Kendai Forest Village, Taheseel Kathghora,District Korba,Chattisgarh

Kendai Forest Village, Taheseel Kathgora,District Korba,Chattisgarh

*End of August is the time to visit KENDAI Waterfall situated on Bilaspur-Ambikapur State Highway in Korba District, 80 kilometer from the city of Korba. towards Ambikapur.. Its beauty will remain till end of November,. after November the speed of the fall will decrease.{ The best way to enjoy the trip, contact the incharge of Bhajnanand Ashram, just 100 meter away from the water fall, to get comfortable accommodation to stay. Food is available in its scheduled timings. Otherwise the tourist may directly contact the manager, Mritunjay Ashram, Amarakntak,MP for accommodation. There is no other place for shelter. 

Kendai Forest Village, Taheseel Kathmora,District Korba,Chattisgarh

Kendai Forest is an amazing place. It appears that all the treasures of forest have been stored at one place. The Jaleshwar Kund, Kendai waterfall, Golden Island, Coal mines and several other tourist spots. But unfortunately the Chattisgarh State tourism is also following the same footsteps of MP being sister state that no public transport for these tourists spots are available.

The water of Kendai fall comes from Jaleshwar Kund. Few years back a Shiva temple has been built on the Kund and so its name has become Jaleshwar Dham. 

         ( The water flowing from Jaleshwar and at its tip there is a fall)

              ( The beautiful scenery of sun rise near the Kendai fall)

 ( The beautiful scenery of rain at the Kendai watefall view point)

                                          (plantation of Banana plants at Jaleshwar onShivaRatri)

TheShiva temple is on the Kund which have been built few years ago

The beauty of this waterfall could be judged if you either visit this place or have a little bit idea by looking  its photograph. The water falls from a height into a pond surrounded by narrow green hills the full of dense forest. The density of the forest may be due to its dengerous location otherwise in Chatisgarh (CG) also the inside of the forests have become thin. The water of the fall here takes a shape of a river which meets in the river Hasdev after few kilometers. 

Just 100 meter from the fall, there is an Ashram named  "Swami Bhajnanand Vanvasi Vidyalay, Kendai Ashram . which runs a school for the tribal children from class I to VIII and due to mercy of God i was called to teach the children of this school. The Mritunjay Ashram Amarkantak is managing this Ashram and they had arranged for my food and lodging in the campus of the Ashram. The students are also living in the hostel and they get 15 days holidays only in the summer to visit their home town. Here they live like a traditional style of gurukul and learn all the steps of farming along with their study. However, the teachers' apptitude to theach the subjects other than religious training is not up to the mark. In case the teachers of good quality ( I must use this word as teaching has also commercialized rather Education has become an industry....) are recruited then this institution can become a world class organization as they have generated sufficient infrastructure only lacking good management.

                                         
                                                Ashram at Kendai waterfall

Just a km. from this Ashram, there is a Government Secondary school where tribal children from class I to X are studying. I used to come here by my car, in the morning. I was also teaching to the students of class VII to X from 9.00 am to 11.am . Luckily all the students were very happy with my teaching style as most of the students were following the subjects.

                       ( Govt. secondary School, kendai)

The percentage of students of the Pankra and Gond tribals are in majority in schools.

Just near the Fall there is a Community center under the supervision of the Panchayat but the maintenance is very poor. This  place is mostly used by the cows and buffalo for rest. 

The source of this fall the Jaleshwar is 2 km. from the fall on Ambikapur road (just 50 meter before the gate way to Golden island. )  A policeman Mr. Rathor ( as I could recall the name) of Morga village ,6 km from Kendai, has made a Shiva temple on the source of the Jaleshwar Kund and destroyed its natural beauty. In case he is religious minded, he could build a small temple near the Kund but not on the Kund. i am surprised that just at few meters a post guard office of the Forest Department of Chattisgarh (CG) is in existence and inspite of that they have not objected this construction of the temple on the Kund as well as one room and huge kitchen. Actually this is a tribal area and no one can purchase a land other than tribal . so, it is a tactics to grab a land in the name of religion as usual. I asked the tribal people the reason of not raising objection. It is as simple as that the misuse of power.

The another lovely and amazing tourist place in Kendai is Golden Island.

Actually this is not a natural island. Few villages were in existence in this forest area and those were rehabilitated few kilometers away on the upper land as the excess water have to be stored in this place as a reservoir on account of barrage were made on Hasdev and Chaurai rivers.

                         

                              (The Golden island which is known as the Mauritius of the Chattisgarh.)

                       

The villages viz.Naoghata, Telhi  Sarai etc. have been rehabilitated from the Golden island area.

 ( This is the house of Dinesh Jaisawal a businessman belong to non-tribal family, migrated from Rajasthan long back in the rehabilitated  tribal village of Teheli Sarai)

Today the 14^th September, 2015,I visited Karra badi forest village area. This forest has coal reserves. However the mining has not yet started. My purpose was to visit to see coal reserves only.

 

               (This Karra Badi forest is on the underground Coal reserves)

             ( The family of  the tribal teacher of the Ashrasm and my student

 

{Vijay Nath Sondhi ( me ) and my tribal student and the resident of karra Badi Mr. Gokul Pankra.}

After returning from Karra bari, we moved towards Chotia for Buka tourist spot. We have to cross the bridge on Hasdev river 4 km before the Chotia.

Moving about 20 km ,we reached Madai village. This place is famous for Peda sweet. From there I took a left turn and moved about 5 km for Buka Jal Vihar tourist spot. This place has  also the water storage like the Golden Island and schemer service is available for the enjoyment of the tourists.

                                             ( Buka Jal Vihar)

The Forest Management committee is charging rs. 50/- for the entry of car and Rs.20/- for two wheeler.

When I was coming to Kendai from Amarkantak on 1^st September 2015, I was advised to take route for Tuman road from Jatka for Kathghora. However, the left turn road from Jatka T point was quite good in condition and short cut for Chotia but with narrow hilly turns and due to this reason I might have been advised to go through Tuman.

From Jatka moving about 15 km. I reached to another T point. The right hand side road goes towards Bilaspur and I had to take left turn for Kathghora via Tuman. One can not drive more than 10 km /hour with serpentine style as the road is in such a worse condition. After traveling 15 km,we reached ‘Tuman’ the first capital of ‘Kaltury Dynasty’ of the 9^th century AD before Ratanpur. I love historical places and so I forgot the tiring journey on reaching the ruins of the temples of Kaltury Dynasty.

 I came to know that the dcedents of this Dynasty are living here near at the bank of the river in Tuman. After Tuman I reached Kathghora and about 40 km. from here is Chotia and from Chotia I taken left turn to Ambikapur road.

Traveling 15 km. There is Kendai forest. I had to reach here in Swami Bhajnanand’s ashram Vanwasi School to stay and teach the students of this School.

On returning from Kendai on 21^st September,2015, I taken the short cut left turn from Chotia after petrol pump instead of going to Kathghora from the previous route. It is a very pictorial and quite route , however steep turn and narrow road and reached to Pasan. One of my known came along with me from Chotia to show me this route till Pasan. From Pasan there is almost  straight road to Amarkantak via Pandra.

 

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