My Journey to Religious Places: January 2015

Jonha Waterfalls near Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

It was one of those rare journeys that were not religious. We had planned to see Jonha Waterfall on the 2nd of January 2015 (my daughter's birthday). It was her demand for this birthday. Residing for such a long time in Ranchi but not seeing the natural beauty around Ranchi was already in my mind, So I accepted her demand. But this New Year's Day saw bad weather all over north India and even on 2nd January it rained, the temperature dropped and the Sun remained behind clouds. Thus our plan of 2nd January failed. We fixed it for 5th January which being a holiday and sunny day was a perfect option.

Local artists selling their handicrafts at the entrance of
Jonha Waterfalls near Ranchi, Jharkhand

We planned to leave our place at 11 AM so that we reach there around noon. But the preparation for the journey took time and we could set on only at 1 PM. The traffic in the town was not less like Sundays. We had to wait for 10 minutes to cross the busy "Kanta Toli Chowk''. I was also getting some problems in driving the car due to the specs. Earlier in the morning I got my specs broken and had to wear an old one. As we drove farther on the Purulia road the traffic gradually got lighter. Except near two railway crossings, the road was good. The turning for "Jonha Fall" is about 40 km from Ranchi. About 15 km before this turning we felt that the forest area was ahead of us. Sal trees were more in number than the other trees. The road ahead slopes downward and

The water of the "Rarhu" river just before
going down the 'Jonha' waterfalls,

Ranchi, Jharkhand.

more zigzag. At the turning to "Jonha Fall" a concrete gate is made. Near it is written on a signboard "Take a turn for Jonha and Sita Falls here". So we turned right through that gate. We saw local people selling some fruits like guava and papaya on the road side near the gate. From the gate onward we saw security forces all along the road. After a few kilometers drive down the road we reached the place where the road branched out in two. The left one was for "Sita Fall" and the right one was for "Jonha Fall". So we turned right. Our destination was just a kilometer away. Before reaching there we faced a drop-gate from the tourism department. On the board we read a fee requirement of Rs.5/- but the people collected Rs 20/- from us and handed over four tickets. So we thought that the rate was for each person. When we reached the entrance of the place it was a surprise for us. The parking place was full of vehicles and the big sound boxes of picnic parties were on full blow. The place was buzzing with holidaymakers. In fact, a scene of "Mela" was there. I parked my car at a place that was about four feet down a slope. The parking fee was Rs. 20/-. The parking boy saw my aged mother and suggested that we should not go down the steps, instead there was a slope on the right side that goes to the river. We followed his advice. The slope was recently concreted and

People having a fun time near
"Jonha" waterfall, Jharkhand, Ranchi

about 200 feet down we reached near the river. It was full of rocks and water was flowing through them. People were enjoying themselves on the rocks and some youths were dancing in tribal style on high-volume 'Nagpuri Songs". But we realized that it was the portion of the river just upstream of the waterfall and to see the real beauty of Jonha waterfalls we would have to go down the steps. So it was decided that my mother and wife would stay at some suitable place and my daughter and I would go down the steps to see the waterfall. We took some pictures here and returned to the entrance. Many local artists were selling handicrafts made of bamboo and a soft wood called "Doodhi". Showpieces were wooden sunflowers, hearts with arrows, and wooden knives and swords. We had to go twenty-five steps up before the descent to the waterfalls started. There are some small shops here. About a hundred feet of gentle slope down, flights of stairs to waterfalls began. At this point, we got an idea of how much down we had to go. My mother and wife stopped there because going down to waterfalls was easy but coming back upstairs was very tiresome. So the rest of us went down the stairs and saw the waterfall from different heights of steps. It was a fascinating scene. Everyone present

Gate at the entrance to the way to Jonha Waterfalls,
Right turn on the Ranchi-Muri road

there was enjoying in his own way. And there were hundreds of people present near the waterfall. Some were eating, some were dancing, some walking through the rocky waters, and a lot of people engaged in shooting pictures. It looked as if almost all of the stones were occupied by someone else. The main waterfall has about 60 - 70 feet of straight fall and the width of the river here is about 200 feet. Near the fall water is not deep and it flows gently ahead about a hundred feet before falling again about 8- 10 feet down. This place looks like a small natural dam because the longitudinal rocks appear to be blocking the flow of the river. This river is called "Rarhu". From this place, the "Rarhu" river flows down in many small steps. About a hundred feet downstream another small river meets from the right side. You can say it is a small "Sangam". One of the eye-catching scenes was created by a few people who were taking a bath near the main waterfall in their briefs only. Though at many places it was advised through signboards not to enter into the water few people seemed to care. This waterfall is relatively safe due to the gentle flow of water about a hundred feet after the fall. In this distance water is shallow. We remained there for about twenty minutes and shot many pictures. It was a lovely place to visit. Then the hard part of our journey began, I mean coming back upstairs. It was the tiresome ride of about two hundred steps. We took a few minutes to rest four or five times during climbing.
The steps are covered with 'Kotah' stone and the rise of steps (height of an individual step) is comfortable. We saw my mother and wife waiting for us. The time was 04:30 PM and we got hungry. So beneath a tree, we opened our lunch packets and ate 'Paranthas' stuffed with 'Sattu' (roasted gram powder), 'Aloo- Gobhi' vegetable, and curd. The sun was to set within half an hour and we wanted to get out of the forest area before sunset. So we packed up and started our journey back to Ranchi.
Driving back was a bit difficult for me because the Sun was near the horizon and just in front of me - we were going exactly west. My old power specs made the problem even worse. But back home we all were happy. The trip was fantastic. We are lucky that so much natural beauty is spread all around our town. Hundru fall, Dasham fall, Sita fall, and so many dams are tourist attractions. I told my daughter that during her or her brother's vacation times, we will plan to visit more of these attractions.