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Odisha Part 10: Bhubaneshwar – the city of temples

Bhubaneshwar is often called the city of temples . It is impossible to know exactly how many temples there are, but it has been estimated that there might be over 700 temples in the city. This number, while impressive, is just a fraction of the original number, which, sometime in the 13 th century, would have been about 7000. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the Hindu temples of Bhubaneshwar , where 93 temples are listed. All these are ancient temples, built between the 7 th and 13 th centuries CE. Bhubaneshwar was once known as Ekamra Kshetra , the sacred mango grove. We know this name from an inscription at the Ananta Vasudeva temple, which mentions the name of the place, and the main temple (that we now know as the Lingaraja temple) in the mango grove. Ananta Vasudeva Temple, with a sculpture of Trivikrama in the niche It is extremely interesting to note that the Ananta Vasudeva temple is the only temple to Lord Vishnu in this city. Varaha, Ananta Vasudeva Temple Located v...

Birds of Tadoba - Changeable Hawk Eagle

We first saw a Changeable Hawk Eagle while driving to Mysore from Wayanad. Since then, we have seen the bird often, but never managed to get as good a click as the first time. Then, at Tadoba, as we criss-crossed our way across the forest in search of the tiger, we saw these birds often, either near ponds or just by the side of the road.

Skywatch Friday - Sunrise in the Forest

Now that I have written about Rishikesh, it is time for me to take a break... and write about random stuff for a while, before getting back to my #summertrip. To begin with, let me share with you, as part of Skywatch Friday, a beautiful sunrise at Tadoba.... We were awaiting our turn to enter the buffer zone of Tadoba, when the sun appeared, over the rim of the trees.

The Tadoba Experience

- Some Thoughts and Information You have read about all the animals and birds we saw at Tadoba, and our trysts with the tigers. Most of you have been asking for information about booking of safaris and accommodation. I chose to keep the earlier posts free of information, and just about my experiences, so here is one final, detailed post before I end the Tadoba series, with a few of my thoughts and some information which may help you plan your own trip.  So, Read on..... 

Birds of Tadoba - A Photo Post

Criss-crossing the jungle in search of the tiger, it was birds that we most often came across. I have already written about some of the birds we saw, but there were so many more, that I decided that a photo-post was in order, to show you just how many there are! And these are just the few I managed to capture on camera... there were many, many more, that I didn't. 

Our Trysts with the Tigers at Tadoba - Part 2

Our first encounter with the Tiger at Tadoba came after a long wait, but it was a memorable one. Read all about it here before you read on. Our hopes were high the next day, but the clouds continued to hover, and the tigers remained hidden. Once again, we alternately rushed through different parts of the jungle, and waited at water holes and ponds. No tiger appeared. Drivers we passed had suggestions, but none had sighted one yet. Our guide decided to make a second round of the water holes, and at one, we found a crowd. A tiger had appeared, but it had remained within the grass, and was fast asleep. We wondered at the sense and logic of simply waiting for the tiger to awake, and probably disturbing it with all the noise that would be the inevitable result of multiple jeeploads of people waiting. But our driver and guide were hopeful. We should wait, they insisted, and we obeyed. The flies were especially irksome, and I found myself wondering if the tiger was indeed still hi...

Our Trysts with the Tigers at Tadoba - Part 1

“We saw a male tiger crossing the path!” “We saw a female with her cubs!” Such were the exclamations which greeted us on our arrival at Tadoba, by fellow guests who had just returned from their morning safari. From what we heard, it appeared to be their 5 th or 6 th safari, all within the core zone, and, each time, they seemed to have had amazing sightings of that elusive animal – the Tiger. Ours was a short trip, barely 3 safaris in the core zone, and wondered if we would be as lucky.  “Don’t worry, Madam, sightings have been good” assured our driver as well as our guide, as we set out on our first foray into the forest.

In Search of the Tiger, at Tadoba

“There are 65 Tigers in this forest” was how every guide began his introduction to the forests of Tadoba, or to give it its full name - the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. They knew most of the Tigers/ Tigresses by name, and were relatively sure of which ones could be seen, in which portions of the forest. We heard all about the amazing sights they had seen, of tigers of course, and the great deeds done by the heroes of the jungles; yes, tigers again. It was evident that the other animals were only secondary. This was, after all, a tiger reserve, and people came here to see tigers; us included. This focus on tigers, and the single minded dedication to spot them, led to some amusing, as well as some not-so-amusing moments during our three day stay at Tadoba… but I am getting ahead of the story, so join me as I re-live our jaunts through the jungle, in search of the tiger!

The Pillars of Tadoba

“They used to light a torch right on top of that” insisted our guide. “How do you think they climbed up?” I asked, amused at the thought of someone clambering up the smooth pillar without even a hold of any kind. “They must have carried a ladder” replied our guide, his tone implying that he had never been questioned before. “Or maybe they rode elephants, and stood atop it to light the torch” added my husband, and the guide gleefully jumped at the idea, satisfied that the discussion was over. It looked like only I had caught the underlying sarcasm in my husband’s voice, and we shared a smile, just between ourselves. Such were the moments which made our trip to Tadoba memorable.