Having amply soaked in the spellbinding beauty of the North East India, I would have scoffed at the idea that some place in the country may match or outshine it. The North East is often (though not wrongly) romanticized as the pinnacle of nature’s splendour. Its remoteness, exoticized culture(s) and vast geographical expanse adds to this image. However, if someone told me that Chhattisgarh state which lies nearly in the heart of the great Indian landmass, competes with the North East in this regard, I would not have easily believed.
Our six-day trip to Jagdalpur entirely changed this perspective. It opened our eyes to some of the most magical places one has ever seen and left us speechless at the gigantic size of its forests. It showed us a thriving tribal subculture which has (so far) withstood the onslaught of so- called modernity and has safeguarded its basic innocence in the cradle of fierce nature. The troubled, violent history of Maoist insurgency has given Chhattisgarh a bad name in the minds of urbanized middle classes in Indian Metro cities. The risks associated with leisure- driven exploration of such unsettled regions are, of course, not unfounded. But it is a gamble worth taking, as I had learnt to my delight during the (ad)ventures in Manipur two years ago.
Our ride this time was the brand new (ok, around six months old but as good) Mahindra Scorpio-N (Petrol AT Z8). We were keen to observe its performance and comfort levels (Note: Both turned out to be flawless).
Our five- day trip was intended to cover the two adjoining districts of Dantewada and Bastar (Jagdalpur is the district HQ). Our port d’embarquement was Hyderabad.
Day One: Hyderabad- Warangal- Bijapur- Jagdalpur
We drove out of our abode at 06.00hrs and hopped on to the fabled Hyderabad ORR, heading for the Warangal exit. On ORR one can easily reach a speed of 100-120Kmph and so did we.
A short while later we were on the four- lane highway to Warangal. The highway was pleasant to drive upon, though the urbanization on either side was a little too much for our liking. However, the scene began to change soon and we could see vast farmlands on either side of the highway.
A breakfast break at a roadside dosa stall did well to cheer us up.
A short bad patch where road widening work was in progress.
Crossing the gigantic bridge on Godavari.
We crossed the Eturnagaram Wildlife sanctuary. Traffic was sparse and road, though somewhat narrow, was smooth to drive upon.
A large number of dead monkeys were lying all along the road. We counted close to 15 of them. All these were roadkill caused by speeding vehicles. Some deaths were clearly as recent as within the last hour. Feeling sad and shocked, we refrained from taking pictures. The sight was highly upsetting.
As we approached Chhattisgarh border, the landscape changed to hills and thick forests. An undefined thrill rose in our minds.
From here on right till Jagdalpur, it was a gradual but constant incline as the height from MSL kept increasing.
Bird’s eye view of a barrage
A spicy but sumptuous lunch at Bijapur
By the time we drew closer to Jagdalpur, we had covered over 550 Km and the evening shadows were lengthening. The longest part of road journey had passed without a hitch.
Day Two: Chitrakote, Barsur, Dantewada
We set sail at 08.00rsh for Chitrakote waterfalls, known as India‘s Niagara. The drive from Jagdalpur was short and quick as there was barely any traffic. The villages en route were just about stirring awake.
We left our car in the nearly empty parking ground at Chitrakote and began walking towards the waterfalls. A grove near the road had this big bat colony.
First sight of the Chitrakote waterfall as one approaches it from the road, is overawing.
A big Shiv temple overlooks the panoramic view.
Chitrakote waterfall is on Indravati river which is a thing of beauty in itself. One gets to spot it in many places around Jagdalpur.
Having soaked in the splendid top- view, we began to descend to the river by a flight of steps.
Soon we were gawking at the massive spectacle on display
A boat ride to the base of the waterfall is the most anticipated part of Chitrakote visit. It is a short excursion of 10-15 minutes. But the excitement is next level as the boat moves very close to the rock face and the aerosol sprays from pouring water thoroughly drench everybody.
I look forward to jumping through Chitrakote waterfall someday. There are several overhangs along the wall and a jump looks possible. This time however, I had to make do with just a dip downstream.
The experience of having a peaceful, quiet riverside all by ourselves, with a gigantic waterfall roaring further upstream was straight out of an adventure movie and we made the most of it.
Back at the top, we quickly headed for the nearest pushcart selling a tempting breakfast of Maggie, omelette and coffee. The owner, a young, petite, cheerful tribal girl named Babli (or Bubbly if one may spell it so) happily chatted with us as she rustled up our food.
Next on our agenda was Barsur, known for its numerous ancient 11th century temples which, even today carry the undefinable mystique of ancient times.
The road from Chitrakote to Barsur was as good as deserted. There was nearly no human presence. The road passes through some utterly beautiful forests and crosses a pretty little river which is an Indravati subsidiary. Unaware of what lack of road traffic means in these parts of the world, we innocently stopped at this solitary bridge and soaked in the peace for a good length of time, even going down to the river for some photography.
After returning to Jagdalpur in the evening, we learnt that the Chitrakote– Barsur road is not considered safe for travel due to Naxal influence.
We arrived in Barsur in an hour’s time. It is said that there were over a hundred temples here. But what is left is mostly ruins, though a few temples have survived in intact shape. The origins of these temples are unclear. Why so many of them are in one place, within walking distance of each other is also a puzzle. Was this a major Hindu pilgrimage centre?
Even today, Barsur is barely a biggish village. Farmlands and forests surround it from all sides.
The first site we visited was the Twin Ganeshas. These are two Ganesh idols of different sizes set next to each other. If there was a temple around them at some point of time, it doesn’t exist anymore. The idols are made in sandstone.
Mama Bhanja temple still stands in its original shape and is quite beautiful to look at. It is actually a Shiv temple. Then why this peculiar name? No one knows.
Chandraditya Temple has its own lawns laid out by ASI. It doesn’t have a Shikhara. But at some point it must have had one.
Battisa temple is an interesting structure. It has not one but two Garbh Grihas set side by side. I doubt if this feature is seen in any other Hindu temple anywhere. Why this unique design? Nobody can say. It also has a large Mandap which makes it the biggest of all temples in Barsur.
We also visited the 16 Pillar temple which is in utter ruins. It gave me big time mystical vibes. But we could not find the eponymous 16 pillars.
We had spent close to two hours at Barsur. It was lunch time. But Barsur doesn’t have much to offer by way of meal options. So we decided to head for Gidam. After a filling lunch, we turned our wheeler in the direction of Dholkal Ganesh Hill. Bypassing Dantewada town we swiftly reached our destination.
But alas, we were ill-informed. We reached the base almost at 15.30hrs which was late. Trek to Dholkal Ganesh has to start latest by 14.00hrs. Disappointed, we turned around and headed for Dantewada
Danteshwari temple in Dantewada town is a protected monument. It continues to be a wooden structure. It also has a Deepmala in front, which is not found in North Indian temples.
But its courtyard and surroundings are rapidly changing into cement, concrete and marble.
There are numerous black stone idols, small and big.
It was getting dark. It had been a tiring but very exciting first day in Chhattisgarh. We decided to call it off and fall back to Jagdalpur via the Bijapur highway.
(To be continued)
Chalat Musafir 