Quest Chhattisgarh: Nature, Facts, Culture, History, Tourism, Information

Faagun Mandai

2012-02-16T07:54:00.000-08:00

Faagun Mandai

A district of Baliadela mountains, a district of Saathdhaar waterfall, a district of confluence of river Shankini and Dankini, a district of ancient city of Barsur, a district of divine pilgrim(shaktipeeth) of Goddess Danteshwari…..Yaa, I am talking about Dantewada….Dantewada is one of the important centre of Tribal unity and integrity. Right from the pre-historic period, Dantewada has led the foundation of harmony between different groups of tribes. In this way, they use to gather together for preaching the almighty goddess of power, Maa Danteshwari. This auspicious occasion, this auspicious congregation, this divine celebration is called Faagun Mandai.

Where and How to reach?

Dantewada is around 88kms far from the divisional head-quarter Jagdalpur and around 388kms away from Raipur. It is just 11km far from NH-16 towards Bailadela from Geedam. It is also approachable through rails by Vishakapatnam-Kirandul Passenger. We can reach here any time throughout the year.

For the ease of tourist, for their boarding and lodging, some good rest houses and guest houses has been made by forest department. The board of CG tourism has built a beautiful guest house on the way between Geedam and Dantewada.

Historical and Traditional Importance:

Madhota Tarla, renamed as Dantewada by the great dynasty of Kaktiyas, after defeating the Nagwanshi dynasty and conquering the southern part of Bastar kingdom, they led the foundation of Maa Danteshwari temple at the confluence of river Shankini and Dankini. Earlier the prayer of Goddess was being done by Royal family only, but later on the late 13^th century, it got open for all the visitors and worshippers. In the same way, in the 13^th century, the celebration of “Holi” incorporated and assimilated many tribal customs and tradition along the worship of Goddess Danteshwari and got a entire new format and a new name called Faagun Mandai.

Importance of Mandai:

In Bastar division, there is a unique importance of Mandai. It is a sort of cultural celebration. Normally Mandai start after Deepawali and last upto April and celebrated in different parts of this division. In some places, it is celebrated for a week, while in some places it is celebrated only for one or two days. Normally the first day is meant for the worship of respected god/diety, the next day is meant as the stale celebration of the previous day where they gather together, dance and enjoy.

Faagun Mandai and Its important days:

Sometime the customs of Tribes go parallel with the actual tradition and customs of the common hindus, sometime they go entirely different. It may be a coincidence that the ending customs of Faagun Mandai fall on the same day along with “Holika Dahan”, but rest customs are entirely different.

Faagun Shukla Shashti- KALASH STHAPNA

It’s the day for the worship of Maa Danteshwari and Mata Shailputri. From Maa Danteshwari temple, the “Chhatra” of Goddess is taken to Mendka-Dobra(a kind of plane ground used for all rituals) and is worshipped there. On this first day, the pooja of Mata Gauri and Lord Ganesh is also done. Then they perform “Kalash-sthapna” by the ingredients of lali, paddy, rice and turmeric.

Here, Phool Pagdi rashm is also performed, where is Bandharin flower is used to make a traditional crown called “phool-pagdi”. After wearing this “pagdi”, priest goes to Lord Narayan temple nearby and bring back the palanquin of Goddess, after offering food to Goddess(mata ko bhog lagana).

Faagun Shukla Shaptmi- TAADPHALANGGA-DHUNI

In the morning, Pooja starts from the worship of Goddess Brahmacharini mata. Like the first day, the palanquin of Goddess Danteshwari is brought to Narayan temple with the guard of honour. Then priest take “taad-phalangga”(a leaf of Palm tree) and worship at pond nearby. In all this process, there person are very important namely the head priest, the asstt. priest and bara-lankawaar(means different twelve persons including tribes) .

Faagun Shukla Ashtmi- KHURKHUNDNI

The day starts with the worship of Mata Chandraghanta. Its is called “khurkhundni” because it is the day when Goddess Danteshwari is informed about other deities like Hinglajin, Dhawdain, Totakamin, Gallepalin, Ganganati e.t.c. All this palanquins are then taken to Mendka-dobra, then Goddess Danteshwari is invited to Mendka-dobra by anyone tribe.

Faagun Shukla Navmi- NACH-MANDMI

The day begins with the pooja of Mata Kushmanda, wearing flower crown, priest comes to Narayan temple with all deities(palanquins).After feeding Mata, all villagers return back. Then bara-lankawaar dance and celebrate this day.

Faagun Shukla Ekadashi- LAMHA-MAAR

The day starts with the worship of Skand mata, then the palanquin of skand mata, Goddess Danteshwari, and Maa Bhuvneshwari are brought to Narayan temple and then they are given honour of salutation. After this, the palanquins are brought back.

source: www.dantewada.gov.in

In the night, Gayta tribal man becomes a rabbit(lamha) , the katiyar tribe becomes hunter, then they perform the act of catching prey. This act is done two times, one inside of Goddess Danteshwari temple and other in front of Narayan temple.

Faagun Shukla Dwadashi- KODRIMAAR

The day begins with the Pooja of Maa Katyayni, Goddess Danteshwari, and Maa Bhuvneshwari. After Phool-pagdi rashm, “Kodromaar” starts where the Kumar tribe dance and comes to Mendka-dobra with two buckets full of Pooja materials.

In the night, again they perform one act where Gayta tribe becomes prey, Nayak tribe become hunter and Yemla tribe become sirha. Here, they trap their prey by nets.

Faagun Shukla Trayodashi- CHITALMAAR

The day starts with the pooja of Maa Kaalratri. In the night, In an act, Gayta tribe becomes prey(Chital means deer) and Yemla and nayak tribe become hunter.

Faagun Shukla Chaturdashi- GAURMAAR

The day starts with the pooja of Mata Gauri. This day, Royal family comes for worshipping. In the night, in an act, Samrath tribal man become prey(Gaur means wild buffalo) and Goddess danteshwari priest family man become hunter.

Faagun Shukla Poornima- AWARAMAAR

This is the day of Awaramaar custom and Holika-dahan. The day begins with the pooja of Maa Siddhidatri. Then sobha-yatra of all deities is performed. At the time of retreat of deities, all the tribes and villagers play hitting each other by Awla. Hence it is names as Awaramaar.

Then the branch of palm tree is taken to Log of woods of Holi and kept along with the wood logs and they are worshipped by the priest and Bara-lankawaar and then they perform ‘Holika Dahan” and greet each-other and sing Faag songs.

Faagun Shukla Pratipadaa- PADUKA-PUJAN & RANG-BHANG

In this last day, all followers, visitors and tribes play holi with each other, inviting Goddess Danteshwari and all other deities. In the last, they bath at the bank of confluence of river Shankini and Dankini. Then the pooja of Bhairam baba is performed.

source: www.dantewada.gov.in

Finally, the last day comes for the retreat of all deities. It’s a emotional farewell.

Conclusion: Here you saw, how these tribes are attached to their traditions and values. One contrasting feature more, what I noticed is that, these tribes have great affection for nature and its creatures, yet they depend on hunt for their livelihood, hence they offer their prayer to Goddess by giving a good hunt in order to make their clan pleased with the blessings of Goddess.

Mandawa Waterfall

2012-02-16T07:53:00.001-08:00

Mandawa Waterfall, Jagdalpur, Bastar

Adding an adjective to praise the beauty of Bastar, I will call it “Virgin Bastar”. It’s so ‘coz the more we try to unveil, the more it seems to have hidden in her laps. Now to the collection of her jewels, we are adding one more gem i.e. Mandawa Waterfall. Next to Chitradhara, this waterfall is one of the nearest waterfalls of Jagdalpur. It’s so beautiful, so fresh, so unseen site, that if properly promoted, it can be one of the most promising tourist paradises of Bastar.

Photograph by: Jeet Singh Arya

Where and How to Reach?

Mandawa waterfall is located at village Mandawa, which is 5kms from Mavlibhata, a village on the left side of NH-16 (Jagdalpur-Geedam road), which is around 31kms away from Jagdalpur. One alternate way is…just 7kms from Raikote, but here you have to park/leave your vehicle 3kms before this waterfall. One more approach road goes from Tokapal (20kms from Jagdalpur). Due to its short distance, u can visit this place, and return back within few hours.

courtsey: www.mapsofindia.com

For lodging and boarding, there are many good resorts and hotels in Jagdalpur. Some of the hotels provide exciting tour packages also. For the ease of tourist and visitors, Govt. has made some good rest house and guest houses in Divisional Head quarter, Jagdalpur. Obviously for a waterfall, October to February is the best time to visit.

Photograph by: Jeet Singh Arya

Being in Mandawa Waterfall:

Mandawa is just like a mystic beauty, a combination of a small short remote untrodden valley, a series of cascades, greenery on the both sides of valley…….isn’t it a big thing in a small package!! Just before this waterfall, there is a mountainous stream which has been bound by a nala bund, which has its origin 20kms away to the southwest from the mountains near Katenaar, Gumadpal, Pakhnaar, this stream(nala) is called Mungabahar nala, as there is one village called Munga, near the origin of this stream. In local language, a stream is also called as “Bahar”, hence this stream got its name as “Mungabahar”. Even being a short stream, this nala never gets dry.

Photograph by: Jeet Singh Arya

In this Mungabahar nala itself, at Mandawa, the stream water flows step-wise and falls from a height of 70 ft to make a beautiful cascade called Mandawa Waterfall. The water from this waterfall collects there in a small reservoir(jalkund), but again disappears after some distance, as it meets Kanger river as its tributary and form two another waterfalls i.e. Tirathgarh and Kanger-dhara. The rocks on either sides of valley of this waterfall are as thick as up to 200ft wide, in some areas it is wide up to 300ft also. Due to its flat top and adjacent horizontal rocks, it is very easy to enjoy up to any extent of this waterfall, hence it is gradually getting fame, and now people have started opting this site as their picnic spot.

Photograph by: Jeet Singh Arya

On the flat top of this waterfall, there are some rock statues of Shivling and Nandi. Recently a small temple has also been made there in order to protect this idols and statues. Nearby there is one tree where there are a big oval shaped rock, people used to worship it as Shiv-ling, so you can also observe a half dozen of Nandi idols near this so called Shivling. Yes, of course, people and their faith, even I too bowed down my head here. There is a local belief that if any newly married couple or any childless couple comes here and pickup this shivling shaped rock, then they will be bestowed by a baby. Hence, this belief makes this place more worthy, spiritual and divine also. Yet another reason to visit this place isn’t it?

Photograph by: Jeet Singh Arya

Conclusion:

Gradually, people are becoming aware of this site also, youngsters and youth are opting this waterfall as their favorite picnic site…but as this is one of the upcoming tourist site of Bastar, the approach road is yet to be prepared and metalled. Govt. should proceed in order to promote this beautiful mystic waterfall.

Note: This blog is devoted for my frn- “Jeet Singh Arya” who helped me in getting data about this place and took so beautiful pictures of this site.

Kailash Cave

2012-02-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

Kailash Cave
(a blog by Jitendra Nakka)

Bastar, being a plateau region, serves as the home of some of the most incredibly beautiful valleys namely Bastarnaar Valley, Darbha valley, Keshkaal valley e.t.c. Among these, one of the most beautiful valleys is Kanger Valley National Park. This park is one of the most awaited projects of state of Chhattisgarh, as the Govt. has given a proposal to Central Govt. to make this site as a “Bio-Diversity Heritage site”. It is not just because here we have some of the rarest species of flora and fauna, but because, here we have some of the most exotic natural caves. Although forest department and local people have found more than a half dozen of caves, but for general tourist, only three caves are opened for the sake of security of people. Forest department admits its responsibility to open other caves soon. These three caves are Dandak Cave, Kutumsar Cave, Kailash Cave. Next to Kutumsar Cave, the most desirable cave is Kailash Gufa(means cave).

Where and how to reach?

Kailash Cave is reachable from two ways. The first one is NH-16(Jagdalpur-Hyderabad Highway). Just after 28km on NH-16, there is a check-post of Forest department for the entrance of Kanger Valley National Park. After paying nominal charges, one can enter this National Park. After some distance, we can get one guest house of Kanger valley National park. From there, just after travelling 3kms to the way of famous Kutumsar caves, to the left of it, there lies a 12km long road which directly takes us to Koleng forest range no.75. There lies a series of small hills. Among one of this hill, there lies the beautiful Kailash Cave.

The second way or the alternate way is the route from Jagdalpur to Netanaar via Sargipaal, Jaatam, Nangur, kawaali, e.t.c. Right at the entrance barrier of kailash caves (which is around 5km away from the cave) , we can see one rest house where we can lose our fatigue for a while. Even below the hill where cave is located, we have the facility of rest and water. But as Jagdalpur is the nearest city, you have to get your food and other accessories from Jagdalpur itself.

Salient Features:

Kailash Cave came into light from 1993, whereas the people say that the local villagers came to know about it very earlier. The actual credit for revealing this cave goes to Forest guard – Sonsay, Rajaram Shivhare, watchman Sitaram, Gang-Superviser Jhaduram Yadav and Range officer Roshan Lal Sahu. Due to dusk, they missed to see it on 18 March 1993, but later, they came again on the site on 22 March, and found this marvel. As they went inside, they got fantasized by a entire world of conical karst structures, and seeing some of the structures as Shivling, they named it as “Kailash Gufa(means cave)”.

From land surface, Kailash cave is formed nearly 40m above towards the hill. Uptill now, the known length of the cave is nearly 1000ft and the depth of the cave is 120ft. Bending down and entering to a narrow entrance, you can see some stairs made by forest department, for the ease of tourists. Just after entering inside, in the very beginning, before stepping down, I noticed development of some very young buds of stalactites.Just after entering 100ft down, we can start seeing budding structures of Stalactites and Stalagmites.

