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I did my best to put the lions, which have recently expanded to Girnar's forests, out of my mind as I passed small huts and tents in the dark, at the trail's base. Daylight brought langur monkeys onto the trailside boulders. One watched a vendor set up his stall to offer food and water to passing Jain pilgrims. The monkey waited until the man's back was turned, at which point he scampered in to grab a banana. In Gir National Park, I'd seen deer using these monkeys as a treetop surveillance system. The monkeys sat high in the trees, keeping watch for leopards and lions, which blend into the woodland's pre-monsoon palette of amber and gold. Monkeys that spotted a stalking cat let out a specific call. Deer weren't the only ones that recognized and used these calls; the lion tracker who had been with me in the park did too.
On the hike up Girnar, barefoot women kept passing me, wearing iridescent saris in bright shades of orange, green, or pink. Their delicate silver anklets tinkled as they went. When I reached a trail marker that said I was still 1,000 steps from the temple, I removed my pack and hopped up onto a wall, letting my legs dangle.
Hashim Badani
