BEST PLACES TO VISIT CHHATTISGARH
It covers an
area of 1,35,133 sq. kms. Bordering six other states – uttar pardesh and
Jharkhand in the narth , Orissa in the east, Andhra pardesh in the south,
Maharashtra in the south west and Madhya
Pradesh in the north west. Although, the newly formed state came in to
existence on 1st of November 2000, its cultural heritage is as
ancient as the stone age , in ancient times, Chhattisgarh was known as dakshin
koshal. Geographical evidence of the
place is found in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Lord rama
entered dandkaranya from north east of
koshal and spent some of his exile { forest – living } period here. In
Mahabharata’s rajsooya yagya episode the
description of dakshin koshal has been found . in historical records in
samudragupta prayag eulogy, description of koshal has been found. After the 6th century, evidence of
political insurgence of dakdhin koshal has been found . from 6th century to mid – twelve
century sarbhpurnima, somvanshi, panduvanshi, kalchuri and nagwanshi rulers
dominated the region. The various documents, copper plaques, coins and
archeological goods apprise us about the cultural heritage and political
development of that time.
In
contemporary, history evidence of ancient people has been found in the hills of
raigarh, singhanpur, kabra, basnajhar, boslada
and ongana mountains at “ chitwandongri” in
rajnandgaon district. The stone equipments made and used by ancient people have
been found from the coasts of Mahanadi, mand, kanhar, manihari, and kelo
rivers. The rock paintings of singhanpur and kabra mountains are quite famous
among contemporary painting due to
variety and style . among remains of historical
age, traces of bone, animal burial has been found in abundance in Raipur and
durg districts.
Along with
archaeology, the culture of Chhattisgarh is also quite famous. The tribal
kanwars, kamar, baiga, halba, korea, pando, birhari, biniwar make the
atmosphere cheerful by their dances and songs on the occasion of marriage and
other festivals. The rice bowl –chhattisgarh land has unique eroticism and
sweetness. A part from the mesmerizing
dances and songs of dadra, pandwani, karma, panthi and suva, the region has
national parks , sanctuaries; places of archeological and religious importance
such as rajim , sirpur, malhar sita bengra, jogibhata, deepadih, dantewada, and
dongargarh where tourists come automatically. The ancient deposits of Chhattisgarh
and jain religion memorials are found at
malhar, sirpur, maheshpur and arang.
Innumerable
monuments, finely carved temples, vihars, forts and palaces raise in the
visitors mind visions of dynasties and kingdoms of great warriors and builders,
of poets and musicians, of saints and philosophers, of Hinduism, budhism,
Jainism, Christianity, and islam. Sant
guru ghasidas of satnami samaj, mhaprbhu
vallabhacharya of vaishnav samaj, and the great poet sant kabirdas also hails
from this state. The celebrated chinese
traveller huien tsang visited the state in the middle of 7th century
A.D.
Nearly half
44% of the state is forested and offers a unique panorama of flora & fauna.
The national parks of kanger valley and indravati ; the sanctuaries of udanti,
sitanadi, barnawapara, achanakmar, gomardah, tamorpingla etc . offer the rare
opportunity to see wild buffalo, gaur, tiger, leopard, singing maina and
variety of antelopes in sylvan surroundings. A variety of tradition in each
of three geographical and cultural regions of baghelkhand plateau, the plains
of Mahanadi basin and the the dandkaranya plateau of bastar have added colours
to the states rich cultural tapestry, making it a many splendour land..
MAJOR
TOURIST DESTINATIONS ;
{Central
Chhattisgarh ; Raipur, bilaspur , durg, rajnandgaon , kawardha , dhamtari ,
janjgir .}
In Rajpur district
RAIPUR
The capital
of Chhattisgarh has been the capital of kalchuri rulers in the past . it is
well connected with other places of the state. The places worth seeing are
mahamaya mandir,
doodhadhari mandir,
boodha talab,
guru ghasidas meuseum,
shiv mandir.