These Stalactites and Stalagmites are generally formed in caverns(a geological term used for caves). As water drips from the roof of a cavern, evaporation leaves a small deposit of Calcium Carbonate (Calcite) behind. Gradually a cone shaped pillar of calcium-carbonate, hanging from the cavern roof develops. Such a deposit is called “stalactite”. Similar deposit also grows from the floors of the caverns where the limewater drops. Such inverted conical-pillar like structure is called “stalagmite”. When a stalactite and a stalagmite meet, a “column” is formed called “dripstone”.

If you can see some broken pieces of a stalactite, you can observe that sometimes in the cavities of rocks, the ground water deposits crystals of quartz, calcite or other minerals. This respective deposit is called “Geode” and structure is called Geode structure.

Going few meters ahead, we can observe the change in shape and size of the cavern as the chamber turns into 25 ft wide and 35 ft long hall, where one can observe greater colonies of budding and developed structures of stalactites and stalagmites.Just after few meters, it seems like we have came to final chamber, which can be assumed to be 135ft long, 100ft wide and 25ft high. For a tourist coming such a place for the first time, seems like lost yourself in the world of fantasy….a complete new world…something like a dream which came true. The whitish conical structures play such a magic that nobody can save himself, from getting lost in this dream world.

Conclusion: After coming out, people share their experience shouting, screaming, cherishing. Some people may call those conical structures as “Jhumar”, some people may call those dripstones as “elephant nose”, and some may call it as “Bhim ki Gada”. Numerous reactions, but only one wish,-“ I just love it…If ever I’ll get a chance, I’ll come back here again and again.

For the promotion of this valley, Forest department has made watch tower nearby this cave in order to enjoy the broad view of the valley side. Nearby one lake-like reservoir is there, which is called as “Kailash Lake”. Adding to the beauty of this valley, Bhainsa-Darha Crocodile Lake is also worth-seeing site.

Note: A part of this citation has been inspired by Dr. Suresh Tiwari’s book- “Bastar- Paryatan, Itihaas aur Sanskriti “

Charre-marre Waterfall

2012-02-14T22:35:00.001-08:00

Charre-marre Waterfall

Dense forest, sharp curving valleys, enchanting mountains, the innumerous cascades and rapids, this is what Chhattisgarh is all about. Nature has embraced Chhattisgarh to its extreme. But wait……..you must know why? Nature will convince to adore any place, only when you leave the place untrodden. But it’s a human nature…he always likes to explore new aim, new goal, new places……one such perfect tourist destination is the Charre-marre waterfall of Kanker .

source: www.kanker.gov.in

Where and How to reach?

Charre-marre waterfall is known as the jewel or crown of Kanker district. On National highway no. 30 i.e. between Jagdalpur to Raipur; from Kanker via Bhanupratappur and Antagarh, a metalled road(state highway) goes upto Narayanpur. In this way at Antagarh, just 12 km away from it, lies the beautiful waterfall of Charre-marre. One more alternate is there, you can reach Kondagaon (comes between NH-30, 70 kms from Jagdalpur) and follow the state highway to Antagarh via Narayanpur. Regarding lodging and boarding, rest houses are available in Narayanpur and Antagarh and as Narayanpur is the District Head Quarter, you can easily get necessary materials required for your tour.

source: www.mapsofindia.com

Obviously rainy season is the best season to enjoy any waterfall, whereas October to December is more advisable, as it is a mountainous river and tends to be wild during rains.

Salient Features:

12 kms from Antagarh, towards Amabeda, lies the beautiful valley of “Pinjadin” , the beauty of which is doubled by the leaf shading forest, sharp U and V blind turns of the approach road. This valley has got a beautiful crescent shape which is venerated by giant masses of Granite rock and adored by a river called Antagarh river. Local people name it as “ Kutri nadi”. Due to this slopy turns and depression between the valley, Local people used to call this valley as “Kadaahi Khodra (means the depth of a bowl)”.

Following the stages of underlain rocks, Antagarh river falls from great height and forms Charre- marre waterfall, in addition to which 35m of fall can be seen falling straight to the reservoir(kund) below. Further moving far, it meets Kotri river, which is considered to be the tributary of Indravati and Mahanadi. Its origin is believed to be from a Nala of the Pinjadi fields near around.

One of the unique feature of this marvel is that this is the only waterfall in Bastar division, which can be enjoyed as one complete view, otherwise in other waterfalls like Tirathgarh, Chitrakote e.t.c, you have to come down to the fall depth to enjoy in its extreme. So, Charre-marre is not provided by any watch tower or gallery, in fact, it is beautiful from any view.

On one side of its upper view, there lie two idols of Lord Hanuman…one of which is ruined and kept exposed outside, while the other one is still in better condition, and kept inside a house shaped temple, built by the local bodies. Mostly people used to offer nearby stones or pebbles to Lord Hanuman’s Idols, as the local people believe that clapping and then offering stones (during prayers) will render them blessing when the stone will be accepted. Due to this fact only, people offer stone donation to Lord Hanuman there.

Conclusion:

The fall is so famous in Kanker and the neighbouring districts that tourist start flooding right from the beginning of rains, but as the valley is very slopy, site seeing in winter is most advisable. Inviting forest, beautiful mountainous river, enchanting valley, exotic cascade……what else you want for the best of your tour!!!! In the end, I must suggest that this is an ideal site for tracking.

(Note: A part of this citation is inspired from the facts given by Dr. Suresh Tiwari. I pay my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Suresh Tiwari for inspiring me by writing such a great book- “Bastar-Paryatan, Itihaas aur Sanskriti”.)

Handawada Waterfall

2012-02-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

Handawada Waterfall

Introduction

Yes, it is true…Chhattisgarh is full of surprises and so the division of Bastar. Interesting to know that Chhattisgarh is one of the most undiscovered states of India, in which one of the most untouched divisions is Bastar. Mostly people think, the district of Dantewara, Bijapur and Narayanpur are known for sensitive activities only, but very few people know that these districts are the home of some of the most exotic and beautiful waterfalls, caves and valleys namely Usur waterfall, Usur caves, Tular caves, Lankapalli waterfall, Shakalnarayan cave, Bogtum waterfall, Saath-dhaar waterfall e.t.c. One such virgin waterfall is “Handawada waterfall”(also called as Milkulwada-Handawada waterfall)

Courtsey:www.dantewara.gov.in

When and how to reach?

In Bastar division, Barsur (comes under Dantewada district) is considered as the ‘southern gate-way’ of the Abujhmaad mountains. Travelling on NH-16, after 77 km from Jagdalpur, comes Geedam, from where to the north just after 22kms, lies the artistic town of Barsur…From where the road crossing Saath-dhaar bridge over river Indravati goes upto Handawada(a tribal forest village), which lies 40km away from Barsur, in the block Orchha of Narayanpur district.

Courtsey: www.mapsofindia.com

But remember!!! The way after Saath-dhaar bridge is unmetalled (Kachha road) and suitable only for walk or two-wheelers. And one thing more, that you have three or more mountainous nalas, coming in the way. For the reason, that Handawada is a forest village and approach road is unmetalled, the best time to visit this place is from December till May. The Govt. is authorized to open this path from 20^th of January. For four-wheelers, summer is the best season(but be ready along with extra materials, food items as the way after saath-dhaar bridge is nearly a no-mans land path). As the area is completely covered by shaded teak(saagon) and other mixed forests, you can notice wild animals crossing along either of your road-side.

