Mayurbhanj Simlipal Forest Tribal Honey Sal Ecology

Mayurbhanj district in north Odisha contains the Simlipal Biosphere Reserve — a 5,000 sq km core of sal-dominant tropical moist forest that is one of India's largest Tiger Reserves and houses one of the densest populations of Bengal tigers alongside elephant, gaur, and over 300 bird species. The tribal communities of Mayurbhanj — Ho, Santali, Kolha, and Bathudi — harvest wild honey from Apis dorsata cliff colonies and from the dense bee population in the sal forest using traditional smoked-leaf techniques, with Simlipal honey acquiring GI status and premium market pricing through tribal cooperative marketing. Mayurbhanj's Baripada town hosts the Mayurbhanj Chhau dance tradition — the unmasked (nirvastra mukh) style of Chhau that is more martial-acrobatic in character than the masked Purulia Chhau — and the annual Rath Yatra at Baripada is one of Odisha's largest.