RAJIM
Rajim , the
prayag of Chhattisgarh situated 49kms from
Raipur on the confluence of the Mahanadi, pairi and sondur rivers . here
is a beautiful temple of Vishnu, known as
rajivlochan, “ the beautiful eyed one “ . it is the most important temple constructed of bricks in the 8th
-9th century. By studying this temple one can
understand the architecture of
mahakoshal, a region bordering Orissa, where the sarabhpura sovereigns ruled as feudatories of the guptas and vakatakas. A
shiva and telin temple is situated nearby. The kuleshwar shiv temple is of the
11th century.
rajivlochan
mahakoshal art gallery
kuleshwar shiv temple
CHAMPARAN
Situated of 10kms from rajim is the birth place of mahaprabhu vallabhacharya
of vaishanv sect. here a temple was built in the first decade of 20th
century by his disciples. A fair is held
every year in the month of January –
February. Also close by in the dense forest there is an shiv temple of
champakeshwar.
ARANG
Situated at
a distance of 34kms from Raipur, is famous for its 11th -12th
century temple. Though the temple is dilapidated but along with garbha –grih
its top portion is intact. Black granite
stone statues of three pilgrims have been constructed in the garbh-grih of the
temple. The exterior wall of the temple contains attractive erotic statues.
Various fractured statues of shaiva and vaishnav temples were in abundance,
which were gradually damaged. Shivlings are in abundance in arang.
GIRAUDPURI
Situated at
a distance of 80kms from bilaspur and 12kms from sheonarayan is the birthplace of sant ghasidas. It’s a pilgrimage for satnami samaj. Other
spots of the tapobhumi on the nearby hills are charan kund, amrit kund, chhata
pahad and suphara math.
DAMAKHEDA
Situated on
the Raipur –bilaspur highway, this village is the main religious centre for
kabir panthis.
Sanctuary;
udanti, barnawapara { see “call of the wild “ section }
IN BILASPUR DISTRICT
BILASPUR
Situated on
the Bombay –howrah route, it is an important township of the state established
400 years ago by a fisherwoman named bilasa.
TALAGOAN
Situated at
a distance of 28kms from bilaspur on the
banks of river maniyari. The picturesque
temple found in the excavations are deorani –jethani temple and a big statue of
lord shiva named as rudrashiva, the anantomy of the statue is made of different
materials, a mouth is present even on the breast, stomach and knees of the statue. This is the only known statue of this
type in the entire world. Jethani temple is a completely dilapidated state. The
temple is made of bricks and stones. Excavations have also revealed a big
temple on the walls of whish are stories of lord shiva in the form of
sculptures. Deorani temple is also in dilapidated state. Artistic statues of
uma maheshwar, kirtimukh, mithun, shiva and parvati are engrossed on the doors
of the temple.
MALHAR
Siyuated
30kms away from bilaspur, is a prime archeological site. The excavations here
have revealed temples and statues of deur, dindeshwari, pataleshwar,
chaturbhuj, Vishnu and jain statues. Here habitation sites found from 3rd
century B.C. to the modern times, on the occasion of shivratri a mela is held
here every year.
LUTRA SHARIF
Situated at
a distance of 32kms from bilaspur is a famous muslim pilgrimage. Here is the
famous tomb of muslim saint hazrat baba sayeed insaan.
RATANPUR
25kms from
bilaspur, the famous mahamaya temple, the ruins of the fort and the kadideol
shiv temple dating back to 12th century are found here. Status of
the kalachuri period were found on the premises of the fort. At one time this
ancient city was the capital of the kalachuri kings, and the ruins of this
kingdom canbe seen here.
IN
MAHASAMUND DISTRICT
SIRPUR
Situated at
a distance of 75kms from Raipur on the banks of river Mahanadi, is an important
site because it was the capital of the kings of sarabhapura and their successors in dakshin kosala. It was an
important centre of budhism from the 6th -10th centuries
and was visited by huein tsang , in the 7th century by chinese
pilgrim scholar. Excavations have revealed two brick temple of budha with an
adjoining monastery that had cells arranged around a long. Both temples house
enormous images of budha in the earth –touching gesture.
