Chhattisgarh
Encyclopedia
Chhattisgarh is a state
in Central India
, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh
gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000.
Raipur is the biggest city and the capital of the state. Chhattisgarh is the 10th-largest state in India with an area of 52199 sq mi (135,194.8 km²). By population it ranks as the seventeenth largest state of the nation. It is an important electrical power and steel producing state of India. Chhattisgarh produces 15 per cent of the steel made in the country.
Chhattisgarh borders the states of Madhya Pradesh
on the northwest, Maharashtra
on the west, Andhra Pradesh
on the south, Orissa
on the east, Jharkhand
on the northeast and Uttar Pradesh
on the north.
. Moist deciduous forests of the Eastern Highlands Forest
s cover roughly 44% of the state.
State Animal - Van Bhainsa (Wild Buffalo)
State Bird - Pahari Myna (Hill Myna)
State Tree - Sal or Sarai
The north of the state lies on the edge of the great Indo-Gangetic plain
: The Rihand River
, a tributary of the Ganges
, drains this area. The eastern end of the Satpura Range
and the western edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau
form an east-west belt of hills that divide the Mahanadi River
basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain.
The central part of the state lies in the fertile upper basin of the Mahanadi and its tributaries, with extensive rice
cultivation. The upper Mahanadi basin is separated from the upper Narmada
basin to the west by the Maikal Hills, (part of the Satpuras), and from the plains of Orissa to the east by ranges of hills. The southern part of the state lies on the Deccan plateau, in the watershed of the Godavari River
and its tributary the Indravati River
.
The Mahanadi is the chief river of the state. The other main rivers are Hasdo
(a tributary of Mahanadi), Rihand, Indravati, Jonk
and Arpa. It is situated in the east of Madhya Pradesh.
of Chhattisgarh is mainly tropical. It is hot and humid because of its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer
. It is completely dependent on the monsoons for rains.
Summer in Chhattisgarh is from April to June and can be uncomfortably hot, with the mercury hitting the high 40's.
The Monsoon season is from middle and late June to October and is a welcome respite from the scorching heat. Chhattisgarh receives a pretty decent amount of rainfall with an average of 1292mm. The Winter season is from November to January and this is a good time to visit Chhattisgarh. The Winters are pleasant with low temperatures and lesser humidity.
. This finds mention in Ramayana and Mahabharata also. Between the sixth and twelfth centuries Sarabhpurias, Panduavanshi, Somvanshi, Kalchuri and Nagvanshi rulers dominated this region. Kalchuris ruled in Chhattisgarh from 980 to 1741 AD.
was transferred to Orissa and estates of Sarguja were transferred from Bengal to Chhattisgarh.
A demand for separate Chhattisgarh was raised in 1924 by the Raipur Congress unit, and later on also discussed in the Annual Session of the Indian Congress at Tripuri. A discussion also took place of forming a Regional Congress organisation for Chhattisgarh. When the State Reorganisation Commission was set up in 1954, the demand for a separate Chhattisgarh was put forward to it, through this was not accepted. In 1955, a demand for a separate state was raised in the Nagpur assembly of the then state of Madhya Bharat.
The 1990s saw more activity for a demand for the new state, such as formation of a state wide political forum, specially the Chhattisgarh Rajya Nirman Manch. The Late Chandulal Chadrakar led this forum, several successful region-wide Bandhs and rallies were organised under the banner of the forum all of which were supported by major political parties including the Indian National Congress
and the Bharatiya Janata Party
.
The new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government sent the redrafted Separate Chhattisgarh Bill for the approval of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, where it was once again unanimously approved and then it was tabled in the Lok Sabha
. This bill for a separate Chhattisgarh was passed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, paving the way for the creation of a separate state of Chhattisgarh. The President of India
gave his consent to The Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2000 on the 25 August 2000. The Government of India subsequently set the First day of November 2000 as the day on which the state of Madhya Pradesh would be bifurcated into Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
from Chhattisgarh. The Rajya Sabha
has five members from the state.
Bastar Division:
Durg Division:
Raipur Division:
Bilaspur Division:
Surguja Division:
According to the report from Government of India, at least 34% are Scheduled Tribes, 12% are Scheduled Castes and over 50% belong to official list of Other Backward Castes. Plain area is numerically dominated by castes such as Teli
, Satnami and Kurmi
; while forest area is mainly occupied by tribes such as Gond
, Halba
and Kamar
/ Bujia and Oraon
.
and used by non-rural population of the state. Chhattisgarhi a dialect
of Hindi language (or a language in its own right) is spoken and understood by the majority of people in Chhattisgarh Telugu is also spoken in the state. Chhattisgarhi was also known as "Khaltahi" to surrounding Hill-people and as "Laria" to Sambalpuri and Oriya
speakers.
(991) ranking at 5th position among other states of India. Although this ratio is small compared to other states, it is unique in India because of large size of Chhattisharh (the 10th-largest state in India).
The gender ratio (number females per 1000 males) has been steadily declining over 20th century in Chhattisgarh: But it is conspicuous that Chhattisgarh always had better female to male ratio compared with national average.
Probably, such social composition also results in some customs and cultural practices that seem unique to Chhattisgarh: the regional variants are common in India's diverse cultural pattern.
Rural women although poor, are independent, better organized, socially outspoken. According to another local custom, women can choose to terminate a marriage relationship and through a custom called Chudi pahanana, if she so desires. Most of the old temples and shrines here are related to 'women power' (e.g., Shabari
, Mahamaya, Danteshwari
) and existence of these temples gives insight into historical and current social fabric of this state. However, a mention of these progressive local customs, in no way suggests that the ideology of female subservience does not exist in Chhattisgarh. On the contrary, the male authority and dominance is seen quite clearly in the social and cultural life of Chhattisgarh.
Detailed information on various aspects of women status in Chhattisgarh can be found in the linked 103 page report titled 'A situational analysis of women and girls in Chhattisgarh' prepared in 2004 by 'National Commission of Women', a statutory body belonging to government of India.
in Chhattisgarh. Women are believed to have access to supernatural forces, and accused of being witches (tonhi) often to settle personal scores. They are barbarically persecuted, particularly older women, widows, women with deformities or with abnormal facial features.
As of 2010, they are still hounded out of villages on the basis of flimsy accusations by male village sorcerers paid to do so by villagers with personal agendas, such as property and goods acquisition. According to National Geographic Channel’s investigations, those accused are fortunate if they are only verbally bullied and shunned or exiled from their village. Humiliations are commonplace, such as being forced to eat human excreta and in recent years, 2,500 women accused of witchcraft were murdered by stoning, hanging and beheading by neighbours. Though, in India, only Chhattisgarh has an act (known as, Chhattisgarh Tonhi atyachar [Niwaran] Act, 2005) against witchery, a lot has be done on the hand of law enforcement and judicial authorities to protect women in this regard, bringing such persecution to an end.
