[Milestone]

Faujiji pls get the writings and shots coming in, eagerly waiting.

Cheers !!!

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by nanduchitnis

Logged in for the Tigers !!

Nandu sir, Thanks you for logging in. Spotting tigers need patience. They will eventaully be seen

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Hooked on your TL Fauji. Chattisgarh gets back so many memories, especially the Laal Int Ki Chutney. Your pictures are very vibrant. Keep hitting us with more.

Thanks.

Yes, it is a beautiful place. By any chance did you eat the chutney? More stories coming.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by Subrat Seet

Wow. Superb wild experience. I am glued to it.

Thanks Subrat. More coming.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by bikxsans660

Keep it up Fauji, Empowering Rural India with the wild. Waiting for the tale to continue.

Salut

Thank you bikxsans. More coming through.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by gd1418

Aur phir aagey kya hua?

GD sir, aage gufa me gum ho gaya. Literally.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by Milestone

Faujiji pls get the writings and shots coming in, eagerly waiting.

Cheers !!!

Milestone, just posting the next!!

[Fauji]

In search of Blind fish and lure of lovely cascades

We were back on the beautiful roads of Chattisgarh. I have no hesitation to say that this state has the best roads in the country! Our next stop was Tiratgarh falls and Kutumsar caves in Kanger valley national park.



The drive was nice and though woods. The forests here mostly are dry deciduous and the landscape is generally brown at this time of the year. I was asking Chetan whether we will be able to spot “Hill Myna” - the beautiful bird which almost imitates human voice - seen extensively in this area. I was a bit disappointed when he said that the probability was remote as these birds have been either shot and eaten by tribals or captured and sold as pets. There could have been a possibility to see them early in the morning. But definitely not at 12 Noon!

The reception kiosk of Kanger Park was not crowded and the lady behind the counter issued us entry ticket to go to caves and falls. I don’t know why there are no safaris or naturalists as guides in this park? Kanger is spread over large area and sustained by numerous streams and rivers. It is a bio-diversity hot spot. But still, you don’t have any one to help explore the area. The park has Leopards, sloth beer, etc. I am not sure if any tigers were there.

Kanger has three clusters of caves – Kailash, Kutumsar and Dandak. Kutumsar caves are at a distance of 12 KMS from reception and you drive through the pristine forest. This journey itself was like a safari and we were eager to spot any animals. We were not lucky though. Parking done, a guide with torch joined us to take us into the caves.

Caving is fascinating. Kutumsar caves were discovered in eighties and are one of the finest stalactite caves in the country. The caves are open only after October and are closed during monsoons. You enter through a narrow creek – one person can enter at a time – and has to struggle to get inside.

Ravi entering the cave



Once inside, you will be treated to an awesome array of stalactite formations. Since the roof is high, it gives feeling of huge room. The length of the cave should be around 300 meters. It is very humid inside. There is absolutely no sunlight. This place is also known for “Blind fish” or “Albino fish”. We could not see any. I had seen them in the “Planet earth” documentaries on Caves by BBC. The guide was showing us the formations and I was trying to capture them on camera when the battery drained out. We normally carry additional set and it was kept in the car which was far away. Anyway, we were not able to capture these sights in our camera.

Pic given here is from web.



As we reached back to the parking lot, I noticed tribal women selling a kind of fruit. I got curious and started talking to the ladies asking them what they were. They said it was “Tendu” fruit and a bowl would cost five rupees. I had heard about “tendu” leaves which are used to make beedis but never knew it also bore fruits! The fruit looks and tastes similar to Chiku and has big seeds.

Caves done, we were eager to see Tiratgarh falls. The excitement had started well in advance as we had seen the falls through bino from a view point on the way. It looked lovely.

Tiratgarh falls from distance



Another drive through forests for 10 KMs brought us to the falls.

I am always fascinated by Water falls in our country which makes a spectacular scene and this one was no exception. Each one has its own character and beauty. At Tiratgarh the Kanger River gently cascades on layers of rocks. Thanks to the fact that the river is not dammed, there was enough water even at this time of the year. The best time to see any waterfall is after monsoons. Nevertheless, it made a good spectacle.



A school had brought a group of kids for a trip to the falls whic reminded me of of my school trips to Shivana Samudra falls. A young couple was taking pictures in all poses with falls as background! It looked funny when the lady in sari was struggling to climb and pose against rocks!

Look closely at this picture and you will see the lady posing with falls in background. In the foreground is yours truly and wifey.



Haven’t we seen this earlier, my wife asked which reminded me of an episode when we went to Kodaikanal for the first time. We had taken a sightseeing trip. There were ten couples in the minivan and as usual, the honeymooning couples were decked up and taking pictures. There was this couple who were keen on posing in flimi style as if they were acting in a movie and clicking pictures. We also noticed that they had brought change of clothes so that they can look new in every frame!!!

Climbing up from the falls was tiring and it was close to lunch time. We were now in search of good dhabha for a well deserved lunch!

Next stop - Teekapol tribal haat

[Subrat Seet]

These are some unknown destinations. Thanks for bringing them on here. I heard about Jagdalpur since my childhood, as i was staying in Koraput for sometime but never been to that place. Superb.

[abheekg]

A refreshingly different destination. Give us more.

[Fauji]

Thank you Ghoshda, Yes, there is lot more to come - Niagara of India, Surreal Palace, lal int ki chutney, glorius wilderness of Kanha, Khajuraho of Chattisgarh etc

[nanduchitnis]

Sounds and looks good...jaldi 7 please!

[Fauji]

Nandu sir, Just posted the second part few hours back. Pls see it on page 1.

[gd1418]

Aur phir aagey kya hua?

[bikxsans660]

I didn't know if such places existed in our very own india. Feels like a must-visit for me. Waiting for more.

Cheers