BHEEMKHOJ { KHALLARI }
Situated at
a distance of 80kms from Raipur in mahasamund district. The place has an
historical and archeological importance, khallari temple is situated on the
village hilltop. Various stories related to Mahabharata add importance to the
village. Close to the temple at the mountain top are bheem footsteps, pitcher
pot and cooker. Lakeshwar guid temple has remnants of lakshagrih, where
duryodhan and shakuni had planned assassination of the pandavas.
IN DURG
DISTRICT
BHILAI
Situated
24kms from Raipur, the industrial township, has one of the biggest steel plants
in india. Apart from the huge bhiali steel plants the maître bagh in the township also attracts tourists.
Bhilai steel plant is a hot destination for tourists of education and technical
interests. Public relations department of the plant issues passes for plant
visit. Two buses have been made available which ferry tourists to the plant.
Inside the plant coke –over battery, blast furnance, rail and structural mill
and plant mill are of main attraction to the tourist.
DEVBALODA
Situated
4kms from bhilai is an ancient shiv temple of 11th – 12th
century. This temple is compared with the temples of bhoramdeo, khajoraho,
temples of south and Ajanta ellora etc. a big fair is held during mahashivratri.
IN
RAJNANDGAON DISTRICT
DONGARGARH
Situated on
the Mumbai –howrah route in rajnandgaon 36kms district, bambleshwari devi
temple is at the top of dongargarh hills and beneath the hills there is also
bambleshwari temple which attracts tourists. A huge fair is organized on the
occasion of navaratri. There is a famous budha idol of 30 feet height on
prayagirir parbat . it is maintained by indo –japan budhist society of india.
KHAIRAGARH
Situated
48kms from rajnandgaon. Here there is famous Indira arts and misic university
established in the year 1956. Other ancient temples worth a visit are rukhand
swami temple, danteshwari temple, mahakali temple, mahavir temple and
bhadrakali temple.
IN DHAMTARI
DISTRICT.
DHAMTARI
Situated
77kms from Raipur, near by on the river Mahanadi are gangrel and madamsilli
dams.
SIHAWA
Situated
60kms south of dhamtari, this religious place is the source of the river
Mahanadi where rishi shringi had meditated. The places worth seeing are
karneshwar mandir, haathi koh, ganesh ghat, danteshawari gufa and peeli kothi.
Forest;
sitanadi sanctuary see “ call of the wild “ section
IN KAWARDHA
DISTRICT.
KAWARDHA
Situated
116kms away from Raipur , kawardha has been connected with the kabir panth
movement for a long period . old kawardha has the remains of a fort built by
king rajpal singh.
BHORAMDEO
Situated
18kms from kawardha on the Raipur 116kms Jabalpur 220kms road, on the banks of
the river sankari, among the satpura hills and their scenic valleys, bhoramdeo
temples have a special attraction for lovers of history and archaeology. The
temple were built by the celebrated king ramachandra of the nag dynasty, who
married princess ambikadevi of the haiya dynasty. The temples are superb
examples of contemporary architecture and
have much historical, religious and archeological importance. In an area of 5kms
in the palaces of mandwa and madanmanjri are erotic sculptures similar to those
in khajuraho temples.
GANDAI
Situated
40kms from khairagarh, there is an ancient shiv temple of 10th – 11th
century, built by the kalchuris.
IN JANJGIR
DISTRICT.
JANJGIR
Situated
67kms from bilaspur is the district headquarter. An important city is the
ancient capital ratanpur. It was built by haihaiya vansh raja jaajwal deo ii.
Important touristsports are Vishnu temple of kalchuri period. Shiv mandir of 10th
century and barambaba choura.
SHEORINARAYAN
Situated at a distance of 94kms from bilaspur
in janjgir district on the confluence of Mahanadi, sheonath and jonk rivers. A
fair is held every year on magh purnima and is attended by thousands of
dvotees. 5kms away in kharod is an ancient shiva temple of the early medieval
period. Kharod was an important education centre in ancient times.
PITAMPUR
Situated
13kms from janjgir and 8kms from champa on the banks of hasdo river. There is a
famous temple of kaleshwar mahadeo. A big fare is held here during
mahashivratri. During rangpanchmi there is a marriage procession of lord shiv
which is a main attraction.
