M A I N P A T .......................

As soon as we hear the word “road trip” the first few things that come to our mind are mountains, valleys, long roads, cloudy and rainy weather. A few common names also always strike our mind: Leh-Ladakh, Manali, Pune-Lonavala highway etc., but these names disappear when you take a peek into your budget. An empty pocket can take us nowhere.

But here's is the solution of this problem, “MAINPAT”: The shimla of Chhattisgarh. Mainpat is a small village in the Sarguja district, It’s in the northern part of Chhattisgarh state. Two roads lead to Mainpat - one from Ambikapur which is 45 KM in distance and another one from Sitapur which is 30 KM in distance. This is one of the best tourist places in Chhattisgarh with full fledged package that a traveller dreams of. Mainpat is one of the regions where the Indian Government settled Tibetan refugees in 1963 during China's invasion of Tibet. Apart from the richness of tribal diversity of the area, there is a cluster of 7 settlements consisting around 2,000 people inside Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in many of the camps. Visiting this place for me was a wonderful experience. It is a charming picturesque place atop a jungle plateau with many cultural and natural sites of interest.

As you move from Sitapur, you are welcomed by the clouds dancing on the mountains. The next most beautiful attraction of mainpat is located on the way: “TIGER-POINT”, a place with a waterfall endowed with natural beauty. The waterfall is around 70 feet high and surrounded by mountains and greenery. Next is a place called “KARMA TEMPLE”, located in camp-2. This temple is basically a study center for the small children from age around 5 to 12. You can see how distant from comforts of life, these children learn to handle the tough situations of life. Dhakpo Monastery, Camp #1, Mainpat. Dhakpo Monastery is a Gelug Monastery. Unlike the big monasteries in other bigger Tibetan Settlements in India and Nepal, monasteries in Mainpat are fairly small. This monastery exists in the main campus of camp 1 next to the school. Since ages, Buddhist temples are known as the center for peace as well as place to purify your soul. In Mainpat, you can rejoice the friendliness of groups staying here. Guests are treated no less than Gods. You need not be afraid of asking questions to the locals, they are always ready to help you with a smile on their face . Near Dhakpo monastery you can find a play school where you can see children learning yoga as well as making the Tibetan handicrafts, they also allow you to join them and add a little more joy to your journey.

Monasteries in camp 3 and 4 are worth seeing. Although tourists avoid them because it's pretty far from camp 1. Distance between camps is nearly 3 - 4 KM. There is a place called Bouncing Land or "Jaljala" in the local language. The specialty of this place is that if a person jumps in one place, things in the whole area shake and the ground appears to be like a trampoline. Every year in January or February, the Mainpat Carnival is celebrated at this place. There are several scenic waterfalls, the Tiger point being one of them. The sunset of Mehta Point is famous. There is an organic and authentic Tibetan restaurant which serves delicious food with good hospitality. You can have a real taste of tibetan dishes like Momos, Thukpa, Chowmein, Shabale etc. The name of the restaurant is 'HARD ROCK' and it is located in the heart of camp no.2 .

You can also get a small restaurant in camp 1, just next to settlement office i.e “PAYMA RESTAURANT”. It opens at 11:00 AM in morning and closes around 06:30 PM. You can get into adventure sports such as Para-sailing, Para-gliding, Rappelling, Zorbing ball, Mountain climbing, River crossing and Tracking over here.

"Best time to visit this place is winter and mid of monsoon. So folks, pack your bagpack and get ready for a fun road trip."

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