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As my car entered the interiors of the Tehla region, the area home to vast Sariska Tiger Reserve, the landscape gradually started taking shape of sparse shrubs, dry rugged mountains, and big igneous bouldered hills. The seclusion and dry deciduous forest mirrored the backdrop of Bollywood horror films, adding an extra layer of excitement to the journey. With much anticipation for what lay in store, I absorbed the looks of the steep snake-roads on the hills through which our car zig-zagged into the peaceful sanctuary that lay within Tehla offering a maximalist experience of the terrain, Utsav Camp.
As I stepped down at the portico of the resort, many mammoth safari jeeps rekindled my latent thrill to explore the place. Warmly welcomed, I met Franklin Dolder, a seasoned naturalist, and the rangers tasked with orchestrating safari routes and real-time tracking of wildlife.
Guided by Dolder and his associate at the property, I entered a thicket within the resort where lay what would be my little cosy abode for the next two days. Within the dense patch of waist-length shrubs stood the stone cabins of Utsav Camp. The stone cabins, reflecting Rajasthani architecture, offered a luxurious blend of comfort and proximity to nature.
As I entered the stone cabin, which also vaguely reminded me of “The Flintstones,” a whole new wildly luxurious experience opened itself to me. The cabin had huge glass doors on one side facing the forest and a bed on the other side facing the door. The patio had two chairs, a table, and a raised cement plinth with a patio bed for stargazing. It was 100 sq ft, with a large washroom, coffee maker, and various teas.
At lunch, Luv Shekhawat, founder of Utsav Camp and a trained naturalist with over 20 years of hospitality management experience, joined us. He expressed concerns about the camp's state of affairs. "That Delhi is in such close vicinity from Tehla is a blessing in disguise," said Shekhawat. It was spoken over some encounters with unruly visitors who hoped to indulge in loud parties within the jungle premises at odd hours. "The forest provides a livelihood for a lot of us, and in turn, it also expects us to follow certain rules. There are very particular ways of being within a forest," he said.
As the evening set in, guided by Dolder and Anil Rodgers, an experienced wildlife ranger, we embarked on an evening safari exploring the buffer zone of Sariska Tiger Reserve. Dolder, who had taken out his old professional wildlife camera, which may well have been taken to be a mini cannon, stood at the back of the safari jeep with his equipment ready. During our excursion, Rodgers provided us with valuable information about the various types of fauna present in the area, such as tigers, leopards, caracals, hyenas, jackals, antelopes, and other animals.
He expressed his concern regarding the decreasing population of caracals and pointed out the exact spot where leopards bask in the sun. We even saw the footprints of a leopard! Rodgers made sure to emphasise the negative impact of unlicensed grazing on the wildlife and how it can harm them.
We caught a beautiful sunset during the high tea at one of the highest points in the area, arranged by the administrative staff at Utsav Camp. We were served sanwiches nicely made by the Sariska staff with coffee, cookies and a view of the sun going down the highest boulder on a hill right across us. It was a cosy sundowner followed by a delicious plum cake. Later, we had dinner at the open roof area near the pool in the camp, looking forward to the jungle trail and safari the following day.
Up bright and early that day, we huddled together in one of the mammoth jeeps and were ready for our encounter with the wild. Dolder, who seemed excited for us, thoughtfully threw in some blankets just in time. Soon enough, out of the camp, I heartily thanked him, who had stayed behind but whose thoughtfulness had saved me from the cheeky winds of the early winter of late October—God bless Dolder!
Deep inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve forest, we encountered all sorts of cries, calls, and conundrums associated with a forest's perils. Soon enough, we encountered the jungle guards with their sound machines gesturing us to be hushed as a tigress, commonly known as Sariska Tiger-30 (ST-30), lay resting nearby. We halted and waited for many minutes in silence, barely moving like statues. After much moving about and retracing steps, including our time spent on a light breakfast warmly packed and taken by the Camp staff, we were lucky enough to spot ST-30 in all her glory. It was towards the time when we, along with Rodgers, were nearing giving up on our expedition when a right turn led us face to face with the tigress. We were caught in our breaths at such close proximity to the tiger, and the well-trained jeep driver took a jump-reverse immediately. ST-30 was disturbed by our presence and moved. We followed her from a distance and took photos filled with amazement and thrill.
Soon after the opportune sighting, we returned to our base, Utsav Camp, and lunched lightly in gazebos set in the wild. Immediately after, we cogregrated for our visit to the historical site of Neelkanth Temple.
