My first real sighting of a big cat. Mesmerizing. It was an early morning safari. In the Rajasthan desert, the winter mornings are bracingly cold. My In-laws, and Veer set out on an open jeep to find the big cats. We had just finished a tiger-less drive through of one of the largest tourist zones in Ranthambore, and we were on our way out.
Then, on a hill, just barely within my range of a 70-200L II 2.8+2X tele lens combination, we had this beautiful Leopard. He was sunning himself in the crisp winter sun against the backdrop of an old fort. Then he yawned, and set off. For a moment, he disappeared behind a bush, and we were not sure if he would emerge again. But he turned right and emerged onto this ledge. He looked down the steep drop and just dropped himself, Paws dangling over precipice comfortable in knowing that he was King of these heights.
Leopards in Ranthambore stay away from the valleys where Tigers lurk. This big boy had decended into Tiger territory and gave us a glimpse of beauty by walking across a hill before stepping into grass
Krishna, or T-19 takes a break from the duties of feeding 4 cubs.
And Krishna with her earlier litter - three little babies. One of them, Arrowhead continued to dominate the lakes territory and produced her own lineage that rules today.
The Other Ranthambore
Amidst the quest for a tiger sighting or even the visit to the reserve forest, it is easy to forget that Ranthambore is located just outside the town of Sawai Madhopur. Ranthambore Fort has been around for the last 1000 years.
The Ganesh temple inside the fort, said to be the oldest in India, is a major point of pilgrimage and is the home of the Trinetra Ganesha. On the 4th day of the Lunar cycle, every month devotees walk to the fort to pay their respects. And on Ganesh Chaturthi, the celebrations are even bigger!
Wildlife and people co-exist. Animals are free to walk through the fort, and while rare, Tigers have been known to walk through the fort
When Veer and I went in 2014, we spent three fruitless days looking for the tiger (our luck changed the next day!). But on one of the dry days, there were devotees who walked to the temple, and they saw the tiger - sitting below on a rock watching the people go by!
