Category: Tribal

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Central India Culture Tribal

Mandana Art of Madhya Pradesh : A Dying Beauty

Mandana Art

Madhya Pradesh has countless attractions to offer to the tourists – forts, palaces, Hindu temples, Jain temples, mosques, most delicious diversity of food, art, and culture. In this article, we bring to limelight one of its most valuable offerings Mandana Art.

Mandana paintings are the wall and floor paintings traditionally done in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, India. They are painted in homes to protect them, to draw health and wealth, to welcome gods into the house, for celebrations on festive occasions, etc. Similar paintings are also created in the most of the parts of Nepal and are called Mandala.

In Madhya Pradesh, the art is mostly used to decorate floors while in Rajasthan it is used both on walls and floors. The Village women in the Sawai Madhopur area of Rajasthan are known to possess the skill for developing simplistic designs to perfect symmetry and accuracy. The art has its roots in one of the oldest tribal communities of India, Meenas.

The word ‘Mandana’ in local languages means decoration, or more exactly, beautification. The resultant drawings are called Chitra Mandana – ‘Chitra’ here simply means drawing or painting.

The creation

The Mandana art can only be created on clay walls or floor. The ground that is to act as the canvas for Mandana art is first prepared with a mixture of cow dung, rati (which is a local clay), and red ochre. Lime and/or chalk powder is used for making the motif. The other tools used are a piece of cotton, a tuft of hair and/or a rudimentary brush which is made out of a date stick.

The Motifs

The motifs of the design include Lord Ganesha, peacocks, women at work, tigers, floral motifs, etc. Peacocks are the most frequently occurring and, one might claim, the signature motif of these works.

 

This love for repetition of these simple motifs, that seem to stand by themselves without trying to narrate any stories, puts in one’s mind Carl Gustav’s Jung’s theory and ideas about archetypes and archetypal symbols.

That said, it is not to say that Mandana art is closed to innovations. Over the years, the artists have introduced several new motifs – tractor, bus, bullock-cart, cycle, motorcycle, etc.

The simplicity of the motifs is also visible in the scheme of colors which are used to fill the drawings as the last step in completing the work. Normally as few as two colors are used – often red and white.

 

In some of them like tapki Ke Mandanas, the motifs are placed in a way to form a geometrical shape – a rhombus, a circle or a rectangle. This love for geometrically perfect shapes is once again something a Jungian could smile at.

Importance during festivals

The motifs are associated with good luck and are thus called ‘Shubh Manglik’ and survive in some regions only in celebration of some of the festivals. Teej is a semi-popular festival that often involves the use of Mandana art or some rudimentary form of it. Another popular example in which it survives is ‘rangoli’.

A dying art

Mandana art is dying and the artists are finding less and less employment even within villages as the number of concrete houses is on the increase and concrete is not receptive to this art which can only be created on walls of clay and anyway there are fewer takers of the art as it is.

There are many reasons to save this art. Its creation combines two qualities that rarely go together in most modern arts – simplicity and beauty.

Again, its use of natural material as its tools speaks highly of how eco-friendly our traditions were – and not to say inexpensive.

It is also a source of traditional employment for women in a country and community where employment for women was very rarely encouraged traditionally. There is something feminine about the aesthetic of the work itself. You won’t see a lot of warrior men in the works, for example; and motifs like peacocks and flowers are so much more attractive to women.

And the paintings no matter how simple is never without a part of the artist’s soul in it. A part of the artist’s life – and that of the artists that previously did the same work is contained in those works – telling us of their lives and experiences. The simplicity of such art forms as Mandana can be deceiving and might make an outsider consider it to bo be devoid of meaning when the very opposite is the truth.

Mandana art in new platforms

The Mandana art might be getting exiled from its home of centuries – the walls and floors of houses but it has found newer places to exist. One such place is the canvas. More and more painters are being inspired by Mandana art and streaming their art through the centuries-long language of expression developed over centuries by Mandana artists.