SAKTI
Situated
113kms from bilaspur on the howrah –
Bombay main line. The places worth seeing are the damaudhara, panchwati,
gidhaparbat , rainkhol, hari and gujar
chhatri , mahamai temple.
KHAROD
Situated
5kms away from sheorinarayan, in the
janjgir district, are remains of temple built of bricks by somvanshi rulers in
8th century A.D. here are the
scenes of Ramayana sculptured on the
pillars of the massive lakshmaneshwar mahadeo temple . the other temple of
importance are inderdeol and shabri mandir. On the walls of these temples are
carvings of shardul , apsaras and erotic
statues alongwith gods and godeses.
CHAMPA
The largest
town of janjgir tehsil and situated on the bank of the hasdo river, it is about
53kms east by rail from bilaspur, the district headquarters town. Champa is the
most famous centre for the tussar silk or ‘ kosa ‘ weaving industry.
North
Chhattisgarh ; koria, ambikapur surguja, korba , raigarh , jashpur nagar.
IN AMBIKAPUR
DISTRICT.
MAINPAT
Situated
85kms from ambikapur in sarguja district, is known as “ Shimla of Chhattisgarh “. Full with greenery mainpat is
at height of 3781 feet. The two big Buddha monasteries are worth seeing. Mostly
tibetians reside here. The main attraction are sarbhanja falls 150feet and
tiger eco point . mainpat is a source of rihand river. It is also for tibetian
carpets and dogs.
AMBIKAPUR
The district
headquarter is famous for mahamaya temple and for the tomb of baba murad
shah, baba mohamad shah and his parrot.
DEEPADIH
Situated at
a distance of 90kms from ambikapur on the confluence of kanhar, surya and
gaifulla rivers, is an important archeological place. Here remnants of ancient
temples are spread over an area of a square kilometre. After cleaning of the
debris the archeological department has tried to save many temples by
renovation works among the dilapidated
memorials, samat saran memorial is a famous shiva temple. Mandap of the temple has
statues of lord kartikeya, Vishnu, mahisamardini, ganesh, varah and nandi . a
museum has been made there . due to natural scenes deepadih is counted among
the best archeological sites of the state .
RAMGARH
Situated
45kms from ambikapur, the mountains of
ramgarh is known as creation ground of
kalidas, meghdoot poem. A came named as sitabengra has been made on the
mountains by giving shape to the boulders. World’s oldest theatre is there. The
archives of jogimara cave describes a devdasi named sutnuka. On the basis of
archival record the place is estimated to be of second century. Every year in
the month of autumn Sanskrit gurus organize a dance festival. Other sports of
interest are hanthipol, sitakund, ramgarh.
IN RAIGARH
DISTRICT.
RAIGARH
Situated on the howrah – Bombay main line and
thebanks of kelo river. The palace , radhakrishna mandir, bhupdeopur falls and
jute mills are worth seeing.
SARANGARH
Situated
52kms from raigarh. There is an old fort and 17th century temple of
samleshwari devi. One and a half kms away, there is an ancient village called
pujari pali. There are brick made
temples an a dipiladated state namely mahaprabhu temple, kevtin temple and rani
jhula temple. Also gomardha sanctuary is 20kms away.
Dharamjaigarh
Situated 52
km away from raigarh is an old fort which is the source of hot water spring (tatapani)
Ongana
village which is 3 km away is famous for stone age rock painting .
Singhanpur
Singhpur is
about 15km from raigarh .two of the caves of singhpur are nearly 25 to 30 feet
deep .in the thir cave one can observe picyure which mostly depict the life of
a man some are straight and the other are diagonal in the form of steps .these
are drawn with straight and vertical lines .in one of the picture one in kobra
district .
Pali
Situated
48 kms from bilaspur is the shiv temple at pali. Built by the kalchuri
rulers in the early 12th century ,it has carved pillars and
decorated celings.
In jashpur
nagar district.
Jashpur
nagar
Situated
211kms from raigarh and 2500 feet above sea level ,it is a very picturesque
hill station full of valleys fhat waterfalls of which ranidaha waterfall is
very famous.
