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These pictures are from a property that belongs to Lynx, a member whose family owned one of the last shikar companies in India. I hope that no one would mind my posting pictures of India on the African forum but I thought I would just try and provide a sense of what was available in India until just thirty years ago.

It is now a heritage wildlife resort with accomodation at the palace.

The greylag geese used to be a favourite bird to hunt, but, these days all hunting is banned even in the old and private wildlife preserves.

Good viewing and I hope that some day people would be able to hunt in India again.

Mehul,

Thanks for those pictures.

Regards,

Terry

Thanks for the photos.

India so often has that look that the sky is very heavy.

Thanks for sharing Mehul. Nice.
Cute girl too, going to grow up to be one of those beautiful Indian women.

My daughter's best friend in college was a girl whose father had emigrated from RSA to USA in one of those brain drains of Afrika.

The young lady was born and raised in the USA. She was recently preparing to visit India for the first time, with her family.

Hopefully they will be able to get some of the veiwing of the Mother Land such as this, and not just the crowded city streets.

BTW, is it true that cattle still roam some busy urban settings in India? Pte Wakan! (Holy Cow!)

One of my Indian physician acquaintances grimaces at the thought of beef, but will eat pork. Hindu, I reckon.

So what would a Hindu think of eating bison, or cape buffalo?

Cheers!

T Carr,

I just posted them. Lynx sent them to me to post. Thanks afor the good words.

NitroX,

The overcast look is something that you see in the monsoons. A most beautiful sight and in India's history, it was conisdered a romantic time. The Brits called it, "Weather for four legs together."

RIP

Hinduism does not allow the meat of the cow to be eaten. Buffalo meat as well as meat from bulls is eaten by most people except upper caste Hindus. The slaughter of cows that are young enough to give milk is banned in all but two of the 25 states there though cows that are past their milk bearing age can be slaughtered. There are temples in Nepal (the only officially Hindu country in the world - India isn't officially Hindu) where buffalos are sacrificed as a ritual on an almost daily basis.

Yes, the country has the largest number of cattle for any country in the world and you still see them on the roads in towns and in some parts of the larger cities as well even now. Many Indians don't buy bottled milk and prefer to buy it fresh and milkmen bring cows to your home and milk them right before you if you would like it that way.

That said, we also buy fresh meat - you pick a live animal and get it slaughtered and dressed before your eyes in India and not packaged like it is here in the West.

As far as the women are concerned, there are beautiful women everywhere but yes, Indians are proud of their women. Glad everyone enjoyed the pics.

Good hunting!

Pte Wakan!

quote:

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Originally posted by mehulkamdar:

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Mehul

Where is this castle or fort? Is it modern or from older times?

I assume the photo is modern? Is there some festival or event going on with the tents?

(I would ask is it a shoot, but I know that wouldn't be ! )

Maybe a game of polo is in progress?!

(Sorry for "twenty questions" but it is intriguing.)

Mehul, thank you very much for posting! That flight-pond looks delightful...

Regards,
Martin

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Thank you, Mehul, Lynx, Rustam ...

The tapestry of Indian culture, in all its' richness and complexity, exceeds that of any I know of. Detailed exposure to it will surely serve to stagger the western mind. I look forward to learning from those who have lived there and I hope others will elect to join the ranks of "AR".

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Nitro X,

Photograph of the tents was taken a fortnight ago in Mehrangarh fort, Jodhpur. The fort is situated about 400-ft above the city and has 68-ft wide and 117-ft high walls. Rao Jodha Singh built the fort from 1459 onwards. The palaces and buildings inside the fort now serve as Mehrangarh museum.

The tents are for foreign tourist.

History of the fort -

www.maharajajodhpur.com

jodhpur polo

I love the tents and hvae always liked the pictures of old African expeditions with the heavy canvas tents and wood and leather furniture. Any chance of getting more pics of the tents, some details on them, and a shot of the furnishings inside? It also looks like they have something in the front setup for sitting or lounging?

Red

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Mehul & Lynx

Fantastic pictures


Cheers
/ JOHAN

Thanks for posting those great pictures Mehul! India is defintaly on our list of countrys to visit as soon as possible.

Mehul Kamdar,

Simply wonderful pictures. Make me want to read Corbet again, or better yet finally travel to India.

Mehul-

Postcard Picture Perfect!

Is hunting banned in all of India?
If so, are there any shooting clubs?
What about gun ownership?

Thanks Mehul, Lynx and Rustam.

John

Friends,

Glad you enjoyed the pics. Rustam had to push Lynx hard to get him to send us these pics to post here - we managed to get some in between shoots. He is one of the busiest professional photographers in India, hence the really lovely pics.

30ott6,

There is very little hunting in India these days as poaching has killed off a lot of the former game and forests have been badly degraded, though farmers are still allowed to hunt boar on a crop protection permit. Recently, one state, Chhatisgarh, gave out permits for boar hunts to non Indians for the first time in three decades.

