Just Another Day In Paradise – Chhattisgarh, India

JATMAI AND GHATARANI TEMPLE & WATERFALL – Less than 100km southeast of the capital, Raipur, the Jatmai Temple commemorates Goddess Durga in a stunning lush green setting. The small white shrine is swaddled between a dense copse. The devotion to the spot by the religious and the weekend picnickers is for reasons much more than spiritual quest; after all, the magnificent Ghatrani Waterfall lies just 25km from here, making it an easy addition to the trip. This is the closest place from Raipur city where the state reveals its extraordinary beauty and biodiversity.

The waterfall doesn’t drop in a deep gorge or plummet from a rocky cliff-side. Instead, it playfully gurgles over the mildly undulating rockscape. This gives easy access to tourists, to plonk themselves in the middle of the rocks and enjoy the view from the cool confines of a watery perch. The gentle stream of water, intense greenery and the intrigue of the jungle make a compelling reason to sit here for hours. When the excitement of the tourists dips and the surroundings are alive with sounds from the, the Hill Myna (state bird of Chhattisgarh) can be heard reclaiming her abode.

KANGER VALLEY NATIONAL PARK – Rich and rugged mountains hiding a network of stunning caves within them, thundering waterfalls and the verdant topography of one of the densest forests of the world are hard to miss when in Chhattisgarh. The Kanger Valley National Park lies in the Bastar region off Jagdalpur in the southern part of the state. With a sizable spread of semi deciduous swathes of forest cover, the national park is home to tigers, leopards, deer, sambar, barking deer, jackals, sloth bears, wild boar, striped hyena, crocodiles and snakes who roam the untouched patches with abandon.

Amongst the lush forests, there are two highlights that draw the traveller more than anything else in this enchanted land; the Kutumsar Cave and Kanger Dhara. To reach the Kutumsar Cave, one has to drive past Dhurva (tribals) settlements into the forest and arrive at a wide clearing in the middle. From here narrow steps wend down to the Kutumsar Cave. The network of Kutumsar, Dandak and Kailash caves were found by a forest official Mr. Bhatiram Taram in 1995. Of these Kutumsar Caves are open for travellers. The narrow entrance opens up with a wide hall, 300 meters in length.

Only when the mild light illuminates the ceiling of the cave, is when one sees the magnificent ancient limestone stalagmites dripping from above and the stalactites rise up from the muddy floor of the cave. A small water collection in a corner is home to the blindfish here and the smell of the bats precede the sound of their flapping wings-all in all an enthralling picture surrounds you. Patterns formed by the rigor of weathering over thousands of years look like paintings on the walls of the cave.

One can hear the gurgling of the Kanger Dhara stream from a small clearing along the road near the entrance of the Kutumsar Cave. This is the sound of the Kanger River, which feeds many villages along the way and is the main lifeline for animals inside the forest. Sit by the river for a while and you may be lucky enough to spot an animal along the edge.

BARNAWAPARA SANCTUARY – Christened after ‘Bar’ and ‘Nawapara’ villages that lie in the heart of this jungle, the Barnawapara Sanctuary is a robust offering of undulating terrain of forested hillocks. Naturally, wildlife is abundant—the Indian bison (Gaur), cheetal, sambar, Neelgai and wild boar are not hard to spot.

ACHANAKMAR TIGER RESERVE – Overlapping the same forest, it is ideal for its reticent key occupant, the tiger, to make it its preferred dwelling in Chhattisgarh. The rich green, almost virgin forest spread is bifurcated by several blue capillaries on the map; these are tributaries of Mahanadi, River Balamdehi and Jonk River. Adding to the rich sprawl of nature’s bounty are the saal, teak and mixed forest trees, stretching towards the sun, leaving the undergrowth below in a palate of a million shades of green.

BASTAR DUSSEHRA FESTIVAL

The Bastar Dussehra Mahotsav started in the 13th century in Bade Dongar, the erstwhile capital of the Kakatiya Kings. The King of Bastar, Purushotam Dev was an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath of Puri. In order to amplify the cultural fabric of his Kingdom, he walked to Puri to pay obeisance to the Lord with gifts and gold. Impressed by the enormity of his atonement, Lord Jagannath appeared in the temple priest’s dream and asked him to give this devotee the title of Rath Pati (head of a chariot) and a chariot from the longstanding tradition of a festival held in Puri.

King Purushotam was given a towering wooden chariot with 16 wheels. Till date, it is the main draw of the Bastar Dussehra. Overlapping with the dates of the Hindu festival of Navratri, the Bastar Dussehra reaches a crescendo in the last 10 days of the 75-day festival. It is mostly a commemoration of Goddess Danteshwari, with the convergence of thousands of tribals with their own village deities in Jagdalpur town. The festival starts in July and ends only in October, with significant festivities and rituals scattered over these months.

MAJOR EVENTS

75: DAYS, PAATH JATRA – Given that the chariot is the main focus of the festivities, on the first day, tribals from the region bring a piece of sal tree log. The ceremony starts with invocation to the piece of wood with sacrifice of mongri fish and goats. The King blesses the wood and ushers in a period of festivities.

45: DERI GADHAI – On the second ceremonious day of the festival, almost a month after the Paath Jatra, villagers bring a cluster small branches to install a mandap. A range of other objects are also placed along with the branches. The main ingredient here is puffed rice, which is kept with the branches. An auspicious start to the festival is continued with this creation of a mandap.

30, KACHCHIN GADI – Two weeks after the Deri Gadhai, it is time for the Kachchin Gadi Pooja at an ancient gudi (temple), dedicated to Goddess Kachchin. On this day, a young virgin from the village adorns the role of Kachchin Devi, by going into trance and sit on a swing of thorns. The King arrives here to ask the Devi for her permission to start the festival.

10: KALASH STHAPANA – The Kalash Sthapana takes off from the Hindu custom during Navratris, of sowing barley in small pots and commencing the puja of the Goddess. The evening of the Kalash Sthapana is also reserved for Jogi Paithayee. In this, a specific Muria (tribal) family of devotees is under focus. A young man of the family starts a fast of nine days, sitting in one position inside a deep pit, in order to ask the Goddess to bless the region.

3: MAHA ASHTAMI – The morning is assigned to the Ashtami puja at the Danteshwari temple at Bastar Palace. On this day, the celebrations are at the Danteshwari temple and entail a gathering of royal priests and the King to worship the weapons of the Goddess. On the same night an intriguing ceremony called Nisha Jatra takes place. The ceremony begins with the King paying homage, while 12 men from the milkmen community arrive with earthen pots filled with bhog.

3: JOGI UTHAYEE – The Jogi Uthayee comes after nine days of Jogi sitting on a fast at the concrete pit at the Sirhasar Bhavan. It is finally time for him to take his first morsel of food in so many days and complete the challenging act of obeisance for the Goddess.

2, PROCESSION FROM THE DANTESHWARI TEMPLE – This is the day that the Devi leaves in a palanquin for Jagdalpur with Bison Horn Marias leading the procession with a dance from her temple in Dantewada. At night, the palanquin arrives in Jagdalpur to be welcomed by the King (dressed as a priest).This is known as Mavali Parghav.

2: BHEETAR RAINI WITH RATH PARIKRAMA – Finally the day comes when the chariot is ready to be showcased fully and carry Goddess Danteshwari around the city. The circular perambulation of the town is done amidst swarms of people and hypnotic Angas (possessed God men) running unpredictably. At night, when the chaos subsides, the Bison Horn Marias mock-steal the rath again and drag it to the Kumda-kot field, — 4km outside town.

1: KACHCHAN JATRA – As a sequel to the Kachchan Gadi puja in the beginning of the celebrations. This is the day to bid adieu to the Kachchan Devi through the young virgin girl who embodies the spirit of the Devi.

1: BAHAR RAINI WITH RATH PARIKRAMA – The next morning, the King arrives with his ministers to retrieve the chariot.

0: KUTUMB JATRA – This is the final day when all the Gods and Goddesses bid adieu. A makeshift shrine is created with banana leaves, paddy, flowers and offerings in a small field. The celebrations reach a crescendo with many people under the spell of the devis. At midnight, the mightiest Danteshwari Devi leaves for Dantewada.