-: Chhatisgarh Culture & Wildlife :-

.Chhattisgarh, situated in central India , is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The State is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Most of these sites are untouched and unexplored and offer a unique and alternate experience to tourists compared to traditional destinations which have become overcrowded. Chhattisgarh offers the tourist a Destination with a Difference. For those who are tired of the crowds at major destinations, Bastar, with its unique cultural and ecological identity, will come as a breath of fresh air. The Green State of Chhattisgarh has 47% of its area under forests, and is one of the richest bio-diversity areas in the country.

About 70% of the total population of bastar district are tribals and they constitutes about 25% of the total tribal population of Chhattisgarh state . Each tribal group has their own culture and each of them are following their own traditional in unique ways. And they do have their own dialects .The tribes of chhatisgarh do have some cultural similarity with the neighbouring state of orissa where one can find some of the most primitive tribes of India living in close harmony with nature. Our tribal tour itinerary in chhatisgarh offers a rare opportunity to experience a unique tribal culture and wild life adventure.

Culture :- Chhatisgarh's cultural tradition comprises a mosaic where different idioms - the folk, the classical and the tribal - coexit and enrich the whole. Some of these traditions, particularly folk theatre, handed down from one generation to the next, have adapted themselves to a changing world and changing audiences. Among the most famous theatrical forms of chhatisgarh are the Pandavani and Nacha. pandavani is a narrative performance tradition that is based on the Mahabharata. The narrator not only sings verses from the epic but also dramatises it through physical gestures, including facial expressions and energetic body movements.

Music And Dance

The most prominent tribal dance forms include the Dandari, Gerhi, Karma, Sua, Gaur.

Dandari :-
Dandari is performed by the Dandami Maria tribes of Bastar, usually after harvest.

Gerhi :-
Gerhi is a ghotul dance, using stilts that is performed by some tribes of Bastar. It is generally associated with the Hariali Parab or seed-sowing season.

Karma :-
Karma , possibly the most famous dance in the state, is performed by both the Baigas and the Gonds. This dance is associated with the fertility cult and essentially related to the Karma festival in August when the forests become lush green.

Sua :-
The Sua or the Sugga (meaning parrot) is a graceful dance performed by most of the women of chhatisgarh. The head and feet move like those of a parrot, keeping pace with the rhythm of a wooden clapper called the thiski.

Gaur :-
Another popular dance is the Gaur, performed by the Bison- horn Marias of south Bastar. The participants wearing scintillating costumes, ornaments and bright headgear imitate a number of bison movements.

Wildlife :-

Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary

The Achanakmar wildlife sanctuary, established in 1975, covers an area of 557.55 sq km. The region is mainly hilly with altitudes ranging from 200 m to 1,000 m above sea level. The vegetation mainly comprises sal, saja, tinsa, bija and bamboo. The sanctuary is closed to Amarkantak where river narmada originates. It is home to a variety of wild animals like tiger, leopard, gaur, chital, jackal, striped hyena, wild dog, barking deer, wild buffalo, bear etc. The kanha - achanakmar corridor connects the kanha tiger reserve in madhya pradesh with the Achanakmar wildlife Sanctuary. Achanakmar is, by far, the best place in chhatisgarh to sight a tiger in the wild.

The neaest railhead to Achanakmar is pendra Road (25 kms). One can however base one's travel from Bilaspur (40 kms) where better transport and lodging facilities are available.

Indravati national park

Indravati national park spread over an area of 1,258 sq km is located south and east of indravati river. The park is the only home of a sizable population of wild buffalo and swamp deer.
Also the only tiger reserve in the state indravati attained the status of a national park in 1981 and that of a tiger reserve under project tiger in 1983. The park comprises undulating hills with altitude ranging between 177 m to 599 m.
The Indravati National Park is mainly a tropical moist and dry deciduous forest with a pre-dominance of sal, teak and bamboo trees. There are also rich patches of excellent grassland providing much required fodder to wild buffalos, chital and other herbivores inhabiting the park. The major wildlife in Indravati National park includes the endangered wild buffalo, barasingha, tiger, leopard, gaur (indian bison), nilgai, sambhar, chausingha (four-horned antelope) , sloth bear, dhole (wild dog) , striped hyena, muntjac, wild boar, flying squirrel, pangolin, porcupine, etc.
The park also shelters numerous reptiles, including the fresh-water crocodile, monitor lizard, indian chameleon, common krait, indian rock python, cobra and Russell's viper to name a few . Indarvati National Park is easily approachable from Jagadqarters of bastar the village kutrute, the main entry point of the park, is situted 22.4 kms north of the Jagdalpur-Bhopal-Pattanam road.

Kanger Valley National Park :-

Located Amidst the 34 kms long and scenic kanger valley, a biosphere reserve, kanger valley natinal park lies at a distance of 27 kms from Jagdalpur. Spread over an area of 200 sq km, the park derives its name from the kanger river, which flows throughout its length

Kanger Valley attained the status of a national park in 1082. Besides wildlife and plants, this national park is home to three exceptional caveskutumsar, kailash and dandak famous for the astounding geological formations of stalagmites and stalactites.

The stunning Tirathgarh waterfalls are located in the kanger valley national park, as are the popular tourist spots of kanger dhara and bhaimsa dhara (a crocodile park) . One can stay at the rest houses run by the forest department or at a tribal village. The park is composed of mixed moist deciduous type of forests with a predominance of sal, teak and bamboo.Interestingly, the kanger valley is the only region in peninsular india with pockets of virgin and untouched forests. The park is situated in a transition zone where the southern limit of sal forest and the northern limit of teak forests overlap. Hence both sal and teak are seen togethre in this valley .

The major wildlife species of the kanger valley national park are tiger, leopard, mouse deer, wild cat, caracal, bison, chausingha, wolf , chital, sambhar, barking deer, jackal,langur, crocodile and monitor lizard, to name a few.

The avian fauna at the park includes hill mynah, spotted owlet, red jungle fowl,peacock and parrot among many others .

Chhatisgarh's state bird, the hill mynah (gracula religiosa) is found mainly in the indian subcontinent.It sports an overall green-glossed black plumage, purple-tinged on the head and neck. There are large white wing patches which are obvious in flight. At 29 cm in lenght, it is somewhat larger than the common mynha. The bill and legs are bright yellow, and there are yellow wattles on the nape and under the eye.