Tigers, a sadhu & 5000 year old Hanumanji
- kapiljourno
- Apr 21, 2018
- 3 min read
#sariska #sariskatigerreserve #hanumanji #jungle #forest #rajasthan #incredibleindia #tourism #yoga #spirituality #adventure #explorer
A place for everyone - Wildlife Enthusiasts, Photographers, Spirituality, Adventurers - Just 200 kms away from Delhi
Story by: kapil kumar
Alwar, Rajasthan, India - Sariska Tiger Reserve
You never know how things work. In a tiger sanctuary we just had an eye contact & suddenly Baba Ramchandra Das called me to his kutia ( a small room house of a yogi ). He gave us a glass of water and gave us sweets to eat. Initially, we were a little reluctant about the motive of this holy man in inviting us to his place. But we kept cool and patiently listened to his stories and the love he was showering on us. Slowly, we settled down and understood that this man doesn't want money - all he wants us to sit and enjoy some talks because from his temple - the nearest big village is 40 kms away and to reach that you have to cover a dense jungle full of leopards, tigers and other wild animals.
It was summer of 2009 when after a gap of nearly a decade I started for Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar District of Rajasthan. Earlier, I remember when I was with Zee News - I shot a documentary and I always remembered a Hanuman Temple at Pandupol. I always like this temple not just because of religious purpose but the location of the Temple invites you to come. A thick forest filled with leopards, tigers, deers, wild boars is enough to set the pace for an thrill pack trip. You never know what's awaits you.
From Delhi you have to like drive around 4 hours & 200 kms to reach the gates of Sariska Tiger Reserve - And the road from Bhiwadi till Alwar is like a cakewalk. From Delhi you go to Gurgaon - from Gurgaon to Bhiwadi and from Bhiwadi we take the Dausa Highway which takes us to Alwar city from where Sariska Tiger Reserve gate is 40 kms. If you go on Tuesdays or Saturdays your private vehicle is allowed inside the park so that people can visit the 5000 year old Hanuman Temple. All you have to do is buy a 250 rupees permit to move your car inside. But on other days - strictly safari vehicles are inside. If you are lucky than you can always have an encounter with the tiger otherwise deers, neelgai, wild boars, foxes, wild cats can easily be seen along the way.
Pandupol or the Hanuman Temple is around 40 kms from the park gate. The road is tough so you have to go slowly rather you must move slowly enjoying the Arvallis and the wild life. After you reach Kalighati - you can find forest guards enjoying the company of Treepie and peacocks. From, there the Hanuman Temple is 20 kms....
Baba Ramchandra Das - offered some cannabis to us - though we shared his Chillum and enjoyed his talks about spirituality. I was amazed because it is a dense jungle and he lives all alone in the temple especially when no one comes to visit it. After the chillum he said in sometime food is coming. To our utter surprise five Van Gujjars came with a lot of food along with halwa, puri, sweets and kadhi. We had plenty full and yogi Ramchandra Das ji acted like a Grandfather to us. He told us that 5000 yrs ago during Mahabharata - Hanumanji incarnated as an old monkey. Bheema - the mighty warrior and one of the Pandavas was full of ego due to his immense power and strength. While Bheema was carrying water for family he saw a tail of a monkey - he asked him to move aside. The old monkey said "I m an old fellow please move my tail and go". Bheema got angry and he wanted to lift the tail of the old monkey - but to his utter surprise he could not even move the tail by an inch. He understood that he is not a common monkey and asked for forgiveness. Hanumanji broke Bheema's ego at this place.
So it s a fun ride to Alwar and worth the money. You can easily come back in one day or if you want to spend some more time than accommodations are also available and in the morning gypsy rides can be taken to the park which can take you to some core areas and also Kankarwadi Fort where Aurangzeb kept his brother Dara Sheokh before killing him.
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