Katchal is the largest island of the Central Group of Islands.
It is accessible by sea and has a safe berthing place for
vessels of considerable size. Katchal has fresh water resources
and it has a police station, a small post office, a Telephone
Exchange, a PWD Guest House, eleven school buildings comprising
of modern and old structures and 805 houses with electrical
connections.
It also has community health centres, veterinary facilities,
cooperative societies, fair price shops, and a bus service
for 24-kms. The highest peak of Katchal is 835 ft. People
in Katchal speak Nicobari, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali,
Santhali (a tribal language from South Bihar) and English.
Cultural Heritage
Katchal has 35 villages of which 6 villages are main villages.
Each village has its own story of origin. Like the tribe
of West Bay Katchal says: "There was a great flood
in the ancient period. The island was submerged. Only a
tall tree, 'Kam Pong' (a kind of soft wood), withstood the
flood. Some worms were fortunate enough to reach the treetop
and remain there until the waters had abated." According
to the West Bay Katchal Tribe, the present population of
Katchal evolved from the worms - a resemblance to the many
of the stories of various civilizations!
Katchal and Sun
Like people of any other civilizations, indigenous people
of Katchal known as 'Som Eta' were also aware of the importance
of the sun. They called the Sun "Heng", an object
of light ("Yango") and now also one will find
sun image in their ancient worshipping places. Due to influence
of Nicobari language from Car Nicobar, now they call Sun
"Tavevoi". They also have a calendar and they
also celebrate their traditional Calendar festivals.
The Hills of Katchal are composed of Calcareous Sandstone
and marble slates, and in the beautiful tropical forest
of Katchal one will find lots of Pythons, Black Monkeys
and Pigs. Katchal also has the most suitable soil for paddy
cultivation, which has been found quite satisfactory, and
valuable timber for commercial use is also found in the
forest.
The main stay of their economy is Coconut and Arecanut
trade. In 1968, rubber plantation and subsequently red oil
palm plantation were established here. Citizens of Katchal
want industrial development and modern infrastructure and
the Millennium Sunrise movement have given them a new hope
for progress. One will find TV in their homes and Disc Antennas
outside their Nicobari huts. They play various sports including
football and cricket as well.
How to Get There
Sea:
Regular passenger ship services are available to Port Blair
from Chennai, Calcutta and Vishakhapatnam. There are several
sailings every month from Chennai and Calcutta to Port Blair
and vice-versa, and from Vishakhapatnam too there are a
number of sailings to reach this group of islands. The voyage
takes about three days and ships normally berth at Port
Blair for about two days.
Air:
Port Blair is connected to Chennai and Calcutta by air and
flights are operated almost regularly from these cities.
The journey time is approximately two hours for both the
sectors.
