Ultapani The Reverse Course

Mythical, mysterious Ultapani is rather unique to be defined. Bornali Gogoi takes a tour

If you are looking for some wildlife adventure in the tedious regularity of your routine life, you could fancy taking a trip to Ultapani. While the name resounds with mystery and some weird sense of fun, the drive all the way to reach the place could actually gear you up for the amazing time ahead.

This Way

Driving towards Kokrajhar, and passing by the Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited in Chirang (BTC), it takes only 45 minutes to reach Bismuri. This place, on the NH 31, is the entry point, on the right of which you can make your way to Ultapani through a sand gravel road. For first timers, the quick byte is that only the first 5 of the entire 24 km stretch, has human habitation; the rest is virtually an adventurous drive, cutting through the thick vegetation amidst untamed wildlife. Don’t be surprised if a hornbill flies across your windshield and feeding troupes of golden langurs have a quick glance at you before shying away or if you have an encounter with a lone elephant bull right in the middle of the road.

History of Ultapani

Ultapani – a forest range of Haltugaon (territorial) Division with two forest villages, is situated at the base of the Eastern Himalayas (Bhutan), under the Manas Biosphere Reserve. It earned its name from the course of the Manas river, which flows first towards East and then turns West. People believe that the river comes to worship the ‘Bathow’ (Lord Shiva), gracing a small temple inside the forest. In its early days, Ultapani happened to be the favourite hunting ground of the royal families of Gauripur and Coochvihar. The thick, impenetrable vegetation was home to trumpeting elephant herds, magnificent Royal Bengal tigers and their prey – the herbivores, ranging from cheetal (spotted deer), sambar, hogs, barking deer, wild buffaloes and the Indian bison. The jungle was literally devoid of any human beings, except for the forest officials, naturalists and hunters. Haltugaon, by the way, holds the highest number of captured elephants.
It was in the early fifties when Ultapani got its first locality with the settlement of two forest villages named Ultapani and Labanyapur, consisting of Nepali cattle raisers and Bodo farmers. There is also a third forest village called Saralpara, which was formed in the last decade at the banks of the Saralbhanga River, along the Indo-Bhutan international border. Ultapani is the integral part of the Manas Biosphere Reserve as an intact forest and a vital wildlife refuge. It was very recently reviewed as a spot for ecotourism. An initiative of the Bodoland Territorial Council, this is actually a joint effort of the local community and some agencies working for the conservation of the Manas Biosphere Reserve.

Flora and Fauna

As a destination, Ultapani is not a usual stop for tourists. Physically, it is featured as a foothill forest dominated by evergreen trees along the Northern hill range, and moist deciduous trees towards the southern plain. The semi-evergreen forest is verdant with various fig trees, saplings, medicinal herbs as well as various kinds of spices. Up in the canopy, epiphytes invade the area while rivers and streams are lined by tree ferns, weedy herbs and thorny palms leaving the rest of the forest floor for fungi and decomposers.

The forest also harbours the Asian elephant, the rare and endemic Golden Langur, the Slow Loris, the Great Hornbill, the Clouded Leopard and the Black Panther. The Golden Langur troupes relish on fruits in the riverine forest while hornbills join the crowd of fruit eating Barbet, Mynah, Bulbuls and Orioles. But the most enduring dwellers of Ultapani are the blazing butterflies. The Naharani Road offers a mind-blowing sight with the colourful Mormom, Birdwing, Red Helen, Blue bottles, Oak leaf and Red-spot Jezebels, while the riverside forest brings you a magical view of the Swallowtail, Paris Peacock, and the Five-barred Swordtail. From tiny freshwater snails to the arboreal Binturong, from giant ferns to pretty orchids, life in the Ultapani jungle has its own unique magic.

Waters

As dominated by the Bhabar formation, unique to foothill forests, Ultapani is full of springs and internal canals that keep the forest flooded even during dry seasons. The twin lakes deep inside the jungle named ‘Banderkata’ (presently known as Mas bhandar) and ‘Tara pora jhora’ are the most distinctive wetland areas, while the Samukha River that comes out of Bandarkata is the lifeline of Ultapani.

The serenity

Ultapani might be famous for its wild animals and the birds, but even if you’re not exactly the kind who’d go out hunting for them, you could lounge in the cosy forest and wake up to the harsh notes of the hornbill or listen to the distant cry of a male peafowl scratching the steely silence of a crimson sunset. And if it happens to be the period of February-March, then the floating notes of melodious Nepali wedding songs and the dhol coming from Labanyapur, might fill the moonlit, spring night.

Conservation

The Ultapani forest is suffering from illegal tree felling and poaching of wildlife as well as encroachment. At the same time, butterflies at the Naharani road are constantly getting crashed by the heavy weight of SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) vehicles and others that run to Bhutan through the road. However few organizations are working for the conservation of the Ultapani wild recourse. They are also working towards developing the communities, based on sustainable use of the forest resources. One local organization – the Biodiversity Conservation Society, Ultapani (BCSU) has made substantial contribution in this regard. It requires mass awareness, support and concern of the people in the real sense of the term. If the situation is made conducive, the area of Ultapani could be a massive ecotourism spot inviting the attention of wildlife lovers and nature enthusiasts from all over the world.

The beauty of such a natural wildlife spot is beyond expression or explanation. All I can say is that being in Ultapani has no substitute; you just have to be there to know how it feels.

How to reach

Ultapani is 53 kms from Kokrajhar and around 400 km from the Guwahati Airport. The easiest access is from the Barpeta Road – the head office of the Project Tiger Manas.

What to do

You can trek, patrol, watch the varied wildlife and roam around from the lowland flooded forest to the northern uphill. But the best part is to spend a full moon night at Mas Bhandar. Surrounded by forests, this lake turns into a dream in the mysterious moonlit night with the full moon rising above the tall trees, in the midnight forest.

Ms. Bornali Gogoi is a leading member of Nature’s Green Guard, one of the organizations working for the conservation of the Manas Biosphere Reserve.

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