The euphonic whistle of the Malabar whistling thrush welcomed us into the misty morning of Mudumalai National Park. Perched atop our skyscraper tree house at a height of 30ft, our inquisitive eyes scanned the verdurous forests around us for any signs of wild movement. The excitement of spending a night in a tree-house in a jungle resort in the heart of the Mudumalai National Park lingered in our minds and we waited in anticipation for our early morning safari.
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The Mudumalai National Park expands its wilderness on the north-western side of the Nilgiri Hills in the Nilgiri District of Tamil Nadu in India. It is also part of a tiger reserve and is strategically located on one of the most important wildlife corridors in India with the Bandipur and Nagarhole National Park in the north, the Wayanad Widlife Sanctuary to the west and the Mukurthi and Silent Valley National Park to the South. The east is also connected to the Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary via the Sigur Plateau.
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Amid that wild landscape of the Mudumalai National Park, our jeep roared across the tamed roads on the forest fringes. The cacophony created by the jeep struck a discordant cord in the rhythm of the jungle and the dust shower swirled up by the jeep tyres rustled the dry leaves on the road scattering them haywire.
As the jeep throttled further into the forest depths, the driver expressed his respect of the wild habitat by gradually decelerating the jeep.The wild inhabitants of the forest, however, seemed unperturbed by our presence. It seemed they had befriended the human visitors and stole occasional curious glances at us while being busily absorbed in their own daily chores. Herds of chitals grazed by charming us with their „hirni jaisi ankhein‟ (the eyes of the deer are often used to compliment the doe-eyed women in India).
The majestic peacock adorning the chestnut-brown boughs of the Golden Shower Tree, reflected fantasy in our mind's eye. A common sight in India‟s forests and the Indian national bird, the peacock personified (or peacock-i-fied!) John Keats‟ words “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”.
A sudden dash of grey mingled with the grey of the tar roads and then vanished into the undergrowth bordering the road. It was a stranded wild boar piglet joining its sounder on the other side of the gravelled path.
Our guide Tavithyaan, a Tamil native, dressed in a traditional lungi (sarong-like garment worn around the waist by South Indian men) and a western style shirt, revealed the forest secrets before us. He described how you can distinguish the discontinuous alarm calls of a langur warning against a tiger from the continuous frantic ones for a leopard (a tree climber). He also taught us to use the wind to the optimum use to detect the scent of animals.
Amidst this intense discussion in hushed tones we almost missed the sight of a large, grim looking Indian gaur staring blankly at the curtain of greenery on the opposite side of the road. Its grim face resonated the vulnerable status of this huge bovine in the context of IUCN red list.
The next moment Tavithyaan‟s sharp, darting eyes fixed on a high tree top. We strained our eyes and then the binoculars to observe what he was pointing to. A serpent eagle with its meal in the mouth (a dangling serpent) seemed to penetrate the earth with its piercing eyes.
Though our luck failed us in getting a darshan (deity viewing) of the master of the jungle, the fiercely handsome Royal Bengal tiger, the words of the wise ran through our minds – “He is right there watching you even though you cannot see him”. The thought sent a chill down our spines and in the mystifying dark shady foliage we could imagine the presence of the powerful beast.
Home to a diverse collection of flora and fauna, the forests of Mudumalai National Park served as a paradise for those with a „green heart‟. Apart from the endangered tiger, the Indian leopard, the dhole, golden jackal, striped hyena and the sloth bear are the other carnivores spreading their fear in the hearts of the docile herbivores of the area.
A special meeting with the only herbivore, whose power and intelligence matched or even surpassed that of the expert predators was scheduled next. We were to visit the Theppakkadu Elephant Camp in Mudumalai National Park. Established during the British period to house wild pachyderms captured for building up a work force for timber extraction, presently, the camp serves as a tourist attraction in the area.
Those well-versed with the forest believe its deadliest inhabitant is a rogue elephant. Now, standing beneath the shadow of this gigantic creature, we realized this truth. However, unless provoked, the elephant is an intelligent, benign animal and a beloved of all. With the lunchtime bell ticking, we became the awed spectators of the feeding saga of these marvellous beasts. Balls of grain rations in cooked form were lovingly thrust into the longing mouths of Gajagamini, Anna, Kesavan and Tara. If the feeder was fortunate the elephant accepted the food since the pampered creatures flung away any ball of food not satiating their taste buds.
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The elephant feeding episode triggered pangs of hunger in our empty stomachs. An authentic South Indian meal of idli, dhosa and coconut chutney aesthetically served on clean plantain leaves in a roadside eatery made us express gratefulness to the dexterity of South Indian cooking.
Our return to the resort was greeted by the hoots and hilarious pranks of a family of Hanuman langurs. Their dark faces were unable to conceal their perky eyes. We hugged tightly on to our belongings lest they became toys in the clutches of the playful monkeys. A giant Malabar squirrel , the largest arboreal squirrel species on earth, scurried past a nearby tree branch. Following it in a hushed manner, we feasted our eyes upon the delightful sight of the squirrel nibbling on a berry.
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The bonfire crackled and the sparks of fire lit up our content faces. The soothing melody of a native Tamilian song filled the air around us. Our peace was however disturbed by the narratives of the resort owner who sat down for a chat with us. He briefed us on the threats to the Mudumalai National Park from human activities, the rampant poaching activities, the encroachment of the forested land by human dwellers and the wildlife road-kills due to growing traffic.
