Taking in the “Wild” Sights of Tripura

Our homestay was a very comfortable one and with a friendly host, the trip started on a great note. Taking a day to just relax in our homestay, we spent the next day exploring the Sipahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s a beautiful place, with entrants being able to view animal species varying from the Spectacled Leaf Monkey (which is pretty famous here) and the clouded Leopard, among many other powerful and beautiful creatures. The organization of the sanctuary is more like a zoo than a sprawling reserve though, so we could just walk through the place and view the animals as we made our way through, without needing a guide or a safari-type ride. We returned happily exhausted at the end of the day.

The Thrice Transformed Palace

Our next stop was the Ujjayanta Palace, which, according to history, had already undergone three stages of transformation till now – from the Tripura Royal Palace to the Tripura Legislative Assembly, and, finally, to the Tripura State Museum. The museum (which is the palace structure’s current designation) covers a whopping 800 or so acres of land and is absolutely breathtaking to behold! Even better, it is situated right at the heart of the city, so it was really easy to find a transport avenue to the place.

Wandering through the halls of the Ujjayanta Palace and taking in the exhibit, the experience had the ability to literally take us back in time, making us conscious that we were on once “royal” property. The halls whispered with unknown memories from the past, displaying its exhibits like the treasures they were, and we thoroughly enjoyed the subliminally hushed atmosphere and experience.

Rounding off with the Famous Tripura Sundari Temple

We took a cab to the Tripura Sundari Temple, which was painted a dazzling red and is an awe-inspiring sight to behold. Well, it is commonly believed that Tripura derives is name from the deity of this temple, “Tripura Sundari.” Natural green ambience surrounds and highlights the temple and adds to the incredibly serene aura of the place. There is even a man-made tank of fish, where the temple-goers can feed the fishes.

After visiting the temple, our little group mostly spent the tail end of our trip taking in the sights, shopping in the city for this place is famous for its decorative handicrafts and nit to forget the exquisite tribal jewelry, and exploring the local street food. All in all, our trip to Tripura was a great one with the perfect mix of all the ingredients that one looks forward to while holidaying.

In Bundelkhandi, Orchha means hidden and derives the name because it was discovered from a dense forest. Established by Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh, the town is home to royal palaces, ancient temples, monuments and lush green forests. Situated on the beautiful banks of Betwa, it welcomes you to a relaxed and hassle-free life that is completely far away from the maddening crowd. You can rest, unplugged for infinite hours as nothing disturbs your solo revelry. I was completely besotted after landing at my home stay, which was a modest accommodation but the hosts went out of their way to make me feel comfortable.

I was all for studying the quaint village and hence, asked the hosts for arrangements and they helped me readily. The cycle was ready and I went paddling around the sleepy hamlet. Resting at intervals and interacting with the locals, I got to know about the rich heritage of the place. The people talked with a gleeful pride about the rajas and their battles. So arresting were the accounts that the very next day I found myself heading towards the palace safari.

Jahangir Mahal is a fabulous architectural piece built in Mughal style but more fascinating is the camel shelter near to the fort which gives a panoramic view of the town from the roof top. Unlike other palaces, the mahal has a sublime charm, soaked in modesty. The Raja Mahal also possesses a similar ambience and you will find it majestic but in an elegant way. Nearby sits the Ram Raja Temple and Chaturbhuj temple, designed in an ancient style. Many chatris, umbrella like structures grace the banks and you will be easily enamored by their unique brilliance.

Having had enough of sightseeing, my heart was aching for adventure but nothing in Orchha seemed to suggest such a venture. I casually mentioned it to my host. Lo and behold! My host suggested river rafting that takes place in Betwa. It is organized by MP Tourism board and I must say it is worth trying. I signed up for the 90-min package, starting from Kanchana Ghat and culminating at Shiv Ghat. Thoroughly exhilarating, it gives you a great view of the exquisite beauty spread around the river.

