Jagdalpur
Unexpectedly fun
Having lower hopes in life leads to more fun.
I've wanted to go to Bastar for their 45-day Dussehra celebration for the last 4 years. The holiday duration, economics and what to expect never aligned. For those who may not know Bastar was also a hub of Naxalism in India and generally avoided by tourists. This year Home Minister Mr Amit Shah had declared that India is free of Naxalism with the final surrender of arms by remaining insurgents. With that on my mind I was interested in visiting Bastar from Araku.
After a not-so-good breakfast at Mandala Farms Araku, we departed for Jagdalpur through the beautifully green Araku Valley via Jeypore. This drive was one of the highlights of the trip so far and the roads were good enough. 70 km before Jagdalpur it rained like I've not seen in a few years. I contacted Unexplored Bastar to help me make an interesting trip and specifically asked for an adventurous plan and not run of the mill touristy circuit. They did not disappoint.
We stayed at the Shagun farms at Jagdalpur and I cannot recommend them enough. Sure, the rooms were fine and the property was well maintained. The main reason was hospitality. After 4 days on the road laundry had accumulated and over the next few days, we gave them quite a bit to wash. At the end they simply waived off the charges for the laundry. I've not seen a hotel do that before, in fact in Vizag the hotel charged us while spoiling the clothes. This is where Atithi Devo Bhava strikes in India unexpectedly. I think the ethos of India continues to live in its interiors and not the big cities where it is all driven by other motivations like money, objectives, SLAs etc.
The first evening in Jagdalpur was a heritage walk where we learnt more about the legendary Danteswari Temple, the establishment of the Kakatiya dynasty, relationship of Jagdalpur and Jagannath Puri and assassination of the last king which led to growth of Naxalism in Bastar.
Kakatiya dynasty was established in Jagdalpur after they were ousted from Warangal. They continued to rule and influence the Bastar region for 600 years. Post independence of India in 1947, the king Bhanj Deo continued to campaign for rights of tribals and land reforms. Eventually, assassinated by the local Police in 1966 which led to beginning of armed rebellion. Locals squarely blamed Indira Gandhi for that and did not trust the Govt of Independent India post that until recently. He is prayed to as a god there and not as an erstwhile king. There were a lot of other interesting stories like how the city was named Jagdalpur as the land was donated to the king Dalpat Rao by a farmer Jagtu and hence the city was named after the farmer and not the king who constructed his administrative capital there. As seen in many older cities of India, Bengaluru, Hyderabad where huge artificial lakes were constructed for rainwater harvesting Jagdalpur also has the Dalpat Sagar lake. I wonder why modern urban planners do not incorporate these reasonable practices in today's times.
Next day (day 6), we set out for adventures, and our first stop was Mandarkonta cave. In the heat of around 40C we trekked upwards to the cave entry where, along with our guide from Unexplored Bastar, we were joined by a tribal person from the local village. The villagers maintain the keys to the cave as it is part of their neighbourhood and access is provided at some charges with a guide. There was a leisurely stream flowing by before the ascent.
As we stepped into the caves, a coolness surrounded us and as we ventured down into the cave natural light was completely extinguished and we had flashlights to support us. Caves like Borra and Mandarkonta were both covered in water earlier as the formations inside indicated about decreasing water level from millions of years ago. Submerged eons ago, today these caves are at a mean 1500 ft above sea level. This was beginner spelunking and a first for us. Evidence of evolution was right there as we saw frogs without optic nerves and spiders with receptors multiple times their own length.
The caves had a calmness that was best experienced when the guides switched off all lights. No photon, or a ray of light enters this cave. Light pollution is zilch. One cannot see anything literally and no amount of hand waving in front of your own eyes triggered any reaction from the eyes which were dilating to see something. This is something best experienced firsthand and I'm not a good enough writer to convey the emotions felt. Another aspect I found fascinating was the presence of a small temple made inside the caves where a puja is conducted during the Durga Puja - Indians find god everywhere or make sure the presence of god is marked even in the remotest of places.
Next we went to Tirathgarh waterfall which is a three-level waterfall and public is permitted to take a bath at the second level. We all took a plunge and this was the first time kids experienced taking a bath in a waterfall or any natural body for that matter apart from swimming pools. Hopefully, these experiences keep them closer to nature in the future. We had a tribal lunch after this. Eating on plates made out of leaves was new for kids. The food itself was fine but nothing unique. The meal offered was -
Steamed Rice
Arhar dal
Aalu and Urad Wadi ki sabzi
Kacche aam and kale chane ki sabzi
Preparation was not too spicy as we had informed that upfront. On this trip my son who eats everything under the sun as long as it is not spicy finally gained some resistance to eating some spicy food overall as we went through such places and experiences further on as well.
The day ended with boating in a bamboo rafts. It was an idyllic ride and the entire day was immersed in nature and eco-friendly - which is how tourism in this region is being promoted. I liked it that carbon footprint can be lowered while still offering a good tourism experience.
After a hectic day, we decided to keep the next day light and we roamed around ourselves. We visited the Chitrakote waterfalls and the Narayanpal temple. Chitrakote is often called the Niagara of India and I could see it as a grand spectacle in its full glory during monsoons. I loved the small Narayanpal temple which was a shrine for Shiva earlier converted to a Vishnu temple later. It follows the Nagara architectural style which I will talk about more when I cover Khajuraho.
Naxalism in India
Bastar is infamous for Naxalism (an armed socialist rebellion) in India from the 1960s. The Naxal movement was spread across various forested areas in India labelled as the Red Corridor. Everyone heard about Bastar when in 2010 Dantewada the Naxals killed 65 of paramilitary unit in an ambush. Mr Amit Shah, Home Minister of India announced in 2026 the India is Naxal free. My experience of discussing it with our guide and the tribals was a bit nuanced. While the armed rebellion is curbed but many of the concerns remain. Forests by default are property of Govt of India and they can and will eventually assign parts of this Naxal corridors for capitalist pursuits which will result in deforestation, mining, excavations of which no benefit will be extended to the inhabitants except maybe petty jobs. This has been noted in other parts of India too where natural resources do not benefit the local population at all. There concerns are real and they said they would be happy without good roads and even electricity if they are let alone. Sadly, that is not to happen and I can only wait until where in a few years we will see "development" in the region.
Overall, the trip to Bastar was the best 3 days we spent and motivated us to continue the road trip to experience the unique India we could not reach otherwise. We decided not to cover Barsoor which had a lot of temples and history as well as that would bore the kids too much - left that for a future revisit.