Another place it is getting its foothold on is fabrics. The traditional designs and artworks are increasingly getting trendy, thus giving a new place for Mandana art to survive.

Conclusion

We hope that Mandana art manages to find survivors in these forms if not in its traditional art. If you love the mesmerizing simplicity with which they strike one, please do consider buying some Mandana art worked goods and let us hope the art regains its old popularity. Cheers. J

Categories
Central India Tribal

Dhokra Art : A Living Reminder of Ancient Genius

Today we shall talk about something new ….  correction, something old – something very, very old. 4000 years old. That is how old the Dhokra art is. The oldest surviving artifacts are the statue of a dancing girl found in Mahendrojaro that belonged to Indus Valley Civilisation – a statue rather famous among historians, art lovers, and archeologists alike.

Dhokra art is the beautiful artifacts, statues made by non–ferrous metal casting of copper-based alloys that use the lost-wax casting technique. The technique has also been found in China, Egypt, Nigeria, Malaysia, Central America, etc. The products continue to be in great demand among art lovers.

The name

Also spelled Dokra, Dhokra drives its names fromDhokr Damar tribes. These tribes are the traditional metalsmiths of West Bengal and Odisha. The tribe populates parts of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, West Bengal and Orissa but can be found in all parts of India.

The Process

Actually, there are two main processes of lost wax casting: solid casting technique and hollow casting technique. While the first is predominant in the south of India the last is more commonly used in Central and Eastern India. Solid casting does not involve use of a clay core but instead uses a solid piece of wax to create the mold; while hollow casting is more traditional in its ways and uses the clay core.

The first task in the lost wax hollow casting process is developing a clay core which is roughly the shape of the final cast image. Next step is covering the clay core by a layer of wax created out of pure beeswax, resin from the tree Damara Orientalis, and nut oil. This wax is then shaped and carved in all its finer details of the shape of the final artifact. And thus we get a mold for the artifact we desire to create.

After that, it is covered with layers of clay, which takes the negative form of the wax on the inside. Drain ducts are left in this mold so for the wax, which melts away when the clay is cooked. As the next step, the wax is replaced by the molten metal, often using brass scrap as basic raw material. The liquid metal poured in it hardens between the core and the inner surface of the mold. The metal fills the mold and takes the same shape as the wax thus forming the artifact. All that remains is chipping off the outer layer of clay is then chipped off and the final product is there as desired.

Motifs

Dhokra is an ancient art and the motifs continue to have a primitive simplicity to them. Thus commonly occurring motifs are religious images, Dhokra horses, elephants, peacocks, owls, measuring bowls, and lamp caskets, etc.

However, the ‘primitiveness’ of these motifs do not show a lack of growth or that that they are anarchic. Rather they might hide profound wisdom. Even someone like Carl Gustav Jung, one of the biggest psychologists reads much in these archetypical symbols that keep recurring in the simple motifs of Dhokra arts.

Moreover, some of these symbols have something quite modern to them. Of particular notice is the ancient artifact of Dancing girl, who has that provoking a flirtatious smile on her face as she stands with her hand on her hip –  a coquettishness marks her which does more to challenge the repressive tendencies that go by name of ‘traditions’ when it comes to gender matters.

A Declining art

Dhokra art much like several other traditional arts is seeing a very fast decline. Unlike some of the other handicrafts that are declining in India, the problem with the Dokhra art is not a lack of demand. The demand is on the higher side – both domestically and internationally.

Rather the problems are that first, the raw material is getting expensive. The artisans often poorer people are not always able to keep up with the increases in prices.

Secondly, there are problems of logistics. The producers being small are unable to bring their product to their consumers who are distant and often wide apart.

Thirdly, with increased prices and logistics costs, the final artifacts themselves get a bit too expensive and industrial products can often be cheaper.

