My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
I have already written about the monuments and art of Orchha.
However, this series on Orchha will be incomplete without one post dedicated to
the Vultures of Orchha!
We saw these Vultures nesting on the cenotaphs. It seemed sort
of fitting, that birds which live off the dead, were nesting in monuments built
for the dead. And, at least to us, they were far more interesting than the
cenotaphs themselves!
From what I have been reading, it appears that there are 4
varieties of vultures here, but we only saw this one type, which seem to be
Indian Vultures.
Also, apparently, their numbers had drastically reduced due to
rampant use of diclofenac in cattle, but now the situation has improved, as we
could see for ourselves.
It has often happened that Samhith and I go to see a monument,
and get distracted by birds. This was no different, and yet, memorable, for we
have never seen so many vultures in one place, ever! It was quite a satisfying
end to our visit to Orchha.
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oh my, what cool captures... :) next time you plan a trip am definitely coming along.. promise to behave and be good..
ReplyDeleteThey are very interesting birds! We have turkey vultures here in South Carolina. I often see them riding the air currents as I drive around town.
ReplyDeleteOrchha is an amazing place of tourist interest and you have covered this place amazingly. Good read!
ReplyDeleteorchha is really a awesome place to visit such a wonderful place thanks for share
ReplyDeleteI am stunned with the monuments, vultures and art of Orchha, all are so interesting to see very nice trip you have shared thanks.
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