Black Buck At Tal Chappar Sanctuary

Tal Chhapar Sanctuary is a sanctuary located in the Churu district of Northwestern Rajasthan in the Shekhawati region of India, on the fringe of the Great Indian Desert and situated in the Sujangarh Tehsil of Churu District. It lies on the Nokha-Sujangarh state highway and is situated at a distance of 85 km from Churu and about 132 km from Bikaner.

Tal Chhapar is a refuge of the Blackbuck.

Black Buck

The blackbuck also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope found in India, Nepal and Pakistan.

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The blackbuck has associations with the Indian culture. The antelope might have been a source of food in the Indus Valley civilisation (3300–1700 BCE); bone remains have been discovered in sites such as Dholavira and Mehrgarh. The blackbuck is routinely depicted in miniature paintings of the Mughal era (16th to 19th centuries) depicting royal hunts often using cheetahs.Villagers in India and Nepal generally do not harm the blackbuck.Tribes such as the Bishnois revere and care for most animals including the blackbuck. The blackbuck has been declared as the state animal of Andhra Pradesh.

 

The animal is mentioned in Sanskrit texts as the krishna mrig. According to Hindu mythology, the blackbuck draws the chariot of Lord Krishna. The blackbuck is considered to be the vehicle of Vayu (the wind god), Soma (the divine drink) and Chandra (the moon god). In Tamil Nadu, the blackbuck is considered to be the vehicle of the Hindu goddess Korravai. In Rajasthan, the goddess Karni Mata is believed to protect the blackbuck.

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In the Yājñavalkya Smṛti, Sage Yagyavalkya is quoted stating “in what country there is black antelope, in that Dharma must be known“, which is interpreted to mean that certain religious practices including sacrifices were not to be performed where blackbuck did not roam.

The hide of the blackbuck (krishnajina in Hindi) is deemed to be sacred in Hinduism. According to the scriptures, it is to be sat upon only by brahmins (priests), sadhus and yogis (sages), forest-dwellers and bhikshus (mendicants).

Blackbuck as a heraldry symbol of some princely states of India
Barwani coat of arms Jaisalmer coat of arms Jaora coat of arms Malerkotla coat of arms Nawanagar coat of arms Radhanpur coat of arms

The Journey Begins…

• Thanks to my parents I caught the travel bug in my teens. This traveling created a interest in photography to record my experiences.
• The bug of photography took me nearer to nature and wildlife.
• It gives me immense pleasure to trek and photograph the varied varieties of flora and fauna in India.
• India is host to one of the largest biodiversity on the globe. This is the only place where snow capped mountains, fast flowing rivers, tropical forest, serene beaches along with desert and lush green cultivated fields, exquisite orchids, and wide range of fauna both avian and terrestrial live near by in a single geography.

• The history of India is said to be more than five thousand years old offering wide choice of architecture, from Indus valley civilization to British period.
• This continues history has resulted in India being the original melting pot of civilization’s globally. This melting of different cultures has given unique identity to India.
• The clothes, the food, the religious beliefs in India are most diversified and unique globally.
• As Mark Twain said ” India is the cradle of the human race, the birth place of human speech the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition. Are most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.”