Pristine Hamlets

Guwahati, Nov 12: When you next visit Kaziranga National Park, try to manage the length of your stay to cover a trip to the Karbi villages nearby. One of the oldest group of inhabitants in Assam, the Karbis have been residing around the Park for ages. Their villages are repositories of a unique culture,
that has roots in animism.

Today, new forms of religious traditions have emerged, which you will come across in Dolamara for example. Thirty km from Inglepathar, many villagers here are now attached to the Guru Lokhimon Ashram, where a form of Vaishnavism, with vegetarianism as the core, is
practised.

Close by is Chandrasingh Rongpi Gaon, a small picturesque village where residents—although being Christian—still perform rituals like San-ki-mi-kechu before eating the first bamboo shoots of the season.

Another interesting village is Silim Khuwa, 25 kms from Kohora. You can walk through this hamlet that is as beautiful as can be imagined—witnessing the happy simple life of its folk, away from the humdrum of city life. Opt for a three-hour trek through tea and rubber plantations,
seeing locals going about their daily chores and birding in the hills.

With the trek tiring you out, you simply cannot miss out on a nutritious Karbi lunch at Kramsa Rock Garden—boiled colocasia with sesame seeds, steamed mustard green, mashed butter gourd and potato mixed with sesame, bamboo shoot with bhoot jolokia, turmeric chutney, dry fish
chutney preserved in bamboo containers, boiled pork seasoned with sesame, pork and chicken
cooked in bamboo cylinders.

Gone are the days when tourists only rode on elephants or jeeps inside the national park. Now, an excellent seven-km cycling path has been developed from No. 1 Kohora via Inglepathar, for tourists to explore the countryside with its sleepy villages and lush green tea gardens.

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