Contact information, Useful Publications, etc.

I've come around to gleaning the useful bits out of receipts, hotel bills, phone directory. The information given below is for this portion as well as for the Odisha leg about
which I wrote here: Trip report: Konark, Bhubaneshwar and Chilika
Contact information
Amarkantak
a. Stay: Sri Ram Kutir (you must have a reference) contact the secretary maharaj on: Phone: 07629 269410. Im told (via google) that bookings can also be done via
belur math (Kolkata) on Belur Math at (91-33-) 2654-1144/ 1180/5391/8494/9581/9681, Fax : 2654-4346. This is the best place to stay in Amarkantak (I only visited the
gardens though- very well maintained).
b. Stay: Sarvodaya Jain Dharamshala; contact Mr Satyendra Jain or the chowkidaars gulabsingh or Banjara. Phones: (07629)-269450 / +91-9584948440. I stayed here.
Rs 400/- for a three bed room.
c. Other stay options: Mrityunjaya Ashram.
d. Transport to and fro Pendra Road and guide: Mr Anil Pradhan: +91-9098866989
Raipur:
a. Stay: Hotel Sun OM, near Railway station Raipur. Good, helpful reception staff and a good place to eat if you need a clean place (Raipur is very polluted) Contact phone
number: +91-771-4044494 / 4044495. Rs 1000/- for a good aircon double room.
Kondagaon and around:
a. Stay and Transport arrangements (to Bhelvapadar, Benur, etc): Mr Bhupesh Tiwari at Saathi (NGO) Kondagaon: - Very resourceful and can help you get to and around
the general area of Kondagaon within a radius of about 100 kms. Ph: +91-7786-242852 / 242479. Rs 500/- per night.
Jagdalpur:
a. Stay: Hotel Rainbow (Mr Amit is at the front desk). Rooms vary from Rs 500 to Rs 2500. Expect a discount in summers and slight upward revision during the last week
of December. Ph: +91-7782-221684 / 221685. I paid Rs 500/- for an OK double room.
b. Stay: Hotel Devansh Residency. Upscale and very new. Expect Rs 1100/- + tax and upwards for a room.
c. Stay: Hotel Akanksha: Older, established and was full when I visited. +91-7782-222349, 225335, 225336.
d. Stay: Naman Bastar Resort: Contact Mr Rao (manager) on +91-7782-229740 and see if he can entertain you. I was on a budget and was not entertained.
Tirathgarh / Dantewara / Kanger Ghati / Tokapal market
a. Mr Kauser Shakeel Rizvi very genial and down to earth. Good command on local dialects and can help with translations and also with photography (he had a film SLR
till some careless tourist borrowed it and dropped it in the falls)! He can also arrange a village home-stay in kavali kela 18 kms off Jagdalpur:
Contact: ghanasar@gmail.com or +91-8103052157.
Konarak:
a. Labanya Lodge: (Rs 750 for a double room new wing) Contact Mr Tutu : +91-9937073559, +91-9861130128, +91-6758-236824.
b. Guide: Mr Narsing Nayak (fix charges for ASI approved guides are Rs 100/- for an hour check the sign board outside the temple) : +91-9937163922. Hes genuinely
knowledgeable and polite.
Manglajodi:
a. Mahavir Pakshi Surakshya Samiti : Contact Mr Nandakishore Bujabal for stay and boat rides: (boat ride is Rs 600/- for 3 hours, stay was Rs 100/- in the office and is Rs
750/- in the mud hut via eco-tourism, not via the samiti). Else Balugaon, Barkul are more convenient options. Recommended guides are Mr Subhash and Mr Sadhu
Behara. Ph: +91-6756-224333 or +91-9937153857
Bhubaneswar:
a. Stay: Hotel Venus Inn (2 kms from the station), Gandhi Nagar: Rooms range from Rs 500 to Rs 1100/-. I paid Rs 1100 for the top of the line room (DBR, satellite TV,
hot shower, Aircon room) in the busiest time of the year. Great room service. Mr PK Singh is at the reception. Email:venusinn@hotmail.com /
webpage: www.venusinngroup.org; +91-674-2597908 / 2597738.