Being in Handawada……

What should I depict? Beauty has just hugged this place through the arms of nature. The whole way, you can able to hear the roaring sound of mountainous rivers, along with facing fierce sloping U and V turns….as you complete this mammoth task, you can able to see village of beautiful small huts called Handawada. In this village, the department of tribal development has established an ‘’Aashram” from where you can start hearing the humming sound of waterfall. The next 3 km of distance can be covered only by walk, ending up of which you can see this beautiful waterfall. It is considered to be one of the highest waterfalls of Bastar division. Starting from mountains and flowing as a mountainous stream, the “Goyder Nala” falls from a great height and appears like cutting the under lain rocks, and finally forming a natural lake like reservoir (kund).

Conclusion….

The Govt. should try to develop road and bridges along the way so as to develop this fall as one of the upcoming famous tourist site….The ignorance is so much that even the local people nearby don’t know about this marvel…..

It is an appeal to all of you, if you wanna discover some of the most undiscovered, most untouched part of Chhattisgarh, do visit Bastar…….if you wanna admire some of the exotic natural beauties, do visit Dantewada………….if you are a daredevil and want to enjoy an adventurous trip by praising a completely virgin waterfall………do visit HANDAWADA WATERFALL….;)

Note: A part of this citation is inspired by the facts given by Dr.Suresh Tiwari. I pay my reverence for such a great writer of this soil for writing such an interesting book called “BASTAR – Paryatan, Itihaas, aur Sanskriti”.

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Kutumsar Caves

2012-02-14T22:34:00.002-08:00

Kutumsar Caves
Kutumsar was discovered in 1993 and is well known for stalactite and stalagmite formations. Kutumsar caves are located in Kanger valley national park. Some tell that Kutumsar cave is largest natural cave in the world, some say it is largest cave in Asia and is seventh largest cave in the world. There are various rumors about the length of the cave. But let me tell you, whatever will be the true fact one thing is for sure u will enjoy the visit to Kutumsar!!!

picture: budding of new stalactites

picture: young stalactites
How to Reach

To visit Kutumsar, one will have to reach to jagdalpur in Bastar district. Jagdalpur is in Chhattisgarh and is connected by bus to Raipur and Hyderabad, and by train to Vishakhapatnam. Kutumsar is 40 Km away from Jagdalpur. It takes a drive of about an Hour to reach Kutumsar.

The caves are filled with water from June to august so they are closed for visit. Also one will have to pay for the tickets, the guide, for the lamps and here there is no other way to skip tickets as was in case of Tirathgarh. I would insist to bring lamps from home to visit the caves.

Being in Kutumsar:-

Ok, the cave is around 10km away from main entrance of the national park. The drive goes through thick dense forest making the drive exciting and enjoyable. You will not be able to figure out where the cave is even when you have reached the place. The view outside the cave is very good and there is a board which gives information about the various aspects of cave.

Fig: stalactites and stalagmites

There is a narrow opening along with stairs through which one can enter inside the Kutumsar cave; it’s totally dark inside the cave hence you need to light the lamps. After spending 5-10 min one can see the stalactites and stalagmites in fantastic formations. They glitter in light making the ambience very beautiful, it takes millions of years for these formations to form. They are very white and look very beautiful. One can also see formations at nascent stages.

Also when goes more inside the cave one can layers of rocks and various kind of rock cuttings presenting some beautiful formations. The guide will show u some formations which look like trunk of elephant, the eye of some animal etc. They are really worth watching. To click the snaps one should have a very good camera with flash otherwise u will miss everything. Inside as common with most of the tourist places, a Lord Shiva Shivling is present.

The path inside the cave is not that easy, I would insist people to be careful as there are various slippery patches, formations are also needle shaped which might hurt you. And please don’t throw any waste inside the cave it will be harmful for cave and nature.

Now, I will tell you one of the important things, the fishes, the frogs inside the caves are said to be blind i.e. Blind fish. The fishes can't see as there is no light and after millions of years they have adapted in their own way and lost their sight. I have seen some frogs inside the cave but I don’t know whether they are blind or not but there colour was beautiful.Fig: New species of Frog found in the darkness of Kutumsar caves

After spending around 1hr guide will tell u to return but I m sure one feel to explore various ends of cave as they don’t show you the total length. Guide might also tell you that there is a well inside the cave which is so deep that if you will throw a coin u will not hear its sound, but wait he will not show u. These things u can further tell to others as I m telling to you.

After returning outside the Kutumsar cave one will feel tired for sure but will be contended with the kind of experience one gets. Visiting Kutumsar Cave is a must.!!! Once again for food and snacks bring in sufficient quantity from Jagdalpur. Chhattisgarh Tourism should put more effort to develop this place.

Have a look at these beautiful places of Chhattisgarh Tirathgarh Waterfall and Bhainsa Darha also known as Crocodile Lake...

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Malajkudum Waterfall

2012-02-14T22:34:00.001-08:00

Malajkudum Waterfall
(a blog by Jitendra Nakka)

Bastar division is a vast ocean of natural beauty where you can feel the music and its melody even in the blowing winds. If ever a tourist visits such a beauty, he can never leave the wish to come back again. Being the home of India’s most exotic and virgin sites, the Bastar division enjoys the pride of possessing more than a dozen of waterfalls and more than a half dozen natural caves. Talking about the northern part of Bastar, here lies the district of Kanker, which is famous for its mountainous terrains, perennial rivers like Dudh and Mahanadi, beautiful waterfalls. One such incredible waterfall is Malajkudum waterfall.

source:www.kanker.gov.in

Where and How to Reach?

Malajkudum is nearly 18 kms away from District head-quarter Kanker. Starting from Kanker itself, Malajkudum can be reached after crossing villages like Garh pichhavadi, Ikshapur, Mardapoti. Reaching near about it, first we have to encounter a valley. It feels very thrilling riding up those curvy roads of the valley and reaching the town near this beautiful waterfall. Just after 1km of this town, the view of this waterfall is ultimate beautiful.

source: www.mapsofindia.com

For boarding and lodging of tourists, Govt. has made some good rest houses and guest houses of forest department. As there is no pool in the route of Kanker to Amabeda (which leads to Malajkudum after 18kms), during the rains the road gets flooded, hence September to December can be opted as the best time for enjoying this waterfall. As this tourist spot is directly connected by main road, it is approachable throughout the whole year.

Salient Features…

Just before reaching Malajkudum, we can view one small waterfall more, but wait………..this is just the beginning. If any tourist departs back just after watching this fall, then we can imagine that his plan went worthless. ‘Coz the actual waterfall remains hidden and comes after small waterfall. After climbing up only we can manage to see this beautiful bigger waterfall, but hang on…..this is not over…..after climbing over this waterfall again, we can see one more thin and small waterfall. Hence Malajkudum is a combination of three waterfalls, where the upper and lower falls are comparatively small than the middle one and falls from 15 to 20 feet while the middle one falls from 20 to 25 feet.

