Bhubaneswar, Jan. 30: Malkangiri district has been in the news recently mostly for Maoist-related activities. However, this district has many beautiful locations for tourism. On the southernmost part of the state bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, this region has one of the best collections of medicinal plants and herbs that are used by traditional dwellers - most of them primitive tribes.
Lying on the Eastern Ghat range, Malkangiri is also famous for its rich vegetation and tribal communities such as Bonda, Koya, Gadaba, Halva, Paraja and Matia. To prepare herbal drugs, these communities use the knowledge left behind by their ancestors. The communities are experts in curing diseases such as piles, ulcer, headache, common cold, tuberculosis, jaundice, fever, cough, arthritis, snakebite and blood-related diseases.
From Bhubaneswar, one can take the rail route or travel by road. While two non-stop buses run to Motu from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack daily, one can also take Hirakhand or Konark Express to reach the district headquarters. One can go to Malkangiri via Jeypore after reaching Koraput by Hirakhand Express. By the Konark Express, one can take the Vijianagaram-Malkangiri road link after getting down at Vijianagaram. From Koraput, Malkangiri is about 150 km and from Vijianagaram it is about 300 km by road. Forest officials of Malkangiri forest division, however, feel that taking the road route on Bhubaneswar or Cuttack-Motu Express is a better choice. While Motu is about 600 km from Bhubaneswar by road, Malkangiri is around 400 km from the capital.
There are three forest rest houses in the district — one near Malkangiri town, Balimela Dam and Govindpalli. But one can also stay at Jeypore. To travel and see the tourist spots one has to travel by car. Though travelling to inner localities such as Bonda Ghati has become restricted due to Maoist activities, one can meet the Bondas at Mathili weekly haat as the tribals from the Upper Bonda Ghati visit the market to collect their goods. Mathili is about 75 km from Jeypore.
Pradeep Mishra, forest researcher with state wildlife wing, said: “From all the dams in the district, Satiguda dam near Malkangiri town is the most preferred one for tourists. There is an eco-tourism development project which has developed various kinds of boating facilities including powerboats for tourists. Both the forest department and the district rural development agency in Malkangiri have developed the site. The Balimela dam is also a beautiful site, but after recent Maoist attacks, tourist footfall has reduced.”
Wildlife researcher Prasad Dash of Vasundhara, who carried out an ethno-botanical survey in the district, said: “The animals found in Malkangiri include elephants, leopards, wild boar, spotted deer, barking deer and sloth bear. But the presence of bonnet macaque in the region is another important aspect of wildlife distribution. Apart from these, the distribution of several rare and endangered birds such as golden and Eurasian oriole, pied hornbill, hill myna, vulture and honey badgers attract bird lovers to this part of the district.”
The plant diversity of the area is rich. It includes 588 species of plants with many lichens, bryophytes and fungi which are yet to be discovered. Plants like gloriosa superb, oroxylum indicum, schrebera swietenioides, stereospermum chelonoides, stemona tuberosa, rauvolfia serpentina, blepharispermum subsessile, piper longum, pterocarpus marsupium, celastrus paniculata, litsea glutinosa are found here. These come under endangered category as assessed by leading plant researchers. Species such as stereospermum colais, cochlospermum religiosum, mucuna nigricans, firmiana colorata, lepidagathis hamiltoniana, tephrosia villosa have been sighted occasionally.
The forest type of the district comes under dry deciduous type. One of the key features of the district is the existence of a large number of forest protection committees (vana surakhya samitis) that involve local people to protect forests. The samitis are found in places such as Manga, Sargiduda, Kenduguda, Pujarimunda, Bhaliaguda, Bandhaguda, Jhatiguda, Sorishamala, Madkaguda, Bijapadar, Kamalapadar, Ganjeibahal, Serapali, Baraja, Padarapali, Kusumabahal, Tanginitanga, Katameta, Kurumapali, Gotiguda, Gundunada, Talaguda, Gaudaguda, Matiguda and Markapali.
Places of interest
Satiguda dam
Satiguda dam is situated at a distance of 8 km from Malkangiri town. The reservoir provides irrigation facility to the nearby cultivable land. Boating facility is available inside the reservoir. Lord Shiva is worshiped at a cave near the dam. Being surrounded by many small hills, this place is considered to be the one of the favourite picnic spots of many people. A guesthouse of irrigation department of government of Orissa here provides accommodation to travellers and officials.
Balimela dam
Balimela is a block in Malkangiri district, which is 35 km from the east of Malkangiri. A hydero-electric project has been established here jointly by the government of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. A dam is being constructed at Chitrakonda, 25 km from Balimela across the river Sileru.
Bonda hills
Bonda hills come under Khoirput block. This is the place of Bondas, the primitive tribal community in the district. It is surrounded on all sides by dense forests. The Bondas remain scantily clad and it is believed that Sita cursed them, as they had laughed at her while she was taking bath at a sacred pond that is now named as Sita Kunda. A festival called Patkhanda Yatra at Mudulipada is celebrated by the Bondas in January in which they worship a sword. They believe that this sword belongs to Pandavas.
Ammakunda
Ammakunda is situated at Khoirput block and is around 70 km from Malkangiri. This place has a natural waterfall and subsequent flow of water forms a narrow gorge. The fishes found in the gorge are believed to be Matsya Avatar, the form Lord Vishnu had taken once as one of his 10 incarnations. So, fishing is prohibited here.
Motu
Motu is the southernmost point of Malkangiri district situated at a height of 150 feet from the mean sea-level at the confluence of the rivers Sabari and Sileru. Timbers and bamboos are transported from this place down the Sabari and Godavari to Andhra Pradesh. This tehsil headquarter attracts tourists for it's Jagannath temple and Moogi Point — the southernmost point on the bank of the confluence of Sabari and Sileru. A statue of Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das is situated nearby.
Manyamkonda
Manyamkonda (now Manyuskonda) is one of the gram panchayats of Kalimela block and is situated at a distance of 90 km from the district headquarters. The God of Malkangiri (Lord Mahaprabhu) is worshipped here. Every year during March/April a festival is celebrated here. Every alternative year, the famous festival Bada Yatra starts from this place to Malkangiri's Mauli Maa Temple. Three gods — Kanam Raju, Pota Raju and Bal Raju — are worshiped during the festival. This place is surrounded by number of small hills. The temple of the Lord Mahaprabhu attracts many visitors.
Hill temples
Bhairavi temple is situated at a distance of 3 km from Malkangiri town. People coming from Jeypore and people leaving Malkangiri worship the hill deity for their safe journey. The deity is believed to have been worshiped by the King of Malkangiri, the remnants of whose palace are still found on the Raja-Rani hill near Bhairavi temple. A famous Shivalinga is found in the nearby Goi hill of Malkangiri town. During Maha Shivaratri a large religious crowd gather at this hill temple of Lord Shiva. The height of the Shivalinga is more that 6 feet. It has been observed that this Shivalinga is gradually rising up. The Tarini temple is situated at a distance of 2 km from Malkangiri town on the way to Jeypore. The scenic beauty as well as the religious importance of this temple attract people of the entire district.