I thought this was probably the only open air enclosure for leopards in the world. This time, we only saw a leopard inside a cage adjacent to the open air enclosure, and were left wondering if the animals had access to the large area. We saw a tiger and a pair of lions, and were given to understand that there are several rescued big cats in Van Vihar, including rescued circus animals and animals obtained from conflict situations in the wild.
Van Vihar also houses sloth bears rescued from kalandars. I remember there was one white sloth bear in Van Vihar National Park that was ethereally beautiful. That animal is no more now but there are normal black sloth bears in residence, where they hopefully have a better existence than what they had before. There are soft shelled turtles and a cage full of star tortoises that could be improved.
I was greeted with the magnificent sight of Wire-tailed Swallows when I was there in 2002. Van Vihar has free living Bayas, cormorants, egrets and the lake is a haven for birdwatching. Whereas we walked the park during the Indian Zoo Inquiry, we chose to travel in the comfort of the battery run vehicles, this time around.
We also visited the Indira Gandhi Manav Sangrahalaya and the Natural History Museum in Bhopal. In these places too, we were reminded of ‘The Ascent Of Man’ by Jacob Bronowski, where he discussed Gregor Johann Mendel in the episode, ‘Generation After Generation,’ and Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace in ‘the episode, ‘The Ladder Of Creation.’ These luminaries of science were all displayed prominently in these museums. It was also a real sacred experience to see swifts inside minarets at the Tajul Mosque in Bhopal, the largest mosque in India. Swifts are considered sacred in Islam for they are believed to have saved the holy site of the Kaaba. Watching the birds fly freely and flit in and out whilst making their chirping tweets inside the mosque was a magical and unforgettable experience, one that will remain in our minds for a long time to come.
Our Madhya Pradesh trip had yielded much more than we had expected both in cultural and biological gratifications. There was one last surprise though. We missed our train from Bhopal to Delhi because of an incorrect reading of the a.m. and p.m. timing on our part. We were despairing on the method of return when we were told there were some seats available on another train. We got these tickets and my mind went back to the miraculous Golden Orioles we had seen in Orchha a few days ago. In China, Golden Orioles are considered to be the harbingers of good fortune. Even whilst returning from the state where we had witnessed this ornithological miracle, we could not help feeling that it was the blessings bestowed on us by the Golden Orioles that brought good fortune that enabled us to get back to Delhi safe and sound after a most fulfilling and satisfying trip.
Shubhobroto Ghosh is a former journalist with The Telegraph newspaper, whose work has also been published in The Statesman, The New York Times, The Hindu, Montreal Serai, BBC, Sanctuary Asia, and Nature India online. He is the former coordinator of the Indian Zoo Inquiry project, sponsored by Zoocheck Canada. Ghosh has worked with the Wildlife Trust of India, TRAFFIC India, and is currently the Wildlife Projects Manager in India for World Animal Protection. He is the author of the book Dreaming in Calcutta and Channel Islands.
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