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Andhra Pradesh: Tribal-style marriages a hit among tourists in Araku Valley
The government agency has set up a tribal village of sorts at Pedalabudu village, about six km from popular picturesque tourist spot Araku Valley. Nearly 92 per cent of the population in this area, bordering Odisha, are tribals.
The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in the Paderu division of Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam has come up with the concept of “Giri Grama Darshini”, which offers an insight into the Adivasi lifestyle and understanding their traditions, customs and food habits.
The government agency has set up a tribal village of sorts at Pedalabudu village, about six km from popular picturesque tourist spot Araku Valley. Nearly 92 per cent of the population in this area, bordering Odisha, are tribals.
“There are around 10-15 traditional tribal huts in the village, which provide a typical local Adivasi ambience for tourists. Tourists who want to experience the tribal way of life can book these cottages and stay for a day or two,” ITDA programme manager S Ganapathi Naidu told HT.
During their stay, the tourists can become a part of the local tribal people. They would wear the typical tribal attire, including their ornaments and clothing, cook and enjoy the locality well and take part in the tribal rituals.
“They can take part in agriculture activities, pottery making and bullock cart riding. Catching roosters, which is a sort of game for tribals, is also part of the activities for the tourists,” Naidu said.
However, what is attractive for the tourists at Giri Grama Darshini is the Adivasi style of marriage. “Every tourist visiting Araku Valley area is curious to know about the marriage rituals of the tribals of this area, mostly belonging to Bagata, Konda Reddy and Valmiki sub-groups. That is why we came up with this concept,” the ITDA official said.
The concept, designed by Pedalabudu Eco-Tourism Welfare Society, provides an opportunity for tourists to get married like an Adivasi. “The facility is available for youngsters who want to get married in a unique style and also for the already-married couples who want to celebrate their wedding just to experience the tribal marriage style,” he said.
Both the bride and bridegroom are dressed up in tribal attire; and so are the friends, relatives and even children. The hut is decorated with bamboo, flowers and leaves. A local tribal priest is engaged to perform the wedding as per the tribal traditions, which takes three to four hours. The entire ritual is accompanied by tribal music.
“The wedding feast is also arranged as per the local tribal style. The guests are entertained by local tribal women who perform Dhimsa dance around the campfire,” the official said.
Interestingly, the tribal wedding is completely arranged by women and it is also reflected at Giri Gram Darshini. According to M Malini, an NGO activist, working on tribal culture in the Paderu area, the marriage is performed at the residence of the groom and the bride comes to his residence in a procession. Throughout the marriage, women play an important role.
“If there is any inconvenience to the bride and her relatives at the wedding, they even cancel the ceremony and the bride would have to seek pardon and request her to marry him. This is because women run the entire house and manage the finances,” Malini said.
Though Giri Gram Darshini was conceptualised in 2019 itself, it has started attracting tourists only in the recent past. “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years, we have not been able to promote this much. But now, it is getting good response from tourists,” Naidu said.
In the last few months, at least 16 marriages of tourists were performed in Giri Gram Darshini. “Of them, five marriages were those of new couples, and the remaining were of already married couples, who wanted to experience the tribal culture,” the ITDA official said.
While the hamlet is open for visitors, those who want to experience the tribal marriages should pay ₹5,000 to ₹10,000, depending on the duration of the marriage ritual. “We hope it will catch up with the tourists more, once the pandemic subsides,” he added.
