Day of the jackal

Kala Dungar's 400 year-old tradition of feeding jackals is an intriguing story. While the peer in the original legend chopped off his hand to feed hungry jackals, today's temple priests feed them with jaggery, rice and dal. C Gangadharan Menon witnessed this unusual spectacle

Day of the jackal

As the molten sun sets in the Great Rann of Kutch, a pack of hungry jackals trudge up the crumbling hills of Kala Dungar (black hill). They wait patiently, here, in the scrub jungles on the hilltop, as if on cue for someone to make a move. All of a sudden, a mysterious chant fills the air and a priest descends from the temple nearby, carrying a large vessel. The jackals slowly advance towards a clearing, as the priest empties the vessel on a raised platform. The minute he turns his back, the hungry pack pounces on the food and laps it up in no time. The surprise is that the food offered to them is rice and dal cooked with a generous helping of jaggery!

The legend of Kala Dungar
Why would a pack of carnivorous jackals descend on this meal? The answer lies in an age-old legend. Over four centuries ago, a saint called Pachmai Peer lived on these black mountains. One day a pack of wild jackals appeared in his ashram and stood expectantly in front of him. Looking into their eyes, he realised that they were famished. All that he could offer them was a basic meal of rice and dal, which was the staple diet of the ashram. He offered it to the hungry jackals, who returned with their appetite satiated and pleased with the sage's generosity.

The temple priest at the site, as a couple of jackals wait

He brushed it aside as a one-off incident, till he noticed that the pack had returned the next day, at the same time and at the same place. The ritual of feeding continued for months until one day when there was no food in the ashram. The helper who was supposed to get the provisions hadn't returned, but the jackals reached at the appointed time.

Realising that his guests would have to return hungry, the peer, in a gesture of unimaginable generosity, chopped off his hand and offered it to the jackals, saying "lo ang", which (in this case) translates to, 'eat my hand', in Gujarati. The jackals, as on every other day, went back satisfied. Since that day, the inmates of the ashram have made sure that the jackals of Kala Dungar are fed not once, but twice a day. They haven't missed a meal even once, in the last 400 years.

The jackals begin their meal, while a crow and bulbul await
their turn

Today, the tradition is carried on. As the priest at the temple of Guru Dattatreya takes the vessel to the jackals, he chants "lo ang, lo ang, lo ang", reminding himself of his Guru's generosity. This chanting is also accompanied by the pealing of temple bells, both of which have a Pavlovian effect on the hungry jackals.

Feeding ground for all
It's not just the jackals that partake of this hospitality. Much before the jackals arrive, the feeding area is abuzz with activity: bulbuls and doves jostle with each other, and there are mongooses and dogs that scurry about. But as soon as the jackals make an appearance as they emerge from their habitat in the craggy terrain, everyone retreats, giving the jackals the first right to feast (except perhaps for a few stubborn crows). The birds and the other animals then polish off the leftovers. In the night, even porcupines have been spotted sharing the spoils after the jackals have had their fill.

The site is taken over by jackals

Wild in Kutch
Kala Dungar is the tallest hill in all of Kutch, rising 1,400 feet above sea level. It offers the most panoramic, near 180-degree-view of the Great Rann of Kutch, all the way up to the India-Pakistan border. The centuries-old feeding tradition in these hills has had a positive impact on the conservation of wildlife: the highest density of jackals in the world can be found in Kala Dungar. The 20 sq km of scrub jungle is believed to be home to as many as 150 jackals. Of these, 20 to 30 indulge in this vegetarian offering at the temple.

It's not known whether the same group returns to the temple or if the pack takes turns. What stands out is the fact that the jackal prefers to come under the cover of night. Because the average number that come to eat during the day is four to five, whereas the number swells to 20 to 25 by nightfall. Thus, in this strange twist of the laws of the jungle, hills of Kala Dungar witness a unique phenomenon where man shares food with jackals. In turn, the jackals share it with bulbuls, doves, mongooses and porcupines. When resources are scarce, sharing becomes a way of life, irrespective of the food chain. In fact, it emerges as the only way of life. Can there be any other?

The wild pack
Jackals are omnivorous. The golden jackals of the Kutch feed on small prey, including jungle rats, hedgehogs and dung beetles, as also carcasses. The vegetarian part of their diet comprises ripe fruit that falls on the ground. In the absence of such fruit-bearing trees in the scrub jungles of Kala Dungar, the rice-
dal-jaggery combo meal must be considered a good substitute!

How to get there
Kala Dungar is nearly 90 km from Bhuj in Gujarat. As there is no public transport available to reach the area, arrangements for a vehicle will have to be made at Bhuj itself.

Where to stay
There is only a dormitory at Kala Dungar, with basic amenities and a langar that serves simple vegetarian food. You cannot book it over the phone; so you will have to take a chance. Alternatively, you can set up base in Bhuj and leave for Kala Dungar in the wee hours of the morning. The first feeding is at 9 am and the night feeding is at 6 pm. You can witness both and return to Bhuj on the same day.