Cover&photo&by&Kar.k&Mahajan
routes & trails Vol.1 Issue 2. April 2013
cover story
VIDARBHA: THE LAND OF TIGERS AND MORE photo feature
TADOBA WHERE THE KING ROAMS FREE TWR
UPCOMING EVENTS www.thewesternroutes.com
Vidarbha: The land of tigers and more
There'is'no'denying'that'3gers'in' India'are'in'trouble.'Everyday'there'is' news'of'a'3ger'death'somewhere'in' the'country,'either'by'poachers,'a' highway'accident'or'resultant'death' from'human?animal'conict.'Amidst' all'the'grim'news'and'the'state'of' 3ger'habitats'in'the'country,'one' region'oers'some'hope'?'the'forests' of'the'Satpuda'Range'in'Central' India.' Routes'&'Trails
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Photo:&S
halik&Jo
gwe
Cover Story
Photo:&Kar.k&Mahajan
Photo:&Jayesh&Paranjape
Believed&to&be&the&largest&con.nuous&.ger&habitat&in&the& world,&this&area&contains&approximately&oneCthird&of&India’s& remaining&.ger&popula.on.& This&landscape&which&covers&a&part&of&Maharashtra&&& Madhya&Pradesh,&contains&six&.ger&reserves&(Melghat,&Pench& &&TadobaCAndhari&in&Maharashtra&and&Pench,&Kanha,&and& BoriCSatpuda&in&Madhya&Predesh).&In&Maharashtra,&the& Satpudas&pass&through&the&Vidarbha&region&and&these&dry& teak&forests&support&some&incredible&biodiversity.&
Tadoba?Andhari'Tiger'Reserve The&Tadoba&Na.onal&Park&was&created&in&1955&with&an&area& of& 116.55& sq& km& and& the& Andhari& Wildlife& Sanctuary& was& created&in&1986&with&an&area&of&508.85&sq&km.&Together&they& form& the& Tadoba& Andhari& Tiger& Reserve.& As& the& name& suggests,& Tadoba& gets& its& name& from& the& local& deity& Taru,& worshiped&by&the&tribals&in&this&region.&The&Andhari&Wildlife& Sanctuary& gets& its& name& from& the& Andhari& River& which& meanders&through&the&forests&of&the&reserve.& The&tribal&popula.on&mainly&consists&of&the&Gonds,&who&are&
Star.ng& October& to& June& every& year,& photographers,& .ger&
known& to& use& the& forest& for& its & rich& herbal& and& healthy&
lovers,& nature& enthusiasts& throng& these& areas& to& get& a&
natural&resources &for&their&daily&needs.&They&have&a&strange&
glimpse& of& the&big& cat.& But& in& this& story,& besides&exploring&
ritual& where& they& feed& the& newborn& with& nectar& of& the&
Vidarbha’s&.gers&&&wildlife&we&will&discover&more&about&its&
flowers&of&the&Mahua&tree&(Madhuca-longifolia),&even&before&
culture&and&some&unknown&history!
the& child& is & fed& the& mother’s& milk.& This& is& to& signify& the&
HOW TO GET THERE Air: Nagpur (approximately 150 km), Rail: Chandrapur (45 km), Road: Nearest bus stand is Chandrapur (45 km) and Chimur (30 km). Best Time to Visit: The Park is open from October to June. The best time to visit is January to May. Tadoba is open to visitors on all days except Tuesdays. Safari timings are 6:00 am – 11:00 am and 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Routes'&'Trails
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SAMBAR'(Rusa&unicolor)&at'Tadoba Photo:&Kar.k&Mahajan
CRESTED'SERPENT'EAGLE Photo:&Kar.k&Mahajan
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eternal&connec.on&between&the&nature&and&the&humans&and& also& that&the&tree& and&the&child& will&look& a[er& each& other!& Another& interes.ng& historic& feature& in& Tadoba& is& the& presence&of& stone&pillars&at&regular&intervals&on&the&MohurliC Tadoba&road.& There&are&many& stories& explaining& these,& but& the& most&popular& one&is&that& the& pillars&are&either& an.que& lamp&posts&or&were&some&sort&of&communica.on&device&for& the&Gond&king&of&Chandrapur. At& the& reserve,& you& can& have& a& close& encounter& with& the& Tiger&and&witness&other&wildlife&species&in&ac.on.&Visitors&to& the&park&report&frequent&.ger&and&wild&dog&sigh.ngs&among& mammals.&Apart&from&these&the&reserve&is&also&home&to&the& Leopard,& Sloth& Bear,& Gaur,& Barking& Deer,& Spo_ed& Deer,& Sambar,&Wild&Boar,&Four&Horned&Antelope&and&many&more.&
