Ranthambhore National Park and Chittorgarh
India is dark…this morning, getting into the jeeps to go to Ranthambhore National Park
At 6 am, there were few lights at the station and it reminds me that when we landed in Delhi 5 days ago, the whole city was dark, hardly lit.
On tiger safari at dawn…hazy light in scrub trees and yellow grass, silent deer. A peacock crosses the road – all cameras click furiously. There are only 44 tigers left in the park, our chances of actually seeing one are slim.
Narrow red clay trails crisscross the reserve – we follow many, trying to avoid other jeeps - the tiger remains elusive. Deer, peacocks, monkeys, birds – the fauna of Persian and Indian carpets. As we leave the park, we suddenly see whole herds of deer by the side of the road, probably to bid us goodbye.
The closest we got is to see the track of a tiger, intersected by the track of a peacock - obliterated by the tire tracks of the jeep behind us.
Chittorgarh, an inhabited fort, is reached after hours of travelling through semi-desert of arid land, and cone-shaped village houses of grey and beige…no colourful saris here.
Chittorgarh is the oldest fort in Rajasthan…as it turns out, one of 3000 plus palaces and forts in this province. These magnificent piles of stone have been one by one turned into tourist attractions over the years, with great support by the Palace on Wheels program, and bring much needed revenue to otherwise impoverished areas. This fort is a ruin from the year 500 AD, which is today inhabited by troupes of very friendly monkeys and hawkers.
The 70+ temples and palaces built on top of this plateau in the last 1500 years mark the history of the fort – the 1000+ years old oral tradition is alive and well nowadays in a “sons et lumieres” show that recounts (imagine blue and white lights playing over the facade of the fort) the fate of an exquisite queen , valiant warriors and slaughtered babies.
The pride of these people in their history is fierce and palpable and humbling. It is what they have, and it is a lot.
India is dark…this morning, getting into the jeeps to go to Ranthambhore National Park
At 6 am, there were few lights at the station and it reminds me that when we landed in Delhi 5 days ago, the whole city was dark, hardly lit.
On tiger safari at dawn…hazy light in scrub trees and yellow grass, silent deer. A peacock crosses the road – all cameras click furiously. There are only 44 tigers left in the park, our chances of actually seeing one are slim.
Narrow red clay trails crisscross the reserve – we follow many, trying to avoid other jeeps - the tiger remains elusive. Deer, peacocks, monkeys, birds – the fauna of Persian and Indian carpets. As we leave the park, we suddenly see whole herds of deer by the side of the road, probably to bid us goodbye.
The closest we got is to see the track of a tiger, intersected by the track of a peacock - obliterated by the tire tracks of the jeep behind us.
Chittorgarh, an inhabited fort, is reached after hours of travelling through semi-desert of arid land, and cone-shaped village houses of grey and beige…no colourful saris here.
Chittorgarh is the oldest fort in Rajasthan…as it turns out, one of 3000 plus palaces and forts in this province. These magnificent piles of stone have been one by one turned into tourist attractions over the years, with great support by the Palace on Wheels program, and bring much needed revenue to otherwise impoverished areas. This fort is a ruin from the year 500 AD, which is today inhabited by troupes of very friendly monkeys and hawkers.
The 70+ temples and palaces built on top of this plateau in the last 1500 years mark the history of the fort – the 1000+ years old oral tradition is alive and well nowadays in a “sons et lumieres” show that recounts (imagine blue and white lights playing over the facade of the fort) the fate of an exquisite queen , valiant warriors and slaughtered babies.
The pride of these people in their history is fierce and palpable and humbling. It is what they have, and it is a lot.
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