The specialty or you can say peculiarity of this waterfall is that you can enjoy it stage wise, i.e. you have to climb and reach up to each level to enjoy that part of waterfall. There is flat surface near the upper waterfall, from where we can enjoy the complete view of the valley. As there is no stairs provided near this waterfall, we should avoid taking children with us, but on the contrary, it is one of the best sites of tracking for youths.

source: www.kanker.gov.in

Covering a distance of 15km from Amabeda, Dudh river falls from a height of around 55-60 feets and form Malajkudum waterfall. Malajkudum has got its name from two local words i.e. ‘malaj’ and ‘kudum’ where ‘malaj’ means a valley or a pit(some depressed part) and ‘kudum’ means a typical fish that resembles like a snake. In the nearby area, you can find a lot of ‘kudum’ fish. It is reachable both by two and four wheelers.

Near kanker, you can find a lot of picnic spots, like the confluence of Mahanadi and Dudh river just 12km far from Kanker, confluence of Hatkul and Dudh river, Mankeshri dam, Gadiya Pahar, Kanker palace, Sonai Rupai lake, Sihvahini temple e.t.c.

Conclusion:

As the area is full of pink granites and as there is no stairs given for the ease of tourists, care should be given while coming along with the kids. So if you wanna enjoy some of the best sites for tracking, do visit Malajkudum waterfall.

Note: A part of this citation has been inspired by Dr. Suresh Tiwari’s book- “Bastar- Paryatan Itihaas aur Sanskriti “

Tirathgarh Waterfall

2012-02-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

Tirathgarh WaterFall as said in title can be claimed as "Milky Fall" because of its white colour it looks like milk is falling. The Tirathgarh Waterfall is very beautiful as one can see in the following picture. Tirathgarh Waterfall is surrounded by greenery as it is loacted in the forest which enhances the beauty of the fall. The post will reveal the various facts about this wonderful fall.

Photograph by : Mr. Parikshit

How to Reach

To visit Tirathgarh, one will have to reach to jagdalpur. in Bastar district Jagdalpur is connected by bus to Raipur and Hyderabad, and by train to Vishakhapatnam. Tirathgarh is 35 Km away from Jagdalpur. It takes a drive of about an Hour to reach Tirathgarh.

Mystic View Tirathgarh

Before talking about the fall, let me tell you the drive to the fall goes through Kanger Valley National Park. The road drives through dense forest, misty views filling you with joy and enthusiasm. Unlike Chitrakot, here you will have to pay for ticket but let me tell you u there is a way u can skip the ticket but for that u will need a drive of 6km more along with a person who knows the way.

Photograph by: Mr Parikshit

Here also it is best to bring the snacks from Jagdalpur or home. One will have to climb down the stair-case to have view of the fall. The surrounding is filled with greenery; one can peek through the trees to have view of fall. At the bottom one can have the clear view of the fall. The water looks very white like milk. The place is wide open so that one can enjoy. This is the place to have your snacks, click snaps and enjoy the view.

If you think you have seen a lot let me tell you there is lot to come. This is not the end of fall as I already said the Tirathgarh fall has multiple splits, one can move further down through staircase which enables u to see the dimension of fall which u cannot see from top. Here water directly falls i.e. it is not staircase falling. One can bath here easily and enjoy a lot. The picture shows the fall at the bottom. Don't miss this but it is insisted to older people not to become here as it will be very tiresome. Also one will have to take care of children avoiding any accidents.

Photograph by: Mr. Roopesh Kohad

Tirathgarh fall is surrounded by the beautiful hills adding to the beauty as you can see in this awesome picture taken by Mr. Roopesh Kohad. The best time to visit Tirathgarh is Rainy Season i.e. from July to December. The visit will fill you with joy and memories of unforgettable moment’s you have lived in Tirathgarh - The Milky Fall!!! Hope you enjoy reading blog! and provide your valuable comments this will keep me motivated.

Wtach out for this amazing waterfalls of India too Chitrakot Waterfalls and Bentjharan Spring...

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Chitrakot Waterfalls

2012-02-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

Chitrakot is one of the famous tourist spot in Chhattisgarh. This beautiful fall is on Indravati river. The approximate height of the Chitrakot fall is 100 ft. Chitrakot is considered as Mini-Niagara fall because of its shape as horse-shoe. The beauty of the fall is enriched in rainy season. Chitrakot is worth a watch especially in rainy season, between the months of July and October.

Chhattisgarh Tourism has put effort to develop this as a good tourist by providing water boats, canteen, park etc along with flash lights so people can enjoy the beauty of fall at night.

How to Reach:-
To visit Chitrakot, one will have to reach to jagdalpur. Jagdalpur is connected by bus to Raipur and Hyderabad, and by train to Vishakhapatnam. Chitrakot is 38 Km away from Jagdalpur. It takes a drive of about an Hour to reach Chitrakot.

Being in Chitrakot:-

Chitrakot Fall

Sound of water can be heard from a distance, and even the force of water can be realized by the sound. Park is maintained on the top so that people can sit and enjoy the beauty of the fall. Chitrakot is surrounded by greenery which adds to the beauty of the fall. In presence of sunlight rainbow is formed which adds to the beauty. One can spent hours by simply sitting and enjoying the magic of the nature.

Chitrakot Fall from Bottom

If one is not satisfied, they can also move down at the bottom of the Chitrakot and get a clear view of the fall which is not possible from the top. It is a nice place to have picnic, snacks are available at near by hotel but it is insisted to get food from home or hotel from jagdalpur.
At the bottom boat-ride is also available at nominal rate so that people can have closer view of the Chitrakot fall.Also some wooden crafts are also available to buy depicting the local tribal culture. I would insist u should buy some as it would add beauty to your house as well as will work as memento. Important aspect Bargaining is a must.

Also flood lights are provided so that tourist can have view of the Chitrakot waterfall at night. It’s a wonderful experience as u can enjoy the fall in cool breeze and silence. Chitrakot will surely occupy the memories that will last for a life time. My views! Chitrakot is must must watch!!!!!! Hope u enjoy reading blog i will try to provide more information on Chhattisgarh.... Do write comments it keeps me motivated....

Meanwhile, watch out for these amazing waterfalls of India too Tirathgarh Waterfalls and Tamra Ghoomar Waterfall....

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Bastar Shiv Temple

2012-02-09T01:05:00.000-08:00

BASTAR SHIV TEMPLE

Guys!! Forgive me ‘coz I am back again with yet another story of Bastar. Yes, Bastar, a tribal paradise, a virgin odyssey, a mystery. What else can be a better adjective for it? Isn't it?

Sometimes even on having something very near to us , we remain ignorant of the facts, and behave like an ignorant person. Bastar is a live example of it. Being a historical place, and such a promising tourist site, Bastar would have given equal importance at par with other famous historical sites of India, but no one took the initiative. The condition grew more, when the temple and other historical monuments were not even taken care by the governing bodies. Still there are many places in Bastar where valuable monuments are barely exposed and striving for attention. The best examples one can say are the areas of Barsur and Bhairamgarh.
Ok, back to my subject!! Few days back, me and Ashish (my best friend) visited a magnificent, ancient temple called as Shiv Temple of Bastar Village.

