It’s 5 O’clock in the evening and now we are at what they said was the Jagdalpur Main junction trying to negotiate with the Jeep Drivers to take us to our destination, a resort developed by the tourism board right in front of the Chitrakote falls, 40 kms from the city. 250 Rs got us the front and middle seats in the jeep and the back seats were for the locals. We five and five more locals were crammed in the jeep and so we started our journey on the perfect roads towards Chitrakote. And then something amusing started to happen. Every 10 to 20 minutes a local would stop the jeep and would get in the back seat. It was like there was a huge invisible space in the back of the jeep. One after the other, people kept cramming themselves in the jeep and all in the back! Young women, old women, Young men, old men, children – every kind was in the jeep by the end of it. The journey to Chitrakote was pretty smooth as the sun set over the distant horizon. Soon we arrived at our destination – Chitrakote resort built right in front of the falls.
Chitrakote Falls:
This magnificent horseshoe shaped cataract , also known as Chitrakot / Chitrakoot, is at a distance of 40kms from Jagdalpur. It happens to be India’s best kept secret and India’s biggest waterfalls comparable to Niagara Falls during monsoon.
These falls form on Indrāvati River which abruptly falls to a 100ft drop throughout the width of the river. During the dry season, the base of the cataract is a hotspot for fishing as all the fish swimming upstream hit the rock barrier. The best thing about these falls is that the cataract is accessible from the top as well as bottom.