We found our way through rough terrain to the Neelkanth Temple, a still-functional ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and built in the Vihara style of architecture. Many wall reliefs were tagged by the Archaeological Survey of India, with some external reconstruction done. The sanctum contained a holy Lingam and Yoni. Beside the temple is a pond believed to be visited by leopards at night. Two identical, ruined structures nearby hold broken pieces of Lingam and Yoni.
Locals believe they were dismantled during the era of Aurangzeb, but sources on this site are limited. In the distance, a ruined structure with a Jain Tirthankara Shantinatha statue, known as the Naugaza Digambar Jain temple and old stone slabs reminiscent of Nalanda architecture exuded an ancient aura. Aound the area, one could also observe the ruins of Buddhist stupa on a hill. Rodgers noted the construction was puzzling as the rocks had sea-bed patterns from water erosion. On the hill in the opposite direction stood an old walled palace, the Rajorgarh Fort of the Rajasthani maharajas, built by Raja Pratap Singh. It is believed that the fort, later in its days, was converted into a summer residence of the Alwar Royal family.
On our way back to Utsav Camp, we stopped at the lakeside within the buffer zone. While having tea, we spotted a kingfisher bathing in the lake. Rodgers and I discussed the nature of the Neelkanth Temple site, concluding it might have been a site of Buddhist or Jain learning. Later that evening, we gathered for dinner and enjoyed the zap of traditional Rajasthani dishes including Laal Maans (mutton in red gravy), Gatte Ki Sabzi and various other vegetable based dishes followed by lip-smacking dessert served in the form of Balushahi and Moong Dal Halwa. We sat for an extended period and shared interesting anecdotes from our travels, expressing excitement for the following day's itinerary.
On our third day of stay at the Utsav Camp, the hosts arranged a visit to the secluded Kankwari Fort, steeped in historical significance, about 20 km within the forest. This particular fort is renowned for being the place where Emperor Aurangzeb held his brother, Prince Dara Shikoh, captive for approximately four years during the reign of Emperor Shahjahan. The journey offered glimpses of wildlife, with chitals grazing and fresh tiger footprints adding to the forest's mystique.
On our way to the medieval monument, I asked our guide, Rodgers, if there were other roads to the forest. He said there was one, but it's too cumbersome. Perhaps it's the same path the medieval procession took with the prince to and fro the Kankwari Fort, I summarised.
We saw the fort perched atop a hill, surrounded by a small village that relies solely on solar panels. A few locals work at the Utsav Camp, which employs 85 per cent of local staff. After climbing up to the grand archway of the fort, our guides scanned the area for leopards before giving us the go-ahead
The fort looked more like a hunting lodge than a proper fort. It was a three-storeyed marvel of Rajasthani architecture with a hint of Mughal style. The inner open courtyard had modern trellises, but the rest of the structure was completely abandoned. The monument was strategically built on a slope, making it difficult for enemies to climb during an attack. The structure was designed to resemble a bullock cart, with a bastion at the front end to be the pedestal for the cart's driver. A well-planned but abandoned baoli (stepwell) was located at the rear end of the structure. The chattris on either side of the fort provided us with a great view of the barren landscape while we spotted foxes and buffaloes drinking water at the lake in the distance.
While returning from the fort exploration towards Utsav Camp, we spotted raptor birds and mongoose in the forest. The local forest ranger accompanying us mentioned that a mongoose sighting is a good omen for a tiger sighting based on his experience in the area. The omen had already come into bearing as we approached the end of our journey through the forest towards Utsav Camp. We noticed some forest guards who gestured that ST-23 was resting near the road in the thicket. We parked our jeep at the edge and gazed at the immaculate ST-30 shining brightly in the sun. However, in our excitement and the moment's thrill, we made noises disturbing the sleeping tigress. Within seconds, her partner, a male tiger, ST-23, joined the disturbed tigress. He arrived with a mighty roar that could rival any theatrical experience. ST-23 rushed towards his partner and looked at us, gesturing to fend us off. We took a few steps back and watched the two tigers until they separated.
After our enchanting sojourn at Utsav Camp, we settled to have lunch and reminisce about our experiences savouring the flavors of the moment and cherishing the memories we had created together. We shared our best photos and videos from the day, including a lucky capture of the majestic roar of a tiger. Reluctantly parting ways and heading back to Delhi, my thoughts lingered on the caves in the hills, the sea-bed rocks, the life-size relief of the Jain Tirthankara, the poignant captivity of Prince Dara, the sleek and shiny skin of the king of the jungle, and the unused stargazing-plinth in my stone-cabin. Deep within, I carried a silent wish to return to this untamed wilderness, yearning to uncover its hidden treasures in a roar, a mural, a stepwell, or the delicate footprints of a stealthy leopard.
