Simply half-hour out of the town is a sylvan stretch so far as the eyes can see. Forests are in abundance
and its inhabitants roam freely. They sur spherical Bhondsi, a nondescript village in Sohna tehsil, the place nature lovers and wildlife fanatics have been flocking to for fairly a while.
It isn’t then completely sudden that the state needs to show this swathe of 558 acres within the Aravalis right into a vacationer vacation spot. Till 2009, the piece of land belonged to former Prime Minister Chandrashekar, who arrange an ashram there in 1983. It was transferred to the Haryana authorities and is now maintained by the forest division.

However how has this wooden land haven existed within the proximity of a metropolis that's ever increasing? “It is without doubt one of the good forests that we've right here. If you happen to ask me why it's that approach, it’s as a result of it's protected and
the forest division maintained the sanctity of the world by not bringing any unique species,” mentioned Vijay Dhasmana, a citybased ecologist.
One could detect the sight of native species of ffoliage that dot this a part of t h e A r ava l i s — d h a u(anogeissus pendula), dhak(butea monosperma), salai(boswellia serrata), kadam(mitragyna parvifolia), bistendu (diospyros cordifolia), basa (albizia odoratissima) and karonda (carissacarandas). Not simply species of bushes, there are hyena, palm civet, nilgai, sambar, peafowl and porcupine right here as nicely.
There have additionally been a number of sightings of the elusive leopards. “The forest is wealthy in natural world. Shrub and tree cowl could be very dense, offering refuge to key predators like leopard and hyena,” mentioned Dhasmana. Some parts of the area additionally run wild, with one space internet hosting a small pond the place migratory birds are the friends.
The pied cuckoo, whitebreasted waterhen, Indian robin, rufous treepie, shikra, kingfishers and members of the drongo household can all be discovered for weeks at a time. Even in heatwaves — Gurugram has seen a few of its hottest days in April the forest cover and patches of water make it right into a refuge. Its biodiversity is shielded, intact from exterior pressures till now.
For guests, Bhondsi’s grove has much more to supply. It has a 7km forest path, restored in 2017, the place one can stroll up the hill to the Bhubaneshwari temple and expertise the untouched Aravalis. Up there, peacocks unfurl their midnight blue and sea inexperienced plumage, butterflies hover over wildflowers and it seems to be a scene leaping out of a mystical story. If not only a reprieve from the concrete bounds of the town, there’s mountain climbing and birding too for guests. A day spent within the lap of the Aravalis may additionally assist improve consciousness about the necessity to defend these historic ranges on which the regional ecology relies upon.
A dive into locations of curiosity in and round Gurugram, this column will seem as soon as a month, on Sunday