If vacation updates on Facebook are anything to go by, then it’s hard to have not come across albums featuring Goa, Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar islands - all popular spots for water babies. But if you’re looking for a watercation that promises more than just beaches, then Hanuwantiya island in Madhya Pradesh is where you should be. Come October and it’s here that you will find India’s largest water carnival, Jal Mahotsav.
Located on the banks of the Indira Sagar dam in Madhya Pradesh, Hanuwantiya is a glorious spectacle of nature. Clear skies dotted with majestic white clouds, emerald green foliage and, best of all, clean blue waters that remind one of the Mediterranean. A vast improvement, you would agree, on traffic snarls, pollution and all the other accompanying annoyances of urban life.
Jal Mahotsav is an eighty-day long festival of food, art, nature and surprise, surprise - adrenalin.
While idyllic islands are not normally associated with adventure, Jal Mahotsav manages to break that stereotype in the best possible way. And though adventure is a big part of the experience, the festival offers enough for people who prefer less strenuous activity too. Let’s take a closer look at how your day will unfold.
Start your day by waking up in your own luxury tent to a picture-perfect sunrise, and see the golden light just melt over the trees and water. Your accommodation is in a beautifully arrayed tent city that’s located close to all the action. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the tented city, overlooking the beautiful blue waters. Posting to social media is optional.
Now it’s time for your vacation meter to start ticking. Take your pick from a host of activities on land, air, and water like paramotoring and parasailing, and even the devilishly fun water zorbing where you enter a huge transparent ball of plastic and roll around in the water. If you prefer more fast-paced action, there’s banana boating and speed boating too. And if, by chance, you’ve had your fill of the water, you can try All Terrain Vehicle racing and hot air ballooning.
But if you’re the sort who just wants to take it easy and just watch the world go by, there are ways of doing that as well. Take your pick from the house boats and cruise boats and laze around on their decks. If by some chance, you begin to feel a little active again, you can also go for leisurely nature walks or cycle around the island and visit the local villages in the vicinity. Oh, and if you really want to take the idyllic experience up another notch, we recommend bullock cart rides that are a popular attraction at Hanuwantiya.
Now, no great festival is complete without food and shopping, and Jal Mahotsav doesn’t disappoint you on these counts as well. There’s a food court that dishes out some of the tastiest food items native to MP and this includes street food too. Make sure you visit the crafts bazaar which sells beautiful handicrafts that you can carry home as a reminder of the great times you’ve experienced. You can continue your tryst with MP’s culture by spending the evening at Hanuwantiya watching folk music and dance performances.
A watercation to Jal Mahotsav has all the elements to reinvigorate your body, mind, and spirit. It’s all about tan, man, and fun. If you’re already making plans and wondering how to get here - the nearest airport is Indore, just 3 hours away from the Madhya Dweep islands where Hanuwantiya is located. If you’re travelling by rail, you need to get off at Khandwa, 50 km away. And if you prefer the road, then Hanuwantiya is well connected to Indore, Bhopal and Khandwa. This year, Jal Mahotsav will be held from 15th October, 2017 to 2nd January, 2018. So, hurry up and book your tickets already.
This October, Hanuwantiya island in Madhya Pradesh will host India’s largest water carnival, Jal Mahotsav. An event so big that it lasts for eighty action-packed days. While the stunning natural beauty and serene locales provide ample reason for people to visit Hanuwantiya, the major attraction at Jal Mahotsav for most people is the adventure sports.
Adrenalin, you will find, is in no short supply at Jal Mahotsav. It’s a water carnival no doubt, but there’s plenty to do on land and in the air as well.
Let’s start from the ground up. The lush and grassy terrain of the island is fertile ground for fun. Team up with your friends and test your shooting skills at the paintball range. And if you think you need to further perfect your aim, pick up a bow and arrow and try your hand at archery too. If it’s a test of strength you seek, then look no further than the local tug-of-war contests organized as part of the carnival.
For those who want to go off the beaten track, Jal Mahotsav has All Terrain Vehicles for your racing pleasure. If you’ve still not got your fix of adrenalin yet, then suspend yourself from a harness several feet from the ground and zip across the island in Jal Mahotsav’s zip lining experiences.
If aerial activities give you a real high (pun unintended), Jal Mahotsav’s got you covered. Parasailing is a popular attraction here, with many lining up to strap themselves into parachutes and let the wind take them across the island. Then of course, there is paramotoring, the high-powered cousin of parasailing, where in addition to a parachute, you use a motor that propels you closer to the clouds. For a more leisurely view of this picturesque island and its blue waters, just hop into a hot-air balloon with your camera and go clickety-click.
Now comes the real deal – the water sports of this water carnival. True to its name, Jal Mahotsav promises you plenty of water-based adventure activities. Parasail over the blue waters of the Indira Sagar dam or go jet skiing. If you have children with you, opt for a motorboat or a banana ride and speed away into the waters. Want to enjoy the water without getting too wet? Well, for this you can go zorbing, an adventure sport where you roll in the water in a large orb made of transparent plastic.
Jal Mahotsav has much to offer adventure seekers. That it’s spread over three months only gives you enough time to start planning that vacation you’ve been wanting to for quite some time now. If you’re looking to take an action-packed holiday where you get to try different kinds of adventure sports, make your way to Hanuwantiya between October and January.
Please visit www.mptourism.com to know more.