Extend'your'Trip!' Markanda'Temple Around&60&km&from&Chandrapur&in&the&Gadchiroli&district&lies& a&cluster&of& 24&temples&built&in&the&‘Hemandpanthi’&style&of& architecture& called& the& Markanda& Temple.& The& temple& derives&its&name& from& sage& Markandeya&who& according& to& the&Hindu& Holy&Scriptures,& worshipped&Lord&Shiva&here&and& obtained& immortality.&One&of& the&most& famous& temples& of& the& cluster& is& the& Shiva& Temple& which& houses& the& Shivling& which& sage& Markandeya& is& believed& to& have& worshiped.& Some&of&the&temples&are&in& complete&ruins,&but&the&overall& effect& of& the&cluster& is&extremely& impressive.& Sir& Alexander& Cunningham,& the& famous& Bri.sh& archaeologist& and& the& father& of& the& Archaeological& Survey& of& India,& wrote&
Bamboo& && teak& dominate& most& of& the& areas& of& Tadoba&
extensively& about&the&Markanda& Temple.& He&wrote& “…(The&
among& other& flora.& Sca_ered& through& the& forest& are& the& lovely& Kusum& and& Silk& Co_on& trees.& Other& tree& species&
temple& cluster)& perhaps&forms&the&most& picturesque& group& of&temples&that&I&have&seen.&There&are&no&inscrip.ons&to&tell&
include&Ain,&Bija,&Dhauda,&Haldu,&Salai&and&Tendu.&The&most&
their& age,&but&their&style&is&so& similar&to&that& of& the&Candle&
striking& floral& feature& of& Tadoba & is& the& numerous& Ghost&
temples&of& Khajuraho& and& other& places,& that& there& can& be&
Trees,& which& derive&their&name&from&the&colour&of& the&bark&
li_le&doubt,&that&they&belong&to&the&same&period&of&10th&and&
and&their&ability&to&change&colour&as&per&season.&During&the&
11th&centuries.”
summer&months,&the&bark&which&is&pale&pink&otherwise&turns& white,&giving&it&a&‘ghostly’&look. MARKANDA'TEMPLE
COMMON'KINGFISHER'(Alcedo&a1his)& Photo:&Adwait&Keole&
PENCH'TIGER'RESERVE The& Pench& Tiger& Reserve& is& spread& across& two& states,& the& Seoni& and& Chhinwara& districts& of& Madhya& Pradesh& and& Nagpur&district&of&Maharashtra.&Pench&(M.P.)&covers&an&area& of&757&sq.&km.&and&Pench& (Maharashtra)&covers&around&257& sq.&km.&Pench&was&declared&as&a&Tiger&Reserve&under&Project& Tiger& in& 1999& and& became& the& 25th& .ger& reserve& of& the& country.& The& Totladoh& reservoir& which& is& a& result& of& the& Totladoh&Hydroelectric&Project&is&situated&in&the&heart&of&the& .ger& reserve&and& takes& up& almost& 67& sq.& km.&of& the&forest& land!&
The& Pench& Tiger& Reserve& of& Maharashtra& is& rela.vely& unknown& and&not&visited& by& many& tourists&as&compared&to& Pench&(M.P.)&and&Tadoba.&But&it&is&one&of&the&finest&and&most& biodiverse&forest&in&Maharashtra.&The&best&wildlife&sigh.ngs& happen& between& March& && June,& when& the& forest& thins,& smaller&streams&and&rivers&run&dry& and&animals &congregate& at& waterholes&(locally& known& as& doh)& to& seek& respite& from& the&heat.&The&Nagdeo&pahadi,&the&Ambakhori&waterfall&and& Gawli& ghat& are& probably& the& best& areas& in& Pench& to& see& wildlife&including&.gers,&leopards&and&sloth&bears.&Pench&is&a& birder’s&paradise&with&more&than&170&recorded&bird&species.& Water& birds&are&o[en& found& around& the&ar.ficial&wetlands&
The& park& gets& its& name& from& the& Pench& River,& which&
created& by& the& submergence& of& the& Pench& reservoir.& The&
meanders&through&the&forests.&It&is&the&panoramic&beauty&of&
area&is&on&the&migratory&route&of&waterfowl&during&winter.
this&region&that&has&been&described&as&early&as&the&beginning& of& the&20th& century& by& naturalists &like&Captain& J.& Forsyth& in& 'Highlands& of& Central& India'& and& by& Rudyard& Kipling& in& the& 'Jungle&Book'.&The&poet&Kalidas&also&wrote&about&the&scenic& charm& of& this& place& in& his& epics& Meghdootam& and& Sakuntalam.
