Day 4- Grasslands of Satiyana

  • day-4

The star attraction today is the vast grassland at Sathiana range.

Once again, we are up early to drive to Sathiana Range. Well! You aren’t here to sleep. Are you?   To set foot on this vast expanse of grassland, we have to drive through a long forest stretch of 15 kilometers. In the midst of this grassland several silk-cotton (semal) trees stand tall. Their beauty gets accentuated during springtime when the branches are laden with large red flowers. The cane forest here is an excellent habitat for big cats like leopards and endemic birds like swamp partridge and emerald dove. Crocodiles are often seen basking in sun, on the banks of river Suheli, with mouth wide open. We pass-by a jamun forest and reach Madraiya Tal which has adequate natural resources to sustain variety of mammals: swamp deer-hog deer-elephants. We also stop awhile at Sati math shrine where people pay obeisance to a queen who committed sati.

In the evening, we board our rugged warhorse once again to reach a place called Mardha Baba. This temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, lies deep inside the core forest of Mailani Range. Visitors tie brass bells on the walls to have their boons fulfilled. At a small walking distance from the temple lies a quiet wetland screened all around by a thick bamboo orchard. It is a rewarding experience to be here. You can observe a wide variety of life forms: fishes, amphibians, turtles, birds, wild boars and spotted deer. This wetland is an amazing refuge for them all.