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We woke up at the Kabini
River Lodge in the foothills of the Western Ghats to the pleasant
sounds of birds and animals greeting the dawn. A langur call in the
distance and the full throated cry of a crow pheasant just outside
our rooms were a welcome change from blaring horns and screeching
brakes- the sounds of city life.
Set in well landscaped
lawns with zinnias in full bloom was the decrepit yet charming
hunting lodge of the Mahraraja of Mysore. And alongside it lay the
viceroy’s Lodge where the Maharaja played host to European and
Indian royalty and other dignitaries. In the memorabilia of the
lodge are photographs of Russian Grand Dukes at breakfast. There are
also a photograph of the visit in 1920 of the Prince of Wales
accompanied by Lord Louis Mountbatten, then a youthful lieutenant
and ADC to the Prince. Lord Minto, we are told, stayed at the lodge.
Lord Harding came here to fish for Mahaseer, the pride of the Kabini
river. A more recent visitor was Goldie hawn who was fortunate enough
to spot four tigers on the range. According to John (Papa) Wakefield,
the irrepressible Director of Jungle Lodges, “It is debatable
whether she saw the tigers, or the tigers came to see her.”
Our lodge, built in the
1980s reflected the splendour of the Maharaja and the Viceregal
lodges.
Spacious rooms with high
teakwood ceilings, wooden panelling, a fireplace, and even an old
style bathtub contributed to an ambience that was charmingly period.
Electricity, hot showers, anti-mosquito meshes to the windows, an
modern plumbing minimised the rigours of wildlife expeditions. From
the windows we caught a glimpse of the Kabini lake through a thicket
of trees. But it was not to soak in history or to luxuriate in the
comforts of our quarters that we were at Kabini. The jungle beckoned.
At six a.m. the room boy came to our door to wake us up with some
coffee and biscuits. We hit the trail by 6.30 a.m.
We had arrived at Kabini
River Lodge the previous day after a five hour drive from Bangalore
via the historic city of Mysore. Our patience was worn thin by the
indifferent roads, and we were delayed by frequent narayal pani
(tender coconut water) stops along the route. The weariness lifted as
we entered the Karapur forest. Kabini Lodge was a couple of
kilometres away and the lush green forests, vibrant and alive after
the monsoons, spread tranquility all around. Our spirits soared when
we reached Kabini Lodge and were shown our rooms. Truly a home away
from home.
After a simple but
delicious lunch, served piping hot, buffet style, we were driven out
to the range by ‘papa’ himself. Visitors to Kabini
acknowledge (Papa) John’s ability to get the best game sighting
in the forest. He changed into his fatiques and issued us
instructions that there would be no smoking on the range and minimal
talking.
It was with a sense of
anticipation that we hit the trail. The previous day a sloth bear
with a cub had been sighted in the forest; a couple of days earlier a
langur had been killed by a leopard; wild dogs preying on a spotted
deer had been sighted near the Bisalawadi waterhole.
Barely had we hit the
range when six gaurs (Indian bison) darted for cover in the thick
undergrowth, their “white stockinged” feet distinct
against their deep brown bodies. A female bison and her calf grazed
non-chalantly as we drove by. There were spotted deer (chital) in
large numbers, langurs swaying from tree to tree, birds flying away
from their perches as we passed by, alone sambar slaked his thirst at
the Bisalawadi waterhole. We felt our jeep was intruding in these
forests untouched by civilization. The tranquility was enchanting
and intoxicating.
We had expressed our
eagerness to see the big game tigers, leopards and elephants. But the
post-monsoon luxurious undergrowth made it possible for a tiger to
sit camouflaged even a bare 10 yards from us. ‘Papa’ John
drove on determinedly, looking out for marks on the soft mud. It
seemed that we were out of luck. It was already sunset when we
returned to the Lodge. There was the inevitable sound of the
crickets, sometimes reaching\ a high pitch, as we drove back. Now and
then a black naped hare or wild fowl would dart past us. ‘Papa’
John dropped us at our lodge after inviting us to a screening of one
of the video films from his rich library at the viceroy Lodge. We
pitched in for ‘land of the Tiger’, a National Geographical
Society Production.
We went to dinner at the
Gol Ghar, a circular open structure with a thatched roof overlooking
the Kabini river. Across the river, silhouetted against a moonlit
sky, were the peaks of the Begur and Bandipur ranges. There was a
distinct nip in the air and the bonfire in the Ghol Ghar, which is
lit every evening, provided the very welcome warmth.
No account of Kabini
would be complete without a tribute to ‘Papa’ John’s
capabilities as a raconteur, holding his after-dinner audience
spell-bound by his interesting narratives spiced with an easy humour,
of his own experiences at various wildlife sanctuaries and national
parks in India.
