Justin Unique Rural Itinerary Curation of Hazaribagh Jharkhand

Justin Unique Rural Itinerary Curation of Hazaribagh Jharkhand: The Traveller on the first day at Hazaribagh town is greeted by Saal forest and winds to visit the place where the British raj set up the Assam District Tea Labor Supply Association in April 1919 in what is known as a Depot for Tea laborers at Dipugarha near Canary hill a kilometre from the Circuit

Hazariabgh

Hazaribagh is the Headquarters of the North Chotanagpur Division. The old District has been greatly lessened into a number of smaller districts namely Giridhi (east), Koderma (north), Chatra (west) and Ramgarh (south). The town is of middle size with a number of satellite forest villages surrounding it. The charm of the village market haat in the countryside and annual fairs at Jaganath mandir, Narsigh mandir, Balbal mela and Surajkund mela in the seasonal calendar add to the cultural gatherings. Hazaribagh town is situated in a large clearing dotted with villages and surrounded by forests and many hills namely Canary hill, Sitagarha hill, Silwar hill and Bawanbai hills each having ancient Buddhist sites and relics from the Pala period (9-12th Century A.D) and having a significant role in determining the ancient forest trade route through north Chotanagpur connecting the port of Tamluk (Orissa) and Tamralipti (Bengal) with Varanasi evidenced since ancient times in continuation in the pre-historic rockart shelters,and Buddhist caves serving as Chaityas for monks, pilgrims and travelers through historical times.

To the north of the town is the National Park which is connected to the forests of Chatra in the west and Koderma in the north and serve as migratory corridors for wild elephant herd moving out from Palamau Betal Tiger reserve in the west. The township has three inter-connected lakes with boating, parks and Canary hill Sanctuary within walking distance. The Sanskriti museum & art gallery in Dipugarha, Urban haat (Jharcraft) production centre for Dokra metal casting, jute and bamboo work, handloom and textile unit are worthwhile places to visit located within the city.

The climate is pleasant at about seven hundred meters altitude, the rainfall moderate from July to September. The region is famed for its festivals, especially Sarhul the great spring festival of the tribals; Ramnavmi, Karma, Jitiya, Dussehra and Sohrai the harvest festival in winter month. Being an area rich in tribes (Birhor, Santhal, Oraon, Munda) both the tribal and non tribal festivals are celebrated in an atmosphere of traditional gaiety. The original name of the place is after two villages Okun and Hazari which the British found when they came here around 1770. A mango grove (Bagh) in the south part of the town belonged to a man named Hazari , and the British called the place Okun-Hazari, later the name “Hazareebaugh” being used in the early nineteenth century. An old British map of 1862 shows the plan of the town much as it is today, and great changes do not seem to have been made. The town is described in the Lonely Planet tourist handbook as “A pleasant, leafy town”, famous for the number and variety of its indigenous variety of trees.

The Hazaribagh region in Jharkhand is a heavily forested plateau with deep river valleys. The major river being Damodar flowing west to east dividing the Ranchi plateau in the south and north Chotanagpur plateau to the north, with other rivers Konar, Bokaro, and Seewani flowing through lush Saal (Shorea robusta) forests. This area has been found to have magnificent Mesolithic rock art (10,000 B.C) in the Sati ranges at Isco and Satkaria, Nautangwa near Keredari in Maudhi range and Thethangi, Sariya, Khandar, Barnpur, Sidpa, Gonda, Raham and Mandair in the Satpahar range in Tandwa block, Chatra district, which exhibits a continuation in the Khovar (Kho = cave, Var = Bridal couple) art tradition of mural paintings for marriage done traditionally by women artists on their mud house village walls and is directly traced to the distant ancestor of a unique style of wall paintings in the villages of Hazaribagh, for which the mud walls are treated with a coat of black manganese which is then given a second wet coating of white/cream Kaolin with cloth swabs and scrapped off with the four fingers or broken pieces of combs to reveal beautiful patterns of floral motifs, fishes, birds, wild animals and ritual designs.