Kunkuri
Situated 44
km from jashpur it has the biggest catholic church of asia
Bagicha
Situated 112 km from jashpur is a hill station full of
valleys waterfalls ,caves etc also worth a visit is badal khol sanctuary
(south Chhattisgarh kanker bastar –
jagdalpur dantewada)
Jagdalpur
The
colourful festival of dusshera is celebrated here on agrand scale every year .
Tribal
museum
An
anthropological expo in jagdalpur on the life
and culture of the various tribes in bastar . this small but excellent
window documented and exhibited museum of the anthropological society ofindia
in jagdalpur provides an excellent window view for the tourist .
Bastar
Predominatly
a forest area it is the home of marias
and murias .both extremely colourful and lively tribes who have preserved their
ancient culture . A shilpgram hads been
established by the government to preserve and promote the trible art and
handisrafts of the area.
Village
bastar was capital of kakatiya rules for a short period .An attractive temple
of the 12-13 century can be seen here.
Bastar
Dusshera
The trible
calendar is full of festivals . thes include harvest festival like navakhana
eating of new crop matipuja worship of earth goncha the chariot festival etc
the most important of these in bastar is the
dussehera when all the deties
from all villages congregate at the temple of danteshwari in jagdalpur .the
dussehra in bastar unlike the dussehra in other parts of india has nothing to
do with the triumphant return of Rama to ayadhya .dussehra in bastar is devoted
entirlyto the goddess devi danteshwari .
Bastar
Dussehra festival dates back to 15th century and is belived to have
been started by maharaj porshottam deo
the forth kaktiya ruler of bastar .over six centuries this festival has grown
into something unique .it spans over 75 days starting with haryali amawasya in
shraavan (july) .the festival involves participation of all majore tribes of
bastar bastar dussehra has sevral dussehra has sevral components ,each of which
has a history of its own .these include
kachan gadi consecration of the couch to devi kachan who visits upon a young
girl as she swing on a couch of thorns jogi bithai installation of the yogi a
youth who sits on vigil for 9 days and nights to ensure festivals success the
chariot procession etc bastar dussehra concludes with the muria durbar an
assembly of headmen and public representative .the deties are then accorded a
farewell to return to their native seats in the hamlets of the district
.Altogether dussehra in bastar is unique the lokostav coincide with bastar
dussehra .
Keskal
Situated
168kms away from Raipur is a picturesque valley the rest house at offers a
spectacular view of the valley below .
Chitrakote
falls
Situated 38
ks from jagdalpur at a spot where the river indravati has an abrupt fall of 96
ft the falls which are like horse shoe curve are often comared to the Niagara
falls .
TIRATHGARH FALLS
Situated
39kms southwest of jagdalpur, the picturesque
waterfall of kanger river cascades down from a height of 100ft. in the form of
steps. Other prominent falls are madhwa, chitradhara, tamra ghomar, handa bada,
saath dhara, lankapali, khrsail, charrre – marre etc .
KUTUMSAR
CAVES
Situated
40kms to the south of jagdalpur, the place abounds in caves with stalactite and
stalagmite columns . the entrance to the caves is a small passage of 5ft height
and 3ft width there are five chambers in
the cave which have sevral blind wells – all expected one covered with a sheet
of rock which when struck gines a hollow
sound .
Kailash Gufa
(cave)
Situated
16kms kutumsar on the lower kanger valley road .here there are stalactite and
stalagmite columns in the from big durbar halls on mountain top .this an abode
of lord shiva .
The series
of other famous limestone rock caves in the dannkarnay are dandak gufa aranya
gufa sakalnarayan gufa tula gufa rani gufa makar gufa etc.
Forest :
kanger valley national park (see “call of the wild “ section)
Dantew ada
Situated 85
kms from jagdalpur it is famous for the ancient temple of goddesss danteshwari
the temple is constructed on the banks of sankhani and dankhani river the place
was center point Shakti belief worshippers .the temple is built osf stone but
it was built during the rule of Shakti kings .mahisasur mardini statue is established in the grabh grih known
as danteshewari .the temple premises have ancient statues of lord shiv ganesh
nandi and Vishnu collected from barsoor.
