Chattisgarh – A Destination with a Difference

Situated in the heart of India, Chattisgarh thrives on its rich natural and cultural heritage. The State is a storehouse of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. The deep forest sans sunlight consists of bushes and bamboos between high mountains cool flowing streams, sky-touching mountains, caves and high waterfalls. Amidst these, one can sight the huts of tribals erected in bamboo sticks, leading a fearless life. The district of Raipur has three wildlife sanctuaries. With 12% share of India’s forests, Chhattisgarh’s three National Parks and 11 wildlife sanctuaries are literal honey traps. Moreover, the state has several virgin attractions in protected areas like Kanger Valley National Park, Barnawapara, Sitanadi, and Udanti and Achanakmar sanctuaries. The endangered wild buffalo and the even more endangered Hill Myna, which are the state animal and state bird respectively, can be spotted here. To one’s surprise, the aboriginal tribal ethno-medicine which predates even Ayurveda has been preserved and practiced here. Mainpat (Surguja), Keshkal valley (Kanker), Chaiturgarh (Bilaspur), Bagicha (Jashpur), Kutumbsar caves, Kailash caves, Tirathgarh falls, Chitrakot falls (Bastar) are all exhilarating destinations being promoted for nature and wildlife tourism. Sirpur and Dongargarh are part of the wider Buddhist tourist circuit making the State a prime destination for pilgrim tourism.