Beautiful Tribal Village Kauncha
Amidst the natural beauty and bio-diversity of the Western Ghats, lies Kauncha a small tribal village. Kauncha is just 40kms away from Silvassa town of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and is gifted with large forest patches and greeneries. The village is situated amidst small green hillocks just beside the Madhuban Dam on Daman Ganga river. Kauncha is blessed with a pleasant climate year around and the water filled dam adds to the beauty of the place.The village here is populated by the Warlis or Varlis and the Koknas. The Warlis being backward in nature are still seen donning their traditional outfits. Visiting Kauncha, tourists can see the locals wearing traditonal dhoti with a waist coat and women wearing knee length sarees, popularly known as Lugden. They live in small clay huts and depend mainly on paddy cultivation for their living. Women generally carry baskets with them filled with different vegetables or seasonal fruits.
Things to Enjoy
One should visit Kauncha during the “Kokna Tribal Dance Festival.” This festival is one of its kind, exuding the tribal essence of the entire union territory. Tourists can enjoy the traditional Kokna dance and can also take part in it, holding each other’s waist while dancing in close formation. Tarpa is a famous foot tapping dance performed here.In Kauncha, there is a small botanical garden just near to the dam adding to the natural beauty of the place. Through this forest there is a trekking trail where tourist department volunteers give a guided trek amidst beautiful landscape and birds. The guides are well versed about the place’s history, culture and beliefs. There is a small tribal museum displaying the tribal art and daily items.
Tourists can enjoy a trip through the Cashew Processing Unit of Karchod, and get involved in different activities like raw cashew nut boiling, peeling, cutting and grading. Kauncha also homes few large mango orchards.
Different water sports activities are also available over here like jet skies, rowing boats, kayaks and canoes. Lazy boat rides are offered over the Madhuban dam water and sunsets are a must watch over here. The tourism department has kept kiosks for herbal massage and medicines for the tourists. One can enjoy a fifteen minutes herbal massage with a very nominal cost and bask in the natural glory. All these tourism services are being developed by the local tribal community “Kauncha Tourism Development Mandal” under Dadra and Nagar Haveli administration.
One can experience a home stay at Himaivan Health Resort, which has large and clean rooms with all amenities to provide.