Chitrakote- The unforgettable experience

I was born and brought up in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. But inspite of that fact, this was the first time I got a chance to explore the beauty of my own place...this was my first visit to the Chitrakote waterfall, a mesmerizing experience just a few kms away from the town of Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh.

The moment I had the first glimpse of this majestic waterfall, I was sure that this will be an unforgettable experience throughout my life. The Chitrakote waterfall is formed when the river Indravati falls from a height of 100ft and forms an arc shaped fall. Irrespective of which time of the year one visits this place, a rainbow can always be seen just at the place where the waterfall merges with the riverbed. Anoop, my husband was lucky enough to capture this in our camera as can be seen in the picture.

Rainbow Formation- Chitrakote Waterfalls

There are stairs to descend to the bottom of the fall and reach upto the Indravati...after it forms a riverbed. One can then get the real experience of this gigantic waterfall. The roaring sound made by the fall, adds to its magnificent beauty.

Chitrakote Waterfalls bottom view

After having this wonderful experience, we headed for the Tirathgarh waterfalls and the Kutumsar caves, where the stalactite and stalagmite formation form a natural scene of beauty. Since it was early October, the caves were closed for the tourists since monsoon fills the inside of the caves with rainwater, making it difficult for the visitors to walk through the caves. So we moved forward to enjoy the Tirathgarh waterfall. Both Tirathgarh waterfall and Kutumsar caves are in the region of the Kanger valley national park, almost 2 hours distance from the Chitrakote waterfall. Tirathgarh added to our adventurous trip , as it was all together a different experience. This stream of water falls from several levels, and hence there is a series of falls. There are staircases leading till the bottom of the fall.

Tirathgarh Waterfalls

While descending through these steps, one can see huge waterfall formation of this crystal clear mountain water stream. Several small and huge waterfalls can be seen in this entire stretch which altogether give you a picturesque experience.

Tirathgarh Waterfalls

Having experienced all this, it was now time for us to return to Delhi. But the wonderful memories of the Chitrakote as well as Tirathgarh would always stay with us.
More pictures of Chitrakote, Tirathgarh can be found in the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/sonali.mukherjee/Chitrakote_Tirathgarh

How to Reach:
Chitrakote is 40 kms from Jagdalpur which is approx 300 kms south of the state capital- Raipur. Raipur is well connected with all metro cities by flights, trains.

Best time to visit:
Around the year. The falls are in their majestic best during and after the monsoon. The Kutumsar caves are open from November till June.

Where to stay:
There are large number of hotels in and around the city of Jagdalpur with affordable room rates. Bookings are readily available.

Normally the local jeeps/ cabs in Jagdalpur take approx. Rs.1500 to tour all these places. The hotel helpdesk can arrange for such facilities.