“STAND BACK & DO NOT MOVE” were the instructions we received from the forest ranger as we stood at a proximity of 25 meters from a lioness & her two cubs; out on foot in the wilderness of Gir, Gujarat & equipped with shooting devices of only the photographic kind!!
We heaved a sigh of relief as the lioness walked away after giving us a long cold stare. We then started walking back towards our vehicle, which was kept at a distance of about half km from the scene of action. On our way back we came across a couple of carcasses, which the lions must have devoured a few days back!
The thrill of having such a close encounter with the lions is unparalleled & as Ashish rightly put it “Being face to face with the wild cats in an uncontrolled environment; where we cant really anticipate or control the mood of the lions; is a once in a lifetime experience”. It truly is & we were lucky that the it wasn’t supper time for the lioness we encountered!!
The conceptualization of this adventure began with Prashant & one of his college buddies Nikunj initiating the idea for a trip to Gir, Gujarat. SO there we were; Prashant, Ashish, Gauri, Neeraj & myself packing our bags this Christmas weekend for a wild encounter!!
Gir National park & sanctuary is located in saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat. Gir is one of the largest compact tract of dry deciduous forest & is the only abode of the “ASIATIC LION” in the world. It is spread over 1412.13 sq kms & is home to around 300 lions. Apart from Asiatic Lions, the unique ecosystem of Gir, harbors about 37 species of mammals; around 328 species of birds & 38 species of reptiles & is a paradise of biological diversity.
It took us about 17 hrs to reach Gir (with a stopover at Prashant’s house in Rajkot for a sumptuous lunch). Our first touch point in Gir was DHARI (a small village), it was about 2100 hrs, pitch dark in the jungle & the only source of light was our Sumo’s headlamp. & We encountered beginners luck when we spotted a lion within half an hour of entering the reserved area. The lion totally unperturbed by our presence just ignored us & continued with his pre-destined chores. What stuck us was that the lion was totally oblivious to us & as Gauri rightly put it ” Displayed a KING’S attitude”. There you go….”LION’s with ATTITUDE”
After this encounter, we came back from the reserved area all excited for the action scheduled on the next day & rested our souls at a lodge in Dhari. The next morning amidst chilling cold we ventured out in the jungle & came across the lioness & 2 cubs I mentioned about earlier. There on we moved towards BANEJ, which is a temple located in the middle of the forests. We had our lunch at the temple (which prompted Neeraj to refer to is as “on the house”)
Then began our journey to TULSISHYAM, which is located in the heart of the forest & is known for it temple & hot water spring. Dinner at Tulsishyam was again “On the house” & later in the night we settled near our cottage lighting a campfire & humming away jovial tunes. The next morning started with a short trek to the temple located on a hill top; from this particular spot one could get a panoramic view of the entire GIR (we tried hard gazing into our binoculars trying to spot a predator..but to no luck)
After a breakfast consisting of Gujarati savories like Phafda & Gathiya (this is as omni-present as wada-pav is, in our part of the country) we started our journey towards Sasan Gir, which houses an orientation center & a crocodile farm. Further down 12 kms. from Sasan is Devalia, which boasts of an interpretation zone, comprising the chain linked fenced lion area of 412 hectares, it is Gir in a nutshell. The authorities have a lion safari arranged, where in we were taken in a bus & moved around the jungle. This time we spotted 2 lioness & 3 cubs enjoying an afternoon nap.
Back from the safari, we decided to visit Somnath. We reached Somnath at around 1900 hrs & after watching the sound & light show highlighting the mythological history of the temple, accompanied by the roaring of the sea & extremely chilly sea winds decided to retire for the day
The temple of Somnath is one of the twelve sacred Shiva shrines in India. According to legend, SOME, the moon God, built Somnath. Constantly washed by the Arabian sea, the temple of Somnath was destroyed seven times but was rebuilt each time. The majestic monument as it stands today is a replica of the earlier construction.
After an early morning visit to the beach & watching sea at its powerful best, we started our journey back to Rajkot (after the familiar breakfast of course). We took a Volvo from Rajkot at 1800 hrs on Sunday evening & began the last leg of our tour, all rejuvenated to attend office the next day morning!!
This journey has really been memorable for all of us & today when we sit watching the snaps (all courtesy our professional photographer Neeraj), we re-live all the scenic beauty & the incidents that transpired at each location. It truly was once in a lifetime experience