The state hosts religious sects including "Satnami Panth", Kabirpanth, Ramnami Samaj, and others. Champaran (Chhattisgarh)
is a small town with religious significance as the birth place of the Saint Vallabhacharya, increasingly important as a pilgrimage site for the Gujarati community.
The Oriya
culture is prominent in the eastern parts of Chhattisgarh bordering Orissa.
. The dancers dance around a jaitkhamb set up for the occasion, to songs eulogizing their spiritual head. The songs reflect a view of Nirvana
, conveying the spirit of their guru's renunciation and the teachings of saint poets like Kabir
, Ramdas and Dadu. Dancers with bent torsos and swinging arms dance, carried away by their devotion. As the rhythm quickens, they perform acrobatics and form human pyramids.
is a folk ballad form performed predominantly in Chhattisgarh. It depicts the story of the Pandavas, the leading characters in the epic Mahabharata. The artists in the Pandavani narration consist of a lead artist and some supporting singers and musicians. There are two styles of narration in Pandavani, Vedamati and Kapalik. In the Vedamati style the lead artist narrates in a simple manner by sitting on the floor throughout the performance. The Kaplik style is livelier, where the narrator actually enacts the scenes and characters.vaibhav soni
of Yaduvanshis(Clan of Yadu
) as symbol of worship to Krishna
at the time of 'Dev Uthani Ekadashi' (day of awakening of the gods after a brief rest) which is the 11th day after Diwali according to the Hindu calendar. The dance closely resembles Krishna's dance with the gopis (milkmaids).
In Bilaspur city, Rawat Nach Mahotsav folk dance festival is organized annually since 1978. Tens of hundreds of Rawat dancers from remote areas participate in the festival every year.
is one of the lyrical forms of this theater. Several acclaimed plays of Habib Tanvir
, such as Charandas Chor
, are variations of Chhattisgarhi theater, and heavily use Chhatttisgarhi folk songs and music.
Most of the traditional and tribe foods are made of rice and rice flour, curd (number of veg kadis) and a variety of green leaves like lal bhaji, chech bhaji, kohda, and bohar bhaji. Badi and Bijori are optional food categories; also Gulgula, pidiya, dhoodh fara, balooshahi, khurmi falls in sweet categories.
The tribal and village population enjoys delicacy brew made of small, creamy white fruit of a local tree called Mahuwa.
. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
, a noted Hindu leader and founder of the Transcendental Meditation
was from Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh). There is a significant minority of Christians among several tribal groups in Chattisgarh, though there are few reliable statistics on their exact numbers.
in current prices. The economy
of Chhattisgarh has grown rapidly in recent years with a growth rate of 11.49 per cent in GDP for 2009-2010. Chhattisgarh’s success factors in achieving high growth rate are growth in agriculture and industrial production.
, cereals like maize, kodo-kutki and other small millets, pulses like tuar and kulthi and oil seeds like groundnut, soya-bean and sunflower are also grown. In the mid nineties, most of Chhattisgarh was still a mono-crop belt. Only one fourth to one fifth of the sown area was double cropped. When a very substantial portion of the population is dependent on agriculture, a situation where nearly 80 percent of a states area is covered only by mono cropping needs immediate attention to turn them into double crop areas. Also there are very few cash crops grown in Chhattisgarh, and there is a need to diversify the agriculture produce towards oilseeds and other cash crops. Chhattisgarh is also called the "rice
bowl of Central India".
vc
systems, with dam
s and canal
s on various rivers. Average rainfall in the state is around 1400 mm and the entire state falls under Rice-agro-climatic zone. Large variation in the yearly rainfall directly affects the main crop i.e. Paddy. Obviously, irrigation is the prime need of the state for its overall development and therefore the state government has given top priority to development of irrigation potential.
Irrigation potential was 1.328 Million hectares at the time of formation of the state (i.e. on 1 November 2000) which was 13% of the gross sown area. The irrigation potential has now been raised to 1.66 Million hectares at the end of March 2006 which is 28.7% of gross sown area.A total of 4 Major, 33 Medium and 2199 Minor irrigation projects have been completed and 5 Major, 9 Medium and 312 Minor projects are under construction, as on 31 March 2006.
and Bilaspur
.
In Chhattisgarh, NTPC has an installed thermal capacity of 2100 MW at Sipat, Bilaspur
while CSEB's units have a thermal capacity of 1240 MW and hydel capacity of 130 MW. Apart from NTPC and CSEB, there are a number of private generation units of large and small capacity. The state Govt. has pursued a liberal policy with regard to captive generation which has resulted in a number of private players coming up.
As per a study made by the Power Finance Corporation Ltd. New Delhi, the state has potential of 61000 MW of additional thermal power in terms of availability of coal for more than 100 years and more than 2500 MW hydral capacity. To tap this vast potential, substantial addition to the existing generation capacity is already under way.
operated by SAIL
with a capacity of 5.4 million tonnes per year, is regarded as a significant growth indicator of the state. There are more than 100 steel rolling mills, sponge iron plants and ferro-alloy units in Chhattisgarh. Along with Bhilai,today Raipur, Bilashpur, Korba and Raigarh has become the steel hub of chhattisgarh and with it steel association is been placed for the benefits of the investor, who are investing their capital in chhattisgarh steel sector. Today Raipur become the center of the steel sector.
Forests occupy 41.33% of the area (as per the latest report by the Indian Forest Service
) and there are rich forest resources including wood, tandu leaves, honey
and lac.
Chhattisgarh is also rich in minerals. It produces 20% of the country's steel and cement. Iron-ore, limestone
, dolomite
, coal
, bauxite
are abundant. It is the only tin
-ore producing state in the country. Other minerals include korandum, garnet
, quartz
, marble
and diamond
s.
In recent year chhattisgarh is also getting exposure in IT projects and consultancy. Government of Chhattisgarh is also promoting IT and for it government has set up a body who takes care of the IT solution in chhattisgarh the body known to be CHIPS, the body is coming with hudge IT projects like Choice, Swan, etc. In private sector many private companies been also coming with IT solutions and consultancy in one of the company WES Consultancy & Services Pvt. Ltd. been a providing a remarkable services in the field.
Also, an ongoing insurgency
between Maoists and the central Government of India
has produced much bloodshed. The controversy surrounding the arrest of Dr Binayak Sen
is related to the insurgency. Maoist insurgency has been main source of instability.
of Indian Railways. The other main railway junction is Raipur, followed by Durg
Junction which is also a starting point of many long distance trains. These three junctions are well-connected to the major cities of India.
The roadways infrastructure is also slowly picking up in the state. The National Highway 6 (Mumbai to Kolkata) passes through the state. The state also hosts National Highway 43 which starts from Raipur and goes up to Vishakhapatnam. National Highway 16 from Hyderabad ends at Bhopalpatnam in Dantewada district. National Highway 78 From Katni (MP) ends at Gumla (Jharkhand) pass through Koria, Surajpur, Sarguja, Jashpur District. The state has 11 National Highways (2,225 kilometres).
