Village Life
Meeting the Villagers
Having the opportunity to go into the villages to meet the people has been a highlight of my time in Odisha. One of my early village visits in Ghanteswar very soon after I arrived there and made one of my first Oriya friends. We quickly established a friendship and he invited me to go with him to visit his village. Of course I was delighted. On his motorbike we headed out into the countryside where he showed me some of the local tourist sights on the way to his village.
Before we arrived he received a phone call to invite us to join a baby celebration banquet lunch to celebrate the arrival of another niece. So all at once I met many of the villagers. As is the village custom Mum was still in bed so I was taken in to meet her and the baby. Three years later I visited the village again and met the beautiful three year old girl whose welcome party I had attended.
This village is not marketed as a tourist site even though it only takes 45 minutes on a bike to get there. The infrastructure is not good, but it has historical sites of great interest. So visitors are mainly those in the know and adventurous bike riders.
On the way to this village visitors pass through smaller villages: the roads pass by the front doors. Most of the homes here are built of bricks, but many are also mud brick. If the mud brick homes are near flood areas the lower ¼ of the walls are built of local stone.
Another favourite village is even closer to town and definitely not on a tourist route. I was invited to this village by one of my senior students from the local high school. It's not big, but a great place to view village life. Small lanes wind their way through this village which snuggles up against a hill with water in the front in good Feng Shui style. If people have enough money they build a home with a flat roof with internal stairs leading up to it. The roof area is used for drying clothes and food. As more money becomes available another floor is added and often a third thus giving the land owner good use of their land. As it is common practice for the son to bring his wife home when he marries a big house is needed.
Fuli is my favourite village: It is over 500 years old so it's like a step back in time to see the locals still living in old homes that have barely changed over time. Many streets are cobbled stone and just wide enough for the motorbike taxis to pass by. Many elderly folk live here so all visitors to the village are asked for a small amount of money which goes towards their assistance. Most of the fans sold in Yangshuo are made in this village. You can go into homes to see them being painted and assembled. Every step is done by hand and they come in a variety of styles and sizes.
