A pause in Odisha: The sanctuary that feels like a secret

Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary is simply a convergence of conservation, assemblage participation, and history. Once affected by deforestation and poaching, the sanctuary has emerged arsenic a exemplary for modern conservation, wherever section communities play a cardinal relation successful protecting wildlife and restoring equilibrium to the ecosystem.

After a 2 hr thrust done towns, crossing the ember and ore mining areas of Sambalpur (giving maine Mad Max: Fury Road feels), the sights extracurricular statesman to change. We yet scope the dyke, an limb of the Hirakud Dam stretching 25 kilometres, and the presumption is cinematic. On 1 broadside prevarication the wetlands, their rippling waters glistening successful the mid-morning sun; connected the other, the wood sways to the bushed of the wind.

For a moment, I americium tempted to halt — to sorb this equilibrium of stillness and movement. But I person travel ahead, truthful I rotation down the windows, power disconnected the air-conditioning and revel successful the howling wind.— Nature’s ain soundtrack for the car ride.

Debrigarh sits softly betwixt the Hirakud Dam and its immense reservoir, dispersed crossed 347 quadrate kilometres of forest. Upon arrival, guests are welcomed by section tribal women of the Gond community, their voices rising successful a lukewarm urol, followed by a solid of chilled masala shikanji.

The campy is managed by section communities progressive with ecotourism. Like galore wildlife sanctuaries crossed India, Debrigarh offers a fistful of enactment options wrong the sanctuary. What sets it isolated is its exemplary of community-driven ecotourism—managed and maintained by members of section eco improvement committees, ensuring that conservation and livelihood spell manus successful hand.

Situated connected the banks of the Hirakud Reservoir, this campy features 20 air-conditioned rooms crossed 3 categories: 7 cottage rooms, 8 Bison Block rooms, and six luxury star-gazing rooms. Everything — from plan and masonry to woodwork — is by section masons and carpenters. I enactment astatine Bayu — an air-conditioned, double-bedded cottage perfect for families. It is not luxury successful the five-star sense, but it is comfortable, clean, and thoughtfully maintained.

Sights and sounds

In the precocious afternoon, I instrumentality a vessel thrust done the creek to Bat Island, wherever the sanctuary unit and locals person acceptable up precocious tea. We lounge connected charpoys, strolled on the island’s edge, oregon simply ticker the prima descend and the satellite rise. I drawback the crackle of thing frying successful lipid — the unmistakable aroma of caller fish. The paper is elemental and satisfying: crisp mach bhaja (fish fry) for non-vegetarians and blistery pakoras for vegetarians. The fish, tiny and locally caught, are marinated successful brackish and turmeric, past deep-fried to aureate perfection.

The unit besides propulsion retired tins of jhal muri, serving it successful insubstantial cones. A mates of cups of beverage later, a fewer guests stepped retired to respect the nighttime sky. As we eat, we prima gaze: with nary metropolis lights to vie with, constellations radiance bright. Dinner excessively is elemental but tasty: masala mushroom curry, odiya dal (dalma) and chickenhearted curry, each cooked by the squad of the Forest Department.

I aftermath up aboriginal the adjacent time to walk, accompanied by peahens and geese. With nary mobile web astatine Debrigarh, quality becomes your lone connection. What stands retired are the anthills — immoderate astir six feet tall. No 2 look alike, their rampart-like structures giving them a sculptural beauty. I caput towards the water wherever yoga enthusiasts are heavy successful their greeting regular and bask successful the brushed wintertime sun.

Like astir wildlife sanctuaries, Debrigarh has a fleet of safari jeeps, driven and managed by wood unit who are trained locals from the tribes that unrecorded here. The seven-kilometre thrust to participate the safari country tests my back: but connected the agleam side, we spot sambar deer, Indian bison, peacocks, and chaotic boars. The adust deciduous wood is besides location to an array of migratory birds.

Forest serviceman Anshu Pragyan Das says that Debrigarh is besides location to the four-horned antelope oregon chousingha, an endangered species. She adds, “The sanctuary supports much than 40 taxon of mammals, 234 taxon of birds, 41 taxon of reptiles, 12 amphibians, 42 fishes, 39 odonates, and 85 butterflies. It besides has important populations of leopards, bison, and chousingha. During the monsoon, visitors tin besides witnesser beauteous waterfalls.”

The safari includes a abbreviated halt astatine a watchtower, wherever we are served beverage and snacks — an interlude to instrumentality successful the vast, greenish expanse. Debrigarh, successful galore ways, reminds you that wilderness request not beryllium far-flung to consciousness otherworldly. Sometimes, each it takes is simply a drive, a quiescent island, and the hum of the upwind to punctual you however inactive the satellite tin be

Accommodation ranges from ₹3095 to ₹5571 per night. Booking tin beryllium done done odishatourism.gov.in Facility of time trips are besides available.

(The writer was successful Debrigarh connected invitation of Sambalpur Tourism)