The air infrastructure is minor. The sole commercially operating airport is in Raipur, the capital city. Of late, Raipur has shown upsurge in passenger traffic. Raipur has links to top cities of the country i.e. Delhi
(5 flights per day), Bombay (3 flight), Kolkata
(3), Bhopal (1), Indore
(1). It is also connected to Jaipur (1 flight a day), Nagpur (1 flights), Bhubaneshwar (1), Ahmedabad (1), Gwalior, Chandigarh (1), Hyderabad (2) and Bangalore(1).
Some New airstrips have been proposed for more connectivity:
, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The State is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temple
s, Buddhist
sites, palace
s, water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Most of these sites are untouched and unexplored, and offer a unique and alternate experience to tourists, compared to traditional destinations which have become overcrowded. For tourists who are tired of the crowds at major destinations will like the Bastar district
, with its unique cultural and ecological identity. The Green State of Chhattisgarh has 41.33% of its area under forests, and is one of the richest bio-diversity areas in the country.
Beautiful waterfalls in Chhattisgarh are Akuri Nala, Amrit Dhara waterfall, Gavar Ghat waterfall, Ramdaha waterfall in Koriya district, Tiger point waterfall at Mainpat in Sarguja district and Chitrakot waterfall, Tirathgarh waterfall
in Bastar district.
A hot spring (Taat pani) flows in Sarguja district. This hot spring flows continuously through the year. It is reputed to have medicinal properties.
Gadiya mountain in Kanker district, Kutumsar cave and Kailash Gufa in Bastar district, Ramgarh and Sita Bengra in Sarguja district and Singhanpur cave in Raigarh district with pre-historic paintings are very famous.
Achanakmar wildlife sanctuary
in Bilaspur district, Gamarda Reserve forest at Sarangarh in Raigarh district, Indravati National Park
and Kanger valley national park
in Bastar district and Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in Mahasamund district are good places for eco-tourism.
Archaeological sites worth seeing are Barsoor in Dantewada district, Malhar
and Ratanpur
in Bilaspur district, Sirpur in Mahasamund district and Surguja in Surguja district. A small picnic spot with waterfall on the extremity of Satpura ranga along with a stone inscription of circa 1st century CE is also found at Damau dhara
in Janjgir-Champa district.
Famous and ancient temples in Chhattisgarh are Bhoramdeo temple
near kawardha in Kabirdham district, Rajivlochan temple at Rajim
and Champaran in Raipur district, Chandrahasini Devi temple at Chandrapur, Vishnu temple at Janjgir, Damudhara (Rishab Tirth) and Sivarinarayana Laxminarayana temple in Janjgir-Champa district, Bambleshwari Temple
at Dongrigarh in Rajnandgaon district, Danteshwari Temple
in Dantewada district, Deorani-Jethani temple at Tala gram and Mahamaya temple at Ratanpur in Bilaspur district, Laxman temple at Sirpur in Mahasamund district, Uwasaggaharam Parshwa Teerth at Nagpura in Durg district, Pali with Lord Shiva temple and
Kharod with Lakshmaneswar temple.
Giraudhpuri, a religious place for the Satnamis. They are the follower of Satnam Panth.
Sirpur is proposed world heritage site and Malhar, are of historical significance, as they were visited by 'Xuanzang', the Chinese historian.
Dams – Khudiya dam, Lormi & Khutaghat dam, Ratanpur.
(GGU), established by an Act of the State Legislative Assembly, was formally inaugurated on June 16, 1983. It covers almost the entire spectrum of the higher education requirements of the local people. It has several University Teaching Department (UTDs) on its campuses and about 125 colleges affiliated to it.
(CSVTU) is a public university located in the city of Bhilai
, the STEEL CITY. The university was established on 21 January 2005. The University incorporates the purpose of ensuring systematic, efficient and qualitative education in engineering and technological subjects including Architecture and Pharmacy at Research, Postgraduate, Degree and Diploma level.
It is one of the esteemed national law schools established in India.[1] It was established as a centre for legal excellence by the Government of Chhattisgarh under the Hidayatullah National University of Law, Chattisgarh, Act (Act No.10 of 2003. HNLU being one of the most prestigious centres for legal education in India offers innumerable opportunities for the students to interact with academicians, lawyers, Judges, firms, banking and other related institutions. The University offers B.A. L.L.B. (Hons.). L.L.M., and Ph.D. degrees. It is a residential University and is sixth in the series of National Law Schools in India.
The institute offers 2 undergraduate (B.Tech. and B.Arch.) and 2 post graduate programmes M.Tech. and M.C.A. in 11 engineering disciplines and architecture.
in the state of Chhattisgarh. It is the tenth Indian Institute of Management in the country. The first batch of Post Graduate Programme of the institute was inaugurated by Dr Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh on October 11, 2010.
in next two years. It will be a huge leap in availability of top notch Medical education and remarkable milestone in the availability of health services in Chhattisgarh.
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
in Central India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000.
Raipur is the biggest city and the capital of the state. Chhattisgarh is the 10th-largest state in India with an area of 52199 sq mi (135,194.8 km²). By population it ranks as the seventeenth largest state of the nation. It is an important electrical power and steel producing state of India. Chhattisgarh produces 15 per cent of the steel made in the country.
Chhattisgarh borders the states of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
on the northwest, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
on the west, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
on the south, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
on the east, Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
on the northeast and Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
on the north.
Etymology
There is a wide array of opinions on the origin of the word Chhattisgarh. The name Chhattisgarh is not an a very old one and has come into popular usage in the last few centuries. In ancient times the region was called Dakshin Kosala (South Kosala). The name Chhattisgarh was popularized during the Maratha period and was first used in an official document in 1795.- In a popular and widely-believed opinion, Chhattisgarh takes its name from the 36 pillars of Chhatishgarhin Devi temple (chhattis means "36", and garh means "pillarColumnA column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
"). The state has 36 districts, which are : 1- Ratanpur, 2- Vijaypur, 3- Kharound, 4- Maro, 5- Kautgarh, 6- Nawagarh, 7- Sondhi, 8- Aukhar, 9- Padarbhatta, 10- Semriya, 11- Champa, 12- Lafa, 13- Chhuri, 14- Kenda, 15- Matin, 16- Aparora, 17- Pendra, 18- Kurkuti-kandri, 19- Raipur, 20- Patan, 21- Simaga, 22- Singarpur, 23- Lavan, 24- Omera, 25- Durg, 26- Saradha, 27- Sirasa, 28- Menhadi, 29- Khallari, 30- Sirpur, 31- Figeswar, 32- Rajim, 33- Singhangarh, 34- Suvarmar, 35- Tenganagarh and 36- Akaltara. However, experts do not agree with this explanation, as thirty-six forts cannot be archaeologically identified in the region.
- The British Chronicler, J.B. Beglar provides a different explanation of the origins of the name Chhattisgarh. According to Beglar, "the real name is Chhattisghar(Chhattis=Thirty six, Ghar=houses) and not Chhattisgarh. According to him,"There is a traditional saying that ages ago, about the time of JarasandhaJarasandhaJarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....
