Kala Dungar, Kutch 3

While the jackals that feed on sweetened rice are the major attraction of Kala Dungar (see the links provided below), there are many other interesting things that one sees on the way and also once one is atop the mountain range...

Driving from Kutch to Kala Dungar means you have to cross the Tropic of Cancer

One of the relatively less known aspects of Kutch is the huge abundance of fossils here, evidence that this land used to be under sea millions of years ago.

A view of the Great Rann of Kutch from atop Kala Dungar

Also see
http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-of-jackals.html
http://3fotosaday.blogspot.com/2009/11/jackals-of-kala-dungar-kutch.html
http://3fotosaday.blogspot.com/2009/11/jackals-of-kala-dungar-2.html

Jackals of Kala Dungar 2

For a recently published story on these jackals of Kala Dungar in Kutch you can check
http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-of-jackals.html
For more pictures see
http://3fotosaday.blogspot.com/2009/11/jackals-of-kala-dungar-kutch.html

The jackals were aware that the time for their food was approaching and they started emerging from the surrounding bush in anticipation

Harjibhai carrying the food for the jackals

A crow sneaks in as Harjibhai walks away from the feeding table

Jackals of Kala Dungar, Kutch

These are a set of pictures of an amazing daily event atop the hills of Kala Dungar at the edge of the Great Rann of Kutch. In a practise and ritual that has been going on since time immemorial, the temple authorities here feed the jackals of the hills here with rice sweetened with jaggery two times a day. I've just done an article for the November 2009 issue of Outlook Traveller

Check it up at
http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-of-jackals.html

Harjibhai who's job it is to feed the jackals, lays out the rice for them

Jackals feeding on their cement concrete dining table

Harjibhai and the jackals