Arjun Haarith: June 2011

" Hello Friends, I welcome you to my home Mydanahalli. "

"Please protect me"

Note : In Mydanahalli, the bucks are to be viewed from a far distance. It runs away when it sees you arriving. Hence the pictures of bucks are not that great, as it was very far for my 300mm. Some were slightly close, but even then 300mm was less :)

This was my first trip to Mydanahalli , and had an awesome time . I thank Goutham for taking me there :)

Goutham, had called me the previous day and told me about the Mydanahalli trip. As it was my first trip, I was excited and agreed to join Goutham. Me and Akshay decided to halt in Goutham's house that day , as we had to leave for Mydanahalli at around 4 AM , the next day.

At 4.30 AM on June 12th 2011 (Sunday), we departed from Bangalore. The weather was pleasant and we enjoyed the drive.

We crossed Tumkur and reached Madhugiri. Just before Madhugiri, we could see lovely cloud patterns.

I changed the aperture to f/14 from f/8 to get this image :

We decided to have a breakfast at Madhugiri. We were served hot Idli's and Vada's along with a cup of refreshing coffee.

How to get there( Mydanahalli)

1. Bangalore -- Nelamangala -- Tumkur -- Madhugiri -- Mydanahalli

2. Bangalore -- Doddaballapur -- Gowribidanur -- Mydanahalli

We followed route no. 1.

Madhugiri is taluk(town) in Tumkur district.

At 3930 feet elevation, Madhugiri is a single hill. It is the largest in Asia and second largest in the world.Nestled in its steep slopes is a fort, once credited to Hyder Ali. Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, and Mysore Gate are the three gateways of the fort. A series of doorways leads to the hillock. The ruined temple of Gopalakrishna is located at the top.

Madhugiri is not so commercialised place; Tourists should not have any problem finding light food. It is much better to carry food and lots of water.

Madhugiri, or also known as Maddagiri, is located around 43 km north to Tumkur town. Madhugiri is famous for its giant rock overlooking the town and the fort nestling in its steep slopes. The giant rock is the second largest monolith of Asia. This monolith and the surrounding greenery of Madhugiri are the main attractions. The place has old temples of Venkataramanaswami and Malleshwara built by the Vijayanagara feudatories in the Dravidian style.

The highlight is the rock dome, atop which stands a fort, once attributed to Hyderaali. There are a series of doorways leading to the top and the climb is steep and exposed in some places.On the top is ruined Gopalakrishna temple.

Places of tourist attraction :
Asia's largest monolith is located in madhugiri city. It is the second largest in the world. It looks differently from different directions, such as a lying elephant, Shiva Linga, honey-comb and so on.
1. Maidana Halli Blackbuck Sanctuary: It is 25 km from Madhugiri. It is near Kodigenahalli, one of the prominent hobli of Madhugiri. You need prior permission to visit the Sanctuary.

2. Chennarayana Durga: Located 10 km from Koratagere on the way to Madhugiri via Tumkur, it is one of the nine Durga forts. Inside the fort, there is a small temple and one can also explore ruined and semi ruined old structures.
3. Siddara Betta: It is nature’s treasure trove. The place is known for its medicinal herbs. A natural spring that gushes out from the top of the hill is also believed to have medicinal value.
4. Madhugiri Fort: This fort is among the most beautiful hill forts built by the Vijaynagar dynasty. Many Jain Temples are also found at this place. This is an amazing historical place to visit for the tourists.
5. Timmalapura Forest: It is yet another tourist attraction not very far from Madhugiri. The forest is famous for its peacocks.

MYDANAHALLI :

The team :

(L to R) : Mr.Ajay, Mr.Murali, Arjun , Mr.Goutham, Akshay , Mr.Amar

Fauna at Mydanahalli :

Mammals :

1. Leopard

2. Black Buck

3. Jackal

4. Mongoose

5. Wolf

6. Hare

Birds : (to name a few)

1. Green Bee eater

2. Swallows

3. Jungle Babblers

4. Raptors(kites, harriers, eagles)

5. Sandgrouse

6. Shrike

7. Sky lark and Pipits

8. Bushchat and Stonechat

Green bee eater

Green bee eater (chick)

Bush chat - female

Black buck : This species is the only living species of the genus Antilope, and has been introduced in Texas and Argentina. It is one of the fastest of allterrestrial animals reaching to speeds of up to 80 km/h and is one of the few antelopes where males and females have distinctive coloration, as the male bucks are a distinctive black and white and have long twisted horns, while females are fawn coloured with no horns. In its scientific name Antilope cervicapra, 'Antilope' from 'anthalops' (Greek) a horned animal; 'cervicapra' from 'cervus' (Latin) a deer and 'capra' (Latin) a she-goat.

Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened. The blackbuck, is the provincial animal of India it is known as Krishna Mriga in Kannada. Also known as Krishna Jinka in Telugu, it has been declared as the state animal of Andhra Pradesh. Other local names for the species include Krishnasar in Bengali, Kala Hiran, Sasin, Iralai Maan, and Kalveet in Marathi. It is often simply called Indian antelope though this term might also be used for other Antilopinae from the region.
The skin of Krishna Mrigam plays an important role in Hinduism, and Brahmin boys are traditionally required to wear a strip of unleathered hide after performing Upanayanam.
Body Length: 100–150 cm (3.3–4.9 ft)
Shoulder Height: 60–85 cm (2.0–2.79 ft)
Tail Length: 10–17 cm (3.9–6.7 in)
Weight: 25–35 kg (55–77 lb)
The distinctive horns of the Blackbuck are ringed with 1 to 4 spiral turns, rarely more than 4 turns, and can be as long as 79 cm (31 in). A trophy Blackbuck is greater than 46 cm (18 in). In the male, the upper body is black (dark brown), and the belly and eye rings are white. The light-brown female is usually hornless. Blackbuck usually roam the plains in herds of 15 to 20 animals with one dominant male.
On the open plain, the Blackbuck is one of the fastest animals and can outrun most predators over long distances. Its chief predator was the now extinct Indian Cheetah. It is now sometimes preyed upon by wolves, feral dogs, etc.
The diet of the Blackbuck consists mostly of grasses, although it does eat pods, flowers and fruits to supplement its diet. The maximum life span recorded is 16 years and the average is 12 years.
There are four subspecies or geographic races
Antilope cervicapra cervicapra

Antilope cervicapra rajputanae

Antilope cervicapra centralis

Antilope cervicapra rupicapra

Albino Blackbuck

Albinism in Blackbuck is rare and caused by the lack of the pigment melanin. The animal looks fully white due to the lack of melanin in their skin. Wildlife experts say that the biggest problem with these Albinos is that they are singled out by predators and hunted.

As a near threatened mammal, the Blackbuck species are safe in several Protected areas of India, and Pakistan including:
Abohar wildlife sanctuary, Punjab

Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan

Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar, Gujarat

Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, Rajasthan

Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand

Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat

Guindy National Park, Tamil Nadu

Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Tamil Nadu

Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Kirthar National Park, Pakistan

Lal Suhanra National Park, Pakistan

Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve, Karnataka

Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park, Andhra Pradesh

Pilikula Biological Park, Mangalore, Karnataka

Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu

Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan

Rehakuri Sanctu, Maharashtra

KrushnaMruga Abhayaranya, Ranebennur, Karnataka

Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu

Vallanad Blackbuck Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu