JUNGLE LEGENDS

THIS IS NO TIGER STORY. Every tourist who ventures into a tiger reserve is obsessed with spotting the big cat. But only a few are equally curious about birdlife or the lesser-known mysteries of the forest. In our quest to tick off charismatic, endemic, or rare species, we often miss what the wild truly has to offer—its hidden secrets. As a forest guard once told me, “There are layers to every jungle. The deeper you go, the more they open up.” He was right.

- ANANDA BANERJEE

Every spot in the forest has a story to tell. Here are a few I've encountered on my travels.

SATPURA TIGER RESERVE, MADHYA PRADESH

Earlier this year, I spent a week exploring Satpura Tiger Reserve. It's an expansive park, especially rewarding for those interested in prehistoric cave art. Although many sites lie deep within the forest and are inaccessible to tourists, one ancient temple complex is open to exploration. Located in the Madhai zone, Jhinjhini Mahal is a striking set of ruins you can visit on foot after disembarking from your safari jeep. Not much is known about these temples. One version dates them to the 7th century, while another attributes their construction to King Bahutsingh during the Kalachuri period of the Chedi rulers in Central India (9th-10th century CE).

KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK AND TIGER RESERVE, ASSAM

Over the past two decades, I've visited Kaziranga multiple times—both for work and leisure. Ona recent visit, lexplored a lesser-known area: the north bank of the Brahmaputra. This zone is crucial to the park’s long-term conservation strategy, expanding the reserve's footprintand enhancing connectivity with other protected areas in Assam.

Though not yet part of the regular tourism circuit, I saw rhinos and elephants wandering through lush riverine grasslands. Near the forest range office stands a small temple dedicated to the bear god. Known locally as the Bhalu temple it is believed to beat least 500 years old, Villagers once came here to pray after losing cattle to the forest.

KANHA AND BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARKS, MADHYA PRADESH