Cattle Island Where Sorrow of Separation Prevails

Every island has its own charm and a bit of mysticism about it. When an island has no human presence then an air of mystery becomes a predominant factor.

It was by chance that we stumbled upon an island covered with dense forest which is named as ‘Cattle Island’ also known as ‘Island of Sorrow’. It is located 90 kms from Sambalpur town, near Kumarbandh village of Belpahar-Banharpali range, overlooking the vast Hirakud Reservoir in Odisha. To reach this spot, one can take a 10 kilometre boat ride from the famous Hirakud Dam, supposedly the world's largest earthen dam.

When one reaches the spot, at an extreme point of Hirakud, it is like a natural wonder. The island is an exclusive domain of wild cattle and there is no trace of any human presence on it. Obviously, it appears less touristy as a huge number of cattle have been inhabiting it for the last few decades, in the lap of a spellbinding silence and fear. The cattle’s occasional calls remind of a sorrow that prevails challenging the age old symbiosis between humans and cattle.

As one steps on the Island shores, many heads of watchful cattle lift up. As one gets nearer to them they kick up the dust on the surface, signalling their abhorrence towards any outsider. These cattle are wild and it's difficult to catch them. Locals have tried to do so but were not very successful.

Submerged Village

In fact, the island is a submerged hill, and before the construction of Hirakud Dam there was a developed village on the vast hill. During the resettlement period, villagers left some of their cattle behind; when the dam construction was over, the cattle settled on the hilltop With the passage of time, the nearby area was filled up with the reservoir water, turning the hilltop into an island.

After a year or so, the villagers tried to cajole the cattle back to the new settlement. But the cattle did not yield to the persuasion and rather rejected the efforts of their owners. May be the long detachment killed their homing instinct with the human and the loneliness instilled abhorrence. And that created a ‘sorrow of separation’ that the animals were left to fend for themselves.

Being away from mankind, the cattle are now wild, very swift and not easily caught. Living on a hilltop with dense forest, they are larger than tame cattle, almost all of which are white in colour. Nearby residents attempt to capture these animals from time to time, but these hunts are rarely successful. Though descended from tame cattle, these animals provide a contrasting picture of this breed of animal returning to life in the wild.

The place derived its name from the fact that all the animals that inhabited the place belonged to the cattle group. As the time passed, the cattle grew stronger and grew wilder. And what they exhibit in the name of abhorrence is, perhaps, nothing but defensive ferocity. That has grown in the last 60 years since the Dam was constructed.

A similar tale can be heard from the Berhampura Island which is reigned by feral cows abandoned on the Island years and years ago. Berhampura Island, one hour sail by boat from Balugaon in Chilika lagoon, is also bereft of any human presence for over few decades and the cattle here also are ferocious and never brooke any outsider.