Fig: Bastar Village Shiva Temple (photographs by: Jitendra Nakka)

Where and how to reach?

Bastar is a small village which lies on the NW of the District Head Quarter, Jagdalpur, around 20 km away from it. Due to its image as transport junction (as it lies in the mid way of NH-43 between Jagdalpur and Raipur) and other usefulness, it has been recently upgraded as Tehsil. It is nearly 270-280 km from State capital, Raipur. As it is directly connected by NH-43, road transport is the best means to reach here. This temple site is approachable nearly in all the seasons of a year.

Fig: by the courtsey of www.mapsofindia.com

As for the ease of the visitors and tourists, Govt. of Chhattisgarh has taken utmost care for the propagation and knowledge of the nearby surrounding areas. For Boarding and Lodging, there are numerous comfortable and luxurious hotels in Jagdalpur, which often provide tour packages of the whole area, division and district.

On the way of NH-43, Chhattisgarh tourism Board has also made an awesome motel in village Asna, which is also considered as the NW outstation of the District Head-Quarter. Even District Forest Rest House is also available for the interested tourists. But for lodging in any of the two, you have to take permission from the respective authorities.

Historical Importance:

The history of this site is still in dilemma. All we know is from local citizens only, as there is no enough data or written literature about it. It is believed that by the thought of changing the capital region, the kaktiya rulers migrated from Dantewara to Jagdalpur. But before coming to Jagdalpur, they stayed near a village called Bastar, and then finally , they made Jagdalpur, as their capital and renowned their State (kingdom) as Bastar state. It is believed that this temple also belong to that period only.

Archeological Importance:

Still there is need of much research work to be done on the area of the Bastar tehsil, as the area suffers lack of enough historical data to bring out a clear picture. Currently, it’s a protected monument under the control of Archeological Survey of India, Raipur Circle. You would like to know that in the nearby surrounding area, archeologists have found few ancient coins telling about the rich ancient culture.

Religious Importance:

It holds much importance for the people because it is the only and most ancient(of archeological importance) temple found in the district, where people like to come from all parts of the country. On the occasion of Maha-Shivratri, this temple gets flooded by the worshippers and believers.

Art and Sculpture:

Small but truly magnificent, this temple comprises of two rooms/chambers. The first room is for offering prayers and rituals by the worshippers, while the second or the final room is also called ‘Garbha Griha’ where the one and a half feet long ‘Ling’ of Lord Shiva is centrally placed. Except priest, no one is allowed to go up till there. Just before the entrance of Garbha-griha, there are idols of two dwarpals on the either side of the entrance.

Fig: dwarpals before the main entrance of Garbha-Griha (photographs by: Ashish Gadpale)

Fig: Centrally placed Shiv Ling (photographs by: Jitendra Nakka)

Fig: left lateral view of back side of the temple (photographs by: Jitendra Nakka)

The whole temple is made over a two feet high stage and its outer wall of the temple reflects an spectacular example of sculpture symmetry on the either side of the outer walls. The back side is also equally magnificent in sculpture. From an outer view we can observe a short spire like dome artistically carved on the roof of the Garbha-Griha.

Conclusion:

On the conclusion, I should say, that if you want to see one of the most worthseeing ancient archeological temple, if you want to see some of the most rich art and sculpture of the dynasties of this region, do visit BASTAR SHIV TEMPLE.

(Note: Please do tell your near and dear ones about the virgin sites of Chhattisgarh 'coz this site is made only to unveil such kind of mysteries which are still hidden or unexplored, 'coz the name of our site itself denotes QUEST CHHATTISGARH.)

Want to know more about Chhattisgarh,read my post on Narayanpal Temple and famous Mama Bhanja Temple of Chhattisgarh...

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Dushera Festival

2012-01-09T02:05:00.000-08:00

Bastar Dushera
by Jitendra Nakka

Dushera is a festival of victory of Lord Ram over Demon Ravana. It is a festival of triumph of good over evil. It is one of the most important festivals all over in India. But there are some parts of India, where there is different belief for the celebration of this festival. One such place is Bastar Division of Chhattisgarh. It is an example of uniqueness going ethnically parallel with the traditional belief of India.

Where and How to reach?

Bastar is connected directly from state capital, Raipur, through NH-43, nearly 300km away from it. It is also reachable through train routes like Vishakapatnam-Kirandul route, Bhuvneshwar-Jagdalpur route. It is directly connected from Hyderabad(AP) through NH-16 and Nizamabad through NH-221.

For Lodging and Boarding, there are no. of luxurious hotels and motels all around Jagdalpur, Divisional Head Quarter of Bastar.

You can reach here on the mid of October-November ‘coz that is the time of Dushera as usual.

Historical Importance:

15^th century A.D led to one of the most important event in this division which is responsible for the origin of Bastar Dussehra. The Kaktiya ruler (descendants of great Chalukya Dynasty ) King Purushottam Deo went to Jagannath Puri temple for worship and came back as ‘Rath-pati’ with a divine permission to mount on Chariot. From there this trend continued up till yet. Now , it’s a 500 year old festival of Bastar. Earlier it was a hindu festival, but later incorporated and assimilated many customs of local Bastariyas (Tribes).

Religious Importance:

It is the most important festival of Bastar. As I mentioned earlier, unlike the usual belief of India that blessed by Goddess Durga, Lord Ram killed Demon Ravana on the tenth day which later called as Dussehra, here people celebrate it as a kind of meeting of the common citizens(fellow villagers) of the kingdom(Bastar state of Past) with the king (of that time) blessed by Goddess Danteshwari and Mavli.

Traditional Importance:

Bastar Dussehra involves the participation of diverse tribes and castes, high and low, who constituted the praja here. Each group has a specific task assigned to it. These groups continued to do their age-old tasks even after kingship ended over five decades back.

The chariot undoubtedly looks very primitive to an outsider. The swaying juggernaut, when it is pulled by 400+ strong mariyas, impresses upon an onlooker the strength of aboriginal faith.

Specific Days and their Importance:

Beginning with the new moon(Amavasya) in the month of Shravan, Bastar Dussehra spans over 75 days, ending on the thirteenth day of the full moon(Purnima) in the month of Ashwin. It is thus the longest Dussehra in the world. The festival involves specific days and rituals like extraordinary rigor like a young virgin(kumari) swinging on a bed of thorns; a youth(jogi) sitting in vigil, shoulder-deep buried for nine days; possessed medium of local deities dancing eerily on the roads. On these basis, there are many days which are important like patajatra,deri gadhai, kachhan gadi, kalash sthapana, jogi bithai, rath parikrama, nisha jatra, jogi uthai, maoli parghav,bhitar-raini, bahar-raini, kachan-jatra, muriya-darbar,Ohadi, some of these important days are:

(i) Kachhan Gadi (A throne for Kachhan Devi)

On the Ashwin Amavasya, a young virgin(kumari) of the Mrigan-Mahara caste (a scheduled tribe) becomes a medium when a caste diety, kachan devi, descends on her. The girl swings on a swing of thorns, brandishes a sword and grants to the king a flower symbolizing her divine sanction to proceed to proceed with the festival.