Barsoor
Situated 31
km from dantewada it was the capital of bastar during chindagnag rulers the
place is known for 11 -12th century temples .the ganesh statue of
barsoor is famous for its huge size .the mama –bhanja temple is basically lord
shiva temple .the temple is in a safe position the dilapidated battisa gudi is
a shiva temple the temple has two garbh grihas and mandap of both temple are
together other dilapidated temple of barsoor have erotic stetues in abundance barsoor statues display
folk art of south india .
Call of the wild
Situated 58
kms from bilaspur in the lap of maikal hills of satpura ranges and drained by
stream of narmada son and johilla rivers it is surrounded by reserved sal forest which are very picturesque .notified as
a sanctuary in the year 1975 its tatal area is of 553.286 sq kms maniyari
rivers is the life line of the sanctuary where dotted hills vary from 274.3m to
1048m from sea level .the total area of the park is mountaneous and stocked
with mixed sal and bamboo forest.
The fauna of
the park consists of tiger leopard cheetal sambhar kotri gaur bear fox jackal
azgar chowsingha mouse deer etc the main spots of attraction and worth a visit
are sihawal sagar pandawani talab raksha chhak nagbohara lakshman dogri mendri
sarai khurja jalshya etc.
The main
circuit for sightseeing animals are :-
A.Achanamsar
– surhi-khuria –lormi.
b.
Achanakmsar-lamni- birarpani-Amarkantak.
c.
Achanakmsar-bahauda-bindawal- chaparwa- jalda-sarasdol-achankmsar
Bar-narwapara
sanctuary (125kmsfrom Raipur)
Bar-nawapara
wildlife sanctuary is named after bar and nawapara forest village which are in
the hert of the sanctuary it is a land mass of undulating terrain dotted with
numerous low and high hillocks –a well forest area of north –estern corner of
Raipur district the tributaries of Mahanadi are the sources of water .river
balmdehi forms the western boundary and jonk river forms the north –eastern
boundry of sanctuary .the well stocked forest forests of the sanctuary may be
classified as teak sal and mixed forests .
The bamboo
forms forms rich and dense under storey throughtout dazzling white kulu trees
scattered around singly in the forest standout conspicuously among the various
hues of green .theold plantation patches of teak and understorey bamboo give an
orderly look in the otherwise genral wildness .
The flow of
rives and nallahs stop by December what remains are scenic and serene few
haging pools in the famous turturiya falls and many man made tanks cheetal
sambhar neelgai wild boar are are commonly seen .the bison is frequently
sighted leopard sloth bear wild dog porcupine jungle cat fox striped hyena
barking daer are also found tiger though present in good nimber are shy and
sighted infrequently bar nawaapara boosts of over 150 species pf peafowl crow
pheasant crimson breated barbet revented bilbul racket tailed drongo marpie –
robin lesser whistling teal pintail shovellar egrets and herons.
Udanti Sanctuary (175kms from Raipur)
Udanti
wildlife sanctuary derives its name from the river flowing west to east throughout the sanctuary the topography of
the area is a broken mass of land traversed by innumerable hill ranges
intercepted by strips of plains .the
river divides the sanctuary into almost equal halves of a will forest area of
south –eastern Raipur district .
The
undulating terrain is coverd with well stocked forest .the grand teak is mixed
with othe magnificent species . the sal forest glitters in the majority of
north –western half of the sanctuary .
The udani
river flow stop by February what remain are scenic and serene pools of water in the river bed
there are few perennial spring including the famous deodhara and godena falls .
Specific
reason for creation of this sanctuary is the endangered species ..wild buffalo
(bubalus bubalis) which is found only in assam
and Chhattisgarh .this area is proud of having black panther another
rare animal that has been sighted by
many villagers and staff of the forest department .cheetal sambhar nilgai wild
boar and jackal are commonly seen .leopard sloth bear wild doh porcupine jungle
cat fox striped hyena gaur chowsinga and barking deer are also found tigers
though present in good number are shy and sighted frequently udanti is one of
the rare wildrness where the biggest mammals wild buffalo and bison can be seen
together udani boats of more than 150 species of bird including sevral migratory
ones .some of them are peafowl .jumgle fowl crow pheasant crimson breated
barbet red vented bulbul racket tailed drogo ,magpir robin lesser whistling
tear pintail shovellar egrets and herons.