Fourthly the industry remains untouched by any changes in technology. The artisans have failed to use any mechanization to ease their load. There is a sort of roughness to final products, a lack of final touch.

Fifthly, the newer generation is not showing much interest in art whose future seems a bit uncertain.

What can we do?

We believe Dhokra art can be much helped by some marketing. The government could use the Dhokra artifacts to decorate government buildings. A government or non-government agency might be created that will act as an intermediary between artists and their customers. Some protection needs to be given to industry. And research needs to be made in ways of improving the Dhokra technique

Conclusion

Dhokra art is an example of the ancient genius that has survived to the day despite remaining unaffected by industrialization. It shows that art finds a way of communicating itself whether or not there are technologies that support it. And we hope it shall proposer as travelers are growing more and more conscious of its importance. Cheers. J

Categories
Architectural Central India Tribal

Village Walk to Crafty Pranpur

As we the #ghoomophiro sisters got to the heart of India in Madhya Pradesh, a beautiful clear water river flowing through a dam caught our eye. The sight of the Betwa river which is far off from any usual tourist spot gave us what we craved for. A good scenery and solitude.

We delighted in the absence of crowds as we strolled the village of Pranpur, occasionally striking up conversations with the locals who were still awe bound by the visit of stars from 3 idiots. The duo of Aamir Khan and his co-star had arrived unannounced in the village to promote their film and the impressions are still fresh in the mind of the villagers.

With the picture perfect view of the village, the humble hospitality of the locals, the click-clack sound that surrounded us as we passed by the weaver’s houses, there was no lack of charm in this place.

Not only is Pranpur a delight to watch, there are many talented artisans that exist here making Chanderi Sarees and other crafts. The Village even got a National Award in 2009 for Rural Tourism. Don’t expect any resorts or luxurious treatment because the place and its people are very down to earth. You will get to experience the traditional village lifestyle with strict vegetarian diets.

We got to meet the village elder who was a knowledgeable man with all sorts of information about pottery, Bundelkhandi musical instruments, medicine as well as folklore. The day began with the melodious chirping of birds and ended with the star-filled sky. Large portions of delicious meals such as poha. Gujias, kadhi, mangodi etc is what you will find in your meals.

Then it was time for a leisurely stroll through the village during which we came across stone houses painted with pastel colors, four stepwells as well as a countless number of Sati pillars back from the sixteenth century. There was another incredible thing that we got to see and that was a Ram Mandir and a Dargah at the far end of the village, peacefully facing each other symbolizing how religions liver harmoniously in the village. The villagers were happy to indulge us in their pottery making practices as well.

Then there is the most important aspect of the village, the Chanderi weavers. Entering the house of a Chanderi weaver is like being surrounded by rainbows. The superfine cotton and silk warp is stretched tight on the loom and all members of the household be it the man, the wife or young children are indulged in making sarees of different designs and patterns. These Chanderi Silk Sarees are an expensive traditional Indian wear but this little village of Pranpur that makes these Sarees is forgotten. Women all over the country are huge admirers of these Sarees and we were glad to have seen their manufacturing first hand.

There were also a few metal craftsman in the village but their business had not been flourishing like the looms. But when we got a look at their handiwork, it reminded us of great antiques, something that would be admired long after its time.

Pranpur gave us a look into the Indian village life that rejoices in its crafts and talents.

Getting there: Pranpur is in Ashoknagar district, in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. Chanderi is 3km from Pranpur.

What to do there: Explore the village’s Maize and barley fields on Bullock cart and enjoy their folk music and dance performances. See the spectacular sunrise and live like the villagers do, close to our roots.

Categories
Culture North east Tribal

A peep into the lives of Galo Tribe, Arunachal Pradesh

The diversity of India gives it a unique identity. It is so well absorbed in every aspect that we can feel it developing on the surface of our souls. One such exotic aspect of Indian diversity is the Galo Tribe from Arunachal Pradesh that exudes a variety of colors in different shades and textures.