All I can say is that Orchha is a gem of a tourist destination that should not remain hidden from any traveler’s eyes. Do go and explore the wonder. It definitely deserves to be delved into.

Animal census

Being a wildlife enthusiast, I always wanted to participate in the annual animal census organized at Ranthambore. The trip started with the basic safari trip that is a must for every tourist here. It’s really important to take a safari to explore beauty of the animals and not to forget nature.

Now, for the animal census, the officials made us machans to keep a vigilant eye. It is a government program and every one of us was were assigned to one official. There was no lack of caution and seriousness in this program. All of us had an awesome time at the census and we witnessed a great deal of wildlife from the machans. The most exciting part was watching the sloth bears. It is a rare animal now.

Fort

Ranthambore fort is one of a kind with its exceptional beauty. The Ranthambore fort is as magnificent as the forts found in Rajasthan. It stood tall with history weaved all over its walls. The dense forest was beautiful. If not for safari, one should pay a visit for the forest. Full of deciduous trees, it’s a grassy paddock.

Birds and Lake

The next best thing were the birds. I saw more than twenty varieties of birds and fell in love with nature once again. Drongo, Woodpecker, Parakeet, Flycatcher, Babbler are just to name a few from my favourites. Oh, their amazing colors!

Padam Talao is another beauty that can mesmerize you. The giant red stone and the banyan tree that is regarded as the second largest one is sure to attract people with its uniqueness.

Tigers

The Tigers here are named with T-number and after some time, we also could identify some of them. Of course, we had help, but it was really nice to feel close with these wild creates and with nature. Starting with 26 tigers, the count has now gone up considerably. It has made its mark in the international map as well.

Insight

The amazing thing about Ranthambore is that you get to learn a lot of things. It unites wildlife, history and nature in the most beautiful manner possible. Moreover, the wildlife enthusiast in me had a great time observing and noticing significant details.

Ranthambore was a more of a knowledge enhancing and learning experience that I could have imagined. Life’s a mystery and it keeps getting beautiful day by day. That’s the lesson I would take away from here.

Since it is a 6 hour drive from Delhi, we started early in the morning. I was confused when he stopped in front of an old monument which closely resembled a fort. He laughed at my perplexed expression and asked me to come along to the fort. I was stupefied when I entered the fort and realized that we were in a home stay. While serving us tea, our host explained to us the history behind the Rampura Fort, our elegant home stay which was initially built as a fighting fort.

Well, it is the same old story on which Bollywood has made several movies. You know that story, right? Two people love each other but their parents are the villains. They want to keep them separated but the love birds elope. In our 3 months of marriage, the villain in our story was our work hours. Since both of us are condemned to a fast paced life, Fort Rampura was our planned escape to some serenity. My husband and I share a knack for photography and both of us ventured about the fort to capture images of the beauty and the historical past of the place. At lunch time our host served us mouthwatering Rampura food that was deliciously made.

Right after the lunch, we decided to go around the village. In no time, we discovered folk singers with their Dholak and Jhika. Coming from a Bong family, I grew up listening to Tagore’s magic and fell in love with Gilmour after my husband introduced me to Pink Floyd. I couldn’t understand the words in these folk songs but couldn’t help myself from enjoying the rhythmic melody.

Our host had asked us to visit the Yamuna and we were surprised to see the water of the holy river all clean and pristine. A lot of poets have written about the beauty of the river but I never saw the beauty until that day. This was probably because the industries in Delhi don’t think twice before dumping all their waste on the river. I was delighted to see the boats on the river bank and playfully dragged my husband along to indulge me in my childishness. The boat ride was something I would never forget. It was the first sunset we watched together, and the beauty of the landscape, the calm water and the cool breeze had set up the perfect romantic aura. Spending time together was a kind luxury that both of us had wanted to indulge in and we got it at Bundelkhand.

We returned the very next day to our flat in Delhi but the short trip did wonders to our mind and soul which were rejuvenated like never before.

For details on homestay in Bundelkhand visit Bundelkhand Fort stay.