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Dholkal Ganesh
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Today I am going to share my trekking experience to Dholkal
Ganesh. The trek to Dholkal Ganesh is one of the top activities to do in your
Bastar itinerary.
It was my fourth day in the Indian state of Chattisgarh. This
particular trekking spot is in Dantewada district. Dantewada town is around 80
kms from Jagdalpur town. I boarded an early morning bus for Dhantewada from the
main bus stand in Jagdalpur. It was around 6:00 a.m. It was cold; and during
the entire 90 mins journey couldn’t see the landscape clearly as it was foggy. It
was around 7:30 a.m. when I found myself at Dantewada town. I got down from the
bus and asked around regarding transportation to go to Faraspal village.
Faraspal
is around 12 kms from Dantewada; and Dholkal base is around 20 kms from
Dantewada which comes after Faraspal.
HOW I REACHED
Truth to be told there is no frequent and proper transport
facility between Dantewada town and Faraspal village. Someone showed me the
exact spot where I needed to wait for a shared auto to go to Faraspal village.
It was a long wait in the cold weather. I kept waiting. The shared auto was
nowhere in sight. Finally around 9:30 a.m. someone pointed to a shared auto
approaching the waiting spot. The auto was already and all were women. I
somehow managed to squeeze myself on the seat. The well laid motorable road
from Dantewada town to Faraspal village is surprisingly good. Most of the
passengers got down one by one as their respective destination approached. The
autowalla dropped me at Dholkal Bhawan after about 30-40 mins ride.OR
You can hire taxis from Dantewada bus stand to the trekking
base for a hassle free comfortable ride.
DHOLKAL
BHAWAN
It is an office cum restaurant, 3 kms from Faraspal village. A
community tourism initiative by the District Administration of Dantewada where
local youths are trained as guides to provide them with a source of livelihood
and job opportunities in the tourism sector. Night camping with dinner such as chapda chatni (red ants chutney) and the
other tribal food can also be arranged, if informed to these guides at Dholkal
Bhavan.
I was warmly welcomed by the youngsters at Dholkal Bhavan upon
my arrival. I kept my heavy backpack in the office. I sat outside basking in
the January sun. I was served poha (fried
puffed rice) for breakfast. Rested for a while basking in the January sun.
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| Dholkal Bhavan |
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| info board at Dholkal Bhavan |
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| poha served on a leaf bowl |
START OF
THE TREK
Rina was my trek guide for Dholkal Ganesh. It is advisable to
do the trek with a local guide because of the difficult terrain. Trek route is
roughly around 4-5 km one way from the starting of the trek to the hill top. We
started around 11:00 a.m. A little ahead we came across a clearing that served
as the camping spot, near the base of the mountain. A water tank is next to the
camping spot. Rina filled her empty water bottle here. Leaving behind the
camping spot, we proceeded onward. The trail route now entered dense forest. The
tall trees of the forest acted as a shady canopy from the blazing sun. That
gave a lot of respite. We trekked as my ears listened to the melodious chirping
of birds and other forest noises. A trunk of a fallen tree acted as a tunnel somewhere
in the trail route.
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| Rina filling her empty water bottle |
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| tall trees creating canopies |
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| a fallen tree on the trail route |
Small streams with very less water meandered along the trail
that ended up as tiny waterfalls. We rested for a few minutes at one such
stream. It was felt to be cooler here near the stream. We splashed our hot
faces with the cold water of the stream. The trail route took a steep incline
hereon. We came across lots of natural tree swings, something similar to hammocks
on a steep slope. These natural hammocks are made by the aerial roots
intertwining from huge trees. We stopped here to have some fun sitting on these
natural swings. Though there was no animal spotting, but we caught sight of the
occasional birds, insects, and not-to-forget huge ant-houses along the trail
route. The ant-houses were a pretty interesting sight to behold.
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| small streams |
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| small streams |
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| small streams |
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| huge ant-houses |
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| natural swings |
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| this looks like scale of a crocodile |
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| trees of Bastar region |
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| trees of Bastar region |
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| the shaded trail route |
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| small stream |
The trek becomes more challenging during the last leg of
100-200m climb. In fact there is no proper trail as one has to climb steep boulders
by grabbing the boulders and branches of plants. The climb is extremely
technical and dangerous here. Rina proceeded ahead of me during this particular
difficult climb. She removed her slippers before climbing. She instructed me
where to place my foot on the uneven boulder and where to grab that made it easier
to manoeuver the difficult climb. She took extreme care and made me feel safe
during the climb. When I finally emerged and reached the top, the views of the
valley from 3000 feet high made the climb all worthwhile. WOW!!! The top is
also a major sunset point in Dantewada.
