From time immemorial, traditions and culture are an integral part of a civilisation. Language, dance forms, music and songs, musical instruments, folk traditions add distinctiveness to any region. Bastar division has numerous archaeological sites and traditions as part of the culture which requires conservation and preservation. If we look into the cultural heritage, folk traditions are witnessed during local festivals. The best time is to take part in these festivals and enjoy the rich cultural heritage of Bastar. But the culture and heritage are now deteriorating although at a small pace and this requires conservation. Tribals and locals live in harmony with nature as all their rituals are linked to mother nature. Each festival is also linked to the periodicity of seasons.
Local communities act as an important link to conserve the culture and heritage as they now take part in the tourism sector by offering services like homestays, local cuisine and cultural exploration to the travellers.
Under the initiative of Heritage Conservation Project, presently, Unexplored Bastar has chosen three archaeological sites in Bastar and Dantewada – Dholkal, Barsoor ruins and Chitrakote Waterfalls. Under this initiative, the overall conservation of culture and heritage will be looked after by Unexplored Bastar. Through the support of “Paryatak Mitra”, Unexplored Bastar is actively involved to bring out the hidden heritage of Bastar division in the tourism map of India.
On the eve of World Tourism Day 2019, Unexplored Bastar along with the local tourism groups (“Paryatak Mitra”) and APS, has kick-started the Tourism, Environment, Culture Awareness program (TECA) in Bastar region. Wherein we started conducting the workshops at schools for creating awareness among the young ones about ecotourism, places of interest in Chhattisgarh, sensitizing them on environment-related things and to make them aware of the logic and deepness of their cultural practices. Various sessions were conducted in schools of Bastar and Dantewada district wherein quiz was organised. Paryatak Mitra helped in making students understand things in their local language.