(Age of MahabharataMahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
), thirty six dalitDalitDalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
families (leather workers) emigrated southwards from Jarasandha's kingdom and established themselves in this region, which is called after them Chhattisgarh".
- Another view, more popular with experts and historians, is that Chhattisgarh is the corrupted form of Chedisgarh which means Raj or EmpireEmpireThe term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
of the Chedis (Kalchuri Dynasty).
- According to DR. Shrikant Khilari- the word Chhattisgarh comes from the time of Gurughasidas [www.satnami.com] a saint who gave this name and then it was officially applied by the Marathas in 1795.
- One more view is that the State acquired the name 'Chhattisghar' because it is home for thirty six tribal clans. Chhattis( Hindi for thirty six) ghar (Hindi for home)
Geography
The Northern and Southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is fertile plainPlain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
. Moist deciduous forests of the Eastern Highlands Forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s cover roughly 44% of the state.
State Animal - Van Bhainsa (Wild Buffalo)
State Bird - Pahari Myna (Hill Myna)
State Tree - Sal or Sarai
The north of the state lies on the edge of the great Indo-Gangetic plain
Indo-Gangetic plain
The northern Plains also known as the Indo - Gangetic Plain and The North Indian River Plain is a large and fertile plain encompassing most of northern and eastern India, the most populous parts of Pakistan, parts of southern Nepal and virtually all of Bangladesh...
: The Rihand River
Rihand River
The Rihand River is a tributary of the Son River and flows through the Indian states of Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh.-Course:...
, a tributary of the Ganges
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
, drains this area. The eastern end of the Satpura Range
Satpura Range
The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the...
and the western edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau
Chota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi River lies to the south...
form an east-west belt of hills that divide the Mahanadi River
Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...
basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain.
The central part of the state lies in the fertile upper basin of the Mahanadi and its tributaries, with extensive rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
cultivation. The upper Mahanadi basin is separated from the upper Narmada
Narmada River
The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...
basin to the west by the Maikal Hills, (part of the Satpuras), and from the plains of Orissa to the east by ranges of hills. The southern part of the state lies on the Deccan plateau, in the watershed of the Godavari River
Godavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...
and its tributary the Indravati River
Indravati River
Indravati River is a tributary of the Godavari River, located in central India. The river rises in the Eastern Ghats in Kalahandi Orissa, and flows west to join the Godavari, forming the boundary between Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh states at places....
.
The Mahanadi is the chief river of the state. The other main rivers are Hasdo
Hasdeo River
Hasdeo River is a tributary of Mahanadi river. The river flows in the state of Chattisgarh. It joins Mahanadi river near to Bilaigarh. Hasdeo Bango Dam is constructed across this river. The river originates about 910 m above sea level in a place about 10 km from Sonhat in Sarguja district of...
(a tributary of Mahanadi), Rihand, Indravati, Jonk
Jonk River
Jonk River is the tributary of Mahanadi and flows in Chattisgarh state in India. The river starts from the Sundabeda plateau and enters Maraguda valley where it is joined by a stream called Gaidhas-nala near Patora village. The river forms Beniadhas fall and Kharaldhas fall before entering the...
and Arpa. It is situated in the east of Madhya Pradesh.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of Chhattisgarh is mainly tropical. It is hot and humid because of its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith...
. It is completely dependent on the monsoons for rains.
Summer in Chhattisgarh is from April to June and can be uncomfortably hot, with the mercury hitting the high 40's.
The Monsoon season is from middle and late June to October and is a welcome respite from the scorching heat. Chhattisgarh receives a pretty decent amount of rainfall with an average of 1292mm. The Winter season is from November to January and this is a good time to visit Chhattisgarh. The Winters are pleasant with low temperatures and lesser humidity.
Temperature
The Temperature varies between 30 - 47 degree Celsius in summer and between 5 - 25 degree Celsius during winter.Ancient and Medival History
In ancient times this region was known as Dakshin-KausalDakshina Kosala Kingdom
Dakshina Kosala or Southern Kosala was a colony of Kosala kings identified to be the Chhattisgarh state and western orissa region of India. Raghava Rama's mother " Kausalya " was from this kingdom.- History :...
. This finds mention in Ramayana and Mahabharata also. Between the sixth and twelfth centuries Sarabhpurias, Panduavanshi, Somvanshi, Kalchuri and Nagvanshi rulers dominated this region. Kalchuris ruled in Chhattisgarh from 980 to 1741 AD.
Modern history
Chhattisgarh was under Maratha rule (Bhonsales of Nagpur) from 1741 to 1845 AD. It came under British rule from 1845 to 1947. With the advent of the British in 1845, Raipur gained prominence instead of capital Ratanpur. In 1905 Sambalpur districtSambalpur District
Sambalpur District is a district in the western part of state of Orissa, India. The historic city of Sambalpur is the district headquarters.The district is located in the Mahanadi River basin. It has a total area of 6,702 square kilometers, of which almost 60% of the district is covered in dense...
was transferred to Orissa and estates of Sarguja were transferred from Bengal to Chhattisgarh.
Separation of Chhattisgarh
The demand for a separate Chhattisgarh state was first raised in the 1920. Similar demands kept cropping up at regular intervals; however, a well-organised movement was never launched. There were several all-party platforms formed and they usually resolved around petitions, public meetings, seminars, rallies and bandhs.A demand for separate Chhattisgarh was raised in 1924 by the Raipur Congress unit, and later on also discussed in the Annual Session of the Indian Congress at Tripuri. A discussion also took place of forming a Regional Congress organisation for Chhattisgarh. When the State Reorganisation Commission was set up in 1954, the demand for a separate Chhattisgarh was put forward to it, through this was not accepted. In 1955, a demand for a separate state was raised in the Nagpur assembly of the then state of Madhya Bharat.
The 1990s saw more activity for a demand for the new state, such as formation of a state wide political forum, specially the Chhattisgarh Rajya Nirman Manch. The Late Chandulal Chadrakar led this forum, several successful region-wide Bandhs and rallies were organised under the banner of the forum all of which were supported by major political parties including the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
.
The new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government sent the redrafted Separate Chhattisgarh Bill for the approval of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, where it was once again unanimously approved and then it was tabled in the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
. This bill for a separate Chhattisgarh was passed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, paving the way for the creation of a separate state of Chhattisgarh. The President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
gave his consent to The Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2000 on the 25 August 2000. The Government of India subsequently set the First day of November 2000 as the day on which the state of Madhya Pradesh would be bifurcated into Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Government and Administration
The State Legislative assembly is composed of 90 MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly). There are 11 members to the Lok SabhaLok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
from Chhattisgarh. The Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
has five members from the state.
Districts
Chattisgarh state consists 27 districts:Bastar Division:
- BijapurBijapur district, ChhattisgarhBijapur district is one of the 18 districts of Chhattisgarh state in central India. It is one of the two new districts created on May 11, 2007. As of 2011 it is the second least populous district of Chhattisgarh , after Narayanpur...
