Wildlife in Madhav National Park

In Shivpuri, we went for boating in the Sakhya Sagar lake which is one of the important support system in the Madhav National Park. It is situated on the edge of forests of Madhav National Park. The lake is habitat of variety of reptiles. Species that can be seen here are marsh or mugger crocodile, Indian python and the monitor lizard. (Click on all the images for bigger picture)

While boating here our boatman showed us the crocodile resting on the rocks in the lake. He stopped the boat nearby for us to click some snaps.

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Sakhya Sagar Lake, Shivpuri

In Shivpuri, the Sakhya Sagar and Madhav Sagar lakes are the two important biodiversity support systems in the Madhav National Park apart from several other perennial and seasonal streams. Sakhya Sagar Lake is situated on the edge of forests of Madhav National Park. Boating is allowed in the lake and on the shores of the lake there is a Sailing Club. The lake is habitat of variety of reptiles. Species that can be seen here are marsh or mugger crocodile, Indian python and the monitor lizard. (Click on all the images for bigger picture)

We did boating in the lake at the time of Sunset. If one is lucky then they can get glimpse of animals that have come near lake. While boating in the lake one can also see the George Castle at a distance.

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Madhav National Park

There are several National Parks in Madhya Pradesh. Prominent among them are: Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhav National Park. Since it is required minimum 1 day time to enjoy the wildlife, landscape we had not planned our time for the park in this trip. (Click on all the images for bigger picture)

Madhav National Park established in 1958 is 156 sq. km in area. This park is open through out the year. The forest here is dry forest across the hilly region and flat grasslands around the lakes. The animals most seen in the park are Deer, nilgai, Sambar, Antelope, Blackbuck, Leopard, Langur. Apart from these there are other animals like Tiger, Heyna are also present here.

We got a glimpse of wildlife while boating in the lake on the edge of National Park. The above shot is taken while boat is moving.

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Cubbon Park, Bangalore

The Cubbon Park in the heart of the Bangalore (State: Karnataka) city and it occupies around 250 acres of area. (Click on the images for bigger view)

The vast landscape of the Park was first visualized by Major General Richard Sankey, the then Chief Engineer of the Mysore State. In the year 1870 it was made reality by Sri John Meade, the then acting Commissioner of Mysore. Gradually it was developed and improved by adding new structures and features. In the year 1927, the park was officially renamed as "Sri. Chamarajendra Park" to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Sri. Krishnaraja Wodeyar’s rule in Mysore State.

The park is also popular among the naturalists, who prefer studying the plants in their own environment. The park has variety of statues, heritage buildings, children park, aquarium, tennis court. It is the favorite area for the people who want to jog in the morning and exercise.

The park has a predominant green area with a few concrete buildings, housing government and other organizations' offices. The park has many motorable roads and well laid out walking paths running through the park.

Rich in plant wealth, many indigenous and exotic botanical species are found here. The park has about 68 genera and 96 species with a total of around 6000 plants or trees growing in its locale.

Indigenous species such as Artocarpus, Cassia fistula, Ficus, Polyalthias etc., and exotic species such as Araucaria, Bamboo, Castanospermum australe, Grevillea robusta, Milletia, Peltophorum Schinus molle, Swietenina mahagoni, Tabebuia sp. etc., can be seen. In addition, many ornamental and flowering trees both exotic and indigenous are found in the park.

The landscaping in the park creatively integrates natural rock out crops with thicket of trees, massive bamboos, with grassy expanse and flowerbeds and the monuments within its limits, regulated by the Horticulture Department of the Government of Karnataka.

bandstand

A bandstand, in an octagonal shape made with cast-iron, was built in the early part of the 1900s. Before India’s Independence, the British Royal Air Force used to play western band music at the band stand every Saturday evening.

lake in the park

The park also has a small lake and it is home for various variety of ducks. There is also a separate area in the park for birds.


Flowers of Park: 1

Amber Fort, Jaipur

Along with palaces, and other attractions we set our eyes on exploring the most important tourist attractions of the city i.e., the forts. The third fort in Jaipur we followed after the Nahargarh Fort and Jaigarh Fort is Amber Fort.

Built in 1592 on barren ridge by Raja Man Singh, it is one of the finest examples of Rajput architecture. It provides impressive views over a deep narrow valley and the wider plains beyond. It is located on the hills that surround Jaipur. The fort that sprawls along the Maotha Lake, is composed of a massive complex gateways, courts, stairways and pillared pavilions, and palaces.

From the bottom of the hill one can reach the fort over the hill either by using stairways or elephant ride. For a nominal fee they carry two to three people on elephant to the top where front courtyard of the complex exists.

