Niyamgiri's Dongria Kondh: Supreme Court Verdict Protects Sacred Hills and Livelihood
The Monday weekly market at Kalyansingpur, a small town at the foothills of Odisha's Niyamgiri range, is a hub of activity. By 10 am, sacks of dried mangoes are piled high as Dongria Kondh families from surrounding villages sell produce gathered from forests and cultivated on slopes. Women wear colourful beads, metal earrings, and carry hand-embroidered stoles. The market determines the value of a season's labour for this Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
The Dongria Kondh inhabit the Niyamgiri hills across Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. Their spiritual bond with Niyam Raja, a deity believed to reside in the hills, defines their relationship with the land. In 2013, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment, directing gram sabhas to decide whether bauxite mining proposed by Vedanta could proceed. The gram sabhas unanimously rejected the mining plan, citing threats to forests, water sources, and sacred sites. The verdict was hailed as a milestone for tribal rights under the Forest Rights Act.
More than a decade later, the issue remains part of daily conversation. "Our fields, streams and forests give us everything we need. We earn from what we grow and sell. Why would we exchange that for something that could damage the hills?" asks Babula of Phakeri village. "Niyamgiri is much more than our home. It is what sustains us."
During mango season, dried wild mango dominates trade. Traders inspect the produce before weighing. "The harvest has been good this year," says J Bhaskar, a wholesaler. "Last year dried mango sold for around ₹85 a kilo. This season it is closer to ₹45." The consignments travel to Raipur, Andhra Pradesh, and Mumbai. June is the only month these wild varieties are available in significant quantities.
Villages appear intermittently along the slopes with modest concrete homes, fruit trees, solar panels, and mobile phones. Daily life remains anchored in farming, forest produce, and community ties. The Dongria Kondh continue to rely on the hills for sustenance, their faith and livelihood intertwined.
