Pristine and Bountiful Bastar
It is late
September and the monsoons have tapered to a whimper in Chhattisgarh. Festive
rituals associated with its Bastar Dussehra are in full swing, reaching a
crescendo at the approach of the final few days of celebrations. What better
time to visit enchanting Bastar and Jagdalpur, the tourism capital of
Chhattisgarh. They are nature’s bewitching bounties, ridden with verdant valleys,
lush meadows, expansive fields, dense forests, abundant lakes, varied wildlife,
age-old caves, a rich mosaic of tribal people with their unique culture and
traditions, and a plethora of ancient temple structures.
The reddish-peach refracted light from the rising Sun is splashed across the sky as we begin the scenic drive from Raipur to Bastar. The silence of the hour is broken by whooping bird calls and crowing cocks from the little hamlets that flank NH 30 as we hit the highway. En route we briefly halt at Kaivalya Dham, a magnificent Jain temple complex with a collection of shrines exquisitely carved in white marble and containing the idols of the 24 Tirthankaras.
We continue on to Dhamtari where we make a short stop to visit its renowned Vindhyavasini Temple and drink in lungsful of fresh air at its picturesque Gangrel Dam across the Mahanadi. This is Chhattisgarh’s longest dam, also known as R.S.Sagar Dam.
As we approach Kanker the gateway to Bastar, located on the banks of the Doodh River, we stop to lunch at Makhni Dhaba which offers a decent range of mouth-watering Punjabi fare. Our appetites sated, we head towards the Victorian style Kanker Palace, built in 1937 to house the British imperialists in pre independent India. We absorb its simple majesty and architecture before beginning the final stretch of our journey to Jagdalpur, of course, not without taking breaks in between.
Panchavati
There is a dramatic change in landscape and weather as we enter the ghat section and our vehicle negotiates several hairpin bends before coming upon Panchvati for a mesmerizing bird’s eye view of Keshkal valley, a town in Kondagaon district, one of the nerve centres of Chhattisgarh’s handicraft and pottery.
Less than an hour’s drive from Panchvati brings us to Kondagaon. We head to the nondescript dwelling of India’s globe-trotting villager and internationally acclaimed bell metal artist, Jaidev Baghel. We watch in fascination the artisans at work, pick up a few souvenirs and hit the roads to reach our destination for the day – Chitrakote Waterfalls, having booked a cottage there for an overnight stay.
The Chitrakote, a beautiful horseshoe cataract on the Indravati River, nicknamed “the Niagara of India”, plunges 100 feet down with a deafening roar and creates in its wake, jet sprays of misty water. The monsoon just having abated, it is magnificent in all its fury, a tantalizing avalanche of froth, the colour of cold coffee!
Kanger Valley National Park which is next on our itinerary is home to a wide array of wild creatures, and the special Bastar hill mynah that we do not get to spot. The cascading Tirathgarh Waterfalls is a crowdpuller at Kanger and offers us a great trekking opportunity.
Kotumsar Caves - An Artist's Palette
Less than 10km from Tirathgarh, we come upon Kotumsar Caves, considered to be India’s deepest living caves, and the world’s oldest stalactite and stalagmite formations. Using the primitive lantern, a guide takes us on a tour of the 300m long structure at the end of which is a naturally formed limestone Shiv Linga, a trident and a few idols of deities, perhaps worshipped by the tribals.
Bastar, monikered “the valley of bamboos”, is a vast palette of tribal cultures, each existing harmoniously as part of a whole. The Bastar haat, or weekly market, is a ‘colourful’ revelation. Barter is still a way of life and we witness trade in all kinds of edibles, clothing and craft items indigenous to the region taking place.
A highlight of the haat is cockfight, accompanied by speculation and drinking bouts, indulged in with great gusto. The women, it is palpable, indulge their men and join in the partying as they pour out the local liquors - mahua and salfi from beautifully crafted pitchers made from bottlegourd shells.
As a grand finale to our trip we witness the spectacular procession of the phul rath or flower chariot, an integral aspect, and much awaited spectacle associated with Bastar’s Dussehra celebrations. The festival is essentially a tribal celebration that runs for a period of 75 days and bears no relation to the epic Ramayana as it does in the rest of India. Rather, it is dedicated to Danteswari Maa, the clan deity of the Bastar kings of the Kakatiya Dynasty, and her meeting with other deities from the neighbouring villages.
The streets of Bastar is a riot of colours as hundreds of tribal men and women pull the bedecked chariot, circumambulating Danteshwari Maa’s temple. It is well past midnight and the veil of darkness is markedly pierced by the innumerable artificial lights of all forms. The city is as alive as ever, choked with the celebrating human ocean. There is a wild cacophony of sounds from drum beats, music and merry-making as we retire to bed to begin our homeward journey, early next morning.
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