When we went to Indravati last year, we had a return flight from Jagdalpur. My father searched for nearby places that we could visit before our flight. He found two waterfalls and planned a trip to see them.

I had never seen a real waterfall before except in YouTube videos. Since I always get excited whenever I see water bodies, my father told me, “You are definitely going to enjoy this.”

We went directly to Tirathgarh Waterfall after checking out of our hotel in Jeypore. The previous day, we had visited Deomali Hills and enjoyed a wonderful adventure there. The waterfall was about 120 km away, and it took us around 4-5 hours to reach by road. When we arrived near Tirathgarh Waterfall, there was no sign of any waterfall. My father even asked the driver if he really knew the place and whether the waterfall was actually there. Driver Uncle smiled and said that it was one of the most visited and beautiful places in the area.

We saw many vehicles parked on a muddy ground. The weather was cloudy, and the sky was covered with dark clouds. My father took his backpack, which contained snacks, water bottles, and a small umbrella, and we all got down from the car. We had to walk through a small market area. There were lots of monkeys there. Small shops were selling snacks, fruits, local handicrafts, and food. I noticed that people seemed scared of the monkeys, and the shopkeepers were carefully protecting their goods. Many shops were selling umbrellas. Since the weather looked uncertain, my father bought a large umbrella because the one in his backpack was quite small.

There was a small ticket counter at the entrance. As soon as we entered after buying the tickets, it started raining heavily. We moved forward and found a small shed where many people had already gathered. We rushed inside and somehow found a place to stand.

The rain became even heavier. The shed was not in very good condition, and water was leaking through the roof in many places. By then, I was very hungry, and there was not much food available nearby. Most people inside the shed were already wet, but everyone was patiently waiting for the rain to stop. Seeing my condition, my father decided that we should leave. Using our umbrella, we managed to reach the car.

My father asked the driver to find a dhaba because there were no proper restaurants nearby. Since it was the Dussehra season and the festival was only a couple of days away, many dhabas were closed. Finally, we found a small roadside hotel. It looked more like a mud house with just a few tables. The owner told us that some people had ordered country chicken in the morning, but they had not arrived yet. If we agreed, he could serve it to us. My father immediately agreed. Soon, we were served rice and country chicken. It was so delicious! My father said that such a taste is difficult to find even in big restaurants.

By the time we finished lunch, the sky had become clear. We were thinking of returning to the hotel, but Driver Uncle strongly suggested that we should not miss the waterfall. Even though we were not very interested anymore, he convinced us and drove us back to the parking area.

We walked towards the waterfall once again. When we reached near the shed, my father said, “Let me go ahead and quickly check whether it is worth visiting. If not, we will return because the journey back to the hotel is long.”

He went ahead quickly. After a few minutes, he came running back with a huge smile on his face.

“What a beauty! It looks like heaven on earth! Come fast, come fast!” he shouted excitedly.

The moment we saw the waterfall, our hearts almost stopped. Just a few seconds earlier, everything had looked ordinary. Then suddenly, we were looking at something extraordinary. It was a wonderful feeling.

From a distance, we could see the magnificent waterfall. We could hear the roaring sound of the water and the excited voices of people below. To reach the base of the waterfall, we had to walk down a long staircase. Because of the rain, the steps were slippery. We carefully made our way down. As we reached the bottom, I was amazed. There was so much water, so much noise, and so many people enjoying themselves. We could hardly hear one another.

My father told us to hold hands while going closer to the waterfall. The falling water looked like streams of white milk as it crashed against the rocks. It was beautiful, but also a little frightening because of the powerful force of the water.

Taking careful steps, we entered the water and moved towards a raised rocky area from where everyone seemed to be enjoying the best view. Water was falling directly onto that spot, and people were happily standing under it.

My father went there first. Then he helped me climb up, and we took some pictures together. When he stepped down so that my mother could join me, he slipped and fell into the water. Thankfully, he quickly got up and warned us to be very careful because the rocks were extremely slippery.

While my father was taking pictures of us, a lady came from behind and called his name. He turned around and was surprised to see one of his school teachers.

His teacher hugged him warmly, and it was such a lovely moment. She had come with her son and some relatives. They wanted to talk, but the sound of the waterfall was so loud that they could barely hear each other. So they decided to meet later near the parking area.

We took some photographs with my father’s teacher. After spending more time enjoying the waterfall and playing carefully in the water, we slowly made our way back

At the parking area, everyone talked for a while and exchanged phone numbers. My father’s teacher was very happy to see him after nearly 25 years, and my father was equally happy to meet her at such an unexpected place.

Soon, we said goodbye and started our journey back to the hotel.

Tirathgarh Waterfall was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. My father later said that Driver Uncle was absolutely right. He had tried so hard to convince us not to miss the waterfall because he knew how special it was.

This trip also taught me that we should always be careful while visiting natural places. A small mistake can lead to an accident.

Most importantly, I learned that we should always respect and value our teachers. They work hard to help us learn about the world and guide us throughout our lives.