BASTAR – A TRAVELOGUE IN 4 PARTS : PART 3

NARAYANPAL TEMPLE

One of the greatest joys of travelling is to stumble upon hidden gems. Tucked away behind dense foliage on the road to Chitrakote Falls, Narayanpal Temple is one such treasure. It is a jaw-droppingly pretty temple. It is also very ancient, more than 1000 years old. I stood transfixed before it for several minutes before pulling out my camera from the bag. The doors of the temple were shut and almost miraculously the caretaker materialised from nowhere to open it for us. Inside stands a damaged, yet beautiful sculpture of Vishnu. A three-headed serpent is protectively hovering above the deity, its long body trailing down alongside.  The temple was built by rulers of Nagvanshi dynasty in 11^th Century. Incidentally it is the only temple in all of Bastar dedicated to Vishnu. The façade is highly redolent of Odisha temples. The niches are all empty, someone has meticulously ransacked the temple not so long ago. The beautiful temple is a sad reflection of how we cherish our heritage.

GHOTIYA HAAT

The village of Ghotiya is 11 kms from Chitrakote Falls and a weekly Haat assembles here on Tuesdays. It was a pale shadow of the Tokapal Haat. There were heaps of dried Mahua flowers. And among the earthenware I spotted an interesting apparatus to distil Mahua wine. 

BUDU BAGHEL

I met Budu Baghel in Ghotiya Haat. He brews tea there. While waiting for the vendors to set up their wares, we had tea at Budu’s thatched hut – sweet black tea in tiny dainty cups. Budu told me that he has been serving tea at Ghotiya Haat for last 20 years. I tried to guess his age, but his face declined to yield its secrets. He owns 3 acres of land in his village, where his son works as a teacher in a government school. So why does he need to sell tea and other assortments? Budu explains that his land barely yields what the family needs to eat. Budu has 3 grandchildren. While taking his leave, I remarked that he shared the Chief Minister’s name. His eyes were blank. 

CHITRAKOTE FALLS

Chitrakote Falls, raison d'être for the Bastar trip, was a major disappointment. My heart sank when I saw that water barely covered 20% of the horseshoe shaped cliff. A local informed that the fall is in full glory only in August during the monsoon. Approaching the falls in a boat and getting sprayed by the mist somewhat made up for the disappointment. The evening light was perfect for a rainbow. Staying overnight in a luxurious wooden cottage close to the falls was a blissful experience. The gush of the water was sweet music all night.