Gir Pride

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• 07 Aug, 2024

Rajkot is the gateway to Gir but as always I prefer to start from Ahmedabad. By road it takes about eight hours, a distance of 330 kms to be precise. The Ambe Mata Temple here in Ahmedabad is a must visit. What strikes me here is Goddess Ambe is seated on a majestic Lion, very similar to Maa Durga in Bengal who also rides a lion. But based on the present day distribution of big cats in India she should have been on a Royal Bengal Tiger like the idols of Sherawali Maa in Northern India.

These thought keeps lingering in my mind. Unexplained and unanswered questions keep bothering me…WHY? HOW? How did the ancient people of Bengal create such perfect depictions of a lion which was roaming in the western frontier of Hindustan, when the tiger was already occupying the ecological niche of the Bengal delta? Were lions spread out all over the Indo-Gangetic plain in ancient times? Did lions and tigers share and possibly clash in these habitats? My imagination runs too wild…

The roads in Gujarat are excellent. I am accompanied by a fun loving group of youngsters and we stop for lunch and also numerous chai and smoking breaks. Now and then someone or the other calls for a break to stretch out. They giggle among themselves and get in after a lot of requests from the driver. We finally reached late at Gir after about eleven hours, our backs aching badly.

The Asiatic lion is a symbol of supreme strength, courage, justice and military might. It has a strong compact muscular body with powerful fore legs. With a relatively large head and short legs they are much bolder but less cunning than their tiger cousins.

The Gir Lions are mysteriously fearless in the presence of humans, perhaps due to the proximity to the Malarias, a community of grazers who live in small settlements inside the forest. Being totally fearless of humans may be of one reason why they have disappeared from all other habitat pockets in Asia. Once upon a time the lion dwelled from England to Africa and from Sri Lanka to Singapore, which is evident from their unique ancient cultural depictions throughout the Eurasian region. The African lion once spread out throughout the continent has had its habitat fragmented among a few countries in Africa. And the Asiatic lion in the Gir forest is the last abode of these majestic giants which once ruled Eurasia. Studies by the Zoological Survey of India along with Geographical and Geological surveys have revealed the presence of lions in Bengal dating back to 5000 years. The caves of Sususnia in Bankura and the surrounding area of Jangal Mahal were the dwelling grounds of the extinct Asiatic lion-Panthera Leo Bengalensis (Purulia, Bankura, and West Midnapore were the prime areas).

References:-

• DOI: 10.13140/2.1.4597.4404.Conference: 16th IUAES Congress Panel “Hominoid and Human Evolution with special Reference to Asia: New Findings & New Interpretations.”, At New Delhi, Volume: “Asian Perspectives on Human Evolution” edited by A.R. Sankhyan  (Serial Publications)

 

• OCCASIONAL PAPER NO. 337 Records of the Zoological Survey of India Animal Remains from South-western part of West Bengal, India and their relevance to the Ancient Civilization of the Area SUPRIYA NANDY T. K. PAL

 

• Journal of Geography, Environment and Earth Science International 15(2): 1-10, 2018; Article no.JGEESI.41342 ISSN: 2454-7352 Fossil Sites of Upper Catchment of River Dwarakeshwar, West Bengal, India Malavika Sinha1* 1 Department of Geography, Jogamaya Devi College, Kol.26, West Bengal, India. Author’s contribution the sole author designed, analyzed, interpreted and prepared the manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/JGEESI/2018/41342

 

• From Hunters to Breeders: Faunal Background of Early India By Bhairabi Prasad Sahu

 

All this satisfies my curiosity over the only cultural similarity among two totally opposite and different ethnicities to the East and West of India – Bengalis and Gujaratis, differing in every aspect from culture to philosophy of life. But having one similarity – the sweet tooth and now both can also boast of the mighty Lion once ruling their ancestors.

 

The credit for today’s Gir National Park goes to the late Nawab Muhammad Khan of Junagarh whose painstaking efforts brought up the Asiatic lion from the near brink of extinction of 20 individuals to what it is today. Presently six hundred Asiatic lions roar in the Gir forest. The park has a total area of 1412 sq km extending through Junagarh to Areli to Somnath. The vegetation is dry deciduous forest. Gir falls under the Kathiawar deciduous forest ecoregion. Kamaleshwar dam is the biggest reservoir and lifeline of Gir. Water scarcity is a major problem in the area. Along with the 600 lions there are leopards, antelope, deer, jackals, striped hyenas, desert cats, rusty spotted cats, crocodiles and Indian star tortoises. About 300 species of resident birds are also recorded in Gir.

Its early morning dark and cold and I prefer entering the national park in the first light. It gives a feeling of serenity and fulfilment from within. The birds chirping around the Malharis with their flocks all prepared for the day. Gir has many safari routes for tourists and each route has different exit and entry points. Tickets to these safaris are bought online months in advance. Routes are decided randomly by the forest department. I keep my fingers crossed hoping to find some big lion in my destined route.