A&trip&to&Pench&(Maharashtra)&and&an&extended&2&days&in& Pench&(M.P.)&is&highly&recommended&for&those&who&are& always&on&a&lookout&for&newer&wildlife&reserves&as&the&more& popular&or&famous&ones&are&becoming&too&crowded&and& mismanaged!&
HOW TO GET THERE Air: Nagpur (70 km), Rail: Nagpur (70 km), Road: Buses can be boarded at Nagpur till Pauni on the Nagpur-Jabalpur highway. The park gate at Sillari is 10 km from Pauni. Best Time to Visit: January to June. The park is open to tourists from October to June. Park is open on all days of the week. Safari timings are 6:00 am – 11:00 am and 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Personal vehicles, light vehicles and 15-seater buses are allowed inside the park with speed restrictions Routes'&'Trails
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EXCAVATION'SITE'AT'MANSAR Photo:&Jayesh&Paranjape
ON'YOUR'WAY'TO'PENCH
Ramtek'Temple
Mansar'Excava3on'Site
It&is&believed&that& Ramtek& was& the& place&where& Rama,& the&
In&1972,&an&image&of&Shiva&Vamana&was&found& on& a&hillock,& locally& known&as&Hidimba&Tekdi&in& Mansar,&on& the& NagpurC Jabalpur&highway.&Important&excava.ons&have&been& carried& out& at& Mansar& since& 1997C98,& under& the& aegis& of& Archaeological& Survey& of& India & (Delhi)& and& the& Buddhist& organiza.on& of& the& Nagarjuna& Smaraka& Sanstha& (Nagpur)& and& so& far& five& sites& have& been& excavated.& A& huge& temple& complex& recognized&as &Pravaresvara&and&a&threeCmeter& tall& lime& model&of& a& male& figurine& in& crouching& posi.on,& were& unearthed.&Sculptures&of& Hindu& dei.es,& ar.facts,& and& some&
Hindu&god,&rested& while&he&was&in&exile.& Legend& has&it&that& the&aashram&of& great&Hindu&sage&Agastya&was&situated&close& to& Ramtek.& While& the& sages& performed& religious& rites,& the& demons&used& to& disrupt& their& ac.vi.es &and& slayed& a&great& number& of& holy& men.& Lord& Rama& was & distressed& to& hear& about& this,& and& took& a& vow& to& relieve& the& world& from& the& demons.&‘Tek’&means&vow&in&local&language,&hence&the&word& Ramtek&comes&from&‘Vow&of&Ram’.&Thus&it&is&believed&locally& that&whoever&takes&a&vow&at&Ramtek&is&blessed&by& the&gods& for&its&fulfillment.
coins& of& 5th& century& have& also& been& discovered& in& these&
The&present&temple&at&Ramtek&is&believed&to&have&been&built&
excava.ons.&Detec.on&of&ancient&tools&and&water&reservoirs&
by& the& King& of& Nagpur& Raghuji& Bhonsale,& a[er& his& victory&
indicate& the& presence& of& large& inhabitants& in& this& area&
over&fort&of& Deogarh&in&Chindwara.'This&place&is&also&famous&
around& 1600& years&ago.& The& site& s.ll& remains&unknown& to& most&of&the&people&living&in&Mansar,&Nagpur&or&Maharashtra,&
for&its&rela.on&with&Great&poet&Kalidasa&who&wrote&his&epic& Meghdootum&in&hills&of&Ramtek.
