It’s covered with nature’s canopy of sal, teak and bamboo trees, and carpeted with lush vegetation. It’s got a bio-diversity hot spot, 3 National Parks and 10 Wildlife Sanctuaries. Its people revere the land – for them, each day is a celebration of life, in which you are welcome to participate. Welcome to Chhattisgarh, the land that’s full of surprises.
One of India’s youngest states, Chhattisgarh has the country’s densest jungles, rivaling those of the Amazon – 44% of the state is under forest cover. Spectacular waterfalls – the horseshoe-shaped Chitrakot; Tiratgarh, which splits into multiple falls as it descends; and many more dotted all over the countryside - sustain the greenery, as well as an amazing variety of Nature’s creatures, including the Bastar Hill Mynah bird, which is said to be able to mimic the human voice. Put on your explorer hat as you step into the massive limestone caves of Kutumsar, Dandak and Kailash, buried deep in the ground at the Kanger Valley National Park in Bastar. Wrap your mind around the aeons it took to build the humongous stalactites and stalagmites found here. Seek the divine blessings of the Goddess at the three shaktipeeths at Dorngargarh, Ratanpur and Dantewara, or any of the many old and enchanting temples.
Indigenous people live here in harmony with the land, one with nature, as they have done since ancient times. The tribes of Gond Maria, Muria, Dorla and Baiga, India’s oldest … each has its distinct culture, manifested through cuisine, music, dance, dress and crafts. Decades of isolation from urban “civilization” have ensured that all have retained their essential simplicity. Eco-friendliness, for them, is not a fad or style statement, it is a way of life, intrinsic to their very being. Try, if you dare, their local brews - mahua, landa or sulphi, or a spoonful of the red ant chutney. Rock to the music of Dandari, Gedi or Parab. For the less adventurous, or the shopaholics, there are a multitude of crafts to choose from - wall paintings, fiber hangings, bell metal work, wrought iron, wood carving, sisal and bamboo items, terracotta, kosa silk, all adorned with simple tribal motifs, an ode to tribal art.
Festivals in India are generally a riot of noise and colour with a healthy dose of traditions, spirituality, and feasting, but tribal fairs and festivals are something else entirely, showcasing native customs and local ways of celebrating national days. So, while Dassera is celebrated in Bastar as in all of India, it does not mark the triumphant return of Lord Rama (the hero of the epic Ramayana) to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. Bastar Dassera is celebrated as a congregation of Devi Maoli (Bastar's native deity, revered as the "elder sister" of Devi Danteshwari, the family goddess of the ruling Kakatiya family), and all her sisters. Hundreds of priests bring flower-bedecked local deities to the Danteshwari temple in Jagdalpur.
A land where nature and her descendents still live in harmony … that’s Chhattisgarh for you, an Eco-Ethno Fantasy!
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