A large chunk of tribes in the majestic Arunachal Pradesh is occupied by Galo Tribe. In some areas of the state, they are also known as Duba, Doba, Dobah Abors, Galloing Abors, and Galong. Galo tribe has been listed in the Indian constitution as a separate tribe or scheduled tribe by the name of Galong. The efforts are being made to change the name to Galo by the community.

Demographics

According to the census of 2001, the total population of Galo community is 80,597. They are found in West Siang, southwestern side of East Siang, southwestern side of upper Subansiri, lower Dibang Valley, and Changiang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Shifting cultivation was primarily practiced by the tribe before 1960. However, the government introduced Wet Rice cultivation and terrace cultivation soon as a part of a development program in hilly areas of the state. Wet Rice cultivation is the main cultivation style in the state besides Jhumming Cultivation, which is still practiced by the tribe.

Galo is the first language of more than 95% of the population of the Galo community. Most people from the community are bilingual with proficiency in languages such as English and Hindi.

Christianity has seen a major rise in the past few years. However, Donyi-Polo religion is mostly practiced by people here.

Language

Galo is the first language of the community, which is often referred to as Tibeto-Burman language derived from Western Tani-Branch. Genetically, the language is closest to Nyishi, Tagin, and Bokar language of Tibet China. Galo and Minyong languages have converged structurally so much so that people have started believing that Galo is a dialect of Adi language.

Festival

 Galo tribe has a distinct culture. It celebrates a number of festivals throughout a year with joy. One such religiously important festival for the tribe is Mopin that is celebrated by the community only. The festival is celebrated every year to ward off evil spirits that bring bad luck to the community. People of the Galo community pray during this festival so that natural calamity of any type does not hit them. They believe that doing this allows them to live their lives peacefully.

Rituals

Mopin festival is celebrated in the month of April (Lumi, in Galo language) every year. The main objective of celebrating this festival is to attain prosperity, gaiety, wealth, and universal happiness. People smear rice power at each other’s faces during the festival. Animal sacrifices are considered sacred and are important rituals of the festival. Mithun is an auspicious animal in the community. Hence, they are preferred for sacrifices.

One of the most iconic rituals of the festival is its folk dance. All the dancers wear their traditional costumes with multicolored beaded ornaments. People celebrate the festival with good food and rice wine.

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North east Tribal Uncategorized

Dirang Monpa, one of the major tribes of the Monpas

The Dirang Monpas are identified as the major division of the greater Monpa Tribe belonging to Tibeto – Burman language family. These tribal people are Tibetan Buddhist and inhabit the north eastern area of India. The Dirang Monpa tribe has been granted the scheduled tribe status in India. During the 1981 census, their total population was 3599, which crossed 5000 in one decade’s time.

The other name used commonly for the Diran Monpa tribe is Tsangla, which suggests that these people are maybe in some aspect, related to Tsangla tribes of Bhutan, China and India, which numbers more than 250,000 people. But when it comes to the language spoken, the difference is vast. A research has been taking place in order to determine the relationship between the two ancient tribes.

History

In India, for the most part, the Dirang Monpa people inhabit the Dirang circle which happens to be located in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The tribal people claim that they are the very first people who inhabited the area which takes their origin to a thousand years back. Some of their elders reveal that their forefathers originated primarily in Bhutan and they moved to India later when their native land was constantly being bombarded by the outside invasions.

Customs

When it comes to cuisines, the Monpa people survive majorly on cereals, fish, vegetables, chuung, rice, maize and wheat. Maize happens to be their staple item food. When it comes to meat, they are known to consume everything from beef, pork, mutton, yaks and mithuns to deers and in some areas, there are tribal people who eat snake as well. Bananas, apples and peaches are the fruits most consumed by them.

