I have not heard the name of Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa, as it never showed up in the list of India’s great sanctuaries whenever I read about them. It was only setting my foot inside the premise of Goa that I heard about this sanctuary so many times from so many people including the locals and the fellow tourists- that I felt determined to visit it with my companions.
Situated in Western Ghats near the town of Molem, this sanctuary remains open throughout the week, from 8.00 am- 5.30 pm. We found out that the ticket prices were surprisingly low. As we had camcorders with us, we needed to shell out Rs.150 each. But before that, we had to obtain the permission of the forest department to visit this sanctuary- from Nature Education Centre. This also includes the permit for hiring a jeep ride inside the sanctuary.
Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary Goa | Image Resource : youtube.com
What struck me first about this sanctuary was that- though it is situated at the heart of the urban hullabaloo, you will only find tranquility and nothing else inside. We took a shared jeep and our driver warned us that if we nurture any dream of spotting large mammals, then we should give up on it immediately, as the jungle only contains elephants, birds, monkeys and snakes.
But we were too happy to get the occasional glimpses of monkeys and few elephants with tourists riding on the backs and listening to the chirpy choirs’ different birds. The lush, green jungle of monsoon bloomed beautifully and we just soaked ourselves into it. We again re-visited Dudhsaar Falls and it had the same magic on us. The cherry on the top was observing the Devils Canyon that spooked us with it eerie silence.
The 12-th century Tambdi Surla Temple situated in the northern region of the sanctuary, invoked our curiosity much. Its intricate stone detailing and architecture looked mesmerizing in my eyes. We heard that the nearby Tambdi falls looks also exquisite but we were short on time and as the road to Tambdi was really steep, so gave it a miss.
Overall, our trip to Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary was more-than satisfactory one and unforgettable too.
Afreen Travel Bug 