Visit the place where the story with Tea started – Dipugarha & Canary hill (Day-1)

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 House. The old barns which housed the Oraon tribal tea laborers is now a delightful grove of trees housing the Sanskriti museum and art gallery managed and maintained by Padma Shri Bulu Imam and recipient of Gandhi International Peace Award (2012) and his family who have converted the campus into a repository of ancient archaeological, traditional arts, handicrafts, cultural and, human heritage from the emergence of early humans to the present. 

 

 

Explore traditional murals of Jorakath comb-cut paintings with fishing in a forest lake (Day 2)

Move into the hinterlands to visit the Jorakath village near Charhi, in the Sati hills amidst Saal forest with nearly a hundred households that exhibit the Sohrai harvest murals using broken pieces of combs. After the monsoon has washed and weathered the mud house walls, in the months of October-November, the women artists repair and re-plaster the clay walls, courtyards, and rooms with cow dung, husk and earth, after which they apply the liquid manganese black kali maati, which is let to dry and the following day they coat these walls with liquid kaolin creamy white dudhi maati which is applied with cloth swabs and scrapped off with broken pieces of combs to reveal the motifs in dark black etchings, depicting the forest animals, birds, plants, flowers, fishes and symbols. The Kurmi agricultural community of the Jorakath village, along with their neighboring Ganju community have mud homes which house cattle and poultry within the living space, and the murals are done everywhere from the floor to the ceiling. A visit to the nearby Jorakath lake with its water lilies and lotuses surrounded by Saal forests is a refreshing outing with the possibility of spending time fishing with nets or bamboo fishing rods. The return journey visit to a Santal tribal village at Kajri near Charhi to see the Santal traditional handlooms is worthy of an evening with enterprising tribal families distinctive of their textile hand-woven on wooden looms.

Ancient Trails Day 3 : ISCO ROCKART– BARSOPANI – BARWADHI PUNKREE MEGALITHS 

(150 KM approx.) 10 Hrs - 8 am to 5 pm 

Travel to the North Karanpura rift valley to 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”. 

ISCO rock-art (10,000 B.C) Ancient Khovar shelter

BARSOPANI (Maudhi) -  ISCO Rock art

BARWADHI PUNKREE megaliths (burial ground) and Buddhist relics (9th cent A.D)

CHAWANIYATARI Temple & water falls north of Maudhi range via Barkagaon block

Traditional village Sohrai harvest murals Day 4 : NANO - ORIYA – ANGO - SITAGARHA

(160 KM approx.) 10 Hrs - 8 am to 5 pm

Travel through the Sati range to 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 colour found in the hills. The Sohrai harvest murals are a feast for the eyes revealing labour 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 colours 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.

ORIYA Sohrai harvest village murals

NANO Santal Sohrai harvest village murals

SITAGARHA hill

Footsteps of the Bodhisatva - Buddhist relics & Tamasin water-falls Day 5

ITKHORI TEMPLE– DAHIAR –TAMASIN FALLS -(130 KM approx.) 10 Hrs - 8 am to 5 pm ​

Journey tracing the footsteps of the Bodhisatva before enlightenment as the Buddha 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 breath-taking in scenic sight and natural beauty.

ITKHORI Temple- Budddhist Votive Stupa - Itkhori museum

TAMASIN Water-falls

Trekking in the Satpahar range of seven hills exploring ancient Rock art sites: Day 6

MANDAIR MEGALITHS - THETANGI ROCK ART -(160 KM approx.) 10 Hrs - 8 am to 5 pm

Journey travelling 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.

Thethangi rock art (10,000 B.C)

Satpahar range (Chatra district)

LARANGA Mesolithic microliths site and close by Mandair megalithic memorial

Trekking in the Satpahar range exploring ancient Rock art sites and Megaliths: Day 7

SIDPA ROCKART - TANDWA-URSU MEGALITHS
(160 KM approx.) 10 Hrs - 8 am to 5 pm

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.

SIDPA Rock art site (10,000 B.C)

Traditional village murals and Dokra metal casters: Day 8

BHELWARA – LUKIYA – PURNAPANI – JARWADHI – KENDWATOLI - PIPCHO
(120 KM approx.) 10 Hrs - 8 am to 5 pm ​

Travel to 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.

Bhelwara Sohrai harvest village murals

LUKIYA- PURNAPANI Santal Sohrai harvest village murals

Dokra bell-metal lost wax/lac Malhar at Pipcho & Kendwa toli

Ancient temples - Hot Sulphur bath – Konar Dam: Day 9

SEKHA BARASI – JAGNATH TEMPLE – SURAJKUND HOT BATH – KONAR DAM
(160 KM approx.) 10 Hrs - 8 am to 5 pm ​

​Travel east Hazaribagh on the Bagodar road to visit Sekha Barasi and Jagnath temples with Buddhist relics dated to Pala sena period (9-12 Cent. A.D), before moving onwards to Surajkund hot Sulphur spring-bath taking the road from Jhumra winding the eastern Hazaribagh plateau escarpment driving across hills, forests and scenic landscapes. Take lunch at a wayside hotel/dabha before the onward return journey to the scenic Konar Dam via Bagodar.

Sekha Barasi Temple

Surajkund Hot spring

Source Courtesy- https://nitishpriyadarshi.blogspot.com/2011/11/

National Park – Ramgarh raj palace – Ichak temples: Day 10

SALPARNI – NATIONAL PARK – DAUJINAGAR – PADMA PALACE – TILIYA DAM - ICHAK TEMPLES
(200 KM approx.) 10 Hrs - 8 am to 5 pm ​
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Wander 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.

Hazaribagh National Park

DAUJINAGAR –JIHU Agaria Sohrai murals Padma Palace Raja Ramgarh

ITHACK Temple complex