With cultural events becoming the prime tool for promoting tourist destinations to both domestic and foreign tourists, the Chhattisgarh Government is mulling over plans of holding a three-day carnival at the popular tourist destination — Mainpat in the forested Surguja district from January 17 to 19 next year.
Mainpat is, in fact, a small village in Chattisgarh made popular in India by its scenic beauty and large settlement of Tibetan refugees who had been living there for the last four to five decades. The region being a hill resort is now a popular tourist destination which is located in only 50 km away from Ambikapur town and Ambilkapur is now well connected by train service.
A meeting was held in the District Collectorate on Tuesday which was attended by Sitapur MlA Amarjeet Bhagat, Ambikapur Mayor Prabodh Minj, District Collector R Prasanna, Superintendent of Police Sundarraj P., former Chairman of Handicrafts Development Board Anil Singh Major besides Panchayat officials and prominent citizens to invite suggestions as well as draw a broad outline for holding of the event next year.
It was decided in the meeting that popular artists in the field of dance, music and comedy would be invited to perform in the Carnival. One of the key features of the event would be a Belle Dance performance besides conduct of Adventure Sports. There were also suggestions made in the meeting to hold double riding cycle, two and four wheeler race, kite flying competition, fashion show and body building show.
Historically, Mainpat was home to the Yadavs and tribes such as Manjhi, Manjhwar, Kanwar and Pahadi Korwa, and later Tibetans. Mainpat is also known as ‘Mini Tibet’ and being a hill station located on a plateau in Surguja District attracts tourists from the world over. This is also one of the regions where the Central Government had settled Tibetan refugees in 1963 in the wake of Chinese invasion of Tibet.