India is an agriculture-based economy as its growth mainly depends on villages. Nearly, 70% of Indians live in rural areas. Every city and village is different from others. India is a land of beautiful landscapes.
The picturesque villages galore the captivating landscape of India. Lack of education and even basic needs, poverty, are waning away the charm of villages. However, there are a few villages that set an example for other villages.
Here are the 25 interesting and inspirational Indian villages that stood as a shining example.
1. Kokrebellur, Karnataka – A Village That Treats Birds As Part Of Their Family
Usually, farmers keep a scarecrow in their farm to keep birds away from their crop, but in Kokrebellur, they created an exclusive area just to feed the birds. You can find the rare species of birds visiting this place.
The villagers treat these birds as a part of their family that they created a separate area for wounded birds to rest and heal. The amazing thing is birds are so friendly that you can go very close to them.
2. Chizami, Nagaland – A Model Village In Naga Society
In order to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for the marginalized women in the district as well as preserve the unique textile tradition of Nagaland, NEN started Chizami weaves in 2008 which is a decentralized livelihood project.
The project which started with seven weavers, Chizami Weaves today has a strong network of more than 300 women in Chizami and 10 other villages in Phek district.
The weavers have diversified into products such as stoles, belts, bags, cushion covers, mufflers, table mats and runners that are now shipped to emporiums in New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Mumbai.
The interesting thing is marginalized women have played an important role in bringing about this socio-economic and sustainable transformation that is rooted in traditional practices of the state.
3. Gangadevipalli, Telangana – A Supermodel Village That Achieved All The Bare Necessities Through Unity
Run by an all-woman panchayat, the village has enforced an alcohol ban for 25 years, has 100 percent literacy and has a toilet in every house.
The president of the village formed a disciplined and determined community that has also managed to work in harmony towards goals set collectively.
They did not wait for the government to fund the development works in the village. The village took help from social service organizations like Bala Vikasa and slowly started working towards the development of the village. With a population of a little over 1,300, the village has 100 percent adult literacy.
4. Hiware Bazar, Maharashtra – The Village Of Millionaires
A misfortune can be changed to a fortune with proper vision. And this village located on a drought-prone region in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra made it. Out of 182 families, 168 were below the poverty line.
This change happened when Popatrao Pawar was elected as the sarpanch of the village in 1990. He banned all addictive substances to minimize expenses and encouraged the villagers to invest in rain-water harvesting and cattle farming. In comparison to monthly per capita income of Rs. 830 in 1995, it grew up to Rs. 30,000 till 2012, resulting in 60 millionaires in the village.
5. Punsari, Gujarat – The Village With All The Urban Facilities
Located in Gujarat, the village provides 24-hour Wi-Fi connectivity, solar-powered lamps, clean drinking water at a nominal cost of Rs 4 for a 20-liter drinking water, CCTV cameras in the primary school, an independent bus service, and much more.
Every home has toilets. There are five primary schools, proper street lights, a primary health center, and a drainage system that functions. The villagers even have an accidental cover of Rs 1 lakh and a medical-claim cover of Rs 25,000.
And all of it was done in a matter of eight years, at a cost of Rs. 16 crore. The man behind the transformation is its young tech-savvy sarpanch – 33-year-old Himanshu Patel – who proudly states that his village offers “the amenities of a city but the spirit of a village.”
6. Mawlynnong, Meghalaya – Asia’s Cleanest Village
Located in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, Mawlynnong is a beautiful village known for its natural attractions. You can find dustbins almost in every corner of the village. This small Indian village in the midst of hills has a lot to offer to the nature lovers. You don’t find a single piece of plastic bag or even a cigarette butt lying around. The best part is that the villagers of Mawlynnong themselves clean the whole village.
Plastic is banned, bamboo dustbins stand at every corner, spotless paths are lined with flowers, volunteers sweep the streets at regular intervals and large signboards warn visitors against littering.
A community initiative here mandates that all residents should participate in cleaning up the village!
How beautiful our country will look, if everyone possesses a similar mindset throughout the country.
7. Dharnai, Bihar – The Solar Powered Village
Dharnai becomes the first village in India to completely run on solar power beating 30 years of darkness. With the help of Greenpeace India solar-powered micro-grid in 2014, this Indian village is now empowered with electricity. The solar micro-grid supplies the electricity for homes, street lighting for roads and lanes, and water pumps.