(ii) Rath-Parikrama (Chariot Circuit)

A day after jogi has commenced on his penance, the 4-wheeled flower-chariot, phool-rath, begins to circulate round the Mavli Temple every evening upto the seventh day.

(iii) Mavli Parghav (Reception of Devi Mavli )

The pre-kaktiya presiding diety of Bastar, Mavli Devi, considered an elder sister of Danteshwari, is the Chief Guest in the congregation of deities. She is borne from Dantewada in the palanquin(doli) of Danteshwari. The whole division people floods to welcome her with lights, earthen lamps, fire works e.t.c. She is then led to Palace-temple of Danteshwari.

(iv) Bhitar Raini (The Inner Circuit)

On the tenth day(Vijaydashmi) of the bright moon in the month of Ashwin, the 8-wheel chariot runs the usual circumambulatory course around the temple. It has a swing in the top tier where the king would sit and swing. Presently. The raj-guru sits bearing the holy umbrella(chhatra) of Devi Danteshwari. After it has completed its inner circuit and been parked for the night, around 400+ mariyas and muriyas “steal” it away to kamhdakot, a sal(tree dominated area) groove about 2kms away on the southern bank of river Indravati.

Fig: Dussehra Chariot on the eve of Bhitar-Raini (photograph by: Jitendra Nakka)

(v) Baahar Raini (the Outer Circuit)

On the 11^th day of full moon in the month of Ashwin, the king would visit Kamhdakot to offer cooked rice of the new harvest to the Goddess, along with praja. After that the fellow tribes(praja) again pull the chariot back to the Gate of Palace.

Fig: Tribes pulling the Chariot back to Palace (courtsey: www.corbisimages.com)

Fig: Baahar-Raini eve (by the courtsey of www.knowbastar.wordpress.com)

(vi) Kachan Jatra (Thanks Giving)

This is a thanks giving ceremony organized on the 12^th day of Ashwin Purnima to celebrate the successful conclusion of festival through the blessings of Goddess Danteshwari and Mavli.

(vii) Muriya-Darbar (Tribal Chieftians’ Conference)

The same day the tribal chiefs confer with the elected representatives and administrative officers om matters related to public welfare.

Conclusion:

So If you are planning a full week off to visit any beautiful place during winters, if you wanna enjoy some of the unique customs and traditions of Dussehra, please do come Bastar. If you want some more information about Bastar Dussehra, please contact to Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, Raipur and Jagdalpur. From there, you can get details about this festival and nearby tourist sites. Don’t forget Chitrakote and Tirathgarh waterfalls are very near from Jagdalpur.

(Note: A part of the citation is inspired by tourism catalogue on 'Bastar Dussehra' published by Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, so you can get more info from that catalogue also.)

Want to know more about Chhattisgarh,read my post on Tribal Culture and Jagdalpur also known as City of Squares...

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Narayanpal Temple

2012-01-09T01:53:00.001-08:00

Narayanpal Temple
by Jitendra Nakka

Chhattisgarh is full of surprises. As we know occupied by majority of the tribes, this land always tells about some of the interesting stories of the folks, but along with the tribes, there were some great dynasties also who contributed a lot to the history of Chhattisgarh like the dynasties of Cholas, Chalukyas, Nagwanshis , kaktiyas etc.

In the area of Bastar division, still the remains of devastated monoliths ( Bhairamgarh), Wrecked and devastated temple series of Bhairamgrah, Barsur, Chitrakote, Dantewara, Kuruspal tells that once there was a well civilized golden age in Bastar. Likewise one such important temple is the temple of NARAYANPAL.

Fig: Narayanpal Vishnu Temple Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

When and how to reach?

The temple of Narayanpal is on the North-west of the Divisional and District head Quarter of Bastar i.e Jagdalpur and lies on the famous Chitrakote Road, near the confluence of River Indravati and River Narangi.It is nearly 37 km away from jagdalpur.

For reaching upto here, we have travel on Chitrakote road upto Lohandiguda, from where we can see a pool or bridge constructed on river Indravati. Crossing the bridge and travelling again just upto 2 km more, we can reach this village. As the bridge is quite high ( no need to worry for rains), and the village being directly connected from Chitrakote road, it is easily reachable all over the year.

Fig: Geographic location of Narayanpal Village (by the courtesy of www.mapsofindia.com)

Many hotels are available at Jagdalpur with a good lodging and boarding facilities, and some of them even provide tour packages also. So in that sense it may be a great deal for you. Some of the good hotels are Hotel Akash, Hotel Akanksha, Hotel Rainbow , Hotel Ganapati resort, Hotel Naman Bastar etc.

For the comfort of tourists, Chhattisgarh touris Board has made some beautiful motels and hotels on Chitrakote waterfall, which is just 5 km away from this temple.

Fig: Narayanpal Vishnu Temple Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Historical Importance:

It is believed that this divine temple has been established by the Queen Gund-Mahadevi, wife of Dharavarhsa Jagdek Bhushan, Chhindak Nagwanshi Dynasty ruler of around 11^th century A.D.

But here there is one contradiction also, according to other belief this magnificent temple has been established by the mother of Nagwanshi ruler Someshwar, around 12^th century A.D.

Fig: Narayanpal Vishnu Temple Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Archeological Importance:

There is still the need of more research work on this area of Chhattisgarh, as it lacks enough amount of historical information to bring a clear picture. The Archeological Survey of India has taken an initiative to excavate the nearby area of the bank of river Indravati in order to acquire more information about the area. This temple is now under the care of Archeological Survey of India and is a centrally protected monument by ASI, Raipur circle.

Fig:Notice Board Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Religious Importance:

It is one of the most important temple of Bastar region, as it is the one of the rarest example of Lord Vishnu temple in Bastar. Local people celebrate a kind of festival (called ‘jatra’ ) and local fair is also held on, at the time of beginning of the year.

Fig: Narayanpal Vishnu Temple Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Art and Sculpture:

Situated on the bank of confluence of river Indravati and river Narangi(which is a tributary of Indravati), this temple is an exotic example of the Nagawanshi Art and Sculpture. The temple consists of two chambers, in which the first chamber is meant for offering prayers and the second chamber is Garbha-Griha, where the divine ancient idol of Lord Vishnu is centrally placed.

The temple from outside gives an artistic example of symmetry of the designs on the either walls of the temple. The roof of the Garbh-Griha shows an example of dome-shaped high roofs, which probably resembles like the temple construction style of Orissa.

Fig: Narayanpal Vishnu Temple Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

This beautiful temple is an artistic example of construction of temple over a stage formation, where the stage is about 1 meter of height.

Fig: Narayanpal Vishnu Temple Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Conclusion:

Being in the laps of Holy River Indravati and famous Chitrakote Waterfalls, this village has got a god gifted unique natural beauty which is doubled by the presence of this ancient monument. So if you wanna see an exotic example of one of the rarest example of Lord Vishnu temple, do visit NARAYANPAL.