As the enveloping darkness closed in upon us in our tree house dwelling, the eerie hooting of the owl preternaturally sang our togetherness with nature reverberating Edward Thomas -“Twas home; one nationality We had, I and the birds that sang, One memory”.
Writer : Oishimaya Sen Nag
Photographs by : Arijit Nag
Amid that wild landscape of the Mudumalai National Park, our jeep roared across the tamed roads on the forest fringes. The cacophony created by the jeep struck a discordant cord in the rhythm of the jungle and the dust shower swirled up by the jeep tyres rustled the dry leaves on the road scattering them haywire.
As the jeep throttled further into the forest depths, the driver expressed his respect of the wild habitat by gradually decelerating the jeep.The wild inhabitants of the forest, however, seemed unperturbed by our presence. It seemed they had befriended the human visitors and stole occasional curious glances at us while being busily absorbed in their own daily chores. Herds of chitals grazed by charming us with their „hirni jaisi ankhein‟ (the eyes of the deer are often used to compliment the doe-eyed women in India).
The majestic peacock adorning the chestnut-brown boughs of the Golden Shower Tree, reflected fantasy in our mind's eye. A common sight in India‟s forests and the Indian national bird, the peacock personified (or peacock-i-fied!) John Keats‟ words “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”.
A sudden dash of grey mingled with the grey of the tar roads and then vanished into the undergrowth bordering the road. It was a stranded wild boar piglet joining its sounder on the other side of the gravelled path.
Our guide Tavithyaan, a Tamil native, dressed in a traditional lungi (sarong-like garment worn around the waist by South Indian men) and a western style shirt, revealed the forest secrets before us. He described how you can distinguish the discontinuous alarm calls of a langur warning against a tiger from the continuous frantic ones for a leopard (a tree climber). He also taught us to use the wind to the optimum use to detect the scent of animals.
Amidst this intense discussion in hushed tones we almost missed the sight of a large, grim looking Indian gaur staring blankly at the curtain of greenery on the opposite side of the road. Its grim face resonated the vulnerable status of this huge bovine in the context of IUCN red list.
The next moment Tavithyaan‟s sharp, darting eyes fixed on a high tree top. We strained our eyes and then the binoculars to observe what he was pointing to. A serpent eagle with its meal in the mouth (a dangling serpent) seemed to penetrate the earth with its piercing eyes.
Though our luck failed us in getting a darshan (deity viewing) of the master of the jungle, the fiercely handsome Royal Bengal tiger, the words of the wise ran through our minds – “He is right there watching you even though you cannot see him”. The thought sent a chill down our spines and in the mystifying dark shady foliage we could imagine the presence of the powerful beast.
Home to a diverse collection of flora and fauna, the forests of Mudumalai National Park served as a paradise for those with a „green heart‟. Apart from the endangered tiger, the Indian leopard, the dhole, golden jackal, striped hyena and the sloth bear are the other carnivores spreading their fear in the hearts of the docile herbivores of the area.
A special meeting with the only herbivore, whose power and intelligence matched or even surpassed that of the expert predators was scheduled next. We were to visit the Theppakkadu Elephant Camp in Mudumalai National Park. Established during the British period to house wild pachyderms captured for building up a work force for timber extraction, presently, the camp serves as a tourist attraction in the area.
Those well-versed with the forest believe its deadliest inhabitant is a rogue elephant. Now, standing beneath the shadow of this gigantic creature, we realized this truth. However, unless provoked, the elephant is an intelligent, benign animal and a beloved of all. With the lunchtime bell ticking, we became the awed spectators of the feeding saga of these marvellous beasts. Balls of grain rations in cooked form were lovingly thrust into the longing mouths of Gajagamini, Anna, Kesavan and Tara. If the feeder was fortunate the elephant accepted the food since the pampered creatures flung away any ball of food not satiating their taste buds.
The elephant feeding episode triggered pangs of hunger in our empty stomachs. An authentic South Indian meal of idli, dhosa and coconut chutney aesthetically served on clean plantain leaves in a roadside eatery made us express gratefulness to the dexterity of South Indian cooking.
Our return to the resort was greeted by the hoots and hilarious pranks of a family of Hanuman langurs. Their dark faces were unable to conceal their perky eyes. We hugged tightly on to our belongings lest they became toys in the clutches of the playful monkeys. A giant Malabar squirrel , the largest arboreal squirrel species on earth, scurried past a nearby tree branch. Following it in a hushed manner, we feasted our eyes upon the delightful sight of the squirrel nibbling on a berry.
The bonfire crackled and the sparks of fire lit up our content faces. The soothing melody of a native Tamilian song filled the air around us. Our peace was however disturbed by the narratives of the resort owner who sat down for a chat with us. He briefed us on the threats to the Mudumalai National Park from human activities, the rampant poaching activities, the encroachment of the forested land by human dwellers and the wildlife road-kills due to growing traffic.
As the enveloping darkness closed in upon us in our tree house dwelling, the eerie hooting of the owl preternaturally sang our togetherness with nature reverberating Edward Thomas -“Twas home; one nationality We had, I and the birds that sang, One memory”.
Writer : Oishimaya Sen Nag
Photographs by : Arijit Nag
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