8. Chappar, Haryana – A Village That Distributes Sweets When A Girl Is Born
Even though Haryana is notorious for female feticide, still there is a village called Chappar that celebrates and distribute sweets whenever a girl child is born.
The woman sarpanch of Chappar village Neelam has made it her life’s mission to change the attitude of the villagers towards women and she succeeded. The women of the village do not wear the ‘ghunghat’ (veil) anymore.
9. Pothanikkad, Kerala – A Village With A 100% Literacy Rate
Situated in Kerala, Pothanikkad is the first in the Indian village to achieve 100% literacy rate. St. Mary’s High School is the oldest high school in the village, from where many prominent people in the society have been educated.
10. Kathewadi, Maharashtra – The Village That Has Transformed Itself Into A Model Village
Kathewadi has been transformed into a model village, after it has been adopted by the Art of Living Foundation in Dec 2008. In this village, both rich and poor were addicted to alcohol a lot. However, with the help of Art of Living, alcoholism plunged down to zero percentage.
All the families in the village are associated with the Self Help Groups. They started a donation box scheme which in turn let them set up and maintain a shop without a shopkeeper. The money saved from alcoholism, SHGs and the scheme gave them sufficient economic independence to build toilets for each of the 110 households.
Zero toilets to 110 toilets, 70% alcoholism to 0% alcoholism, a shop with no shopkeeper, a paved road and that too without any external funding!!
Founder, Sri Sri Ravishankar’s teachings are painted on the walls of every home in the village.
11. Kesalingayapalle, Andhra Pradesh – The Only Hindu Village
Kesalingayapalle village of Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district is a “Hindus only” village. This decision was taken after some Christian evangelists came to their village last year and lured some of their villagers to Christianity on the pretext that they would be cured of their physical ailments if they pray to Jesus.
According to villagers, if a person converts into other religion, it amounts to changing one’s own mother.
Any attempt by anybody from other religions to enter the village to campaign or preach their respective religions is strictly prohibited. If anybody violates this norm, strong action would be initiated against them by the villagers of Kesalingayapalle.
12. Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra – The Village That Has Lockless Bank
Located in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, Shani Shingnapur is famous for the fact that no house here has any doors. The United Commercial (UCO) Bank opened a ‘lockless’ branch in the village in January 2011, which is the first of its kind in the country, taking note of the near-zero crime rate in the region. Not only this, there’s no police station in this village
No theft was reported in the village. Despite a few incidents of theft over the past few years, the belief and devotion of the villagers remain unshaken, who continue to live in peace and harmony in this ‘doorless’ village.
13. Shetphal, Maharashtra – The Village Where Each House Built Space For Cobra
Located in Solapur district in Maharashtra, each house in the village has a resting place for most poisonous and dangerous snakes – the cobra.
Yes. Every house in this village has a space specially built space where a cobra can come and rest. However, no incident of snakebite has ever been reported from the village.
14. Kodinhi, Kerala – The Village That Has 400 Pairs Of Twins
A remote village in Kerala’s Malappuram district is still a mystery to researchers but not to devotees. There are so many things that science can’t prove.
According to estimates, there are at least 400 pairs of twins in the village that has a population of 2000 families. This unique village in Kerala is well known for the unusual number of twins born here. 45 out of every 1,000 mothers give birth to twins in Kodinhi, which is 700% higher than the global average.
15. Uppal, Punjab – The Village Where Every House Has Different Water Tank
People in the Uppal village identify the families from the water tank at the roof. Yes, the village is known for the water tanks over each house. And the water tanks are not the usual black colored, cylinder shaped ones. Every house here either has a ship, an airplane, a car or even horse-shaped water tank over it! These can be viewed from afar. The village is also called Airplane village.
16. Chamravattam, Kerala – India’s First 100% Computer Literate Village
Located in Kerala’s Malappuram district, Chamravattom is India’s first 100% computer literate village. 850 families of this village completed basic computer literacy training. Now, everyone in the village can handle a personal computer, compose text using a specially-designed Malayalam language tool, create and edit pictures, surf the Internet, and send an email.
