Its a hard feeling that, inspite of experiencing many close encounters, i never happen to see a Tiger in the Wild till date ! It reminds me of that board in Bandhavgarh National park ( ive never been there though ! ) which says " You might not have seen me, But dont be disappointed.. IVE SEEN YOU ! " . Thats always true when you are out there in the Jungle. 
I spent four days in Bandipur, took 8 safaris back to back hoping to see a Tiger ! Starting the safari 15 mins late, waiting for msgs from other jeeps, accompanied by experienced Naturalists of JLR, tracing Pugmarks, tracking Alarm calls, huh yielded nothing much ! 
At the end of my evening safari on the Third day, there were alarm calls along side the DFO's house next to the Range Office.. Two Jeeps, one from JLR and one from Tusker Trails waited on the main road in anticipation. Very Dim light, surprisingly no traffic, Pin drop silence except for the Alarm call.. I was cautiously looking on either sides and before my mind said " This could be it ! " A silhoutte of a Huuge Cat appeared out of the bushes, crossed the road slowly and disappeared into the thick bushes on the other side.. 
People in my jeep said it was a Tiger, Tusker trail fellows said it was a Leopard,  By its lazy elegance it surely appeared to me as  aTiger... But im not too sure.. Not too sure if I can claim that Ive seen a Tiger ! But i enjoyed every moment i spent in there.. Sighting a Forest Eagle owl was really special.

Here are a few Photographs i managed to capture