To perform the marriage rituals, a lama gets hired in order to consult the horoscopes and determine the most auspicious time and day for the marriage to take place. On the day of marriage, the family of the bride moves to groom’s house. The marriage is considered as a simple procedure where a lama simply places a white scarf called Katha around the necks of the bride and groom, showers blessings on the couple and in no time, the marriage formalities are completed. A huge feast is held after marriage at which all the people, including children, often become indulge in consuming copious amounts of strong rice whisky.

Lamas play many other roles as well. When a woman gives birth to a child, she is considered to be in a state of spiritual and physical pollution and nobody is allowed to visit her. On the third day, a lama is invited to name the child and prepare a horoscope for the baby. The lamas are not only present at birth, but they also carry out the funerals. When there is a death in this tribe family, ‘the body is carried to a nearby river and thrown into the water after being cut into 108 pieces as Tibetan Buddhists consider 108 to be an auspicious number. The lamas recite a prayer and on the seventh day, a tree gets erected in front of the house of the deceased to satisfy the soul.

Religion

Tibetan Buddhism has the greatest influence on the Dirang Monpa tribes. At the time of the 1981 census, 99.69 per cent of the Dirang Monpa expressed their belief in Buddhism. The previous Indian census, in 1971, had returned 100 per cent of the Dirang Monpa as Buddhists.

Culture / Belief

The Dirang Monpas feel that the caste Hindus are superior to them, while the Lish Monpas, But Monpas and Mijis are considered inferior.

Occupation

Agriculture is the chief occupation. The people practice both jhum(shifting cultivation) and settled cultivation and also domesticate yaks, cows, sheeps, pigs etc. The cattles and yak are reared for milk and meat, while the sheep is credited for producing wool and meat.

Conclusion

Northeast India boasts of incredible linguistic and cultural diversity out of which the Monpa tribes make up for five percent of the total population of tribal communities spanning the whole Arunachal Pradesh. These tribes are known for their own and unique system of the practices. The tribes are also famous for their artistic creations that include beautiful Thangka painting, carpet making, weaving, and wood carving.

Categories
Culture Tribal

Bastar, Face of Tribal India

About one third of the total lands of Chhattisgarh are covered with dense forests. And in those deep forests, there are some tribal people, who happen to be largely unaware of what the world looks like outside the forests. Some people belonging to those tribes have somehow peered their way into the more mainstream civilization and it is believed that over 70 percent of the total population of the state is tribal people.

Their lives has been seeped well into their ancient traditions and culture and visiting the places could be one of the most rewarding experience any travel junkie can have. Below is an insight into the different tribes dominating the lands of Chhattisgarh.

Gonds- Gond tribal people, who also call themselves as Koytorias are the most dominating and largely populated people in the state. They are spread across the entire state but southern Chattisgarh’s Bastar district is their primary home. The literal meaning of the word Gond is hill, these people are also known as Hill People. The people of this tribe speak Gondi which belongs to the Dravidian family of languages and relates to Tamil and Kannada. Like many other tribes, Gonds worship a high god known as Baradeo, who has alternate names such as Bhagavan, Sri Shambu Mahadeo, and Persa Pen. Many Gond festivals are connected to agriculture. Pola, a cattle festival, and Nagpanchami, the snake festival, are very popular.

Stick dancing is a Gond custom undertaken by young people, where bands of young people travel from village to village, dancing, and singing. The dancing is regarded as a religious duty and also an occasion for fun. Gonds are protective in nature towards pregnant women and protect them against spells and evil influences, thus performing several rituals after a baby is born. How they welcome their visitors is quite inspiring in itself. Gonds use dried tobacco leaves, fruits, or other small gifts to welcome their visitors. Many villages also have guest huts.

Abhuj Maria– This tribe happens to be one of the oldest tribes in Chhattisgarh who still follows by its rules and traditions. Settled in Abhujmar forests, they are isolated tribal people who have had little contact with other social communities and are known for their aggressive nature. They are cut off and rather hostile to the modernistic adaptations other tribes have witnessed over the years. They don’t like to cover themselves in anything and are largely dependent only on the lion cloth to cover themselves. This tribe mainly resorts to hunting for their survival.