The painted Sohrai villages of Hazaribagh namely – Daujinagar (Padma block north), Bhelwara, Lukiya, Jarwadhi (Bishungarh block east), Oriya, Nano (Churchu block south-east), Jorakath, Saheda, Isco and Kharati (Barkagaon block south west) are most beautiful forest villages continuing the Sohrai harvest mural art tradition, which is distinct in its art-form and technique of painting the mud walls with natural earth colours (red oxide hematite , black and white) by women artists that is particular to the tribal and Scheduled caste community. The Hazaribagh district also has several Megalthic (stone memorials) burial grounds of the ancient iron-age testimony to the early iron smelting Asura settlements at several sites namely – Punkree Barwadhi, Fatha, Banadag, Bajha, Birbir, Chano, Giddi, Sidpa, Thethangi, and Pathalgada which are located in close proximity and subsequent Pala period (9-12th Century) Buddhist temple relics at Punkree Barwadhi, Sidpa, Banpur Sitagarha,, Sekha Barasi-Silwar, Donai, Dahiar, and Itkhori.

The Hazaribagh town is well connected with the Ranchi airport (100 kms) south and Bodh Gaya (130 Kms) north with railway stations at Ranchi, Ramgarh,(South 50 kms) and Koderma (north 60 kms). The town may be reach by road NH 33 connecting Ranchi-Hazaribagh or NH30 connecting Hazaribagh-Badodar on the Grand Trunk NH1 from the east 50kms or Barhi from the north 45 kms.

Virasat (Heritage) Trails in outback countryside Hazaribagh

Day 01: RANCHI - HAZARIBAGH (120 KM / 3 HRS)

Welcome to Jharkhand. Meet and greet by our agency driver at the airport/Railway Station. Proceed to Hazaribagh, “Land of thousand Gardens" to reach your hotel check in and refresh. The day begins with a visit to the Sanskriti museum in Dipugarha, a repository of ancient heritage traditional arts & handicrafts of Hazaribagh. Unwind in the evening with a visit to Hazaribagh lakes, sunset point at Canary hill and shopping at “Urban haat” Jharcraft handicraft centre.

Day 02: HAZARIBAGH – ISCO ROCKART– BARSOPANI – BARWADHI PUNKREE MEGALITHS
(150 KM approx. | 10 Hrs)

After an early breakfast traveling an hour and half through the North Karanpura rift valley visit the largest rock-art shelter in eastern India dated to 10,000 B.C with a trekking trail leading to a huge Paleolithic cave called marwateri. The Isco village inhabited by the Munda tribe refer to the shelter as khovar (kho as in cave and var for bridal couple) a local tradition which is still continued during wedding when the mud houses are beautifully decorated. The Barkagaon valley is flanked by the Maudhi range to the south, with winding roads through agricultural fields and streams draining into the mighty Damodar river. After an hour drive along the Maudhi range visit “Barsopani”, a sacred water spring situated in a lush canopy of Saal forest. After a picnic lunch here exploring the forest visit the Punkree Barwadhi megaliths an ancient memorial ground, with Buddhist relics (9-12 Cent. A.D) located atop a small hillock of sacred grove or “Sarna”.

Day 03: HAZARIBAGH - JORAKATH – NANO - ORIYA – SITAGARHA
(160 KM approx| 10 Hrs)

After breakfast traveling an hour through the Sati range visit the Jorakath village, famous for the comb-cut Sohrai harvest mural paintings of wild animals, birds and plants made by scrapping the kaolin creamy white clay to reveal the manganese black under-coat using broken pieces of combs. Take a picnic lunch at the picturesque forest lake, or at a way-side hotel/dabha, before moving on to Churchu block in south-west Hazaribagh to visit Nano and Oriya villages exploring the glyptic painted murals of village homes using kaolin creamy white clay obtained from forest streams, hematite red-oxide iron-ore, and manganese black earth color found in the hills. The Sohrai harvest murals are a feast for the eyes revealing labor of love done by traditional women artists after repairing, re-plastering and painting the village mud house walls with cloth swabs daubed in liquid earth colors sometimes taking two weeks to paint the entire household, and courtyards. The return journey passes the Konar river at Larha and Buddhist remains at Baranpur south of the Sitagarha hill.

