The Elephanta Caves , located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6 th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art, history and archaeology on the caves. Together, they help me understand these caves, their art, and the people they were created for, just a little bit better. Every new visit, every new talk, every new article I read about the caves, fleshes out the image of what the island and the caves would have been like, at their peak. I last wrote about the caves on this blog, in 2011, almost exactly 11 years ago. Since then, my understanding of the caves has, I would like to think, marginally improved. Hence this attempt to write a new and updated post, trying to bring to life, the caves of Elephan
The Malabar Giant Squirrel
or Indian Giant Squirrel is described as “an upper canopy dwelling species,
which rarely leaves the trees. It is a shy, wary animal, not easy to discover;
it is active mostly early in the mornings and evenings, resting in the midday.”
Till recently, I had only
had fleeting glimpses of the Giant Squirrel, usually as it disappeared into the
dense canopy before I could get a close look. Which is why, when I saw one
perched atop a tree outside my room, I waited till I got some decent photos
before calling out to Samhith and the others, informing them of its presence.
As it turned out, I needn’t
have worried. It was a regular visitor here, having its breakfast, and in no
hurry to leave before it had its fill! It stayed on that particular tree for
over an hour before finally taking a massive leap to another one, and
disappearing in seconds!
The Malabar Giant Squirrels
are a species endemic to the deciduous and moist evergreen forests of
Peninsular India, extending as far as the Satpura hill ranges of Madhya
Pradesh.
Incidentally, it is also
the State Animal of Maharashtra, and is called ‘Shekru’ in Marathi. The
Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary was created in 1984, specifically with the aim
of protecting its habitat. However, I saw it, not in its protected sanctuary,
but at Dandeli, at the Dandeli Jungle Camp, where I stayed for a night during
my recent trip.
Great clicks, Anu..
ReplyDeleteThank you, Meghana!
Deletewe recently saw the Malabar giant squirrel when we visited thekkady and went to the deep safari, it was there lazing and sleeping on top of the tree
ReplyDelete