Early next morning we
left for a coracle ride on the river. A circular bamboo boat lined
with buffalo hide, the coracle is a very common means of transport on
the Kabini and the Kaveri rivers. The bouncy buffalo hide is said to
make the craft resilient to bumps against underwater rocks On
encountering currents or hitting an obstacle the coracle takes a
spin. The riverside tribes of the region use this craft (called
‘harigolu’ in Kannada after its round shape) for fishing
and transporting men and livestock across the river.
Just as we reached the
Mastigudi area we spotted a cow elephant with a calf. The pachyderms
were barely 15 yards from us and the cow elephant demonstrated
menacingly as the lensman in our group clicked furiously, the deep
engine kept running ready for a quick takeoff. It was with mixed
feelings of relief (some of us were in a cold sweat) as well as
excitement at this close encounter with an elephant that we
eventually drove off towards the lake for the coracle ride. With
some trepidation we climbed into the ‘harigolu’. Vishakant
and Sunny, our guides from lodge, reassured us-“ It is safe. If
it develops a leak you can plug it with your finger. If the hole is
bigger, plug your shirt and carry on”. None of us was looking
forward to this contingency.
We were heading towards
Ballae, two kilometres away, for an elephant ride. The mist was
gradually lifting and Vishakant passed his binoculars around to
enable us to see the birds. Cormorants, osprey, white breasted
kingfishers and pied kingfishers flapping their wings in mid-air
before diving to catch the fish. A purple heron and bronze winged
jacana cruised overhead. On a tree trunk, a grey-headed fishing eagle
sat imposingly- this bird is a rare sight in this area.
The vast expanse of
water, undisturbed except for the oarman’s paddle; the distant
peaks of Begur and Bandipur now a deep green against the morning sky;
silence punctuated only by bird calls and a distant langur
establishing territorial rights; in all a breathtaking experience.
It was an encounter with the raw power of nature- bewitching and
awesome.
We returned to base for a
breakfast of omelettes and carp cutlets. We picked up some titbits
about the wildlife in the area and about the Kabini River Lodge. The
entire area but for the hunting lodges had been under forest cover
until a significant area near the lodge was felled to resettle
villagers displaced by the damming of the Kabini river. The Kabini
River Lodge had modest beginnings with accommodation in tents. The
guest lodge came later. In order not to disturb the wildlife, the
number of rooms at the lodge was restricted to 14. But with the
increasing popularity of this riverine lodge, it has been decided to
have six tents to accommodate 12 more guests.
The Kakanakote range,
where Kabini River Lodge is situated, is a part of the Nagarhole
National Park, home to some 284 varieties of birds and many wild
animals- tigers, leopards, wild dogs, elephants spotted deer, sambars
and the malabar squirrel. Kalankote is where the famous khedda
operations were conducted. Amidst beating of drums and bursting of
crackers, wild elephants were frightened into a camouflage of
stockade. The elephants suited for work or ceremonial purposes were
then picked out. The practice has now been discontinued with the
khedda submerged under water. In summer when the waters of the Kabini
recede, traces of the stockade may still be seen.
The best seasons for
visiting Kabini River Lodge are probably between October and
December and January and March. From October to December, the jungle
is still luxuriously green after the monsoons, but the animals are
more likely to come to the larger waterholes. Herds of elephants are
then often seen coming to drink at the Kabini lake or the Bisalawadi
water tank. In the first quarter of the year, the vegetarian is
mainly dry as the summer sets in and visibility is better in the
forests. You are more likley to spot a tiger or a leopard then, which
we were unfortunate to have missed.
VISITING KABINI RIVER LODGE
GETTING THERE
By Air
Nearest airport is
Mysore- 80 kilometeres away.
By Rail
Nearest railhead is
Mysore.
By Road
Mysore to Kabini River
Lodge-80 kilometres. Bangalore to Mysore Kabini River Lodge-220
kilometres. You can take the train to Mysore from Bangalore and then
cover the rest of the journey by road.
Places of Interest
Kaveri Fishing Camp: 117
kilometres from Bangalore at Bhimeswari. The river abounds in fish
including the camatic carp and the mahaseer. Accommodation in tents
with camp toilet, shower and kitchen.
Mysore: 180 kilometre
from Bangalore on the route to Kabini River Lodge. The seat of the
former princely State of Mysore is redolent with buildings of
historical religious and architectural significance. The most
remarkable is the Indo-Saracenic palace of the Mysore Maharaja built
in 1915. The graceful St. Philomena’s Church and the Mysore Zoo
are other places to visit.
Srirangapatnam: 16
kilometres from Mysore. The capital of the famous Mysore Kings,
Haider Ali Khan and Tipu Sultan. Places to visit are the Daria Daulat
Bagh, Tipu Sultan’s summer palace in the Indo-Saracenic style;
Gumbaz which is Tipu Sultan’s mausoleum, and the ancient Sri
Ranganatha Temple.
Ranganathittu Bird
Sanctuary: Five kilometres from Mysore is situated on one of the
three islands in the Kaveri river. A haven for several species of
birds.
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