There is a Nilgai overpopulation in three states and it is expected that permits will be issued for hunting them to Indians first and, possibly to non Indians sometime in the near future.

Nickudu,

You have given us some of the best reading ever. My role was in pestering Rustam and Lynx to send some pictures of India at present. I shall keep at it and hope I don't get lynched by them the next time I go to India.

Good hunting friends!

Lynx, RHB and Mehul

Thanks again and for the replies.

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quote:

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History of the fort -

www.maharajajodhpur.com

jodhpur polo

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I checked out the links.

Wow, that 'fort' is very famous and I have seen photogrpahs of it before but never from the angle in the photo you posted. Very lovely and spectacular.

Some excepts ...

quote:

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at once a symbol of their glory and the basis of their strength, expanded. Every ruler left his mark and therein lies Mehrangarh's beauty, for it is today a magnificent blend of different reigns and ages, styles and influences, compulsions and dreams...

Its towering battlements, a hundred and twenty feet high, and stern walls, in places six meters thick, testify to the strength of Rao Maldev .... The palaces, extravagant and exquisite edifices of peace and prosperity, whisper a thousand secrets; of machiavellian intrigues, dazzling riches and decadent pleasures under the imperial Mughal umbrella (1582-1739). The main gates, Fateh Pol and Jai Pol, sing of great victories, against the Mughals in 1707 and the Jaipur forces a hundred years later; while the lofty ramparts, fiercely brandishing Maharaja Abhaya Singh's (1724-1749) war trophies, proclaim them to the world...

Mehrangarh has never, not even once, been taken in a siege. Invincible and mighty, inspiring awe, admiration, envy and fear in friend and foe alike, Mehrangarh is the very spirit of the Rathores. Indeed, no historian, no white-whiskered royal retainer, no chronicle, no ballad, no poem can rival the Citadel of the Sun in bringing alive the story of the Rathores of Jodhpur. Every mile-stone in their adventure, every triumph, every act of courage is immortalized here in stone and mortar, marble and metal. The palaces, lavished with delicate friezes, record successful campaigns; cart-loads of war booty and caravans laden with imperial favor. The cenotaphs recount stirring tales of valor and sacrifice; cannon-ball marks on the walls speak of repulsed enemies; the hand-prints, tiny and graceful on the portals, weep in remembrance of faithful queens lost to the flames of Sati...

As a historian Mehrangarh is superior in other respects too. Unbiased, delighting in wickedness, relishing scandal, sharing secrets...Did not the prince Jaswant Singh (1873-1895) throw his mistress out of this very window because she was really his father's and the latter had just entered the room? Was it not from these ramparts that Maharaja Maan Singh (1803-1843) had his Prime Minister dashed to the ground four hundred feet below? Is this not the foul chamber where Maharaja Ajit Singh (1678-1724) was murdered by his son? Was it not from this balcony that Rao Ganga (1515-1532), reveling in an opium heightened cool breeze, fell to his death? Or was he pushed by his son, the great Mald

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Quite a wordssmith the writer and guaranteed to intrigue the reader to visit.

Very interesting the link to H.H. the Maharaja Gaj Singh II.

The link to Polo. Unfortunately we had to retire our stable of polo horses (read that as BS of course ). But I'd love to try the ancient sport of pig sticking from horseback first. Need to learn how to ride first!

Thanks again for the links to the rich culture of India.

JJH

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Some more pics of Mehrangarh Fort.

Dago Red,

These pictures are scans, they are not good quality images, they do give you a idea what the tents interiors are like. Very nice feel to the tents. These pics were taken at the Pushkar fair.

Vanya Vilas Oberoi, luxury tents at Ranthambore, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.

This thread is again absolute proof that the AR forum is far greater than a hunting discussion.
Thanks Mehar.

Mesmerizing .... thank you for these thought provoking images. Even with so much not as it once was, India still impresses.

Fantastic photos.. Wonder what the first nilgai hunts will go for?

I'm stunned. Now bein' non-commissioned, yer understand, I find the up-market version o'th'tents a bit much, don'tcherknow, but those simpler ones fairly scream for a tall Gilbey's and tonic, what?

Long live the spirit of khaki.

Mehulkamdar,
Please stay on top of the nilgai hunting and let us know if any permits are offered to foreigners.

I would love to expand my horizons with a nilgai in India. A dream of many no doubt ... then a side jaunt to Jodhpur for a stay in the tents at Mehrangarh Fort. Something to fantacize about, besides those Indian women.

Cheers!

I guarantee my wife will love the pictures on this thread

Aman i khas, Ranthambore, Rajasthan. Nice place to stay to see tigers at the Ranthambore Tiger reserve.

Thank you ever so much for the pictures! There is a certain feeling of an old and proud culture in many of the pictures. I very much like that.

Regards,
Martin

Lynx is very tempting with his photographs.

My plans to visit are becoming more definite. Even started talking about dates!

Maybe Christmas / New Years 2005 ????

What is the weather like then, I believe it is "Winter" and dry season?