The entire fort complex, is constructed of white and red sandstone. The imposing rugged outlook of the fort is of the stark contrast to to the inside, a lavish ornate interior which is combination of both Hindu and Mughal styles of architecture. Some of the interior walls of the fort are covered with murals, frescoes, and paintings depicting various scenes from daily life. Other walls are covered with intricate carvings, mosaic, and minute mirror work. The front yard is adorned with the marvelous, pillared hall of the Diwan-i-Am, and the two - tiered painted gateway Ganesh Pol. Once you enter through the Ganesh Pol, the structure of special interests inside are Sheesh Mahal, Jas Mandir.

Ganesh Pol in the front yard

Sheesh Mahal is the palace of mirrors. The walls of this palace as the name suggests are inlaid with exquisite mirrors.

Sheesh Mahal

The Jas Mandir, located on the upper floor, is a superb combination of Mughal and Rajput style of architecture, as can be seen from the exquisitely carved Jali screens, and fine mirror and stucco work.

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.

Tonnur Kerre, a Picturesque Lake

Tonnur Kerre is a little known place when compared to the neighboring places like Mysore, Srirangpatana, Melkote. Never the less that does not reduce the beauty or charm of the place. This place does has historical significance.

The area is famous for the beautiful fresh water lake surrounded by hillocks. The lake occupies an area of around 2000 acres. About 1000 years ago Saint Ramanujacharya moved to this place from Srirangam. He had built the lake and then moved to nearby area Melkote. The lake is built between two rocky hills by constructing a dam. The source of water is by means of river and many streams running off the hills surrounding the lake.

Because of the crystal clear water in the lake it is also known as Moti Talab. This forms a ideal picnic spot away from the busy life of the city. People can also enjoy boating here in the local made round boats called "Theppa". In one corner of the lake there is a small beach where people can relax. It is a very calm and scenic place and words make no justice to it. It has to be only experienced to cherish.

The water from the lake is used for irrigation. Even fishing is done here for the variety of fishes. If one sits on the edge of the lake lot of small fishes come close to you in search of food.

This is not a place for sightseeing. This is more of a place where people can relax in the nature from their daily busy routines. The place is slowly getting popular and one can see steady increase in number of people coming here. I only hope that influx of tourists to this spot does not disturb the serenity of the place.

Melkote which has beautiful temples and ponds is at a distance of 15 kms from here.

How to Reach There

This place is located interior to the Bangalore - Mysore 2 lane highway in the right side while going towards Mysore. Just after crossing Mandya one can see a road on the right and directions are available on highway for Melkote. It is approximately 35 kms from this highway and from Bangalore it is around 130kms. The roads are very good and people do drive here at good speed.

For more visit Scenic Sunday

Melkote Ponds

Melkote (High or Superior Fort) is located in Mandya district of Karnataka state in India. It is famous for various temples and ponds. The famous temples of this place are seen in the earlier post Melkote Temples.

Some of the well known ponds of this place are:

Kalyani Pond

The large pond which is part of the Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple is called Kalyani. It is also known by the name Pushkaranani. The beauty of the pond is enhanced by its location, the steps that lead to the water and the Mandaps built around the pond.

The view of the pond from Yoganarsimhaswamy temple.

The mandapa around the pond.

There are carvings at the bottom of the pillars of mandapa. One such carving on the pillar is shown above.

Akka Tangi Kola

There are a pair of ponds behind the Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple known as Akka Tangi Kola In English it translates to sister ponds. The water of Akka kola is sour-salty and that of Tangi kola is sweet. Only the sweet water is used for the temples.

Udaipur, City of Lakes and more

Apart from the City Place, this city has lot more to offer. There are beautiful temples and parks that are worth a visit.

Lake Palace

Lake Palace is one of the most beautiful places. The Palace situated amidst the scenic Pichola Lake. It was constructed by Maharana Jai Singh II in 1746. Raised in white marble, the magnificent palace stretches across four-acre island. Other name of this palace is Jag Niwas named after the King.

The wonderful architecture of the Lake Palace comprises of may courtyards. Each of these courtyards are aligned with numerous columns, terraces. The palace has many beautiful fountains and well laid gardens. The palace has several beautiful rooms by the name of Bada Mahal, Khush Mahal, Ajjan Niwas, Phool Mahal and Dhola Mahal. These exotic rooms are decked with carved arches, paintings, crystal work, stained glass work, inland stones of pink and green lotus leaves.

Currently, this palace has been transformed into a five-star hotel that is managed by Taj Group of Hotels. Special thankls to my friend Raghu for this picture. When we had visited the place there was not much water in the lake. He had clicked this snap on his earlier visit.

Jagadish Temple

The temple is located 150mtr north of the entrance to the City Palace. It is built in Indo-Aryan architecture and is the largest temple in the city. The temple was built by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1651.

