While I was anticipating a visit to Uttarakhand, I was suddenly required to go to Chhattisgarh. Again it was 'Bird Flu'. The going was not very difficult! Like most of my Bird Flu visits, this also was my first visit to the concerned place. Chhatisgarh, a Sea-Horse shaped land locked state, I only knew was carved out of Madhya Pradesh few years back
Chhattisgarh has been trying to find it's entity since British times. It implies that it existed even before that. The area was a part of the Central Provinces under British rule. In my short stay, I perceived that there is a northern Raipur region and a southern Bastar area. There are various theories to the etymology but definitely 36 forts are NOT there. Some say that this region was unification of 36 fiefs into a princely state. That does not hold ground as Bastar, kanker, Raipur, Raigarh, Kawardha were independent kingdoms. The other version is that the name derives from 36 houses (Ghar) that were built by families that migrated into these hitherto forests. To me the name remains a mystery, though I am sure it can not be such a big suspense or else why this young state would have been named so!
The scenic beauty of Chhattisgarh is evident as one travels from Raipur to Bastar. This was the region referred to as 'Dandak' Van in Ramayana. The region is interspersed with 'Ghats', the small hills, that are part of the great Eastern Ghats. It appeared to me that there are hills in the northern part of the state and in south with plateau in between. As one travels across the Ghats, 'Tendu' trees are visible in abundance. The young leaves of this tree are used for making 'Bidi' and I suppose "tendu patta' collection is an important occupation of the state. There is a weed that I have seen in all the states that I have visited. It grows at the edges of the farms, near the roads. It is called 'Besharam' here! As I crossed one hill, my attention was brought to a rock on top of it. That rock is said to be used for giving death penalty by the erstwhile 'Raja', by pushing people from there. Now, there are stories of those rocks being frequented by a leopard. I was told, wild Bison, Bear and Leopard are the common wildlife in these forests.
On the way to Jagdalpur, the capital of Bastar, there is a midway restaurant by the name of 'Makdi'. It is said to be there for more than 40 years. It's probably the best known midway restaurant in the region. It's branding was noticeable as the waiters wore t-shirts with a spider logo. I was reminded of BTW. As one starts reaching Bastar, one notices the teakwood trees on both sides of the highway. Sight of tribal women wearing sarees in their characteristic style becomes common. Bastar, known as one of the most backward regions of India with poorest income, education, life expectancy etc, is very beautiful. There are forests that are easily mistaken for orchards. The lush green fields with large water bodies and flowers of various colours is a sight to see.
Carvings and statues of tribal men wearing a helmet with two horns aka Viking helmet, playing drum that hangs by the neck, is a common sight in Bastar. That almost is an emblem! Wood carvings, related to tribal culture are also visible. Jagdalpur, the capital of Bastar region is said to have been developed by a former queen, popularly known as 'Maharani'. The town is remarkable as there are no 'gullies' and only roads that cross each other at a perpendicular. It appears to be a well designed city and reminded me of Chandigarh. One of the popular crossings is known as 'Chandni Chowk' where statues of four tribal women are installed.
The royal history of Bastar is also interesting. We had the pleasure of hearing it from the 'King' himself. One of the 'Kakatiya' rulers immigrated to Bastar from the present 'Warangal' area of Andhra. He and subsequent rulers, populated the area by bringing people from neighbouring areas. They looked after the welfare of the local tribals well and became popular. It is said that one of the kings was guided, by Goddess 'Danteshwari', who gave him a sword, that is still with the royal family. We visited the palace, that looked like an old mansion. The gates were wide open, we entered a hall that led us to another. We almost bumped into few people who were sitting on the sofas placed there. Their comfort level conveyed to us that they were not visitors. Later we came to know that the king of Bastar was hosting the queen of Kawardha there. The young king, who has been educated at Cambridge, then came to enlighten us. Though he did not tell us but we knew that his predecessor was killed at the doorsteps of that palace in a police action in 1966. It is said he was leading a tribal rebellion. I did not venture into the fact finding of the sensitive issue, though I was shocked that such an incident had happened.
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| Chitrakoot! What a waterfall! |
On the way to Bastar, there was a lotus shaped temple. the 'Ganga Maiyya' temple, which is said to have a 100 year history. Paucity of time made me click a picture of the board that narrated the story, to read later. Another remarkable sight to see is 'Chitrakoot waterfalls'. Indravati river, a tributary to Godavari, falls as Jgdalpur plateau ends abruptly. The 100 feet fall is not only a treat to eyes, but also a perfect illustration of the term plateau. It is easily eligible for status of a national attraction. However, it lies in the naxal area and that probably deters it's development. That made me wonder, 'what are the issues of Naxals?' Are they themselves hindering their own progress? My ignorance on the subject made me said!
The most backward area of Bastar is within a few hundred kilometers of one of the temples of development, the 'Bhilai steel plant', that gives highest revenue to the railways. The IIM, Raipur and now the AIIMS, Raipur are all within a distance of few hours!The state, rather , has the appearance of a developed state. It is difficult to comprehend, why it is more backward than far-flung areas of Arunachal and Nagaland. It does not appear to be very densely populated either. It may be because of large fraction of tribal population that lives in deep forests and are hounded by illiteracy and superstition.
