Monsoon in tribal Orissa

The Paderu route is fine and I have used it a few times, just have a good map and check highway numbers after each junction whether you turn or not. You will hit Araku Valley on the Orissa end of it so depending on time of day as to whether you stay at Araku or not. It takes longer by that route than the NH5 to Anakapalli, via the Visag bypass, then direct to Araku. This is the more scenic route.
Sometimes the Orissa border tax officer on the araku route puts on demands via a xerox sheet of his version tourist tax so just talk Tamil to him or better still don't stop. I just scream "paisa nehin" at him because I have to stop to raise the gate to get my car through. It gives the locals a laugh at least.
The time you spend here is entirely up to you and probably would be best if you took it on a day to day basis. Koraput is better to stay in than Jeypore and has a reasonable hotel, Raj Residency or the Atithe Bhagan at a less price per room.
Contact Niranjan on (0) 9937712040 or email niranjantripathy.in@gmail.com as he will be able to handle the bike questions for you.

Thanks vinceorian.
Its great to hear from u on this.Should i take a route from rajahmundary to Araku via narasipatnam or should i go through anakapalle- paderu- Araku.

I want to go through more scenic route since it is by bike

Regards

for the first time,i have found information regarding tribal belt of orissa,and i m really eager to travel this area.i have been to kata manji ,bulangir,sonepur areas,but didnt venture into local villages which i really wanted.i wanted to go to kala handi but my hotel staff in kata manji suggested i should avoid as its a disturbed area.....even today i wonder what was the disturbence that time?
anyhow,my purpose of travelling was to look for gemstones mined by local people in orissa,i did find the stuff,but most painful was to see what they were being paid by the middlemen,almost nothing,and i never went back because i ad no local contact.
i wish to travel the tribal areas soon,may be in june,will it be too hot?
my question is,i have 2 kids aged 4 and 5 yrs repectively,should i bring them with me or leave them with my parents to avoid any hassels?

For the general public the tribal district is probably safer than most of India for the fact of less traffic and bad roads so speed is rare. As for social problems I would say the same except for the isolated Kandmahal problems. June will be hot (mid 30's+).
There are sporadic incidences in some area due to naxals and a tribal group Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh(CMAS)who are fighting to reclaim cultivated land that was originally in posseion of the tribals and had been aquired through fair means or foul by other members of society. Any actions instigated by these groups and naxals are usually isolated and the only effects on the general public is the blocking of some roads in isolated areas.

The locals here used to get sapphires(I think) from a small hole in the ground half a klm from my village until someone in their greed and wisdom decided to blast, hence shattering what stones that were there.
The tribals get ripped off by the middlemen, politicions, govt agencies be it state or central, NGO's, traders at the markets and almost everyone else(most)in this country that find the weakest section of the community fair game.

Living here for a while changes the way one looks at different sections of the community due to their appalling treatment of the Adivasi and their rights as Indian citizens, or just human rights for that matter.

As a foreigner traveling in south Orissa I must say that I've always felt absolutely safe even safer tham most parts in India as vinceorian says. The problems (naxallites and tribe's demands) are somewhere there but you do no feel it.

Jorge

We have had no electricity for 2 days.

The monsoon has started!

A bit early ???? What about the fridge ???

All the best

Jorge

This is the SW monsoon which we only get a touch of here in the way of afternoon storms that are more show than anything else. Our monsoon starts in earnest with the North East monsoon next month until then it is very pleasant indeed, although the afternoon storms were a bit severe leaving half the wires in Koraput scattered all over the roadways 2 days ago. We are on a different grid and had electricity this side for about 3 hours last evening then it collapsed in a heap again. So as usual the well used generator gets another warm up to keep the fridges and computer batteries going till ???

Any idea about dates for the next Parab, Koraput Tribal festival. Thanks.

Ronak.

Hi Ronark
It will be on the same dates as this year ie the 16th, 17th and 18th of Jan 2012.
It was previously held on these dates every November. Probably the best way is to keep an eye on the Koraput District website http://koraput.nic.in/New/index.asp or ring the tourism office and the details are in the tourism link of the Koraput website as well as links to tribal related info.

Thanks for your reply. Wife & me were interested in visiting the festival along with other tribal markets. Let's see if we make it or not.

Ronak.

Next week the Rath Yatra(Car Festival) begins and the local events are a really good alternate to the Puri festival. Although only a fraction of its turnout of ?? lakh people it is a colourful and comfortable spectacle be it Koraput, Kakiriguma or any other small town/larger village.

I will head down to Nayaranpatna again with a car load of locals to enjoy this spectacle as hundreds of people haul on ropes to pull a very large wooden temple car, loaded up with their Gods, priests and associated dignitories on board a kilometre or so up the road then return a week or so later.
It is really seems to be in the hands of the gods as these huge rickety chariots, seemingly on the verge of collapse, are hauled metre by metre to the chants and roars of all involved, with some perilously close to getting run over by it's wooden wheels or trampled underfoot.
The Adivasi who are major patrons of these Gods and this festival, bring a different and natural feel to a grand religious event.
It is a pity that it is only Puri that gets the publicity as it is a celebrated and colourful affair no matter which part of India you happen to be in.

Wish to be there in Narayanpatna during the festival

Do you really think the Tribes Festival next January in Koraput worth to go there ???? It sounds perfect as an excuse to come back to the area.

All the best

Jorge

Still fleshing out N'patra and the roadworthiness of my car at the present otherwise it will be Kakiriguma.
The Parab is not a huge festival by any means at all but has many, many craft exhibitions besides the staged events. The first night is given over partly to the VIP’s to blah, blah for an hour or sometimes 2, the dancers and performers come from all over the state and usually a very good team from Nagaland. In the past it has not been given over totally to tribal performers but Orissa folk performers also.
It goes for 3 days and nights and if staying in Koraput for the duration it is a pleasant way to fill the nights after the days touring. If you had only 1 night it would have to be the second night as the last night in the past has not been the main night. Some of the local performers don't turn up while others come from the North Eastern states and Chhattisgarh. I would not say it is one of the great festivals of India but it has an earthiness and a charm that is missing from most. It is unique and comfortable few days that moves at the pace of the area and also a very good representation of tribal culture that is being rapidly eroded by time.
Most countries have learnt too late the importance of indigenous cultures which now is only visible in their museums. India has people that are working tirelessly in the background with little support to keep these cultures from being lost altogether and festivals like Parab is one way of bringing attention to these relatively unknown and colourful people of India.

Thanks for the info. I don't know if already exist a thread about festivals in India, otherwise someone must open it. Another solution is to have a book or agenda with all the festivals in India. In my opinion is not a bad idea to match in the same journey a festival, world heritage sites or architecture, places "off the beaten trails" and places with especial sense of the spirituality and depending of the season landscapes or beaches. I normally try to combine in a journey not less than three sites absolutely differents. For instance in 2007 I've made a journey staying in:
Sonapur Mela (Bihar)
Darjeeling
Malda (Gaur, Pandua, etc) - Murshidabad - Bishnupur - Kolkata
Shekhawati
Amritsar

Probably sounds a bit hectic but for a solo traveler was absolutely perfect.

All the best

Jorge