The statue of Lord Ganesh is placed on an isolated rock opposite
to the platform at the top. It involved another level of adventure. LOL!!! One
has to carefully climb down and again climb up. The platform was hot (it obviously
got baked in the hot sun) and my bare feet somehow managed to climb down and
up, and sit next to the statue. The beautiful location of Dholkal Ganesh at the
top of the peak in the green Bailadila Mountain ranges leaves you speechless.
You soak in the calm and serenity of the place.
DHOLKAL
GANESH
The beautiful 3 feet stone idol of Lord Ganesh is 1000 year
old. It is believed to be from the Naga dynasty (10th - 11th centuries AD). News
reports said the statue was vandalized some years back. A local journalist
found it 2012. This place was mostly visited by the locals to offer prayers to
Lord Ganesh. No wonder you will notice remains of puja materials at the spot.
Ever since its discovery, the place has become popular among the tourists who has
adventure on their mind.
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| Dholkal Ganesh |
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| Dholkal Ganesh |
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| Dholkal Ganesh |
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| Dholkal Ganesh |
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| one for the memories at Dholkal Ganesh |
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| Rina and me at Dholkal Ganesh |
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| Dholkal Ganesh |
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| getting mesmerized with the view at Dholkal Ganesh |
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| Dholkal Ganesh |
After spending an hour here, my guide Rina and I moved to a
nearby rocky hill which once upon a time had a temple. Now there is just a trishul (trident). This as well involved
climbing boulders.
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| Rina climbs down the boulder carefully |
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| Rina waits for me as I climb down the boulder carefully |
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| trishul (trident) at the top of the boulder hill |
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| view of the mountains |
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| view of the mountains |
It was finally time for the return journey. While returning,
Rina and I collected the trash we found on the trail route to dispose it in the
dustbin at Dholkal Bhavan. We arrived at the base of the mountain by 4:00 p.m.
Before reaching Dholkal Bhavan, Rina met her friends from the village near a
tree. Rina pointed to me the earthen pot at the top of the tree. I was
intrigued as to what was being collected in the pot. Rina informed it is Salphi
tree (fish tail Sago palm tree). Sap is being collected from the tree. The
elder man climbed the tree to bring some for me. The younger one poured the frothy white liquid on
the leaf bowl. It is salphi which is a
beer-like beverage consumed by the tribal folks of Chattisgarh. I thought I
would get intoxicated, but nothing happened. LOL!!!
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| the man climbing the salphi tree |
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| my encounter with salphi beer...lol |
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| salphi beer |
THINGS TO
KEEP IN MIND
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Wear comfortable clothes and shoes while trekking.
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Take drinking water and keep yourself hydrated.
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Take eatables such as fresh fruits, biscuits,
juices etc. to eat during the trek.
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Please bring back all your trash/litter and
deposit it at the dustbin in Dholkal Bhavan.
·
Do not carry heavy backpacks since it will tire
you.
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Rather than keeping yourself plugged in with a headphone,
listen to the forest sound and be at the moment.
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Respect the integrity 0f the place.
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Dholkal Gnaesh trek can be done throughout the
year.
I
realized I was exhausted by the time I reached Dholkal Bhavan. Rina and I had a
late veg lunch there. I spent my night at Rina’s house that served as the
tribal homestay. The modest tribal hut which was absolutely clean won my heart.
I met with her family. I was served tribal dinner on plates and bowls made of leaves.
That is such an admirable aspect of a sustainable and responsible tourism (the
use of natural leaves as plates and bowls) initiative by the people here. I
dozed off peacefully in the silence of the night.
Next
morning before leaving Rina’s home, I interacted with the local ladies who came
visiting her home. Rina and I had an early lunch. We returned to Dholkal
Bhavan. After few minutes of waiting here, Rina’s uncle came who dropped me to
the auto stand in Farsapal village on his bike. I didn’t had to wait for long.
The auto arrived. I was back in Dhantewada again. I requested the autowalla to
drop me at the famed Danteshwari temple.
Danteshwari temple is dedicated to Ma Danteshwari, the revered goddess of Bastar region. It is believed to be one of the 52 Shakti Pithas. It was built in 14th century by the rulers of Chalukya Dynasty. I spent sometime at the temple. Thankfully the
temple wasn’t crowded. I boarded the afternoon bus for Jagdalpur town at Dhantewada
bus stand.
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Danteshwari Temple
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On
arriving at Jagdalpur, I had a late lunch at a restaurant in the bus stand; and
then immediately proceeded to Jagdalpur Railway station by auto. I would be boarding
a late night train for Araku Valley (Andhra Pradesh).
...and in this way my visit to the beautiful state of Chattisgarh ended. I felt happy to get the opportunity to create
beautiful travel memories here.
Thank you
for stopping by! Happy
travelling feet!
Travelled
on: 17-18 January 2020
© The content and images are copyright of Hema
Hazarika (thehaflonggirl).