- SukmaSukma-Places of interest:* Indravati National Park* Kanger Ghati National Park* Jatra in FebruaryThis place is one among the backward area of Chhattisgarh, one student of this area still created history by becoming an airline pilot presently working in a leading international airline.Also,one of the...
- DantewadaDantewada DistrictDantewada District, also known as Dantewara District or Dakshin Bastar District , is a district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Dantewada is the district headquarters. The district is part of Bastar Division...
(Dakshin Bastar) - BastarBastar DistrictBastar District is a district of the state of Chhattisgarh in central India. Jagdalpur is the district headquarters. The district has an area of 8755.79 km²...
(JagdalpurJagdalpurJagdalpur is a city and a municipality in Bastar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the administrative headquarters of Bastar District and Bastar Division, and was the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Bastar. Jagdalpur and its surrounding area comprise a major part of the...
) - KondagaonKondagaonKondagaon is a town and a municipality in Bastar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.-Geography:Kondagaon is located at . It has an average elevation of 593 metres .-Demographics:...
- NarayanpurNarayanpur districtNarayanpur district is one of the 18 districts of Chhattisgarh state in central India. It is one of the two new districts created on May 11, 2007. It was carved out from the erstwhile Bastar district. This district occupies an area of 6640 km² and it had a population of 110,800 in 2001. Narayanpur...
- KankerKanker DistrictKanker District is located in the southern region of the state of Chhattisgarh, India within the longitudes 20.6-20.24 and latitudes 80.48-81.48. The total area of the district is 5285.01 square kilometers. The population is 651,333.-History:...
(Uttar Bastar)
Durg Division:
- Kawardha (Kawardha)
- RajnandgaonRajnandgaon DistrictRajnandgaon District is a district of in the state of Chattisgarh in India. The administrative headquarters the district is Rajnandgaon town.-History:The district was carved out from the erstwhile Durg district on 26 January 1973...
- BalodBalodBalod is a town in bank of river tandula and a nagar palika in Durg district in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. Balod is 44 km from Dhamtari and 58 km from Durg. Balod has...
- DurgDurg DistrictDurg District is situated in Chattisgarh state of India. Until 2000 it formed part of Madhya Pradesh. District headquarters is Durg. The district covers an area of 8,537 km². The population in 1991 was 2, 397,134 of which 12.4% were members of scheduled tribes...
- BemetaraBemetaraBemetara is a tehsil of the Durg District in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. Bemetara was established as tahsil in year 1907 along with the mungeli...
Raipur Division:
- DhamtariDhamtari DistrictDhamtari is a district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It was officially formed on July 6, 1998, from an amalgamation of Dhamma and Tarai . The district headquarter is Dhamtari. It is situated between 20042' N Latitude and 81o33' Longtitude...
- Gariyaband
- RaipurRaipur DistrictRaipur district is a district in the Chhattisgarh state of India. Raipur is the administrative headquarter of the district. The district is rich in mineral resources. There are many wild life sanctuaries and sight seeing places worth visiting...
- Baloda BazarBaloda BazarBaloda Bazar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Raipur District in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. PIN 493332.-Geography:Baloda Bazar is located at . It has an average elevation of .-Demographics:...
- MahasamundMahasamund DistrictMahasamund District is an administrative district in Chhattisgarh state in eastern India. The city of Mahasamund is the district headquarters.-Geography:Mahasamund District covers an area of 3902.39 km² in the central eastern part of the Chhattisgarh...
Bilaspur Division:
- BilaspurBilaspur District, ChhattisgarhBilaspur district is a district of the Chhattisgarh state of India. Bilaspur city is the headquarters of the district. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Chhattisgarh , after Raipur and Durg.- Etymology :...
- MungeliMungeliMungeli is a city and a municipality in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.-Geography:Mungeli is located at . It has an average elevation of 288 metres .-Demographics:...
- KorbaKorba DistrictKorba District is an administrative district of Chhattisgarh state in central India. The city of Korba is the district headquarters.-Geography:...
- JanjgirJanjgirJanjgir is the district headquarters of the district of Janjgir-Champa in Chhattisgarh.Janjgir was made the district on 1997 after it was carved out of Bilaspur.It is well known for its famous Vishnu Temple.Janjgir is undergoing very fast industrial developments and is going to host various thermal...
- RaigarhRaigarh DistrictRaigarh district is a district of the state of Chhattisgarh, in India. Raigarh is the district headquarters.The languages spoken in the district are Chhattisgarhi, Oriya and Hindi....
Surguja Division:
- Korea
- SurajpurSurajpurSurajpur is a City and a Nagar Palika Nigam in Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh state in central India.It is the Administrative Head Quarter of the Surajpur District, located 256 km North from the state headquarter Raipur. National Highway 78 has its route through Surajpur. Surajpur was...
- SurgujaSurguja DistrictSurguja District is a district in the northern part of the state of Chattisgarh in India. The district headquarter is Ambikapur.The district borders on the states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, and overlaps the southeastern part of the Vindhyachal-Baghelkhand region of peninsular...
(Ambikapur) - BalrampurBalrampurBalrampur is a city and a municipal board in Balrampur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is situated on the bank of river Rapti and is the district headquarters of Balarampur district...
- JashpurJashpur DistrictJashpur District lies in the north-eastern corner of the state of Chhattisgarh in India adjoining the border of Jharkhand and Orissa. Jashpur Nagar is the administrative headquarter of the district. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.-Geography:...
Municipal Corporations
BhataparaDemographics
Chhattisgarh is primarily a rural state with only 20% of population residing in urban areas.According to the report from Government of India, at least 34% are Scheduled Tribes, 12% are Scheduled Castes and over 50% belong to official list of Other Backward Castes. Plain area is numerically dominated by castes such as Teli
Teli
Teli is a business caste of oil pressers in India and Pakistan. Members may be either Hindu or Muslim; Muslim Teli are called Roshandaar or Teli Malik....
, Satnami and Kurmi
Kurmi
The Kurmi are a Hindu agricultural Jāti in India.The group has been associated with the Kunbi, though scholars differ as to whether the terms are synonymous. In 2006, the Indian government announced that Kurmi was considered synonymous with the Kunbi and Yellam castes in Maharashtra...
; while forest area is mainly occupied by tribes such as Gond
Gondi people
The Gondi, Goindi or Gond people are people in central India, spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, eastern Maharashtra , Chhattisgarh, northern Andhra Pradesh, and Western Orissa. With over four million people, they are the largest tribe in Central India.The Gondi language is related to...
, Halba
Halba
Halba is the capital of Akkar District in North Governorate, Lebanon, close to the border with Syria. It is located at around .The population in Halba is majority Muslim Sunnah, and minority Christian Greek Orthodox and Christian Maronites....
and Kamar
Kamar
Kamar , is a town in western Tajikistan . It is located in Sughd province.-External links:*...
/ Bujia and Oraon
Oraon
The Oraon उरांव or Kurukh कुड़ुख tribe , also spelled Uraon, Oran, or Oram, are tribal aborigines inhabiting various states across central and eastern India as well as Bangladesh...
