Top 4 sights of India
A surprising revelation
A trip to India is incomplete without these 4 sights.
India is a vast country in every sense of the word — area (7th largest), population (1.2 billion), diversity (North/South — alpine to tropical, West/East — desert to rainforest). It is effectively a continent with a history as old as time. This is not to count the diametric variety in cuisine, dress, language etc.
Selecting the top 4 sights is not an easy feat.
I’ll allow you a guess.
If your guess included Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Goa or Lutyens Delhi, please try again. If it included the Big Four metropolitan cities or indeed the Big Four pilgrimage spots across the length and breadth of this vast country, (“Char Dham”), that is also not my intention.
My top 4 are rather different —they’re living sights to behold.
I’m talking about living beings —the great Kingdom Animalia. Incidentally, humans also belong to this Kingdom but my indication is more towards animals and birds of India.
While the diversity in fauna is staggering, I feel any visit to India is incomplete without seeing at least two of these.
50% is the pass rate.
The Top 4
Elephant
As per cultural tradition, auspicious undertakings are started in the name of Ganesha, the Elephant God. So let us start with the mighty Elephant first. For most visitors to India, an elephant ride is high on the to-do list.
While smaller than its African counterpart, the Asian elephant is still quite big. It is unique in shape and size. Remarkably, for a wild animal weighing 5000 kg plus and and being largest terrestrial animal, it is amazingly gentle. OK, maybe the ones we see on special processions etc. are well trained but still, being able to stand next to an elephant is indescribable in terms of joy, excitement, bewilderment, and obviously in terms of perspective also.
Elephants have major cultural importance in India. Whether it is the divine elephant of Indra (King of the Gods, equivalent to the Greek Zeus), the war elephants that stalled Alexander’s passage over the Indus, Buddha’s appearance as an elephant in Jataka stories, or trained ceremonial elephants which shower water or place small crowns over pilgrims’ heads, India remains the land of the Elephant, in more ways than one. What a great association to have with such a fantastic animal.
(Sacred) Cow
In terms of its association with India, the elephant is a close second only to the cow. Indeed, no animal is more readily associated with India than the cow and in particular, the sacred cow.
But what is special here? I mean it is easy to spot a cow in many countries. The reason for selecting it as a special sight is the context. Firstly, the cow is sacred for Hindus. It is much more than just another animal. In Hindu tradition, many animals are worshiped directly, associated with Gods, or generally considered auspicious (and therefore of elevated status i.e. not just another animal). But a cow has top billing.
Secondly, In India, we don’t need to go to a farm to see a cow. Cows are everywhere — on the street, in neighborhoods, near vegetable markets and temples. Often, they are decorated in different ways. Seeing a cow roaming freely in India is a classic sight — the type that travel books and photo journals have plenty of pictures of. Experiencing this sight is classic check box item. The philosophical implication of this sight is perhaps the deepest of all. Seeing a cow roam freely conveys the cultural premium placed on a most useful animal. It also makes us realize, that cows, and animals in general are also citizens of sorts, and not just entries for zoos or farms.
Parrot
The Indian parrot, green in colour with red beak, is very beautiful. While it’s becoming less visible nowadays, especially in bigger cities, it is a most welcome sight — when we can see it that is! It’s green colour is very good camouflage.
Like many others animals and birds, the parrot of often pictured alongside images of gods, and is indeed the official vehicle for the Indian God of Love. The term Lovebirds (which are a species of parrots) gets a whole new meaning now isn’t it?
But parrots are also in other countries, so why it is special? This is mainly because we can see these wild birds in every day environments — bazaars, near houses etc. As noted for the cow, it is more about context. The realization that we share our world with wild birds of such beauty, is very fulfilling.
Tiger
The tiger occupies an exalted status in Indian mythology. It is the official vehicle of Goddess Durga, the demon-slayeress in chief, and a highly revered deity across India.
And just to be clear, while we talk about cows and elephants:
Tiger is the National Animal of India.
A strong multi-talented gorgeous triathlete and apex predator, the tiger can never be truly described in words.
What better sight than being able to see one in its native habitat?
Ok, few of us would have the courage to come face to face with one in the wild.
Regardless and regrettably, the opportunity for that is decreasing by the day. Tiger numbers are dwindling in the wild and even in protected reserves, they are a rare sight, falling literally to the evil practice of poaching. They’re now mostly found in zoos around the world, far from their native swamplands in eastern India. While we can admire their beauty and talent from the safety of a glass enclosure in a zoo, the best thing would be for them to flourish in the wild. They may be further from our sights in the wild, but I’m sure that trade-off will be very acceptable.
My score for the above is 3/4 — have seen all at very close quarters, except the tiger, which I’ve only seen in the zoo (in New Zealand — over 11,000 km from their native habitat).
India, Animals & Culture
To understand India, the best route may be through understanding its popular fauna, which is intertwined with daily life and cultural legend.
Animals are found in every country. What makes it special during travels to India is that most of them, at least my top 3, can be found on the road or neighborhood and generally not too far away from cities of residence. We don’t need to go anywhere special like a zoo or a farm to see them. India is teeming with fauna. Be it the frogs in the unkempt road side, the chipmunks that raid any open area with trees, goats being transported as part of a herd, or a procession of camels — these are all part of common life, even in bigger cities. In sub-Himalayan India, it is not uncommon to be woken up by an antelope which has raided the makeshift wooden fence. Monkeys are a common sight around pilgrimage areas. The Monkey God Hanuman is a highly revered deity across India, whose statues are often found at the entrance of major temples. Seeing the real version so close to the anthropomorphic deity is remarkable to say the least.
With roads and other ‘modernization’ at lot of this co-habitation is disappearing. Yet enough of it remains there to allow us to make this link between living beings and their ecosystem —both cultural and geographical.
A visit to India reminds us that we live in an actual eco-system that is full of life. Life that despite being so dissimilar is also so similar.
India is a land of contradictions. It is as much the land of the Tiger as it is the land of the Cow, even though Elephant safaris might be the biggest tourist drawcard.
Animals are a part of life. This is a reflection of the long standing cultural importance afforded to animals. They’re not merely resources for humans to exploit. They’re co-inhibitors of the land. Almost every animal (wild or domestic) is associated with some sort of deity. This personification ultimately reflects the core philosophical concept that life is sacred. It conveys the importance of maintaining ecological balance. When we include rivers and mountains, who are often also personified as Goddesses, Gods and Kings, the message becomes even more encompassing and compelling.
Looking back at my travels to India, I discovered a unique inter-connection between animals, people, culture and geography.
When we can see a range of animals within a natural everyday setting (i.e not zoo or farm), we realize, for the first time, that animals are real things with whom we share, or at least are meant to share our world. When we link this sight this with the anthropomorphic deities that abound in Indian culture, a rich tapestry starts to come alive, literally and metaphorically. Instead of visiting a country, we now make a journey towards an entire eco-system — both ecologically and culturally.
Travel is about seeking new stories, and through them, gaining new learnings, on our path towards wisdom.
Much like the Aesop’s fables or the Indian equivalent (Panchtantra, Jataka), through my travels, I found that the world of animals can be a secret portal into the realm of higher consciousness.
Travel does get any greater than this.
