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Blackbuck National Park: Velavadar

Blackbuck National Park: Velavadar

By Kajal Shah Gujarat

This park was on our bucket list for a long. So rather than staying in the adjacent resort, we just took an easy and money-saving way. As the park is just 3 hours from Vadodara, why not go just for a day!

So off we went to Velavadar Blackbuck National Park, where we were meeting a few friends from Ahmedabad also. The plan was spontaneous, and as spontaneity is the best adventure, we just went ahead. Meeting old friends on the way, riding with them, cherishing old memories, laughing, chatting, sharing, and accepting who we are…no burden, no strings…just pure friendship. We had started around 6:30 from Vadodara and reached Velavadar at around 9:45. The atmosphere was incredible. And according to the guides, the best season to visit the park is winter only from October to March. We can take our car to the park along with a guide. But trust us, the best way to do any safari is in an open gypsy. Then only you will be able to feel the depth and vastness of the grassland.

The grassland is enormous, and with the wind blowing our hair and cold air sending shivers down our spine, our eyes were only searching for the black and white wonders of mother nature. But instead, what we saw initially was hundreds of longhorns peeping out of the grass. The view dumbfounded us in front of us… and still, ye dil mange more and we wanted to see herds of running, hopping blackbucks…

If you have a good guide and are interested in birding, this park will not disappoint you. There are few rare species of birds in the park with many migratory birds. Apart from that, nilgai, wildcats, and wolves are also present.

And at last, we found a herd of male and female blackbucks. Though they were far away in the grassland, we could see clearly with binoculars. Then they took us to the wetland on the opposite side of the park. The lake is fantastic, with peace surrounding you like a cozy blanket. The chirping of birds and whistling of wind is your only companion. After we visited the park, we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

As we had enough time, we went ahead to Bhavnagar. We found a beautiful beach a few kilometers away from Bhavnagar, named Hathab, and it is famous and less crowded than Bhavnagar. The beach is relatively clean, and there are few bungalows on the beach, maintained by the government and forest department. You have to pay nominal fees at the entry point of the beach.

And then we went to the second most amazing part of our trip…Nishkalank Mahadev Temple at Koliyak village. The temple is ancient, with five shivlings and nandis. It is believed that the Pandavas did their pooja here after the Mahabharat war. The shivlings are submerged in the water during high tide, and you can go up to them only during low tide. So before going, you have to check the tide schedules of Bhavnagar. I am attaching a few links for the same below. This pace is a little crowded, but as we always say, you can find a small secluded corner for yourself and enjoy one of the fantastic sunsets from here, just like us…You have to walk around 200-300 meters along the serpentine water-filled trails to reach the temple, and it’s worth every step.

The image of the setting sun at this temple will stay with us forever. Changing colors of the sky, flying birds, thumping sound of the drums, seawater slowly and gently coming near to you and submerging the steps of the temple one after another…We were stupefied by all these things… and as the sun disappeared from the sky, leaving behind all vibrant colors, my heart felt a sudden void, a state of profound loss…here I am viewing nature’s spectacular event in front of me, and my dear ones are just beside me, laughing and chatting happily… what more can I ask for? Attaching the poem which was playing hide-seek with my mind that evening…

Loss

Loss
We relate it to sadness
Sorrow
Heartbreak

Loss of our loved ones
Loss of endearment
Loss of friends
Loss of friendship
Loss of belongings
Loss of time

Sometime, somewhere
The voice whispers from the heart
Diving deep into those memories
We just witness them from afar
Beholding the past us
Cherishing the view
It doesn’t matter
Whether we shared laughs or tears
Just the view…
Just those moments…
Like sipping adrakh tea
On mountain summit…

And suddenly
Mind awakens
Flooding with a gush of emotions
Gigantic waves of sorrow
With the tsunami of grief
But
All in a while
Beyond all this anguish
The loss teaches us
To be strong and stronger
Imbibing our every cell
With the elixir of pain

As they say,
You can dive and drown in it
Or
You can float and swim

It’s the best teacher one can ask
Teaching to stand like a rocky cliff
To fight like an angry tigress
To fall like a shining meteor

With teary eyes
With placid smile
With pounding heart
With jittery hands
With shivering spine
We tell ourselves
Here I am
Rising again…
Again…
And again…

– Kajal Shah

So this is it…
Fun-filled weekend with family and friends.
SaSha