17. Piplantari Village, Rajasthan – The Village That Plant 111 Trees Every Time A Girl Is Born
The villagers planted over one-fourth of a million trees in the last 6 years. According to the village’s former sarpanch Shyam Sundar Paliwal, on an average 60 girls are born here every year.
They collect Rs. 21,000 from the village residents and Rs.10,000 from the girl’s father. And then they make the fixed deposit of Rs. 31,000 for the girl, with a maturity period of 20 years.
Girl parents must sign an affidavit promising that they would not marry her off before the legal age, send her to school regularly and take care of the trees planted in her name. People also plant 11 trees whenever a family member dies.
The village panchayat has completely banned alcohol, open grazing of animals and cutting of trees. Villagers claim there has not been any police case here for the last 7-8 years.
18. Mattur, Karnataka – The Only Sanskrit Speaking Village
When I heard this, I wished I would have born here. Under the Britishers’ rule, Indians forgot Sanskrit completely. Instead of Sanskrit, people were made to speak in English forcibly. Unfortunately, even after Independence, we still speak English and forgot Sanskrit completely. However, this village in Karnataka is fluent in Sanskrit and has kept the language alive.
People converse with each other in pure Sanskrit daily. Every family has one IT professional.
19. Apshinge, Maharashtra – The Village Of Warriors
The village is also called Military Apshinge. At least one member of every family in the village has served or is serving in the armed forces! Men from this village were part of Shivaji Maharaj’s army dates back to medieval times.
Similarly, you will find at least one person from each family serving in force in Jhunjhunu District, Rajasthan. It has contributed the most number of soldiers as well as Martyrs to Indian Defence Services.
20. Payvihir, Maharashtra – The Eco Village That Turned Barren 182 Hectare Land To Community Forest
Located in the foothills of Melghat region of Amravati district in Maharashtra, people of Payvihir turned a barren, 182-hectare land under community forest right, into a forest. The communities and NGOs worked together to conserve the environment and ensure the sustainable livelihood for people. Payvihir bagged the Biodiversity Award from the United Nation’s Development Programme in 2014.
21. Khonoma, Nagaland – India’s First Green Village
Home to a 700-year-old Angami settlement and perfectly terraced fields, this India’s first green village is a testament to the willpower of the tribal groups of Nagaland to protect and conserve their natural habitat. Hunting is banned in the village.
22. Ramchandrapur, Telangana – The Village That Solved Drinking Water Problem
All the houses in the village have toilets with tap-water facilities. It is the first village in the state to construct a sub-surface dyke on the nearby river and solve drinking water problems by constructing two over-head tanks in each house. The village utilized government schemes and took up developmental works.
23. Eraviperoor, Kerala – India’s First Village To Achieve Digitalization
Located in south Kerala’s lush green district of Pathanamthitta, Eraviperoor is the first gram panchayat in Kerala to have free Wi-Fi for the general public. It is the first panchayat in the state to get ISO-9001 certification for its Primary Health Centre.
All office records, information, and transactions are digitized. Registration as well as issuing birth, death, and marriage certificates happens within minutes.
The village has also launched a free palliative care scheme for the poor. Horticulture Department recognized this village as a Model Hi-tech Green Village for its green initiatives.
24. Shikdamakha, Assam – The Plastic Free Village
A remote Assam village Shikdamakha wants to surpass Mawlynnong in Meghalaya. Now this village is a plastic-free village that earned the maximum points in the cleanliness sub-index of Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. It has also earned the coveted Open Defecation Free status recently.
25. Ballia, Uttar Pradesh – The Village That Solved Drinking Water Problem That Had Arsenic
The villagers were drinking water that contained arsenic and faced serious skin problems and even many physical deformations. Arsenic if it combined with oxygen or water, it turns toxic.
Ballia village faced this problem after the government introduced many hand-pumps in the area for easy water access. Without waiting for the government, villagers acted on the problem and fixed all the old wells to get rid of the problem.
I found these villages super interesting. Instead of waiting for the government, they formed like a community and solved their problems. If every village thinks like them, then I am sure, we don’t need government.
Did we miss any village that stands as an inspiration? Share us in the comments. And there is a village which rent wives for money.
