Keoladeo National Park is not visited by many people during the monsoon months. The purpose of my visit was to observe and photograph the rookery of herons and other birds such as spoonbills, storks, and cormorants. This is when herons and other birds breed on small islands in lakes or ponds within the national park. Other than this, there is a plethora of wildlife and wildlife activity around the park. For those who are really interested in wildlife photography, they should probably visit this place during the monsoon months. However, one must be aware that it would be extremely hot. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Travels
Ambubachi Festival at Kamakhya Temple
The Ambubachi Mela is held annually at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam. The mela is celebrated in June and this year it was held between 22nd June till 26 June. The significance of the Ambubachi Mela is to celebrate the yearly menstruation of goddess Kamakhya. It is therefore believed that Goddess Kamakhya goes through her annual cycle of menstruation during this time frame. and it is also believed that Goddess Kamakhya rests for 3 days and during these 3 days of rest, the temple is closed to the public. On the 4th day, the temple reopens and the devotees are allowed to enter the main temple and offer worship to the Goddess. There is no idol of the Goddess but she is worshipped in the form of a yoni like stone instead and over this flows a natural spring. It is said that a white cloth is placed on the Yoni sculpture when the temple is closed during the three days and after three days, the white cloth turns red. According to legend, this is caused by the blood discharge of the Goddess as she is said to be menstruating. There are two kinds of special of prasads or blessed foods distributed among the devotees: Angodak and Angabastra. Angodak is the red coloured holy water of the Goddess believed to be released during the three day menstruation and is a mixture of holy water and sindoor. Angabastra is the red cloth which covers the yoni sculpture during the three days of menstruation. These are actually hard to get until and unless one has good connections with the temple priests.
Wildlife Safari at Rajaji National Park May 2025
I had again visited the Mohand zone of Rajaji National Park just last month in May. I had opted to do 2 safaris on two separate days, one evening and one morning safari. During my first evening safari, I was able to observe three different leopards. On my 2nd morning safari, I did not get much good sightings of the leopard but overall I was satisfied with the quality of the safari as I was able to photograph a variety of wildlife. My best sighting on the first day was the one of the leopard drinking from a small pool of water. On the 2nd safari, my best sighting I felt was the one of the Egyptian Vultures perched high up on the tree top. My next tour to this place would either be in November or December where I intend to do 6 or 7 back to back safaris. If anyone is interested in joining then do contact me on abhishekd77@hotmail.com. Here I am sharing various photos of the birds and mammals I was able to photograph.
A Day Out at the Himalayan Zoological Park
I had also made a visit to the Himalayan Zoological Park which is located around 3km from Gangtok. This was setup in 1991 and is a great place to observe Himalayan wildlife. The park is surrounded by forests all around and gives one a sense of wilderness. I had spent almost a full day here with the aim to observe and photograph many of the wildlife residents of the park. From photographing the clouded leopard to observing Red Pandas, I am sharing my photos of what all I photographed. I had used the Canon EOS R6 and the Tamron EF 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens.
Sightseeing in Gangtok
I had travelled to Gangtok just last month in January. Gangtok is located in the state of Sikkim and it was my first time here. I had travelled from Patna junction to New Jalpaiguri junction and from there got a cab that took me up to Gangtok. The road trip took just over 4 hours. Anyhow I had spent a full week here and I am sharing some of my photos. This would give an idea of which locations to visit if one has very less time.
Historical Places of Lucknow
I had visited Lucknow city just before the new year of 2024. The city is crowded and polluted with lots of chaos and traffic especially near the historical sites. The only decent place was the British Residency. The Imanbara was chaotic with lots of tourists and extremely noisy with some nonstop announcement of warning visitors that photography is not allowed in certain areas of the site.
Wildlife Safari at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve
I first visited Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve this year in the last week of of June, and I had been planning to go here for quite a while now. The reserve came under Project Tiger in the year 1995. The main aim was not only to photograph tigers but also try to capture the other residents of the forest such as Gaur, wild boar etc. This park, which is located in the state of Maharashtra, is one of the best places in India to observe and photograph tigers.
Landscape Photography in Nainital
Nainital is a beautiful hill station in the state of Uttarakhand. I had come here in the month of March after a gap of 14 years. In my younger years, I had attended Sherwood College which is one of the prestigious boarding schools in North India and my main purpose was to meetup with old friends after like 25 years. After everyone left, I decided to stay back and spend a few days more to photograph landscapes and shoot timelapses. However, in my view, monsoon season would be a great time to shoot landscapes as there would be more dark clouds resulting in moody landscapes.
Birding at Mangalajodi Wetlands
Mangalajodi is a great place for birding from the months of December to March mainly for migratory birds. I had visited this place during the month of February. It is less than two hours drive from Bhubaneshwar which is the capital city of Orissa. Mangalajodi is a village located at the Northern edge of Chilika Lake.
Wildlife Photography at Nandankanan Zoological Park
Nandankanan Zoological Park in my view is the best zoological park in India that I have visited so far. I had visited this place on 2 different days while in Bhubaneshwar and I feel it is a great place to capture great wildlife moments even though it is a zoological park. Even though it requires a lot of patience to capture that moment or being at the right place at the right time. This zoo houses a lot of mammals, but I was mainly focused on capturing Indian wildlife. I had used my Canon EOS R6 and Tamron EF 100-400mm f4.5-6.3 telephoto lens.