Bison Horn Maria- These people are also known to evolve from the Gond people themselves. They are spread across some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as well. The name they got is attributed to the headgear that they wear, which somehow resembles horns of a bison. Although that headgear is put on the heads during the special occasions such as marriages, it is enough to distinguish them among the other tribal people in the region.

Muria- Muria tribal people also form a great chunk of the overall population of the state of Chattisgarh and Bastar district. Their native home is the jungles of Narayanpur tehsil. Muria people are known to be quite broadminded people and their economy is primarily agrarian. Rice cultivation is their favorite occupation and in the recent times, they have started sending their youths to the outside cities for better education.

Halbaa- Halbaa people are known to be peace loving and honest to their core. Agriculture is their biggest occupation and they are well respected and popular people. They have a great reputation to be one of the most progressive and contemporary tribal group. They speak Oriya and Marathi primarily along with Chhattisgarhi and their customs and traditions reflect the progressive nature of them. They also speak the Halbi language, an Indo-Aryan language which is written in the Devanagari script.
The tribal people of Bastar are as fearful as they are peaceful. Living in an isolated land, they somehow have managed to survive and are continuing to do so.

Categories
Central India Culture Tribal

This is what you donot know about Baiga Tribe

India is a home to many tribes and Baiga is a tribe found Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chattisgarh. With its population of about 250000, they live in thick woodland areas. In Madhya Pradesh, they are spread over in Mandla, Dindori, Shahadol, Balaghat and Umaria. we find tribal life quite interesting as their lives are free from the materialism that has been rotting this world. Baiga Tribe was a source of curiosity for me so we hunted down some information. Here are some interesting facts about Baiga Tribe:

Simple life: Baigas believe themselves to be heirs of the earth and rulers of woodlands. Yet still, they live a simple and straightforward life. Their homes are not adorned; they do not wear any ornaments. It is truly a simple way of living.

Tattooing: Tattoos make up a huge part of their culture. Baiga women have every body part tattooed with big elaborate figures. Upon asking, they revealed that this art has been passed down to Badi-Badanin group who do the tattoo work. They know the types of tattoos demanded by each tribe and have learnt the art from their mothers and would surely pass it down to further generations as well.

Shifting cultivation: The people of Baiga tribe never plough the field as they believe it would be similar to hurting the breast of their mother. They do not plant crops on the same patch again to give mother earth time to replenish the energy. Baigas practice ‘Swidden’ agriculture and it is known to be an effective device for conservation.

Laborer: The hunters and woodsmen of Baiga tribe considered themselves as people of the forest who lived there, survived on the produce of the forest. As such, they refused to work for the government or any other person as it would reduce them to the level of a laborer.

Coarse food: Baiga eat food in coarse form like coarse grain. They also eat little flour and drink pej. Pej is made from grounding macca or water left after boiling rice. They also find food from the forests and eat Peepal, Gular leaves etc. Some fruits such asJamun, Tendu mangoes and delicacies like mushrooms also form part of their diet.

Eviction: These tribes have suffered from threats and they have even been forcibly evicted by Indian authorities since 1960s. The main reason given is to protect the wildlife and tiger populations but as a result, these communities become a victim. They get displaced and we must understand the plight of these traditional tribes of our country.

Hunting: They mostly hunt fish and small animals for food. Their impact on wildlife is not as troublesome as some people make it out to be.

Language: Though most Baigas interact with outsiders in Hindi and they have also picked up few local languages. Among them, they talk in a language called ‘Baigani’. It takes its style from Chattisgarhi and is also influenced by Gondi language and mostly the tribesmen from Mandla district have adopted it as a language.

