Heritage Tourism in Purulia

    

Imagine a pied panorama of pristine splendor unfolding itself in myriad multitudes: a repertoire rich in variety and essence manifested through nature, people, culture and heritage. This is Purulia, a tropical district of West Bengal, which lies in the westernmost region of the state. Rocky hills defining the landscape uphold the wild and unassuming nature of the land and its people while the serene water bodies embody the intangible wealth intrinsically inherent in them. The Pandora’s Box of Purulia remained encased till banglanatak dot com in conjunction with the Government of West Bengal and UNESCO, took the first step to explore the opportunity for an alternative community-led tourism in Purulia, West Bengal, using the traditional artistic skills of local population as primary resources. To achieve the goal effort has been taken to understand the local population and their skills in addition to inventorying heritage places and buildings. The focus of the effort was to make the community the real and the principal beneficiary of tourism development.

The natural attractions of Purulia include flat green agricultural lands or barren arid fields dotted with ponds and transected with rivers are bordered by hills and mountains. The ponds are full of Shaluk and Lotus blooms. Wild flower bushes grow alongside the roads. Subarnarekha and Damodar rivers define the boundaries of the District. Three main rivers of West Bengal have their origin here, namely Kansabati or Kansai, Dwarakeswar or Dhalkishore and Shilabati or Shilai. Hills like Ayodhya, Panchakot and Joychandi stand sentinel to the beauty and treasure of the region. The lakes look beautiful in contrast to the rocky, hard, uneven terrain and are of great attraction to tourists. Another major attraction here is the Built Heritage. History manifests itself in the built heritage of Purulia. Palaces and temples reflect the royal past. The classic architectural splendors primarily constitute of temples of Jain origin and design. The vast treasure house of sculpture and carvings showcase excellent creativity and craftsman-ship of the artisans. The master craftsmanship depicted in the architectural brilliance of the temples of Rekh Deul, Deulghata, Telkupi, Chelyama, Baromasya, Pakbirrah and Garhpanchakot leaves one awestruck.. Kashipur, another integral part of Purulia is famous for the Panchakot palace, a brilliant edifice of architectural wonder.

The ambit of Purulia’s attraction remains deficient with out its people. Nearly one million people living in Purulia district belong to scheduled tribes and castes (36% of the population). While Santhals are the largest tribal group, other tribes are Kurmi (Mahato), Munda , Kheria-Shabar , Ho, Birharh,  Oraon,  Mal, Mahali, Ghasi etc. Some of the tribes like Birharh, Mal or Bedia are quite primitive and lead a nomadic lifestyle. Despite assimilation of diverse cultures, with the passage of time, many tribes still retain their distinct identities in their traditional cultural and religious practices. These comprise their various customs, ceremonies, religious rites, languages, performing arts etc.  Each tribe has its own 'totem' or symbol. Tribal people are extremely poor and are highly dependent on the forests for their livelihood. Kitchen utensils are made with Sal leaves. Timber is collected from the forests. Bidis are made by rolling tobacco in Kendu leaves and is a common livelihood at Jhalda-I and Jhalda- II blocks. This is an extremely unhealthy livelihood leading to the spread of tuberculosis.  The Forest Department is encouraging forest fringe dwellers to adopt sustainable livelihood options based on non timber forest products like lac and Tassar cultivation, eco-tourism etc.

The tribes of the area practice myriad festivals all through the year and each festival is unique in its essence. The traditional dance forms of Purulia like Chau Naach, Jhumur songs and dance, Pata Naach (Line Dance), Bhuang Naach, Kathi Naach, Ghora Naach, Dansai, and Machhani are so rich and vibrant that if presented properly can have a global appeal. This potential was rightly identified by banglanatak who took initiative to safeguard these folk forms by imparting proper training to the artists and also forming resource centers at the area where the form now gets incubated and thrives with flair. Resource Centers at Chelyama and Bamnia were built with the support of European Union as part of the project Ethno-magic Going Global. They offer workshop, exhibition and rehearsal space. They also have rooms for the casual-visitor. The Chau dancers have been capacitated to perform both nationally and globally and that has created interest about the art forms and today a number of visitors visit Purulia to learn more about the cultural and traditional heritages of the region.

Since the past two decades, poverty alleviation and economic development initiatives of the Government have successfully mobilized local population to be conscious about the potential of their natural and cultural resources and work collectively to better manage them. The availability of such local human resources constitutes a promising basis for a community-led cultural tourism. 122 SHGs of folk artists formed and art skills are strengthened. Art forms are revitalized and there is growing interest among local youth to learn their traditional folk arts for augmenting income opportunities.  Folk Art Hubs have been established and are being managed by the folk artists. Art is becoming a means of livelihood. However, the place being economically poor and the people being unaware about the potentials of the intangible cultural heritage of the place, a number of challenges were faced. Banglanatak successfully handled them by creating mass awareness and building capacity for local entrepreneurship that included:

• Training of SHGs (self help groups) to overlook the protection of heritage sites, work as tourist guides, manage tourist lodges etc.
• Skill building of crafts person and artisans to create souvenirs and mementos out of local handicrafts.
• Developing the local performing art groups to be more functional, skilled and professional.
• Strengthening Community Based Organization by strengthening linkages and forming formal networks like SHG Federations, Activity Clusters, and Cooperatives.
• Facilitating access to Government Schemes by mobilising Panchayat participation.
• Encourage Sustainable Pathways of Development

Once the community was aware about their potential, efforts were taken to promote community festivities and rituals replete with grandeur and pomp which gradually built a sense of pride among the people. The local cultural activities of the inhabitants were made an agenda for building up a mainline economic activity involving tourism as the pivotal point. Promoting festivals as heritage tourism destinations highlighted the fact that, shows of cultural performances are not about instant gratification nor one-off commercial events  for  single audience but a round the year activity and a way of life for the people. New contexts and events were created to revitalize the social functions which are being naturally obliterated with changing times. The Holi Festival has been a roaring success. The festival is gaining huge popularity among locals and outsiders since last nine years. The fair is organised by local organizations like Anneshwa and Lok Sanskriti Mancha. It is held at Deulghata of Garhjoypur on the bank of Kansabati river for three days starting from a day prior to Holi (in the month of March) when the red 'Palash' flowers are in full bloom. It is one of the most colourful, vibrant and entertaining festivals that have attracted more than 12000 rural and around 200 urban tourists.  About 300 folk artists come from various districts of West Bengal and perform Chau, Jhumur, Nachni, Natua, Baul-Fakiri, Gambhira and Domni throughout the night at different locations of the fair ground. During the day, tourists celebrate 'Holi' with 'Abir' on the banks of Kansabati or at the local royal palace. Stay arrangements for boarding and lodging are made on site, at the tents.  The concept of tourism here is unique as the Tourist here can participate in tribal way of life, lac cultivation, mask making or Tassar weaving processes will develop a niche market and promote unique participatory tourism. It may be developed in the model of 'mushroom picking' or 'berry picking' (common in U.S.A) that are popular among tourists as well as local residents. The leisure Activities include learning steps of Jhumur or Chau., Making natural colours from leaves, flowers and barks, Playing ethnic instruments, Making paper-mâché masks., Making  strands of silk yarn. Visitors can have comfortable stay in village homes (bed and breakfast style) with proper sanitation, electricity (solar) and other essential amenities.

Four to five hours from Kolkata, Purulia waits for you, to unfold its intricate tapestry, dappled drawn with exotic bounty and unadulterated bliss!!