Tribals of Dandeli
Our People
We live in a medium size village located in Sawantwadi Taluka of Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Our village consists of 288 families, with a total population of 1253. Our village is spread over a total area of 274.55 hectares.
Our Village is surrounded by natural, historic, and religious landmarks: the River Kali, the caves of Kavla, the Syntheri Rocks and the Ulavi temple. Our legends state that our village is named after Dandelappa, a local deity, a servant of the Mirashi landlords, who lost his life because of his loyalty.
The four tribes that co-inhabit the region include the Lambani, Medar, Siddi and Gowli. The Siddi tribe This tribe came to India as slaves during the Portuguese rule (Goa and Diu) and today exist as farm laborers, construction workers and small businessmen. The Lambani Tribe are the Nomadic Gypsies of Rajasthan. The Gowli Tribe are the cattle herders of South India and the Medar Tribe are the bamboo community of West India.
Our Forests
Dandeli is a natural habitat for wildlife, including tigers, leopards, black panthers, elephants, gaur, deer, antelopes, and bears. It is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka and was designated as a tiger reserve in 2007. Being spread over an area of 834.16 sq.km, this reserve is reputed as the largest sanctuary in Karnataka.
Because of good forest cover and moderate elevation, the forest has a tropical highland climate, averaging about 27 °C in summer and 18 °C in winter.
The area of Dandeli that exhibits the wide ranges of flora attraction is actually plush with the southern evergreen forest. In the forest, one can find wide ranges of plant life, magical herbs, and shrubs. Dominant species are Mango, Jamun, Hirda, Behda, Bamboo, Shrub, Teak, Jamba, Ficus, Herbs, Climber, Grass, and Fern. Jungle honey is collected from timber and blossom by wild honey bees that live in the tropical forest of Dandeli.
Our Traditions
Honey hunting from wild bee colonies and is one of the most ancient of our customs passed down from one generation to another. The process of the honey collection begins with the gathering of in-formation followed by time fixation for extraction, making arrangements for the required tools and utensils and finally cut-ting the bee hive and filtration.
Due to their remote location, each wild beehive contains the purest honey that is pesticide- and pollutant-free. The free-range bees in these hives constantly contribute to the environment, pollinating plants to foster biodiversity.
During the six-month harvesting season, honey collectors use our sustainable techniques to stimulate the growth of wild beehives throughout the forests of India. Moreover, the practice of not destroying the hive completely and leaving some portion of it after honey collection to help the bees rebuild the hives once more also signifies the sustainable approach followed the communities
Our Offering
Jungle Honey comes from the nectar of wildflowers and hence the name. Our Honey is rich in vitamin C, vitamin B2, B3, B5 and B6, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc.
Wild honey helps in curing cough and acts as a soothing agent for sore throats. It is scientifically proven that honey helps those suffering from an upper respiratory infection. Wild honey has antibacterial properties, and hence is acts as a good healing agent. It treats wounds from abrasions, surgery, bed sores, infections and ulcers. It helps curing sunburns as well.
We source our wild honey from the natural bee hives in the forests where there is zero human intervention this ensures that our honey cannot be adulterated. We pack our honey jars in the best possible with a lot of packaging material way to avoid any damage to the jars while shipping. The taste and composition are said to change with the seasons. What doesn’t change is the endless list of the benefits of honey.