Transport in the state of Chhattisgarh:
a. Mr Matku Kasturia (Kanker Roadways Bilaspur) Very helpful chap and knowledgeable about the road connectivity in North Chhattisgarh. Pls try to speak in hindi /
marathi with him if possible. +91-9893366640
b. Mr Satish Chandraker (Kanker Roadways Raipur): +91-771- 2424642
c. Mr Ballu (Kanker Roadways Jagdalpur) : +91-9981199107
d. Mahendra Travels Raipur: +91-771-4025254, +91-771-4058415.
e. Mahendra Travels Jagdalpur: +91-7782-224126, +91-7782-226206
f. The roadways that connect Amarkantak to Bilaspur are Capital Roadways and Gupta Roadways (buses go via Amarkantak proper no need to backtrack to Pendra
Road)
Tourism and Government contact phone numbers in the general area that I visited:
a. Chhattisgarh Tourism Board: Contact Mr Koshal Jain or Mr Jatish Mulay in their operations office on: +91-771-4224616 or email:operations@visitcg.in . Koshal is helpful
and can do a custom itinerary for you.
b. Achanakamar Wild Life Sanctuary (for the adventurous lot): Stay options in Chhaparwa, Lamni and Baiga: Contact Mr VK Sharma on: +91-7752-226082.
c. Bar Nawapara WildLife Sanctuary: Mr S D Badgaiyan: dfo_raipur@yahoo.com or Tendu leaf division accountant Mrs Ransi Sharma on +91-771-2422413. No English.
d. Chitrakot log huts by CG Tourism: Mr Ram Tiwary: +91-9993854165.
Reading:
When I realized in December 2011, that Lonely Planet (India) has two and a half pages on the entire state of Chhattisgarh I tried to read a bit about the place but most of
the information was collected during and after the visit. The following publications are useful:
a. Map of Chhattisgarh I have found the best map of Chhattisgarh (that I could not buy) published by TTK publishers of Chennai. Another map was in a booklet of preB.Ed. examination (!!) both are better than the Lonely planet.
b. Tribal roots of Hinduism: S K Tiwari; ISBN: 10 : 81-7625-299-9 . Rs 750/c. Temples of North India : Krishna Deva: National Book Trust; ISBN : ISBN 81-237-1970-1 Rs 45/d. ASI World Heritage series guide sold at the museum at Konarak (the Konarak gate as well as Rajarani temple in BBSR is usually out of any publications): Rs 60/(covers Lingaraja temple and the smaller temples of Bhubaneswar as well Jagannath Temple of Puri). Recommended buy as it also includes a good map of Orissa with
tourist spots clearly highlighted.
e. Book of Indian Birds: Salim Ali ; ISBN: 0-19-566523-6 . (the guides at Manglajodi will carry a copy when taking you for the boat ride)
f. http://www.archive.org/stream/epigra.../n205/mode/2up (Colonel Glasfurds report)
Shopping:
a. Dhokra Art and Terracotta for the best value for money, contact Mr Bhupesh Tiwari at Saathi Bastar, Kondagaon. Ph: +91-7786-242852 / 242479.
b. Dhokra art Kondagaon Rajendra Baghel, Bhelvapadar, Kondagaon. Ph: +91-7786- 242882; Dr Jaidev Baghel Ph: +91-7786-242357 and +91-7786-242978.
c. Wooden crafts of Chhattisgarh, Dhokra and more Shabari emporium, Sanjay Bazaar, Jagdalpur. +91-7782-222579 / 224608
d. Ekambra haat, bhubaneswar most of the handicrafts of Odisha can be had at very reasonable prices (think a walmart pricing rather than trader joes). Selection is
good for a first timer but if you're after specific pieces (say Dhokra or Applique or Pattachitra), can be frustrating. Still, worth the time for a first timer.