but& is& definitely& worth& a& visit& on& the& way& to& Pench& or& Ramtek. Routes'&'Trails
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HOW TO GET THERE Air: Nagpur (122 km), Rail: Gondia (45 km) and Bhandara (75 km), Road: Sakoli (22 km) has a bus stand which is well connected to Gondia, Bhandara & Nagpur Best time to visit: Januar to May. The park is open to tourists from October to June. Park is open on all days of the week. Safari timings are 6:00 am – 11:00 am and 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Personal vehicles, light vehicles and 15-seater buses are allowed inside the park with speed restrictions. NAGZIRA'WILDLIFE'SANCTUARY A& haven& for& nature&lovers&and& wildlife& enthusiasts,&Nagzira& Wildlife&Sanctuary&lies&in&Gondia&district&of&Maharashtra&and& covers& an& area& of& 152& sq.& km.& This& sanctuary& and& the& adjoining& Navegaon&Na.onal&Park&have&been&calling&out&for& addi.onal& protec.on& and& management& of& its& forests& and& wildlife.& The& Government& of& Maharashtra& finally& declared&
of&the&landscape.&Locals&believe&that&Kolu&Patel&Kohli&created& the&lake&at&the&beginning&of&the&18th& century&with&the&help&of& the& Gods!& On& the&lake& fringe&there& is& an& idol& of& Hanuman& whose&feet& are&said&to& go&below&the&embankment.&Nagzira& exhibits & an& amazing& diversity& of& terrain.& The& seven& peaks& (al.tude&ranging& between&400&and& 750&m)& surrounding& the& lake&are&known&as&the&Saat-Bahini&or&Seven&Sisters.&
that& the& Nagzira& Wildlife& Sanctuary& and& the& Navegaon&
There&are&.mes &in&Nagzira&when&you&can&see&several&species&
Na.onal&Park&will&soon&be&no.fied&as&the&NagziraCNavegaon&
of&large&mammals&in&just&one&safari&ride.&This&can&range&from&
Tiger& Reserve.& Addi.onally,& around& 152& sq.& km.& of& forest&
a& .gress&and& her& cubs&res.ng& in& an& ar.ficial& waterhole,& a&
have& been& added& to& Nagzira& and& 122& sq.& km.& have& been&
leopard&on&a&tree,&wild&dog&packs&to&an&occasional&sloth&bear&
added&to&Navegaon.&
crossing&the&road!
The& Nagzira& Lake&which& is&located& right& in& the& core& of& the&
If' you' want' to' make' a' trip' to' these' 3ger' havens' and'
sanctuary& is& probably& one& of& the& best& places& to& observe&
explore'the' unknown' history' and' culture'of' Vidarbha,' do'
wildlife.& The& lake& guarantees& a&source&of& water& to& wildlife&
write' to' us' on' info@thewesternroutes.com' or' visit'
throughout& the& year& and& also& greatly&heightens&the&beauty&
www.thewesternroutes.com/tours&
INDIAN'PEAFOWL'(Pavo&cristatus)'at'Nagzira' Photo:&Shalik&Jogwe
photo feature
TADOBA WHERE THE KING ROAMS FREE by Kartik Mahajan
Wildlife&lover&and&a& photography&enthusiast& Kar.k&Mahajan&from& Nagpur&shares&his&passion& for&wildlife&photography& and&his&love&for&Tadoba’s& .gers!&Featured&here&are& some&of&his&beau.ful& photographs&taken&at& Tadoba,&his&second&home.& For&more&his&work&check& h_ps://www.facebook.com/pages/KCMCPhotography/445558642155988?fref=ts his&Facebook&page& Routes'&'Trails
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TWR traveller
THIS IS MY STORY - Olive Ridley Turtle 1
away&from&the&sea.&And&my&journey&began.&Along&with& my&two&brothers,&I&started&walking&towards&the&sea&C& my&real&home.&It&was&a&long&walk&for&a&frail&new&born& like&me.&I&stumbled&and&missed&my&way&in&between.& But&I&could&finally&make&it,&as&you&can&see.& Now&I&will&enter&into&the&new&world&beneath&the&sea.& The&danger&is&far&from&over.&I&am&not&worried&about& the&natural&danger&from&big&fishes&and&predators&who& would&hunt&me.&I&have&dealt&with&them&for&millions&of&
This&is&my&story.&In&last&few&decades,&the&popula.on&of&
years.&But&man's&unbridled&greed&is&my&real&danger.&
my&clan&dwindled.&Unchecked&fishing,&eggs&collec.on,&
Will&there&be&another&Sahyadri&Nisarg&Mitra&to&save&
deep&sea&pollu.on…there&are&many&causes.&The&root&
me&from&that?&I&don't&know,&and&right&now,&I&don't&
cause&is&the&same&C&YOUR&greed.&
care.&It's&the&.me&to&rejoice.&It's&the&.me&to&take&a&
Amidst&darkness,&I&see&a&ray&of&hope.&Somewhere&in& the&remote&parts&of&Konkan&(Western&Maharashtra),& there&is&a&village&called&Velas.&A&group&of& conserva.onists&from&Sahyadri&Nisarga&Mitra&decided& to&help.&They&picked&the&eggs&where&the&mothers&nest,& they&brought&these&eggs&in&a&secured&area,&helped&
deep&breath&and&enter&the&waters.&It's&the&.me&to&ride& on&a&wave&of&hope&and&start&my&life! Signing&off, Olive&Ridley&Turtle 3
them&to&hatch&exactly&in&the&manner&the&natural& process&would&happen.&All&this&was&to&avoid&the&loss&of& eggs&due&to&hun.ng&and&other&reasons. And&then&one&day,&on&an&early&Sunday&morning,&I&was& born.&I&was&picked&up&and&kept&gently&some&50&feet& 2
Photo-credits 1.-Aditya-Laghate 2.-Gopal-Parasnis 3.-Deep-Pai NarrarBve-by-Gopal-Parasnis-
TWR traveller
FIVE FLAMINGOS by Praveen Rai
Ar1st2Praveen2Rai2made2this2beau1ful2
aura2and2energy,2a2wish2for2a2blissful2future,2
pain1ng2for2a2friend’s2new2house.2The2
a2vision2for2a2friend,2some2love2and2a2lot2of2
inspira1on2came2from2actually2seeing2the2
heart2with2an2innate2desire2to2showcase2the2
flamingoes2at2the2Ujjaini2Dam2near2Bhigwan2
best2you2got."