To reach the temple one has to climb 32 marble steps and at the top the entrance is guarded by 2 huge stone elephants. Right at the entrance of the temple there is a stone slab with the inscriptions with reference Maharana Jagat Sing. At the entrance of main shrine one can see a brass image of Garuda. In the main shrine there is a huge black stone idol of Vishnu with 4 arms. This idol is carved out of single piece of black stone. At the four corners of the main shrine there are 4 smaller shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Sun God, Goddess Shakti and Lord Shiva. which is a image in black stone.

It is a three-storied temple with marvelous architecture comprising of beautifully carved pillars, decorated ceilings, painted walls. The shikar of the temple is decorated with sculptures of dancers, musicians and various animals such as elephants and horsemen.

Sajjan Niwas Garden

This city is famous not only for lakes, but also gardens. There are lot of gardens in the city and we had time to visit only one of such garden.

It occupied around 100 acres of land and this garden famous for the roses. For the same it is also known as rose garden.

From Udaipur we traveled to Jaipur, the Pink City.

Distance: Udaipur ---> Jaipur 405 kms

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.

Mount Abu, a Hill station

Mount Abu is the only hill station in Rajasthan an is at a elevation of 1200 mts. This is the coldest place in Rajasthan an temperature is below zero in the night. In the day time it is definitely less than 10 degree centigrade during the winter season. The rich flora covering is the hillside is responsible for the cool climate in the region.

Next day after breakfast we set out for sight seeing of the place. As the Delwara Jain Temples are open for sightseeing only after 12:00 p.m we went to some of other sights and returned to the temple around the right time.

The other main tourist attractions of this place are:

Gaumukh Temple

The Gaumukh Temple is located in the valley and a path with 750 steps takes one to this temple. Here a small stream flows from the mouth of a marble cow, giving the shrine its name. You can also see here a marble figure of the bull Nandi. The tank here, known as Agni Kund, is believed to be the site of the sacrificial fire, made by sage Vashistha. An image of Vashisha is flanked by the figures of Rama and Krishna can also be seen here. Further down these steps one can reach a small temple.

Viewpoints

There are various view points around the town. Most popular among them are:

Sunset Point, is about 1.5 km from the tourist office of Mount Abu. Lot of people visit this point in the evening to catch the setting sun. It is a one kilometer walk from the road to the viewpoint or you can hire a horse.

Honeymoon Point, can be reached via Nakki Lake. This view point offers an enchanting view of the verdant plains and valleys.

We missed the sunset as it was very cloudy during our stay in Mount Abu.

Nakki Lake

Nakki Lake is situated in the heart of the town. The location of the lake makes it very pleasing to the eyes with the hills rising all around it. Boating is allowed in this lake and boats are available for hire around the lake. There are many rock formations around the lake. They have been named Toad Rock, Nun Rock, Nandi Rock and Camel Rock because of their resemblance to these figures.

This lake has an interesting history. It is believed that it was created by the fingernails (nakk) of a sage, Balam Rasia, in response to the demands of the stepmother of the girl he wished to marry. The girl, a daughter of the then King of Abu, was also in love with the sage, but because of the evil stepmother the affair ended in tragedy, and has been immortalized in a temple of the Kunwari Kanya, alongside which stands a statue of her lover.

From Mount Abu we traveled to Kumbalgarh, the Unconquered Fort

Distance: Mount Abu ---> Kumbalgarh 240 kms

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.

For more visit Scenic Sunday

Jaisalmer, Golden City and more

After completing the tour of the Havelis we moved ahead to see other attractions that this city has to offer. The city has lot beautiful lake and cenotaphs that are a must watch.

Tazia Tower

The delicate pagoda like Tazia Tower rises from Badal Mahal (Cloud Palace). Rising in its five-tiered splendor, with each story graced by a delicately carved balcony, the tower is of historical significance. Muslim craftsmen built it in the shape of a Tazia and gifted to their royal patron. Tazia’s are ornately decorated bamboo, paper and tinsel replicas of a bier carried in procession during Mohurram.

Gadisar Lake

Gadisar is a man made reservoir in Jaisalmer built in the 1700s. This tank outside the city walls, once held the town's water supply, and, befitting its importance in providing precious water to the inhabitants of this arid city, is surrounded by small temples and shrines. A wide variety of waterfowl flock here in winter.

The tank was built by Maharaja Gadsi Singh, taking the advantage of a natural declivity that already retained some water.

The main gate that leads to the lake was unknowingly built by prostitutes, and so, noble people never pass under it, but rather use a rather humble step path to the right, under the tree.

Royal Cenotaphs

These monuments are located on Ramgarh Road 6kms from Jaisalmer. These cenotaphs also known as chattris and were constructed by the various Bhatti rulers. One cenotaph has been erected for each ruler. The oldest among them is the cenotaphs of Maharawal Jait Singh who reigned from 1470-1506. This tradition was discontinued when in 1947, one of the prince died of a mysterious disease. This was taken as a bad omen and thus this tradition came to its end.

We next move ahead to desert area to explore Sam Sand Dunes .

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.

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