.
Language
Official language of the state is HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and used by non-rural population of the state. Chhattisgarhi a dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of Hindi language (or a language in its own right) is spoken and understood by the majority of people in Chhattisgarh Telugu is also spoken in the state. Chhattisgarhi was also known as "Khaltahi" to surrounding Hill-people and as "Laria" to Sambalpuri and Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
speakers.
Status of Women
Chhattisgarh has a high female-male sex ratioSex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
(991) ranking at 5th position among other states of India. Although this ratio is small compared to other states, it is unique in India because of large size of Chhattisharh (the 10th-largest state in India).
The gender ratio (number females per 1000 males) has been steadily declining over 20th century in Chhattisgarh: But it is conspicuous that Chhattisgarh always had better female to male ratio compared with national average.
| Year | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 972 | 964 | 955 | 950 | 945 | 946 | 941 | 930 | 934 | 927 | 933 | 940 |
| Chhattisgarh | 1046 | 1039 | 1041 | 1043 | 1032 | 1024 | 1008 | 998 | 998 | 985 | 989 | 991 |
Probably, such social composition also results in some customs and cultural practices that seem unique to Chhattisgarh: the regional variants are common in India's diverse cultural pattern.
Rural women although poor, are independent, better organized, socially outspoken. According to another local custom, women can choose to terminate a marriage relationship and through a custom called Chudi pahanana, if she so desires. Most of the old temples and shrines here are related to 'women power' (e.g., Shabari
Shabari
Shabari is an elderly woman ascetic in the Hindu epic Ramayana. According to the Ramayana, she was an ardently devoted woman who received Rama's darshan and blessing due to her Bhakti to Him.- Story :...
, Mahamaya, Danteshwari
Danteshwari Temple
Danteshwari Temple is temple dedicated to Goddess Danteshwari, and is one of the 52 Shakti Peethas, shrines of Shakti, the divine feminine, spread across India. The temple built in 14th century by the Chalukyas of the South, is situated in Dantewada, a town situated 80 km from Jagdalpur...
) and existence of these temples gives insight into historical and current social fabric of this state. However, a mention of these progressive local customs, in no way suggests that the ideology of female subservience does not exist in Chhattisgarh. On the contrary, the male authority and dominance is seen quite clearly in the social and cultural life of Chhattisgarh.
Detailed information on various aspects of women status in Chhattisgarh can be found in the linked 103 page report titled 'A situational analysis of women and girls in Chhattisgarh' prepared in 2004 by 'National Commission of Women', a statutory body belonging to government of India.
Malus Usuo of Tonhi (Witchcraft)
There is widespread belief in witchcraftWitchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
in Chhattisgarh. Women are believed to have access to supernatural forces, and accused of being witches (tonhi) often to settle personal scores. They are barbarically persecuted, particularly older women, widows, women with deformities or with abnormal facial features.
As of 2010, they are still hounded out of villages on the basis of flimsy accusations by male village sorcerers paid to do so by villagers with personal agendas, such as property and goods acquisition. According to National Geographic Channel’s investigations, those accused are fortunate if they are only verbally bullied and shunned or exiled from their village. Humiliations are commonplace, such as being forced to eat human excreta and in recent years, 2,500 women accused of witchcraft were murdered by stoning, hanging and beheading by neighbours. Though, in India, only Chhattisgarh has an act (known as, Chhattisgarh Tonhi atyachar [Niwaran] Act, 2005) against witchery, a lot has be done on the hand of law enforcement and judicial authorities to protect women in this regard, bringing such persecution to an end.
Culture
Champaran (Chhattisgarh)
Champaran, formerly known as Champajhar, is a village in the Raipur District in state of Chhattisgarh, India, which lies about 60 km from the state capital of Raipur via Arang...
is a small town with religious significance as the birth place of the Saint Vallabhacharya, increasingly important as a pilgrimage site for the Gujarati community.
The Oriya
Oriya people
The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...
culture is prominent in the eastern parts of Chhattisgarh bordering Orissa.
Notable people from Chhattisgarh
- Dhriti Pati Sarkar, a theater actor from Nehru culture house to a Hindi movie actor of film Pradarshan , Sbyasachee & Aakhri ladai.
- Tijan Bai, a world famous pandwani singer, especially sings in Chhattisgarhi dialect
- Anurag Basu, movie director of Murder, born and brought up in Bhilai
- Krishna Sahu, famous India champion weightlifter and bodybuilder
- Amit sana Indian Idol runnerup singer
- Pramod Kumar, a 3D animator in Rhythm and Hues Studios Mumbai
- Jay Prakash, an eminent educationist, who recently received the Best Educationist award in Delhi.
- Omkar Das Manikpuri, actor of Pepple life.
- Nelson padma awardi "Murtikar" from Durg.
- Anuj sharma Chhattisgarhi film actor .
- Raman sing two time C.M of Chhattisgarh and famous for well governance.
- Vir narayan singh famous Independence activitist
Crafts
Chattisgarh is known for "Kosa silk" and "lost wax art". Besides saris and salwar suits, the fabric is used to create lehengas, stoles, shawls and menswear including jackets, shirts, achkans and sherwanis.in Lost wax metal, International Sculptor Sushil Sakhuja's Dhokra Nandi is famous and available at Govt's SHABARI handicrafts emporium, Raipur.Dance
Panthi, Rawat Nacha, Karma, Pandwani and Soowa are indigenous dance styles of Chhattisgarh.Panthi
Panthi, the folk dance of the Satnami community has religious overtones. Panthi is performed on Maghi Purnima, the anniversary of the birth of Guru GhasidasGuru Ghasidas
Satguru Ghāsidās is a Hindu saint, successor of the Satnam sect of Chhattisgarh, migrated from Narnaul Hariyana. Satguru Ghasidas was born on Monday 18 December 1718. The date of death of Satguru Ghasidas is unknown. No kabra no samadhi place present of Satguru Ghasidas...
. The dancers dance around a jaitkhamb set up for the occasion, to songs eulogizing their spiritual head. The songs reflect a view of Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
, conveying the spirit of their guru's renunciation and the teachings of saint poets like Kabir
Kabir
Kabīr was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement...
, Ramdas and Dadu. Dancers with bent torsos and swinging arms dance, carried away by their devotion. As the rhythm quickens, they perform acrobatics and form human pyramids.
Pandwani
PandavaniPandavani
Padavani is a folk singing style of musical narration of tales from ancient epic Mahabharata with musical accompaniment and Bhima as hero....
is a folk ballad form performed predominantly in Chhattisgarh. It depicts the story of the Pandavas, the leading characters in the epic Mahabharata. The artists in the Pandavani narration consist of a lead artist and some supporting singers and musicians. There are two styles of narration in Pandavani, Vedamati and Kapalik. In the Vedamati style the lead artist narrates in a simple manner by sitting on the floor throughout the performance. The Kaplik style is livelier, where the narrator actually enacts the scenes and characters.vaibhav soni
Rawat Nacha
Raut Nacha, the folk dance of cowherds, is a traditional folk danceFolk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
of Yaduvanshis(Clan of Yadu
Yadu
Yadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...