Just before dawn, I find a leopard sleeping on the road just metres before us. I ask Rahim, our gypsy driver to stop. And as soon as Rahim comes to a halt the leopard springs up and hides inside the dry bushes to the left. The leopard’s camouflage makes it almost impossible to see him even within the scanty vegetation. We keep trying to spot him again .The boys in the gypsy are cursing themselves. None were ready with their cameras and lenses. What a miss. I have never seen a leopard lying on the road before. It was beautiful. The furry coat with the symmetrical spots was shining like polished ebony embossed within rich satin. Our swift satin beauty however completely vanished into the rough dry grass under the babool trees forcing us to proceed further into the park.

Rahim has a cool laid back attitude and says that he will for sure make us come face to face with the Lion. However I am doubtful as I can’t understand how he missed spotting the leopard bang on the road right in front of him. Ridiculous! He must be day dreaming.

The herbivore population is commendable here in Gir with herds of spotted deer, sambars and blue bulls. One of the boys spotted a pair of thick-knees, and the whole group clicked away to glory. We were lucky to find Raja’s pride. With our spirits lifted we watched the lioness queen with her three curious and cute cubs. They were feasting on a fresh buffalo kill while Raja was dozing in his sleep with a filled up belly just metres away from the kill. It was a feast for our eyes too. After clicking to our hearts content we found it was time for us to leave the park.

Back to the resort for breakfast. Going in for three to four days of safari at a stretch becomes tiresome. So one needs ample rest with wholesome light meals and hot water baths. I ask the boys to freshen up before a power nap. We start for the evening safari after lunch.

During our evening safari we patiently waited for the cubs. After about two hours of waiting a naught and inquisitive cub emerged from the thickets. It was following a lapwing and was so engrossed in his newly found attraction that he didn’t realize that he had come straight before us before the safari vehicle. It was a delight to watch the little one curiously following the lapwing. Both patience and silence are awarded when it comes to wildlife safaris.

The day two morning was very rewarding too with two lion brothers walking the road head on towards us. The Sun rays were caressing the butter silk coats of the young brothers. Their rusty manes having gathered a lot of dust made them look more sublimed and unrivalled.

I must make special mention about their beaming eyes, which were shining under the piercing sun rays as if they were made of liquid gold or to be more precise a drop of Jack Daniels whiskey.

What a lovely morning it is. The group is nothing less than satisfied. Back to the resort and you have some time for yourself till it is lunch time.

The evening is dry with not a single trace of the jungle royals. Forests and safaris are very unpredictable. Lions are the laziest among all other big cats which makes spotting difficult at times. But the spirit should be high as there are a variety of birds and herbivores which ensure that you are never left alone.

It’s our last day of safari. We have both the morning and evening. Rahim is very optimistic but quiet that we didn’t get to see a lion last evening. I tell him it doesn’t matter as we are all sporting people on safari and we know and respect nature and do not expect the forest to turn into a zoo. But the whole safari turned out to be very dry and all the animals and birds seemed to have relocated to another zone or route. You start thinking of a strong cup of coffee in such a situation and I asked Rahim to speed up to the resort.

This is our last evening safari in Gir. I want to have a good sighting of Raja whom we saw sleeping. Can we get to see him awake or roaming or may be playing with his cubs or wooing his queen? Raja as the name goes is the biggest dominant male of Gir. We are all searching the forest meticulously. The dry foliage mimics the colour of the lion’s coat and so the camouflage makes it difficult to spot a royal. Nevertheless we continue our frantic search. With the passing of every fifteen minute the boys’ spirits seem to dip more and more. Very soon we came across a kingfisher along the lake. The boys waited for it to zoom down and make a catch. Unsurprisingly the kingfisher went down and came up and tackled its big catch much to the excitement of the young photographers. Time to move towards the entry gate we have about half an hour in hand. I asked Rahim to go slow as I didn’t want to miss even the smallest opportunity or maybe it was hoping against luck. The optimistic group started proceeding towards the entry gate when a thunderous roar filled the emptiness everywhere. “It’s Raja” said Rahim. Rahim started following the roar. Lion’s roars are the loudest and powerful and can be heard from seven to eight kms away. Thankfully very soon we were within metres of Raja. Bruised as he was from a territory fight with another intruding male he was roaring away continuously without a break. The atmosphere turned spine chilling in seconds. All of us were still and none remembered to click pictures of the terrified lion king. Finally it was Rahim who said “photo khich lo” (click pictures) breaking the dreadful quiet. All of us clicked the furious king under the light of the setting sun. This is a memorable experience for me and my group.

To be continued….