Exploring Chhattisgarh- Bastar

I had always regretted the fact that having lived in Chhattisgarh since my childhood I never really explored it. As I visited my hometown Raipur (the capital of Chhattisgarh) this time I had resolved to go on a short trip to Bastar. Bastar had many things to offer: Chitrakote waterfalls, Kutumsar Caves, Tirathgarh waterfalls, Danteshwari temple. I was mainly tempted by the Chitrakote waterfalls, which are the largest in India in terms of water volume. Many people dissuaded me for the trip, as summer is not the best season to travel in Chhattisgarh, the heat is sweltering but paying no heed to them me & my family decided to go.

There are very few travel agencies offering standard tour packages for Bastar you have to decide on your itinerary. Jagdalpur is the district headquarters of the Bastar district and is well connected by road from Raipur. All the above-mentioned tourist spots are approachable from Jagdalpur by road and it is a sensible decision to base at Jagdalpur if you are on a trip to Bastar. Jagdalpur is around 250 Kms from Raipur and by bus it is an overnight journey, the buses being quite frequent.

We reached Jagdalpur in the morining and put-up in a hotel close to the bus-stand. As I mentioned earlier all the tourist attractions are approachable by road from Jagdalpur but there are no tourist buses to these places, you have to hire a vehicle on your own. We hired a tata sumo from the taxi stand and set off for our first destination the Kutumsar caves.

Kutumsar caves

Kutumsar Caves are 38 Kms from Jagdalpur and are located in the Kanger valley national park. As we entered the National park a forest guard accompanied us, as the caves cannot be entered unguided. We didn’t see any wildlife just cows and goats in the park; I guess you have to go on a separate trail for wildlife sightings. But I was more than happy to be on a road surrounded by trees on both sides; even on a summer afternoon it was a pleasant journey. As we reached the Kutumsar caves our driver said ‘Don’t be afraid’, good advice and was coming at the right time too.

The forest guard had a solar lamp with him and he gave another lamp to us, which my dad, mom and sis handle taking turns, I was busily clicking pictures of anything and everything. The entrance to the caves was the scariest part, the stairs being circuitous and slippery. As we entered the caves we could feel the decline in temperatures as the last rays of sun left us. Spooky and eerie are the words that best describe the caves; our guide lead us to nowhere. He showed us the Stalagmites and Stalactites, which I remember from my geography books just because I always used to get confused between them. The wonderful circuitous patterns formed on the rocks modern art handcrafted by water. Rocks, which look so much like idols, our guide told us that they too are the works of water. We walked for around 330 meters dodging pools of water (which breed blind fish), unsuspecting niches and reached the end of the permissible area of the caves. The cave meanders to another kilometer and half but that area is restricted because of the low oxygen levels. Short of breath (because of walking or because of the decline in oxygen level, I guess both), we sat down there for some time. I remembered the many Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries set in caves, which were a part of my childhood; in Kutumsar I had at least lived a part of the adventure.

Kailasha Gufa around 2 Kms from Kutumsar caves is similar and we didn’t visit it.

Tirathgarh waterfalls

The Tirathgarh waterfall on the Kanger River is also located in the Kanger Valley National park. We could hear the waterfall even as we walked down stairs to its base and we caught glimpses of it through the trees. As we reached the base I couldn't stop admiring the waterfall, which though not in its full glory was still a sight to behold. I clicked pictures of my parents and sis with the waterfall as the background. I was tempted to enter the puddle of water formed by the waterfall but stoppd short, not confident enough of my swimming skills. We reached the point where water from the fall enters the puddle, there is just enough place for a person to stand. I held to the rock precariously and stood there for a long time, feeling the pearl drops falling on my face. The view from there was breathtaking, the Sun behind the hill lights up every drop, every gush of water.

Chitrakote waterfalls

This was our last stop, and we all felt rejuvenated after the yummy lunch at the Dhaba on the way back from Tirathgarh falls. Chitrakote a horse-shoe shaped waterfall formed by the Indravati river is called the Niagara of India and it certainly deserves the title, the best time to visit it is after Monsoons but even in summer it had a reasonable volume of water. Two thick strands of water fall down the steep height, we watch as a fisherman rowed his boat right to the spot where water falls with full force. (I so much wish that I were in his place.)

Much to our parents' chagrins my sis and me wanting a piece of the adventure wanted to go close to the water. We reached the place were the water from the river gushes down but is stranded by a rock before falling down. We were literally on the top of the waterfall now; I dipped my feet in the water as it rushed with full force. The place where we sit would have been submerged in water totally if it were Monsoons, I imagine the fall in its full splendor during the rainy season and tell myself that there always is a next time.

The Chhattisgarh tourism has log huts overlooking the waterfall, one can even arrange for a performance of tribal dance there.

Chhattisgarh certainly has potential to become a tourist destination if promoted in the right way. The fact that there were no bus tours shows that we have a long way to go; unless there are a reasonable number of tourists it would be foolish to start bus services but unless tourism is organized there will be very few tourists. It is a vicious circle of sorts and we have to get out of it.

P.S. - Would have posted the pics but the memory card got corrupted. Will load them if I have any luck retrieving them.