) as symbol of worship to Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
at the time of 'Dev Uthani Ekadashi' (day of awakening of the gods after a brief rest) which is the 11th day after Diwali according to the Hindu calendar. The dance closely resembles Krishna's dance with the gopis (milkmaids).
Soowa Nacha
Soowa or Suwa Tribal Dance in Chhattisgarh, India is also known as Parrot Dance. It is a symbolic form of dancing related to worship. Dancers keep a parrot in a bamboo- pot and form a circle around it. Then performers sing and dance, moving around it with clapping. This is one of the main dance form of tribal women of Chhattisgarh.In Bilaspur city, Rawat Nach Mahotsav folk dance festival is organized annually since 1978. Tens of hundreds of Rawat dancers from remote areas participate in the festival every year.
Karma
Tribal groups like Gonds, the Baigas and the Oraons in Chattisgarh have Karma dance as part of their culture. Both men and women arrange themselves in two rows and follow the rhythmic steps, directed by the singer group. The Karma tribal dance marks the end of the rainy season and the advent of spring season.Theatre
Theater is known as Gammat in Chhattisgarh. PandavaniPandavani
Padavani is a folk singing style of musical narration of tales from ancient epic Mahabharata with musical accompaniment and Bhima as hero....
is one of the lyrical forms of this theater. Several acclaimed plays of Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir was one of the most popular Indian Urdu, Hindi playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He is the writer of plays such as, Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor...
, such as Charandas Chor
Charandas Chor
Charandas Chor is 1975 children's film made by noted director Shyam Benegal, based on the famous play by Habib Tanvir, which itself was an adaptation of a classical Rajasthani folktale by Vijaydan Detha...
, are variations of Chhattisgarhi theater, and heavily use Chhatttisgarhi folk songs and music.
Traditional Food
The State of Chhattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of Central India and has a rich tradition of food culture.Most of the traditional and tribe foods are made of rice and rice flour, curd (number of veg kadis) and a variety of green leaves like lal bhaji, chech bhaji, kohda, and bohar bhaji. Badi and Bijori are optional food categories; also Gulgula, pidiya, dhoodh fara, balooshahi, khurmi falls in sweet categories.
The tribal and village population enjoys delicacy brew made of small, creamy white fruit of a local tree called Mahuwa.
Religion
Over 96% of the population of the state are Hindus. Several saints have their origin in Chattisgarh, including "Parsurama Ramnami" and Vallabha AcharyaVallabha Acharya
Vallabhacharya was a devotional philosopher, who founded the Pushti sect in India, following the philosophy of Shuddha advaita ....
. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
, a noted Hindu leader and founder of the Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
was from Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh). There is a significant minority of Christians among several tribal groups in Chattisgarh, though there are few reliable statistics on their exact numbers.
Economy
Chhattisgarh's gross state domestic product for 2010 is estimated at Rs 60,079 CroreCrore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
in current prices. The economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
of Chhattisgarh has grown rapidly in recent years with a growth rate of 11.49 per cent in GDP for 2009-2010. Chhattisgarh’s success factors in achieving high growth rate are growth in agriculture and industrial production.
Agriculture
Agriculture is counted as the chief economic occupation of the state of Chhattisgarh. According to a government estimate, Net sown area of the Chhattisgarh state is 4.828 Million hectares and the gross sown area is 5.788 Million hectares. Horticulture and animal husbandry also engages a major share of the total population of the state. 80% population of the state is rural and the main livelihood of the villagers is agriculture and agriculture based small industry.Agricultural Produces
The main crops are paddyRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, cereals like maize, kodo-kutki and other small millets, pulses like tuar and kulthi and oil seeds like groundnut, soya-bean and sunflower are also grown. In the mid nineties, most of Chhattisgarh was still a mono-crop belt. Only one fourth to one fifth of the sown area was double cropped. When a very substantial portion of the population is dependent on agriculture, a situation where nearly 80 percent of a states area is covered only by mono cropping needs immediate attention to turn them into double crop areas. Also there are very few cash crops grown in Chhattisgarh, and there is a need to diversify the agriculture produce towards oilseeds and other cash crops. Chhattisgarh is also called the "rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
bowl of Central India".
vc
Irrigation
Chhattisgarh have very good irrigationIrrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
systems, with dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s and canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s on various rivers. Average rainfall in the state is around 1400 mm and the entire state falls under Rice-agro-climatic zone. Large variation in the yearly rainfall directly affects the main crop i.e. Paddy. Obviously, irrigation is the prime need of the state for its overall development and therefore the state government has given top priority to development of irrigation potential.
Irrigation potential was 1.328 Million hectares at the time of formation of the state (i.e. on 1 November 2000) which was 13% of the gross sown area. The irrigation potential has now been raised to 1.66 Million hectares at the end of March 2006 which is 28.7% of gross sown area.A total of 4 Major, 33 Medium and 2199 Minor irrigation projects have been completed and 5 Major, 9 Medium and 312 Minor projects are under construction, as on 31 March 2006.
Power Sector
Chhattisgarh is one of the few states of India where Power sector is effectively developed. Based on the current production of surplus electric power, position of the State is comfortable and profitable. The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) is in a strong position to meet the electricity requirement of the new State and is in good financial health. Chhattisgarh provides electricity to several other states because of surplus production, and it's power hubs are KorbaKorba, Chhattisgarh
Korba is a city and an industrial area in Korba District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.Korba is the power capital of the newly formed state Chhattisgarh. The district comes under Bilaspur division and is inhabited mainly by tribals including the protected tribe Korwas...
and Bilaspur
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
Bilaspur is a city in Bilaspur District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, situated 111 km north of state capital, Raipur. It is the second-largest city in the state. It is the administrative headquarter of Bilaspur district...
.
In Chhattisgarh, NTPC has an installed thermal capacity of 2100 MW at Sipat, Bilaspur
Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh
Bilaspur is a district of Himachal Pradesh state, India. It contains the manmade Govind Sagar Lake on the Sutlej River which acts as the reservoir for the Bhakra and Nangal Dam project. The road bridge on this lake at Kandraur is highest of its kind in Asia. Its headquarters are in the town of...
while CSEB's units have a thermal capacity of 1240 MW and hydel capacity of 130 MW. Apart from NTPC and CSEB, there are a number of private generation units of large and small capacity. The state Govt. has pursued a liberal policy with regard to captive generation which has resulted in a number of private players coming up.
As per a study made by the Power Finance Corporation Ltd. New Delhi, the state has potential of 61000 MW of additional thermal power in terms of availability of coal for more than 100 years and more than 2500 MW hydral capacity. To tap this vast potential, substantial addition to the existing generation capacity is already under way.