while2on2a2trip2with2The2Western2Routes.2 The2lucky2friend2who2got2the2pain1ng2as2a2 giH2describes2it2in2his2words. "Some1mes2a2pain1ng2goes2beyond2the2 passion2of2brush,2colors2and2strokes.2It2 becomes2a2blessing2infused2with2posi1ve2
Routes'&'Trails
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More2of2Praveen’s2work2at2 www.praveenrai.com2or2 www.facebook.com/Art.PraveenRai
CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the January 2013 KUTHE contest
GEETA KAMBLI Ratnagiri
ONKAR TENDULKAR Mumbai
SIDDESH SAWANT Mumbai
SUMIT BHOSALE Mumbai
The correct answer was Thiba Palace, Ratnagiri
READERS CORNER Photo%Credit:%Wikimedia
routes
& trails Vol.1 Issue 2. April 2013
cover story Photo%Credit:%Wikimedia
WONDERS OF COASTAL RATNAGIRI photo feature
KONKANCHE LOKPRIYA KHELE
routes & trails Vol.1 Issue 2. April 2013
TWR contest
KUTHE? www.thewesternroutes.com
cover story
WONDERS OF COASTAL RATNAGIRI photo feature
KONKANCHE LOKPRIYA KHELE
“The&en.re&Routes&&&Trails&January& 2013&issue&is &excellent.&The&way&its&been&designed& made&me&realize&there& is&so&much& to&see&in&Maharashtra.& This &is&great& and&I’m&really& proud&to&see&what&you&have&embarked&upon.”&E-Leena-VaidyaEJoshi,-Pune "Wonderful&it&is&to&see&The&Western&Routes’&work& on&the&wonders&of&my& na.ve&place,& the&pictures&bringing&back& fond&memories&from&childhood&vaca.ons.& Both&my& parents& and& I& especially& loved& the& coffee& mug& and&the&assorted& picture& collage&that& depicted& Ratnagiri&so&beau.fully!&Good&work&guys,&kudos!"&–-Geeta-NagwekarEKambli,-Ratnagiri-& “अ"#तम!2 Keep& up& good& work.& Hope& to& travel& with& you& very& soon.”& E- Harshal- Dekate,Arkansas,-USA “Wonderful&concept&this&is&Jayesh!&Wish&you&the&best.”&E-Shardul-Bajikar,-Mumbai “WOW,&Jayesh.&This&is &amazing!!&Very&cool&indeed!&Looking&forward&to&a &print&version&of& the&magazine!&Will&be&sending&this&to&my&friends.”&E-Meghana-Paranjape,-San-Francisco “A& very& nice&read& and& the& design& is&a_rac.ve!&Why& don't& you& include&a& pdf& copy& as& well?”&–&Dhananjay-Kulkarni,-Pune
TWR contest
KUTHE? www.thewesternroutes.com
“Congrats!& Mast& issue& hai& and& the& photographs& are& mindblowing.”& E- Indrani- BiswasGupta,-Raipur
We’d love to hear from you. Do email us at
“I&went&thru&it&this&morning&and&found&it&quite&amazing.&I&simply&loved&photographs&and& I&have&sent&my&entry&to&the&‘Kuthe’&contest.&Keep&it&up!”-E-Onkar-Tendulkar,-Mumbai
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“AWESOME!!!&Really&enjoyed&the&photographs&&&ar.cles.”&&–-Siddharth-Kinare,-Pune
TWR contest
KUTHE?
Guess which place this is and win exclusive merchandise from The Western Routes
Rush your answers to info@thewesternroutes.com by 30 April 2013. The first 3 correct entries would receive some really cool TWR merchandise. Terms and Conditions: The contest is valid for residents of India only. Prizes are nontransferable, non-negotiable, subject to availability and there will be no cash alternative. These terms and conditions are governed in accordance with the laws of India.
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