These tribesmen and women of Baiga tribe practice semi-nomadic culture and we must pay attention towards preserving these cultures as they make an important part of our diverse country. Our country is a secular one as such everyone is allowed total freedom. It is not right to forcibly evict these tribes from their homelands. Even though, incentives are provided like that of money and alternate land, these often turn out to be lies and the tribes end up with nothing even after losing their territories.

Categories
Central India Rejoice Tribal

Gond Paintings and Its Intracacies

India is a land of rich culture and heritage. Several art forms are still lesser known to the outer world. Gond art is such art form, which is fondly practiced by Gond tribes from Madhya Pradesh.

Primarily, the word Gond originates from the Dravidian expression kond meaning ‘the green mountain’. This art form primarily depicts the colors of nature along with the everyday quest for life. Through Gond paintings, the Gonds primarily depicts the celebrations, human relationship etc. They are usually inspired from the belief that happy images bring good luck to their family and hence they paint their walls with vivid colorful images that relates to stories. The artists use series of dots, dashes and lines arranged meticulously to depict the story. They are very careful while adding those lines and dashes and convey the sense if movement to these paintings.

What is more beautiful with this story telling art is the vividity of colors. Gonds use bright colors like white, blues, red, yellow etc. and all of them are derived naturally from plants, soil, charcoal and even cow dung. Though government is helping out these artists by recognizing them on global level and helping this art to reach to their fans.

Thank you Singinawa Lodge for giving me opportunity to explore this vibrant art.

Categories
Adventure Beaches Rejuvenate Relax Travel Trends Tribal

Rendezvous with Andamans

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is an idyllic destination for nature lovers. Thanks to Toroots to give me an opportunity to explore this pristine beaches more closely including the interaction with local Sentinelese people. Blog post brings out the best that I experienced during my stay.

As you land at Portblair airport, you can take a day out roaming around the place, wherein Anthropological Museum & Visit to Cellular Jail are must. This will surely let you speechless and gratitude towards our freedom fighters. The place is a conglomerate of beautiful islands that can be relaxing and adventurous at the same time.

Water sports like snorkelling lets you get the depth of marine life and Andaman beaches offer one of the best views in the world.

Day spent at Havelock also stays memorable for its pristine beaches and beautiful sunsets.

Not sure if words can do any justice with the place, but I hope pictures should be able to motivate you to pack your bags for the luxury vacation to Andaman.

Tip: Get your air-tickets booked timely to avoid extra expense.

 

 

Categories
Central India Festival Rejuvenate Travel Trends Tribal Western Ghats

Gowli Tribe: Herders of Dandeli

The place is primarily known for water sports especially river rafting in river Kali. It is a paradise for birdwatchers that keep themselves in thick deciduous forests. However, very few people are aware that these forests are inhabited by the tribes, who have a little world of their own in these jungles. During one of my trips to Dandeli, I got the chance to spend time with these folks and learn about their cultures. This post is about my experience with Gowli Tribe, as they celebrate Vijayadashami, one of the famous festivals in India marking the triumph of good over evil.
Apparently, Gowlis is a pastoral community found in the states of Goa & Maharastra. Gowlis of Dandeli has their strong roots from lord Krishna community of Yadavas, whose major occupation is animal herding and selling milk in the surrounding areas. They are Hindus by religion and make sure, their religious ceremonies, traditions remain undiluted.

They celebrate Vijayadashami 2 days later the usual dates. Preparations start a week before and festivity takes place at the “Mukhiya’s” house, which also performs the festivity on the D-day and guides the people of tribes.  Cow Urine is considered to be sacred and all the goddesses etc are washed with the same. House is decorated with the paper cuttings created by the females and kids around.

Even though the Government is making an attempt to bring them out of the jungles and providing them basic education, so that they can be part of the crowd, but it seems they are happy being the Gowlis and have no regrets in life. They live each moment with passion and are absolutely non-complaining. These folks  are extremely nice  and hospitable to the guests

 

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