Nilanjan Ray
Active Member
Dudhwa. The land of grasslands, swamps and tall sal trees. Renowned for its rich fauna, including swamp deer, Indian rhinos and huge tigers. And for the conservation efforts of Billy Arjan Singh, who was somewhat of a tiger himself. Frederick Walter Champion, the pioneer of wildlife photography in India, and an inspiration for Jim Corbett taking up a camera, spent a lot of time in these forests of erstwhile Oudh, taking some iconic photos.
Dudhwa is home to 38 species of mammals, 400+ species of birds and 16 species of reptiles. Contiguous to Royal Bardia National Park in Nepal, Dudhwa National Park is located in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, in Lakhimpur Kheri District, and covers an area of 490 sq. km, with a buffer zone of 190 sq. km. Originally established in 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary for swamp deer, Dudhwa became a national park in 1977, and later Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was formed in 1987, comprising Dudhwa NP and the adjoining Kishanpur and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Dudhwa had been on my ‘to visit’ list for a while. I do many x000 km roadtrips, and always thought that someday I would drive down from Bangalore and experience Dudhwa as an appetizer, while Corbett would be the main course. But this time when I got a chance to visit the park with a few friends, I jumped at the opportunity even though it meant flying down to Lucknow and then hiring a vehicle. While I kept my hopes in check regarding mammal sightings (wrong time of the year), I was looking forward to the mist, dew and soft November light that I could expect to encounter.
I took a night flight to Lucknow. Early next morning we started for Dudhwa. We were traveling in an Innova that had done more than 2 lakh km, one couldn’t make out (hint: I drive a Toyota). Traffic was crazy, as was our driver. He kept honking like mad, expecting people, cows and other vehicles to jump out of his way. Often we scraped past an old person or a cow or a truck with 2 inches to spare. Not a good start to a trip that was supposed to be ‘relaxing’
I took the Sitapur – Lakhimpur – Palia Kalan route to reach Dudhwa. Four years back, on the way back from Kumaon, I had driven on the Philibit – Gola – Lakhimpur – Sitapur – Lucknow stretch. The roads were emptier then.
The sun rises through the mist. Shot from a forest rest house surrounded by grasslands
Forest road. ISO 5600 shot
Sunset behind a stalk of Kans grass. Shot during a walk.
Indian rhino
Sunrise
Gateway to light
Trainline passing through Dudhwa NP
Swampdeerscape
Marsh Harrier
Armour
Dudhwa is home to 38 species of mammals, 400+ species of birds and 16 species of reptiles. Contiguous to Royal Bardia National Park in Nepal, Dudhwa National Park is located in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, in Lakhimpur Kheri District, and covers an area of 490 sq. km, with a buffer zone of 190 sq. km. Originally established in 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary for swamp deer, Dudhwa became a national park in 1977, and later Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was formed in 1987, comprising Dudhwa NP and the adjoining Kishanpur and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Dudhwa had been on my ‘to visit’ list for a while. I do many x000 km roadtrips, and always thought that someday I would drive down from Bangalore and experience Dudhwa as an appetizer, while Corbett would be the main course. But this time when I got a chance to visit the park with a few friends, I jumped at the opportunity even though it meant flying down to Lucknow and then hiring a vehicle. While I kept my hopes in check regarding mammal sightings (wrong time of the year), I was looking forward to the mist, dew and soft November light that I could expect to encounter.
I took a night flight to Lucknow. Early next morning we started for Dudhwa. We were traveling in an Innova that had done more than 2 lakh km, one couldn’t make out (hint: I drive a Toyota). Traffic was crazy, as was our driver. He kept honking like mad, expecting people, cows and other vehicles to jump out of his way. Often we scraped past an old person or a cow or a truck with 2 inches to spare. Not a good start to a trip that was supposed to be ‘relaxing’
I took the Sitapur – Lakhimpur – Palia Kalan route to reach Dudhwa. Four years back, on the way back from Kumaon, I had driven on the Philibit – Gola – Lakhimpur – Sitapur – Lucknow stretch. The roads were emptier then.
The sun rises through the mist. Shot from a forest rest house surrounded by grasslands
Forest road. ISO 5600 shot
Sunset behind a stalk of Kans grass. Shot during a walk.
Indian rhino
Sunrise
Gateway to light
Trainline passing through Dudhwa NP
Swampdeerscape
Marsh Harrier
Armour
Last edited by a moderator:
