Serene Kalaigaon Village in Bodoland Assam
We took the Kalaigaon Village Tour of Bodoland to experience true essence of Bodoland? When we 10 bloggers from different parts of India assembled at Bongaigaon, our curiosity and inquisitiveness about Bodoland was its peak.
Quite understandably so because though several parts of Assam rank well in the tourism map of Assam, Bodoland is yet to find a strong foothold. ‘Ambassadors of Bodoland’ has done well to take this initiative and so here I am one of them, to share my experiences of Bodoland.
Kalaigaon Village Tour of Bodoland
Coming back to the question – where do you experience true essence of Bodoland? Yes, in one of its villages.
Most part of Bodoland has rich rural lifestyle. They have their traditional etiquette, local architecture, religious beliefs and practices, age old livelihood practices like weaving and silk farming.
Though Bodoland seems blessed and richly endowed with nature’s gift, the dark side to it is they lack development. City dwellers like us cherish such village experiences, in the process we should provide them help to create sustainable livelihoods which in turn will provide financial empowerment to the rural folks.
Home stays in such environs can be one of the ideal solutions.
Kaliagaon villagers Chirang Bodoland
Kalaigaon Village, Chirang District in Assam
We visited Kalaigaon, a village in Bijni Tehsil in Chirang District. The total geographical area of village is 219.67 hectares.
Kaliagaon has a total population of 1,143 peoples. There are about 218 houses in Kalaigaon village. Bijni is nearest town to Kalaigaon which is approximately 7km away. – From Indian Village Directory
A family of Kalaigaon hosted us for lunch, showed us their traditional lifestyle and practices. As we landed at the village we were greeted with the sight of 3 women fishing in the streams in their colorful attire – which is their local dress but you may want to wear it for a party!
They had their fishing tools like Jakoi and Khaloi. A man was using his fishing net; with a expert flick he tossed the huge net on the stream.
Women fishing in Kalaigaon
Fishing gears used:
Jakoi is a species of wicker work shovel that is either dragged along the bottom or placed on the water bed to catch the small fishes which take refuge in it when the weed is trampled. It is prepared with bamboo slips, which are locally known as ‘dai’. Jati bamboo is specially used for making this particular implement.
Khaloi is prepared with bamboo strips which are used for temporary keeping of fishes during hand-net fishing. The strips required for the weft are very long, while those for the warp are short. Khaloi is woven in the shape of an earthen Kalasi (pitcher).
Architecture – Bodoland House in Assam
Their houses have a unique pattern. At the first glance it seemed like four houses but built around a square vacant plot. They belong to one family.
According to their traditions the northern house belongs to head of the family. Other members reside in other two houses and 4th one often used as granary or storage.
The houses are made of mud and straw or with bricks depending on their financial status. Observe the little shrines outside both houses.
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- Village Houses of Bodoland – mud and straw walls
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- Bodoland house with brick wall
Religious Practices in Bodoland
Their religious practices are a little different from Hindu practices elsewhere in Assam yet similar in so many ways. Bodos follow and practice Bathou since pre-Buddhist era. There is yet another sect that of Brahma. You can differentiate between the two if you carefully observe the plants they worship. Just outside their house you will see a small enclosed area with strips of bamboo stem.
- Inside it if there are 2 plants Tulsi and Cactus then it is Bathou.
- But if it is only Tulsi plant then they are of Brahma sect.
Most Bodos are Bathou.
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- Bodoland religion – brahma sect – only Tulsi plant
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- Bodoland religion – bothua sect – both tulsi and Cactii are worshiped
Bodoland Cuisine
We then walked over to their kitchen for our prime need – food! After the tour of Kalamati we were hungry and ready to devour.
And my! What a sight! First of all a kitchen out in the open surprised me. But they do have a shaded area which they use as kitchen. Since they were hosting us with several items their cooking stoves spilled out in the open!
They even set up a temporary distillation unit to demonstrate how they make rice beer. Home brewed apong (rice beer) is a must in the items of diet of almost all people of Bodoland.
Alfred Basumatary, member of our Ambassadors of Bodoland, and a popular You-tuber explained to us the finer aspects of making and serving beer.
Rice beer made of sticky rice is the tastiest and it is served to guests at home. And once you have tasted the best you may not want like the locally made ones. The color of beer changes as it ages.
Making Rice Beer – Kaliagaon Village Tour of Bodoland
The welcome dish had two traditional food items the Tekali Pitha and spoonful of sticky rice. Locals have this combination as breakfast. Both delicacies vanished in no time.
Soon lunch (picture below by Sunny Gala) was served. And one after another they kept serving the items. Most of the items were non veg dishes.
Sadly the vegetarians had very less choice. People of Bodoland are mostly non vegetarians. During some festival day they may observe veg diet otherwise their diet almost always has fish.
Lunch in Bodoland. 1. Crab with roselle leaves (Mwita Kangkrai) 2. A kind of spinach (lapa mwidru) 3. Snail with black gram (samo sobai) 4.Jute leaves boiled (narzi jwng) 5. Sweet sour chutney with tomato and pineapple 6. Bodo Chicken curry (Dao Bedor) 7. Yam leaf curry (Taso Bisong) 8. Bodo fermented fish chutney (Napam)
Tour of Kalaigaon, Bodoland Assam
Lunch done we went for a small stroll through the lanes of village lined with bright mustard fields. Since the harvest season was over the rice fields looked barren and brown.
We had a look at their silk worm rearing done in dark rooms. Almost every alternate house is involved in this. They showed us how they operate their weaving units. Every house had a loom which was mostly kept outside.
Many houses took up making plates out of arecanut leaf, which grows in plenty throughout Assam.
Silk worms
Bodo people are believed to be descendants of Mongolians. They have very well preserved their culture and heritage but off late some influences are visible.
This post is experience of few hours spent in Kalaigaon village tour of Bodoland. A prolonged stay and interaction will surely help understand them better.
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What a cool immersive experience this must have been! I’d love to do something where I stay with a local family and learn some of their traditional recipes. Also, I’ve never seen silk worms before. They look really strange.
That Sweet sour chutney with tomato and pineapple sounds ah-mazing! And, I never knew what silk worms looked like. They’re actually pretty cool looking!
Wow that meal looked delish. I love Indian food so much….you had me at Mwita Kangkrai, hahah. Thanks for taking me along!
It’s always the case of villages in India. Full of nature and it’s produce but lack in infrastructure. Anyway, we love exploring unusual, non touristy places and Bodoland was one such place.
Rice beer sounds interesting. Good to know most of the house are growing silk worms.
I have never even heard of Bodoland. It was interesting to read about a part of India that was new to me. It must have been fun travelling with the other bloggers and sharing your ideas and insights into the region.
Bodoland sounds intriguing. I love the 3 fisherwomen in such beautiful colourful attire in Kaliagaon Village – how wonderful to witness their way of life! I think I’d like to try the rice beer!
I always love to experience local cultures and ways of life. I had never heard of Boodooland, but I am not very familiar with India. I love to see how people live in nature. I do agree that helping them with sustainable practices is a great project someone should take on, perhaps a university.
What an interesting post. Bodoland looks and sounds so foreign to me. But your photos and explanation let me explore it!
I love exploring country sites and how locals live organically on the land and still preserve the culture, rituals, foods and lifestyle. I would do more outdoor cooking if I had the chance to do this more.
This is actually the area of my ancestors. Political problems kept it underdeveloped for decades but I am really glad that they are finally trying to improve tourism.
I knew nothing about Bodoland . India is such a diverse country. Nothing is better than spending times with locals to learn about their culture and traditions. How kind they were to invite you for lunch. Lucky you
I’d never heard of Bodoland so I”m fascinated with your story! The girls are so lovely in the water fishing. They look so dressed up. 😉 Thanks for labeling your delicious plate of food. I enjoyed seeing what each item was and now my mouth is salivating. LOL
Rice beer sounds quite interesting I have to say! I have neven been to North east India but Assam would be probably the first state I’d explore when I go and seems like visiting a village, maybe dining with a local family, would be such an amazing experience. They’re culturally so different from the part of India that I come from, I’m sure it would be an intriguing experience to learn about their ways of life!
Looks like a beautiful village and fascinating culture to experience. I love the different cultural rituals and food emerge. Rice beer instead of rice wine! The food looks great but only non veg! Interesting post. thanks!
Fascinating, Indrani! I enjoy seeing the throwback, old skool nature of such a place. But also see how lacking modern convenience causes some suffering, too. Double-edged sword for sure.
Vernacular architecture always fascinates me. As you described here, the local houses are made of mud, straw or bricks. The roofs and material are influenced by ecology and weather conditions. More interestingly, spaces are reserved for social/functional purposes as per old traditions.
How fascinating to travel with 10 bloggers. Must have provided such varied viewpoints on your travel. I am sure that a local village is the perfect spot to really experience the culture and people. We have had that opportunity on some of our travels and those experiences always stick with us. It is always a treat to try a local meal. Although I do understand that may be a challenge for people who do not eat everything!
Loved the post, Beautiful pics and thanks for the video.
Bodoland looks like a destination with intriguing culture and cuisine. The food looks delicious and healthy. Assam sounds like an exotic destination that I’d love to visit.
Glad to know more about Bodoland and their culture. Nice post.