My
arrival at Jagdalpur was no different. Jagdalpur is a city in the tribal
district of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. The night bus from Raipur arrived in
Jagdalpur when the whole town was in deep sleep. It must have been around 2:00
a.m. No surprise that I spend some time at the small bus station. The open
waiting platform had a few sleepers here and there on the cemented floor. I
huddled somewhere. Time passed slowly in that cold night. Dogs howled in some
faraway distance. Occasionally a few buses arrived from different places. I
waited and waited for daybreak. My patience was running out. I couldn’t wait a
minute more.
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| when I am in Chattisgarh |
I found
the dormitory facility at the bus station unsuitable. So I left the bus
station, crossed the main road, and walked over to a hotel looking for a room.
The sleepy receptionist reluctantly woke up (I can totally understand) when I
entered the hotel. Thankfully I got a room. I slept immediately.
Morning
came.
I knew
where I wished to go for a day visit. The
boarding point for Chitrakote bound bus was somewhere in Jagdalpur town. I
arrived at the boarding point by auto. I had to wait for considerable time
before the bus showed its face. Now, Chitrakote waterfall is nearly 40 kms from
Jagdalpur town. The bus started around 9:30 a.m. from Jagdalpur. During the
course of its 90 minutes journey, the bus stopped at a few places dropping and
picking up passengers enroute. The bus eventually arrived at Chitrakote
bus stop by 11:00 a.m.
The bus driver informed, “This bus will leave at 3:00
p.m. for the return journey to Jagdalpur town. So, please be here at the bus
stop before the departure time. Do not be late.”
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| bus for Chitrakote from Jagdalpur |
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| finally arrived at Chitrakote |
It was a
short walk from the stoppage point to Chitrakote waterfall. I couldn’t see the
waterfall yet, but could literally hear the roar of the waterfall from a
distance. And when the waterfall finally came into view, I gasped in wonder. It
was January (winter time) and naturally there was less water. Still…the first view
of Chitrakote waterfall mesmerized me. Wow!!! The beautiful waterfall is
situated on Indravati River. The height of the waterfall is 90 feet. The water
is reddish during monsoon, and it looks white during summer/winter. Forest and
green vegetation on both sides of the river added to the aesthetic beauty of
the place overall.
 |
| first view of Chitrakote Waterfall |
There
were not many visitors at that time. A few of them were at the lookout zone; and some were seen walking over the dry rocks. It was possible to walk
over the dry rocks because being winter there was no or very less water. I noticed 1-2 local
youths asking the visitors whether they were interested to be clicked with the
majestic waterfall as the background. Some accepted the offer and some refused.
Spending
some time at the lookout zone, I carefully walked over the dry rock of the
river to go near the waterfall. I hopped and skipped at a few places; and reached near the waterfall – the point from where the water
plunges down below. Visitors were busy in taking pictures here. A word of
caution: one needed to be careful, infact extra careful not to go near the
edge. I climbed further by holding the rocks and reached a vantage point. I sat
here on the bare flat rock for a long time. The water of the Indravati River
flowed calmly, but the water that plunged below made deafening roar. What a
roar! A beautiful rainbow formed near the cascading waterfall. Slowly and slowly
the place was filled with visitors. A picnic group could be seen upstream. There
is no harm as long as these picnickers kept the place clean and disposed their
trash properly. Problem arose when these so called picnickers are irresponsible
and careless with no civic sense. A few men were bathing further away.
I wished to go for a boat ride. So I retraced back my steps
and passed by the lookout zone. A cemented pathway beside a govt. hotel linked
a shaded stair of many steps to reach the bottom of the riverbank. The stair
was steep. Some portions of it needed repairing. A small makeshift shack was nearby
where a lady was occupied in preparing local snacks. Walking on the sandy
riverbank with rocky pebbles, I came to a shed that was clumsily put up with a
tarpaulin cover supported by a few wooden poles. A middle aged man sat with a
notebook scribbling something. Another man sat beside him.
I asked without
addressing anyone, “What is the cost for the boat ride?”
Looking up at me the man
with the notebook replied, “Twenty rupees per person. How
many are there with you?”
“Only
me,” I informed him.
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| boat ride info during winter |
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| stairs that leads to the boat ride spot |
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| steep stairs to the riverbank |
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| a snack stall at the river bank |
I took a
life jacket and approached the wooden boat. The man with the notebook informed from his seat to the boatman, “Take the girl in your boat along with the family
group.”
I noticed a family approaching one of the marooned boats. The family
comprising of daughter, mother, and father sat in the middle. I quickly joined
them. One boatman took his place at the front and the other boatman sat at the
back. That made eight of us. The boatmen slowly started rowing the boat in
the calm water of Indravati River. As the boat inched closer to the cascading
waterfall, the boatmen had to try harder to manoeuvre against the strong
current. The jet spray from the waterfall drenched us. The water was cold. It
was absolutely fun and exciting to be so close to the roaring waterfall. The
boatmen brought us safely back at the riverbank after a few minutes. The boat
ride lasted 10-15 minutes. This boat ride is possible only during the dry
seasons. I spend some time exploring the pebble strewn riverbank…sitting and
soaking my bare feet into the cold water of the river. Monsoon is preferably
the best time to come and see this majestic waterfall touted as the “Niagara of
India”.
I had to
be at the bus stop before 3:00 p.m. for the return journey. There is “I LOVE BASTAR” sign some distance away from the bus stop. A
touristic option for visitors to click a few snaps with the giant sign. Local
women were selling locally made souvenirs on a sidewalk. Some ladies were
selling vegetables and other materials. A couple of snack stalls and grocery
stalls made up the rest of the place. I sampled some local snacks at a stall. The freshly prepared ‘vada’ was hot and crispy. It was served
with spicy tomato chutney. It costed twenty rupees. The bus honked. It was time
to leave. By 4:30 p.m. we arrived safely in Jagdalpur city.
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| I LOVE BASTAR installation |
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| local souvenirs on sale at Chitrakote |
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| local produce on sale at Chitrakote |
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| freshly prepared vada at a snack stall |
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| local products on sale at Chitrakote |
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| local produce on sale at Chitrakote |
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| local products on sale at Chitrakote |
Thank you
for stopping by!
Happy
travelling feet!
Travelled
on: 15 January 2020
© The content and pictures are copyright of Hema
Hazarika (thehaflonggirl).
