Mainpat fast developing into wedding destination

RAIPUR: Colourful flower beds and lush green meadows are at their best this winter in Chhattisgarh's hill station Mainpat, which is now becoming a choice for destination weddings.
Located on a plateau with area surrounded by jungles in Surguja district, Mainpat is also known as 'Mini Tibet' because of Tibetan settlements, which add to the charm of green slopes, valley and flowing brooks. With temperatures hovering around 6 degrees Celsius, Mainpat is overlapped with the yellow 'tau' and white 'jatgi' flowers, luring people to visit the place and spend some relaxing time.Of late, some people are choosing Mainpat as a location for destination wedding. Recently, there were two bookings for wedding ceremonies at the beautiful hill station.
Karmesh Gupta from Chhattisgarh's Sitapur, who made the first booking at Mainpat for his daughter's wedding, is very much excited about its exotic location. "I am a nature lover and I had a wish to host my daughter's wedding at a place with natural surroundings. I thought of Mainpat," he told TOI over telephone from Sitapur. "Mainpat's enormous beauty during winters prompted me to opt for it as a wedding destination. My son-in-law is based in Delhi and his family too is excited about it. I am happy that I've started a trend and more bookings have taken place," he added.
However, Mainpat being a small place, there are some challenges like lack of lodging facilities for guests. Marriage parties have booked some private huts, tents and cottages to accommodate them. Chhattisgarh tourism should develop more facilities for accommodation, Gupta said. When contacted, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) general manager Sanjay Singh said "Mainpat is being developed as a health and wellness centre. Now, it is also coming up as a wedding destination. As of now, we have 22 suites at Mainpat, which aren't enough to cater the demand for a wedding destination. Some plans are being worked out to increase the number of rooms," he added.
There are many other attractions at Mainpat, which is about 45 km from the district headquarters of Ambikapur.