ex-Marine, Bibhu and I set off back down the road towards the main market area with the Dhongria people to cross the train tracks at Bissamcuttack. …View image. Men were bathing in the river…View image, plowing the rice paddies…View image, lines of women in front of us, behind us, walking through fields…View image, all heading in the same direction. Women were working on the railroad carrying baskets of stone, digging with shovels and pick axes while dressed in colorful saris and wearing bangles. Got to tell you…they looked a lot fresher than I did…

At the Bissamcuttack station, even more Dhongria and other tribes who had finished trading, bartering and buying whatever they needed, waiting for the next train home…View image. It was here that we spotted the one and only traditionally dressed young man …View image with his fancy axe slung over one shoulder, earrings, metal and beaded necklaces, comb and clips in hair, dressed to attract a potential mate.

women working on the railroad at Bissamcuttack, India 

Dhongria bachelor making his fashion statement, India 

Each male and female has their own unique way of adorning with the hair clips, earrings…View image, neck rings, and hand rings. And, let’s not forget toe rings. My personal highlight in the market was watching a group of Dhongria women try on toe ring after toe ring. Buyers remorse that I didn’t buy any. It would have been a great souvenir.

Dhongria women selecting new toe rings, India 

Dhongria women trying different toe rings on, Wednesday Market, India
Body tattooing…View image… is also practiced by both sexes and we saw many geometric tattoos (along with other designs) on faces…View image, arms…View image, and hands. All of the Khondh tribes believe that these identifying marks will help them recognize each other in the spirit world.

This Dhongria woman had it all – ornate hair, jewelry and tattoos, Orissa 

Dhongria arm tattoo at the Wednesday Market, India
Miscellaneous Dhongria information: One grass broom costs 20 Rupees…View image; the average tribal person gives new meaning to the term “skin and bones”…View image; 15 westerners visited this market today; don’t put off visiting Orissa because there is a good chance this lifestyle will vanish within the next 5-10 years; and the majority of people were barefoot…View image. That makes sense since feet never wear out.

We walked out of the market down the main street lined with tasty-looking vegetables (I don’t know what this green one is)…View image, piles of red chili peppers…View image, fruits, sacks of tumeric, goats, and one woman carried her already purchased chicken under one arm while selecting potatoes (to go with the chicken?).

no tote bag, shopping cart…just tuck your chicken under an arm and continue shopping in the Wednesday Dhongria market 

cutest little Dhongria girl in the Wednesday market, India
And just when we thought we’d seen everything, a Hindu festival paraded down the street.

The ride to Jeypore (alt:1200′, pop: 20,000-30,000) was on a relatively decent road and Deepak pulled up in front of Hotel Hello Jeypore (located just outside of Jeypore town) for a three-night stay.

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