OF GREEN FIELDS & MEANDERING CANALS- TILA

15th Sept'20

The idea to drive to Tila Hanuman statue overlooking Tila anicut was made 1 hour before we got rolling; With the GPS location set to Tila- we began.

Some 60 km from Home (Which would take us 90 min), made for a nice 3-hour escapade for times when life's getting to you and you want to getaway. Little did we know how well this brief 120 km drive would turn out to be.

There are two routes to Tila Anicut- Through NH-30 (New Dhamtari Rd) and NH-53 (Passing through Naya Raipur). Both routes taking the same time with the NH-53 route being longer by 10 KM or so. Both these routes merge near Jungle Safari and it is just a matter of personal preference as to which one you would want to drive on. We took the NH-30 route which, in fact, looks anything like a national highway; At least till Dhamtari.  

So- we set out at ~1600 hrs, got on NH-30 (Being the same as before- Crawling trucks and reckless drivers, riddled with stray cows, craters- and undivided roads). Soon after getting off NH-30, begins the real charm of the roads- The state highways. Passing through both sparsely populated areas and densely populated villages, with the roads being surprisingly well laid out, with trees flanking the road and canopies so dense that they barely allow any sunlight to filter into the cabin. The route bypasses Champaran into Tila village.

Watch out for traffic jams. No! not the usual ones; But the four-legged ones. We ran into one such jam, and it was an experience.  

The Signboard to Tila Anicut before entering the Tila village is small and is easy to miss. Do not make the same mistake as I did; make sure that the GPS audio alert is on. As much as I took the GMaps directions with suspicion, they were surprisingly correct and took us to the correct place through the correct route. Passing the Tila village and some 4 km of drive, one arrives at the banks of Mahanadi with a SPECTACULAR 81ft Hanuman Statue overlooking the river.

If you were god, what would would want the world like?

The entrance had nondescript parking, a small Chai ki Tapri and what looked like now closed Nashta Centre. The Statue premises is flanked by Parks both the sides and benches neatly laid out. 

The temple was small but clean and there was hardly anyone around. Soaking in the lovely view, we took a stroll on the premises and the Anicut, Skipping the Park. (Also, the park also had neatly laid out stairs to the river bank).

Sahi aur galat ke paar waali duniya

The Anicut had villagers trying their lucks for some fishes with nets neatly tied at the gates of the dam.

The statue looked good. I could only imagine what it would look like in the dusk.

Even with no spiritual intentions, this place makes for a nice evening out. Bring your own friends, Chai/Coffee, something to eat and would make for a nice time. Al this while being hardly 60 km away from the base.

Especially in months like these- monsoon ones- it would make for a quaint, nice time.

The Anicut

I wanted to see the sunset but we also had to reach back home by 1900 hrs. After spending some 15-20 mins there, we headed back- retracing the route. The sun had started to go down by now; and Boy oh Boy was it pretty! The sun rays spread across as golden hue- only to be dissected by the fields of the lush green grasses at both the sides of the road; The dragonflies flew helter-skelter just added to the beauty.

The Canals cutting through had water that looked blue which was caressed by the gentle winds and mischievous dragonflies whispering secrets we were not privy to. 

As it turned out to be, the return journey felt shorter.

On our way back- Golden Hour

I wish I could capture it or had a Dash-cam.

The 1.3 DDiS unit churns out the usable torque between- a shade above 1500 rpm and almost 2300 rpm. Small windows to overtake slow-moving vehicles meant the engine had to be at the correct gear for quick power disposal. Overall- the whole high beam-lo beam, and aggressive up-shifts and downshifts made for an engaging and otherwise uneventful drive back home. Enjoyable!

Note to Self-

1. G Maps audio alerts be kept on at all times.

2. Drive as if running a marathon; No place for sprinters here.

3. As I have noticed lately, there has been a tendency of for G Maps to take one into the wrong route especially on the return leg; Make a mental note of the route on the first go.