Sitanadi
sancturary (90 kms from dhamtari)
Sitanadi
sanctuary has been named after the river sitandi which meanders through the
sanctuary from north to south .
The
undulating terrain of sitanadi is covered by small hills and well stocked of
sal the excellent quality of sal forest are one of the best in the country.
Wonderful
plantation forests of the straight stemmed grand teak and mixed magnificent trees of saja, bija, lendia , haldu, dhaora , aunla ,
salai, amaltas etc . are seen in abundance in the sanctuary.
The sondur
river flows through the sanctuary. A dam has been built on it and forms a huge
waterbody named sondur lake . the river water
submerges quite a big chunk of sanctuary forest. This had been a loss to
the sitanadi forest. But for the
debnzien of the forests huge waterbody
has been created. The changed habitat
may attract diverse flora and fauna, expecially migratory birds. Flying
squirrels is a rare species found in this sanctuary. The sitanadi FRH, watch
tower, khallari rest house, sondur dam are places worth seeing.
KANGER
VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
The park is
a paradise for the nature lovers. The moist peninsular sal forests and the
south indian tropical moist deciduous forests are seen in their finest form
here. The park is situated in a transition zone where southern limit of sal
forests and northern limit of teak forests overlap, hence both sal and teak are seen together in this
valley.
The valley
is in fact one of the last pockets of
almost virgin forests still left in the
peninsular region . to protect this unique eco – system , it has been proposed
as a biosphere reserve under the MAB
programme. The valley is nearly 34kms long with average width of about
6kms. The terrain is mostly hilly. The
park fauna consists of tiger, panther, wildcat, cheetal { spotted deer },
sambhar , barking deer , wild pig , jackal, lungur , rhesus, macaque, sloth
bear, flying squirrel, python, hyena, rabbit, crocodile, other and civet.
The avian
fauna includes birds of prey, scavenging birds, water birds, pheasants etc. the
reptiles include snakes, lizards and the insects include butterflies, moths,
dragonflies, grasshoppers etc. lower
forms of plants such as fungi, algae,
brycpytes and pteridophytes are also
quite common. All these put together with the virgin forest make the park a unique ecosystem. The
park derives its name from the kanger
river which flows throughout its length. The other main attraction of the aprk
are kutumsar caves, kailash gupha, tirthgarh falls, bhaisadarha etc.
TRIBAL
HANDICARFTS.
BELL METAL
Initiated by
the ghasia tribe, the bell –metal art originated for making bells and tinkets
for the kings horses. Models range from life size tall images to small drawing
– room items like masks, deer, horses,
elephants, tribal heads etc. each piece is crafted by hand through the
vanishing wax technology.
TERRACOTA
Made by
potters of bastar from the finest river bed clay of indravati, ornate
elephants, horses, bowls and urns … excellent artifacts to highlight the corner
of a room or the inside columns in a big hall or lounge. Also available are
small table top items like ash trays, penholders etc., which make perfect
corporate giveaways.
WROUGHT IRON
Indegenious tribal black smith craft, strikingly
beautiful items instantly appeal to the aboriginal hidden in every man and
woman.
BAMBOO CRAFT
Basod tribe
in bastar specializes in bamboo products including handicrafts like woven mats,
table mats ,wall hangings, table tops items etc.
WOOD CRAFT
Wood craft
came naturally for the tribals of bastar living as they do in an area having 7%
of india’s forests. Items include models and masks with tribal – motifs as well
as wall panels up to 7feet in length made out of the finest teak wood of
bastar. These items infuse life to any drawing room. The panels make excellent
bed head –stead, pelmet, furniture fronts etc
COTTON
FABRICS
Cotton saris,
dress materials and drapes, chunnis 100% cotton, hand woven, hand printed by
tribes, who trace their lineage to the 14th century weaver – saint –
poet, kabir. Printing done natural vegetable – dyes extracted from aal found in
the forests of bastar.
Under a new
initiative, the handicrafts of bastar are being crafted by self – help
aboriginal groups under expert technical guidance.
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