Want to know more about Chhattisgarh,read my post on famous Bastar Dusherra and famous Danteshwari Temple of Chhattisgarh...

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Barsur

2012-01-09T01:36:00.000-08:00

Barsur:
by Jitendra Nakka

Hi Guys!! How r u? Another story from Bastar, perhaps you guys must be thinking about my interest and focus on it. Yes, I admit it ‘coz it I belong to this area, and know it better than others, but its all about Chhattisgarh, not about just a division, nevertheless, let’s start. Well, as you know Bastar being the most untouched area of Chhattisgarh, still manages to bring out some of the mysterious facts about this state, rather it may be about culture, customs and traditions of the state, rather may be about the ancient cities, their art and sculpture, rather may be about natural tourists places etc. This time I have tried to enlighten and focus some of the facts about an ancient city of Bastar called BARSUR.

Geographical Location:

Situated on the bank of holy Indravati river, this village lies to the north of transport junction Geedam and District head-quarter Dantewada. Its location is 19.1349514N, 81.3862038E.

When and How to reach?

Situated on the bank of river Indravati, Barsur is 21 km away from the transport junction Geedam and nealy 33km away from the district head quarter, Dantewara. It is also connected from Divisional Head Quarter Jagdalpur, nearly 98 km from it. By all means, it is connected from major towns by Bus route only. It is reachable on all seasons of the year.

As we have many hotels in Jagdalpur who are providing tour packages, you can enjoy a wonderful trip to Barsur. There are some tourist hotels, guest houses and rest houses made by forest department of both the district headquarters of Bastar and Dantewara. On the way from Geedam to Dantewara, tourism board of Chhattisgarh has made a beautiful guest house, allotted for tourists.

Historical Importance:

As told by the name ‘Barsur’ itself, it denotes a bright history of the area right from the mythology of Banasur to Rise and fall of Nagawanshi rulers to reign of kaktiya rulers, with the presence of hundreds of ancient idols and statues and monuments, to support every fact of its golden history.

Religious Importance:

Here we can still see many temples, like the Huge Ganesha twin temple, the Mama-Bhanja temple, the Battisa temple, the Chandratiya temple, the Goddess Mavli temple, etc. All these temple are most important centres of worship for the whole state, and a big convention( religious fair called jatra) is organized here annually.

Mythological Importance:

This place was anciently called as BALSURYAGARH or CHAKRAKOTE. There is a myth here, that once these area was ruled by Demon Ruler Banasur. Later this area came in to the hands of the Nagwanshi rulers, who made it their capital and developed it as one of the most important center of art and culture. There are still many ancient proofs like remains of 100 ponds and 100 temples, which can tell that this area once enjoyed a golden age.

Later on this area came under the control of the kaktiya rulers, who chose Dantewara as their capital, thereby lost its importance and with the lack of proper maintenance, the temple and other monuments got ruined, wrecked and devastated.

Archeological Importance:

This village is of great archeological importance because still there are many ancients temples and statues/idols which can tell about the history clearly. Even on the bank, archeologists have found some of the ancient antique coins which tell that Nagawanshi rulers ruled this area near around 14^th century A.D.

Temples:

As told earlier, this place once had around 100 temples, which are still able to tell about historical art and sculture of the area, in the form of remnants of those temples. Much of the temples have got wrecked and devasted but the few which are recently renovated and maintained by the local body are the Huge Ganesha twin temple, the Mama-Bhanja temple, the Battisa temple, the Chandratiya temple, the Goddess Mavli temple, etc

Ganesha twin Temple:

As represented by the name, this temple is devoted to Lord Ganesha. Here we can see the artistic twin statues of Lord Ganesha, where the left is smaller than the right one. Both the statues are very big, the smaller one being the size of 5 feet and the later one is of around 6 feet. Nearby the temple, we can still see devastated example of the respective temple whose remnants are still present there.

Fig: Ganesha twins(renovated) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Fig: Ganesha twins(devastated ancient temple) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Battisa Temple:

As meant by the name, this temple have 32 pillars (stambh) , having 4 rows and eight columns, which is spectacular to see because of its symmetry all around in every pillar. Here in one temple there are two garbh-griha for lord Shiva with the presence of two individual big Shiv-lings, one on each garbh-griha. This temple shows a artistic example of temple construction over a stage formation.

Fig: Battisa Temple(right lateral view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Fig: Battisa Temple(inner view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Fig: Battisa Temple(back view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Fig: Battisa Temple(Garbha-griha view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Mama-Bhanja Temple:

Actually this temple is devoted to Lord Ganesha, But its popularly called as Mama-Bhanja Temple because according to ancient mythology, the sculptist Mama and bhanja are punished to complete its construction in 1 day, otherwise the consequence was, one should kill other, But they successfully managed to build it, hence named after them.

Fig: Mama Bhanja Temple (left view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Fig: Mama Bhanja Temple (back view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Chandraditya Temple:

This temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. Situated near a beautiful pond, this temple shows an artistic example of carvings of idols and statues all around the outer walls of the temple, where the ridges of the outer walls are decorated by the carvings of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, and that of the grooves are decorated by erotic carvings. The inner view shows the Nandi-Maharaj(Bull) facing towards the Garbh-Griha of the temple. The Garbh-Griha of the temple is beautifully carved by Nagwanshi art and sculpture with the centrally placed Shiv-Ling.

Fig: Chandraditya Temple (back lateral view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Fig: Alternate Ridges and Grooves showing carvings of Hindu Gods/Goddesses and erotic paintings (photograph by: Jitendra Nakka)

Fig: Chandraditya Temple (inner view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Fig: Chandraditya Temple (Garbha-Griha view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Goddess Mavli Temple:

As represented by the name, this temple is devoted to one of the sister of Goddess Danteshwari called Goddess Mavli, who is considered to be a form of Mahisasurmardini Goddess Durga. Earlier it was just an idol placed over an exposed area, but the local body and youth committee took an initiative and temple around it. Now it is properly under care.

Fig: Goddess Mavli Temple (front lateral view) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Fig: Goddess Mavli Temple (centrally placed main idol) Photograph by: Jitendra Nakka

Other tourist places:

Barsur is also called as the South Gate of Abujhmad. Going to the north towards the way of the Jwahar Navodya Vidyalaya, we can also see the awaited Bodhghat Reservoir Scheme.

Similarly going to the north of the Bodhghat reservoir, their lies a bridge called Saath Dhar pool, from where two km afterwards we can enjoy a very beautiful waterfall of Indravati river called Saath Dhar waterfalls. As the name denotes, the Indravati river suffers braiding and divides itself into seven different streams of water called as Saath-Dhar.

Conclusion :

In the last, I must say , if you wanna visit a worthseeing tourist place, if you wanna admire some of the most spectacular ancient temple, their art and sculpture, if you wanna see really a natural place ever, do visit BARSUR.

Want to know more about Chhattisgarh,read my post on Bastar Shiva Temple and famous Danteshwari Temple of Chhattisgarh...

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