Dhurwa Dera ( Bastar- culturally rich, heritage, tribal communities & lush landscapes )
Dhurwa Dera, Dhudmaras is a small village in Bastar, situated 35kms from Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. It is situated 10km away from sub-district headquarter Darbha. It is known for dense forests, hills & nowadays it is very famous for kayaking & Bamboo rafting.
I have been there in Bastar for a decade but still it felt untouched, unexplored. Bastar is a region located in the southern part of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is known for its rich cultural heritage, diverse tribal communities, and lush landscapes.
This time I went to Bastar after 8 months, and it still felt the same the innocence & purity in the air. You would be mesmerized by the beauty of Bastar and the people there are always ready with their open arm to welcome you.
We travelled by road from Raipur to Bastar, we went there for some work but why not exploring the place which is still untouched. There are many such places in Bastar which are yet to explore, this time we went to Dhurwa Dera, a place for kayaking and bamboo rafting in Bastar & it is to be very first for kayaking and bamboo rafting in Chhattisgarh.
Story direct from local Hearts
In Dhurwa Dera I met a beautiful person named Telugu Ram Baghel he told me about the place that how they started all this kayaking and bamboo rafting 2 years ago.
There is a story behind this, an interesting one.
I asked him how they all decided to start kayaking and bamboo rafting. He said young people from their village were going to work in bigger cities, but they were unable to manage their expansion nor even they were capable to support their family also youngsters were indulging into alcoholism and other unusual things.
Then some of them who went to other cities came back to their village Dhudmaras and come up with the idea of using their place Dhudmaras, Dhurwa Dera as a work to earn for the family.
Community development
They did all by themselves, by having ideas which their members bring to the community & this is what we called as community development approach- a way of working with the communities and people to set agendas and organize. And thats what people from here are doing.
He also told me the addiction habits of the youngsters also get reduced because of work, they are more focused into the work, family and education of their children. They made bamboo raft by themselves. You would be mesmerized by seeing everything over here in Dhudmaras, Dhurwa Dera; Huts , rack shacks, even dust bin are made of bamboos.
Is Bastar Safe?
Some of us have that in our mind because a lot has been heard in the past. Bastar is developing not in macro basis but in mini steps you can’t even see that in just one look, for that you have to be here in Bastar for some time. You will realize local people want progress of their community, they want there place to grow through education, health facilities, good transport & connectivity. They want Bastar to be seen as a beauty of Chhattisgarh not as to be remember as terror place.
What to expect?
A state of calmness, serenity, and peacefulness. The atmosphere here is free from disturbance, turmoil, or agitation. A sense of inner calm and harmony,
part of you heals here.
Just feel the mother nature.
How to reach:
It is 2-3 km from Kanger valley national park, Jagdalpur.
There is a board of Dhurwa Dera, gram- Dhurmaras which is on the left side when you go from Kanger valley side from that point you have to go further 2-3 km to reach the spot for kayaking and bamboo rafting in Bastar.
You can hire two-wheeler or four-wheeler from Jagdalpur city to explore Bastar.
location
Best time to visit Dhudmaras, Dhurwa Dera:
Early morning they open the place at 07:00am, you will thank me if you visit this early, you will experience the true beauty of jungle, beautiful bird chirpings, calmness and an essence which will touch your soul and in the evening time between 03:30pm to 05:00pm.
Visit before 05:00pm that’s their closing time.
They close the place for kayaking and bamboo rafting during monsoon season, the place is not even open for sightseeing.
Language ( Mainly used in Dhudmaras, Dhurwa Dera )
People here speaks -Dhurwa & Halbi (both are dravidian language primarily spoken by Dhurwa tribe & halba community both are written devanagari scripts, community inhabit primarily the chhattisgarh state mostly in Bastar in central India) & they very well speak Hindi too.
Is it worth visiting Dhurwa Dera, Bastar ???
Yes definitely. It is more than that.
If you are a nature lover, you will hit another milestone of your life.
Dhudmaras, Dhurwa Dera is crowded place during holidays & also on weekends.
This is undoubtedly one of the best place in Bastar.
The price of bamboo rafting per person is 200/- Indian rupees (2.5$) and kayaking is 100/- Indian rupees per person (1.3$)
On one side they do bamboo rafting and other side they do kayaking. Distance from there starting point to their end point is 300 meters from there they turn back and come to the starting point, Total distance they cover is around 600 meters.
Do’s
- Bring your water bottle with you. You have to trek for 1km from your parking site.
- Bring head cap.
- Must apply sunscreen.
- Keep yourself hydrated.
- Enjoy the local food over here (they make tasty bhajiyas) at vehicle parking site.
- Take a towel with you to clean your wet foot after bamboo and kayaking.
- Enjoy the moment.
- Definitely talk to the locals and people over here. They have a lot to tell.
- Be polite to them ( they are welcoming you into their Home)
- Do as they say (they know their land very well).
- Throw all the trashes in the dust bins ( its all-mother nature land, keep it clean).
Don’t
- Avoid jumping into the water no matter how good swimmer you are ( its prohibited ).
- Don’t do fishing (its prohibited plus they charge you fine for that).
- Lighting fire is prohibited(They have separate place for picnics, you can ask for them plus they charge you heavy fine for that).
Hope you enjoy the Bastar Dhudmaras, Dhurwa Dera like we did.
Gallery
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