26/08/2015
Bandhavgarh National Park –Most of us think of national parks as isolated places where only animals live. Wait, just read the name again – Bandhavgarh – literally translated Bandhav means friend or brother & Garh is usually a suffix used for settlements and in lot of places for forts. So should there be a fort somewhere inside this sanctuary. Logic says – yes, and yes there is a formidable fort standing on top of a giant rock standing at 811 meters in the middle of the forest.This hill on which the fort rests is almost looks like a tabletop hill with a flat top forming a very livable plateau. You can see the hill from both the Tala and the Magadi zone of the Bandhavgarh forest range.
Bandhavgarh also goes back to the days of epic Ramayan. It is believed that the fort belonged to Lord Ram’s younger brother Laxman and hence called Bandhavgarh.. Archeological evidences put the built heritage at around 10th CE, making it a place that must have been continually inhabited for the known historical period. Baghela kings said to have ruled from here till early 17th CE.
Shiva Temple inside Bandhavgarh National Park. First symbol of faith I saw at Bandhavgarh was a small Siddhbaba temple with a make believe Shivalinga and a trishul, a place also popular for tiger sightings. After a small drive from here we started climbing the Bandhavgarh hill.
SheshShaiyya – Vishnu is in his favorite reclining position. Sheshshaiyya or the sculpture of Vishnu in his pose of sleeping on the serpent Seshnag. It is a 35 feet long sculpture carved out of a single rock. A water source that flows from here is called Charan Ganga or literally the Ganga that flows from the feet of the Vishnu. River’s ancient name is Vetravali and it continues to be a source of water for the forest and villages inside it.
Different sources talk about celebrations at Sheshshaiyya on Diwali and Janmashtami – both the days associated with avatars Vishnu. With the current strict rules of the forest department they do not allow camera but we can definitely have a walk in the Tigers Lane on 5th September 2015 as it is Janmashtami.
