In the 13th century, Marco Polo, in his “book of marvels”, described a wondrous land filled with curious animals – elephants, rhinos, great striped cats. The greater marvel is that India’s animals are still here. Wildlife aficionados find their choices are as varied as the deities in the Hindu pantheon.

They could get acquainted with a tigress in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park as she leads the Jeep past a 1,000-year-old fort, or watch a pair of gaur locking horns as they sail on the Kabini river, or get marooned on a machan (lookout post) in the shallows of Kaziranga National Park while rhinos below loiter with intent.

Safari-lovers come to India in search not just of the tiger, but a host of other species, such as the 12-horned barasingha deer, wild dogs, Gangetic dolphins, wild boar, grey langurs, red panda and the few remaining Asiatic lions. They come to hear the call of the hoolock gibbon and to follow the pugmarks of the elusive snow leopard. They get acquainted with chinars, peepul and spectral banyan trees.

Framing wildlife photographs against India’s stunning features can be very rewarding. Since many national parks were the private hunting grounds of maharajas until 1947 and India’s independence, they are replete with historic forts, hunting pavilions and step wells. Tigers patrol the ramparts of forts, wild elephants wander through crumbling temples and brahminy kites soar over hilltop shrines.

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BACKGROUND

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The wildlife is intertwined with religion and mythology: as well as the monkey god Hanuman and the elephant god Ganesh, the fish, boar and tortoise are reincarnations of Vishnu. Shiva rides the bull, Brahma the deer, Saraswati, goddess of learning, the goose, and Kartikeya, god of war, straddles the peacock. The goddesses Durga and Kali ride the tiger.

Hindus and Buddhists believe in the transmigration of souls between species, and that all life on Earth is part of the same divine energy and must be respected. This philosophy, coupled with vegetarianism in some parts of India, has surely helped the wildlife cause.

In a sprawling country with 75 national parks and over 500 wildlife sanctuaries, it can be hard to pick a place to visit. It’s best to go between December and March, when it is dry, the weather is pleasant and the reserves are less crowded. Try to book Jeeps and elephants ahead, and book guides through the lodges. In terms of wildlife sightings, these are some of the best of the country’s national parks, all of which can be easily found on the internet:

Bandhavgarh National Park. Nestled in the Satpura Hills of central India, this is the most tiger-dense jungle in the country.

Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh. This is one of India’s most beautiful forests. Tigers are spotted consistently and the general game is very good too.

Corbett National Park, Uttar Pradesh. The park is a vast wilderness. Great bird-watching, wild elephants, tigers and general game.

Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan. A dry, deciduous jungle setting enhanced by a historic fort. Tiger sightings are erratic at the moment but there is good game in general s

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