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Day 04: HAZARIBAGH – BHELWARA – LUKIYA – PURNAPANI – JARWADHI – KENDWATOLI - PIPCHO

(120 KMS/ 10 HRS)

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After breakfast travelling an hour visit the Bhelwara village famous for the linear Sohrai painted murals using datwan (chewed Saal twigs) or brushes to draw motifs in lines of white, red and black symbolic of ancestors, life and death depicting “Pashupati” lord of animals seen ridding on the back of a bull, and “Kamlaban” Tree of life. Close by a visit to the Sathal tribal villages at Lukiya, Jarwadhi, and Purnapani exploring the graphic patterns of zig-zag, triangles and bold motifs painted for the Sohrai harvest festival is a visual delight of traditional mural art and architecture in forest hamlets. After a lunch break at a way-side hotel / dabha at Tatijharia visit Kendwatoli and Pipcho to get a glimpse into the Dokra bell metal casting tradition of the Malhar tribe, using the lost-wax/lac process and get acquainted with traditional handicrafts by local artisans.

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DAY 05 : HAZARIBAGH - SEKHA BARASI – JAGNATH TEMPLE – SURAJKUND HOT BATH – KONAR DAM
(160 KM / 10 HRS)

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After breakfast visit Sekha Barasi and Jagnath temples to see the Buddhist site dated to Pala sena period (9-12 Cent. A.D), before moving onwards to Surajkund hot Sulphur spring-bath in eastern Hazaribagh. take lunch at a wayside hotel/dabha before the onward return journey to the scenic Konar Dam.

Day 06: HAZARIBAGH – SALPARNI – NATIONAL PARK – DAUJINAGAR – PADMA PALACE – TILIYA DAM - ICHAK TEMPLES (200 KMS / 10 HRS)

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After breakfast take a wandering in the Saal forests at Salparni and Hazaribagh National Park and move to visit Daujinagar - Jihu village to see the tribal Agaria Sohrai harvest murals painted with cloth swabs daubed in the three earth colors (kaolin creamy white, Manganese black and hematite red) on the small mud houses with clay tiled roof. After lunch at a way-side hotel at Padma explore the Ramgarh raj Palace and Ichak temple complex or drive down to the Tiliya Dam with enchanting scenic views and boat rides.

Day 07: HAZARIBAGH – ITKHORI TEMPLE– DAHIAR –TAMASIN FALLS
(130 KMS / 10 HRS)

After breakfast traveling an hour arrive at Itkhori temple and museum with relics from the Pala sena period (9-12th cent. A.D), and close by Buddhist temple remains at Dahiar. After lunch at a way-side hotel/dabha visit the Tamasin water-falls which has over 400 stair-way steps downhill to reach the over seven waterfalls, with the return back to the top being as strenuous. The waterfalls is breathtaking in scenic sight and natural beauty.

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Day 08: HAZARIBAGH – MANDAIR MEGALITHS - THETANGI ROCK ART (160 KMS / 10 HRS)

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After an early breakfast drive for 2 hours south-west Hazaribagh to Tandwa block in Chatra district to visit the Satpahar ranges. The first stop-over is at Laranga a beautiful Mesolithic (10,000 B.C) microlithic stone-tool industry site with an iron age megalithic site closeby along the Barkigarhi river. Then travel further to the Satpahar range to visit Thethangi rock-art site inhabited by the Tana Bhagart Oraon tribals. The trekking trail uphill takes an hour and outdoor shoes are recommended along with drinking water. 

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Day 09: HAZARIBAGH – SIDPA ROCKART - TANDWA-URSU MEGALITHS (160 KMS / 10 HRS)

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After an early breakfast, a two-hour drive through the Barkagaon valley arrives at the north face of the Satpahar range at the Sidpa village which has beautiful Buddhist relics of the Pala period (9-12 Cent. A.D), closeby megalithic burial grounds and a trekking trail through the hills leading to two rock-art sites dated to the Meso-Chalcolithic period (10,000 B.C). The trek into the hills takes an hour to reach the rock art site located on a cliff. The return journey via Tandwa stops over to take a glimpse of the Ursu Megalithic site at Tandwa.

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Day 10 : HAZARIBAGH - RANCHI (11 KMS / 3HRS)

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After Check-out from Hotel pack to leave for Ranchi airport/railway station.