Crocodiles and Monkeys
Trip Start
Mar 06, 2005
1
21
34
Trip End
??? ??, 2006
Ranakpur,
India
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Ranakpur is situated in a remote valley, and our accommodation was nestled towards its head. We were overlooked by parched, steep and heavily wooded valley sides which proved to be a great place to spot wildlife.
Our room was basic but its location more than made up for this. We arrived mid morning which gave us time to settle in and explore. No town and not really a village to speak of just farm houses dotted about the valley and a small collection of guesthouses.
Our first stop and the main reason for comming to Ranakpur was the Jain 'Chaumukha' temple built in 1439. Jainism was established in the 6th century BC by a contemporary of Buddha and their beliefs are set around a number of austerities such as fasting and retreating to remote locations to purify the sole, so it isnt difficult to see why they chose Ranakpur as the ideal spot to build a temple
Ranakpur 01
. It is constructed entirely out of a milky white marble and is absolutely breathtaking. The interior has a cool and serene atmosphere about it, in stark contrast to the baking heat outside.There are 1,444 pillars supporting 29 halls and no two pillars are alike, the carving is exquisite and we spent hours just sat in the cool ,and wandering around admiring the craftsmanship required to construct a bulding of this magnitude. This was undoubtedly one of the most relaxing /calming places we visited during our entire time in India.
The first animals we noticed were a troop of Wild Monkeys that were lounging in the trees right next to our room. They came to within a few feet of us as we sat eating lunch. The owner told us they always appeared there at the same time of day.
Swooping across the lawn and sitting in the bushes around us were Kingfishers, their brilliant blue plummage flashing in the sunlight, and perched in the trees near the patio were large 'neon' green parrots....Fantastic.
In the evening when things had cooled down a bit (only 40 degrees) we asked if there were any walks we could take nearby. One of the staff offered to guide us up the valley to a local 'reservoir' where if we were really lucky me might see crocodiles and a well that was home to a very large Snake. So off we set at a brisk pace which soon found us lagging behind our guide and dripping with sweat. Along the way to the reservoir we passed small farms, grazing cattle and numerous people returning home after working in the fields.
We gradually climbed up the valley side to a vantage point overlooking the reservoir where we were rewarded with a superb view
Ranakpur 02
. A small village sat on the edge of the lake smoke twisting its way out of the larger huts. Colourful birds swooped down over the water collecting the insects that skimmed its surface. After a time sat just soaking in the vista, we noticed two large 'objects' in the water by the far bank occasionally creating ripples. "Crocodiles" I shouted, "Rubbish" Jane replied, "they are just big lumps of rock sticking out of the water". But sure enough soon after the 'large lumps of rock' swam to the bank and hauled themselves out. Our 'guide' confirmed that they were indeed 'Crocs' and how very lucky we were to get a chance to see them!The three of us sat for over an hour taking photos and chatting whilst studying the scene laid out before us. Our 'guide' then walked us back down the valley side towards the well, where the local villagers had reported regularly seeing a huge snake. Jane wasn't too excited about 'finding it at home' especially when he tried to illustrate how big it was by stretching his arms open wide and demonstrating its girth using his wrist. I must admit to keeping my eyes well and truly 'peeled' for anything moving in the long dry grass as we approached. But Jane needn't have worried as there was no sign of it, even after prodding about with a stick in several nearby holes, which we tried to convince our guide maybe wasn't such a good idea. The whole walk lasted about 2.5 hours and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
That night we ate on the patio watched by about 30 or so large Gekkos and the manager explained that some where poisonous. To be more exact if you touched one and then ate food the secretion found on their skin was very toxic and would make you quite ill. Sometimes a gekko would drown in a large container of milk and locals would fall ill by drinking it
Ranakpur 03
.After our exertions we were quite tired and decided to go to bed, but sleeping wasn't going to be easy, as we discovered when we turned on the air cooling system in our room. The fan was of an industrial size, set into the wall like a giant extractor fan , it resembled the propeller from a spitfire. The noise it made was incredible, it was like trying to get to sleep on a busy Helipad! But it would be impossible to sleep without it in the heat.
After a fitful nights sleep on 'runway one' we set off back up the valley heading for Udaipur our next stop, before we left we made a quick visit to the local villagers co-operative where they made and sold handwoven rugs. We couldnt resist buying a couple to send home after seeing how much work went into making them.
The drive to Udaipur over the mountainous terrain which seperates it from Ranakpur was one of the best journeys we made on our 'road trip', we passed through tiny hamlets and farming communities and the scenery was unforgettable. But more of that in the next posting...
