The Curse of the Beautiful and Dangerous Chambal River (7 photos + 1 video)

An ancient curse prevented people from living on these picturesque banks. Now they are inhabited by rare wildlife and are one of the cleanest areas in India.





The Chambal River was originally cursed. Then bandits and the bandit queen herself settled near it. But now this body of water in northern India is a wildlife sanctuary, home to rare species and virtually pristine waters. The reservoir's infamous reputation is part of the region's historical folklore and the country's history. The irony is that it was this mythical notoriety that saved the river from pollution.



The Chambal is a major river in India, nearly 1,000 kilometers long. It forms a border between the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and then becomes the border between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, located downstream. After that, it joins the great Yamuna River, the longest and most abundant right tributary of the Ganges.





The curse of the Chambal River dates back to ancient times. In the Mahabharata, the great story of ancient India, the Pandava brothers lost a game of dice to their cousins ​​the Kauravas on the banks of the Chambal River (then called Charmanyavati) and saw their queen Draupadi disgraced and naked. In response to her humiliation, the woman cursed the river for having witnessed her disgrace. From now on, anyone who drank from this river would be overcome with an uncontrollable thirst for revenge.



Since then and almost to this day, the legend has prevented people from living on the river. The Chambal and the ravines on its banks have become a refuge only for rebels, bandits and other people thirsty for revenge or hiding from the law.

Since the 1857 rebellion in India, rebel sepoys and their sympathizers have gone into the forests, but gradually these gangs have turned into ordinary cutthroats.



Phoolan Devi

India's notorious bandit queen, Phoolan Devi, and her gang hid in the gorges of the Chambal. She was the last of the notorious bandits to make the region their hideout. Since the 1970s, the bandits have been rehabilitated and the Chambal River and Valley have become a peaceful place.



Gharial

It turns out that the ancient curse was actually a blessing. It saved the Chambal from settlement, development and pollution and, by a lucky chance, created a pristine sanctuary where two species of crocodiles (mugger and gharial), Gangetic river dolphins, jackals, rare turtles, otters and hundreds of bird species thrive. However, gharials, although common in the Chambal, are rare elsewhere. During a boat ride on the river, you can see, for example, storks, butterflies, larks, falcons, terns and cranes.



Today, the main threat to Chambal is hidden in its very appeal. The pristine nature of the mani is a target for poachers. Illegal sand mining is carried out here, and polluting facilities are built and launched.

Perhaps the time has come for a new, but this time a real, not mythical curse…