Mainpat

Mainpat is a small village in Chhattisgarh state, Central India. Mainpat has become known for the Tibetans who have been living there for the last four or five decades.

Understand

Mainpat is a group of 62 plateaus perched at 1,100 m/3,200 ft. The road climbs 30 km from the base of the hill through forests of Sal. The area has been home to the Yadavs and tribes like Manjhi, Manjhwar, Kanwar, Oraon and Pahadi Korwa, and more recently Tibetans.

Mainpat, locally known as 'Mini Tibet', is a hill station on a plateau in Sarguja District of Chhattisgarh state. Chhattisgarh is the most forested state of India. Mainpat was nothing more than a jungle clearing where only a few local Indians dared to live. It was a beautiful landscape in a very isolated place. The Tibetan people built huts which gradually developed to better houses where they live today. The condition of the roads remained in bad shape. It has been renovated and is in great condition at least for now.

This is one of the regions where the Indian government settled Tibetan refugees in 1963 in the wake of the Chinese invasion of Tibet. Apart from the jungle tribals of the area, there are 7 settlements accommodating around 2,000 people, with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in most of the camps.

Mainpat is a charming picturesque place with many cultural and natural sites of interest. Viewed from Mehta Point and Pharphatia, the valley and hills of Mainpat offer beautiful waterfalls, like Tiger Point where tigers roam and Machali or Fish Point as the river here was known for a type of fish. A strange sight includes the bouncing swap of Jaljali and charming Chota Jharanā tucked away in a pocket of jungle with a small waterfall with beautiful scenic views. Other notable sights include the beautiful Buddhist temples on this remote jungle plateau and attractions such as Bageecha and Zalzala. There are plenty of inspiring adventures to be explored in this wild and remote hill station.

Get in

Mainpat is about 55 km by road from Ambikapur. The journey takes about one hour. Avoid driving after dusk.

See

• There are several Tibetan monasteries; and especially the monastery in the 3rd camp is really nice.
• There is a place called Bouncing Land or "Jaljala" in a local language. The speciality 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 and it is really cool.
• There are two scenic waterfalls, namely Tiger Point Waterfall and Fish Point Waterfall.
• The sunset at Mehta Point is famous, but sometimes the fog reduces the fun.
• Parpatiya also provides a very nice scenic beauty and several hills appear to be exact cube blocks from there.

Do

• Para-sailing
• Para-gliding
• Rappelling
• Zorbing ball
• Mountain climbing
• River crossing
• Tracking

Sleep

A high-end resort has been opened by the tourism department of the state.

The Mercury Resort also lies nearby.