Steel Sector
Steel industry is one of the biggest heavy industry of Chhattisgarh. Bhilai Steel Plant, BhilaiBhilai
Bhilai or Bhilai Nagar is a city in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh, in eastern central India. As of 2001, it had a population of 753,837. The city is located west of the capital Raipur, on the main Howrah–Mumbai rail line, and National Highway 6...
operated by SAIL
Steel Authority of India Limited
Steel Authority of India Limited from 116950 The company's current chairman is C.S Verma. With an annual production of 13.5 million metric tons, SAIL is the 14th largest steel producer in the world....
with a capacity of 5.4 million tonnes per year, is regarded as a significant growth indicator of the state. There are more than 100 steel rolling mills, sponge iron plants and ferro-alloy units in Chhattisgarh. Along with Bhilai,today Raipur, Bilashpur, Korba and Raigarh has become the steel hub of chhattisgarh and with it steel association is been placed for the benefits of the investor, who are investing their capital in chhattisgarh steel sector. Today Raipur become the center of the steel sector.
Aluminium Sector
The aluminium industry of Chhattisgarh consists of Bharat Aluminum Company limited which has a capacity of around one million tonnes each year.Forest
Forests occupy 41.33% of the area (as per the latest report by the Indian Forest Service
Indian Forest Service
The Indian Forest Service is the Forestry service of India. It is one of the three All India Services of the Indian government, along with the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service; its employees are recruited by the national government but serve under the state governments or...
) and there are rich forest resources including wood, tandu leaves, honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
and lac.
Mineral Deposits
Chhattisgarh is also rich in minerals. It produces 20% of the country's steel and cement. Iron-ore, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
are abundant. It is the only tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
-ore producing state in the country. Other minerals include korandum, garnet
Garnet
The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
, quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s.
Information and Technologies
In recent year chhattisgarh is also getting exposure in IT projects and consultancy. Government of Chhattisgarh is also promoting IT and for it government has set up a body who takes care of the IT solution in chhattisgarh the body known to be CHIPS, the body is coming with hudge IT projects like Choice, Swan, etc. In private sector many private companies been also coming with IT solutions and consultancy in one of the company WES Consultancy & Services Pvt. Ltd. been a providing a remarkable services in the field.
Issues with Development and Insurgency
Chhattisgarh State is rich in unused timber and mineral resources. There are disagreements between local indigenous peoples and the national government over the use of these resources.Also, an ongoing insurgency
Insurgency
An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents...
between Maoists and the central Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
has produced much bloodshed. The controversy surrounding the arrest of Dr Binayak Sen
Binayak Sen
Binayak Sen is an Indian pediatrician, public health specialist and activist. He is the national Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties .He has been accused of sedition by the Chhattisgarh Government...
is related to the insurgency. Maoist insurgency has been main source of instability.
Transport
The rail network in Chhattisgarh is centered around Bilaspur, which is zonal headquarters of South East Central RailwaySouth East Central Railway
The South East Central Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Bilaspur and comprises Nagpur division, reorganized Bilaspur division of South Eastern Railway and new Raipur division....
of Indian Railways. The other main railway junction is Raipur, followed by Durg
Durg
Durg is a city located in Chhattisgarh state, Central India. It is located just east of the Seonath River and is part of the Durg-Bhilai urban agglomeration. The city is an agricultural market and is heavily engaged in milling rice and pigeon peas. Durg gained importance as an industrial centre...
Junction which is also a starting point of many long distance trains. These three junctions are well-connected to the major cities of India.
The roadways infrastructure is also slowly picking up in the state. The National Highway 6 (Mumbai to Kolkata) passes through the state. The state also hosts National Highway 43 which starts from Raipur and goes up to Vishakhapatnam. National Highway 16 from Hyderabad ends at Bhopalpatnam in Dantewada district. National Highway 78 From Katni (MP) ends at Gumla (Jharkhand) pass through Koria, Surajpur, Sarguja, Jashpur District. The state has 11 National Highways (2,225 kilometres).
The air infrastructure is minor. The sole commercially operating airport is in Raipur, the capital city. Of late, Raipur has shown upsurge in passenger traffic. Raipur has links to top cities of the country i.e. Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
(5 flights per day), Bombay (3 flight), Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(3), Bhopal (1), Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
(1). It is also connected to Jaipur (1 flight a day), Nagpur (1 flights), Bhubaneshwar (1), Ahmedabad (1), Gwalior, Chandigarh (1), Hyderabad (2) and Bangalore(1).
Other Airstrips
- Nandini Airport, Bhilai
- Chakarbhata Airstrip, Bilaspur
- Baikunth Airstrip, Baikunth
- Kondatarai Airstrip, Raigarh
- JSPL’s Airstrip, Raigarh
- Darima Airstrip, Ambikapur
- Korba Airstrip, Korba
- Agdih Airstrip, Jashpur
- Dondi Airstrip, Dondi, Durg
Some New airstrips have been proposed for more connectivity:
Tourism
Chhattisgarh, situated in the heart of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The State is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s, Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
sites, palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
s, water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Most of these sites are untouched and unexplored, and offer a unique and alternate experience to tourists, compared to traditional destinations which have become overcrowded. For tourists who are tired of the crowds at major destinations will like the Bastar district
Bastar District
Bastar District is a district of the state of Chhattisgarh in central India. Jagdalpur is the district headquarters. The district has an area of 8755.79 km²...
, with its unique cultural and ecological identity. The Green State of Chhattisgarh has 41.33% of its area under forests, and is one of the richest bio-diversity areas in the country.
- Waterfalls
Beautiful waterfalls in Chhattisgarh are Akuri Nala, Amrit Dhara waterfall, Gavar Ghat waterfall, Ramdaha waterfall in Koriya district, Tiger point waterfall at Mainpat in Sarguja district and Chitrakot waterfall, Tirathgarh waterfall
Teerathgarh Falls
The Teerathgarh Falls is a waterfall at Kanger Ghati in Bastar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the 41st highest waterfall in India.-The falls:...
in Bastar district.
- Hot spring Known as Taat Pani(taat=तात=hot, pani= पानी=water)
A hot spring (Taat pani) flows in Sarguja district. This hot spring flows continuously through the year. It is reputed to have medicinal properties.
- Caves
Gadiya mountain in Kanker district, Kutumsar cave and Kailash Gufa in Bastar district, Ramgarh and Sita Bengra in Sarguja district and Singhanpur cave in Raigarh district with pre-historic paintings are very famous.
- National parks and Wildlife sanctuary
Achanakmar wildlife sanctuary
in Bilaspur district, Gamarda Reserve forest at Sarangarh in Raigarh district, Indravati National Park
Indravati National Park
Indravati National Park is a national park located in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh state of India. It derives its name from the nearby Indravati River. It is home to one of the last populations of rare wild buffalo....
and Kanger valley national park
Kanger Ghati National Park
Kanger Ghati National Park is a national park located near the Kholaba River in the district of Bastar, Chhattisgarh , India.The rare mouse deer makes its home in this national park....
in Bastar district and Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in Mahasamund district are good places for eco-tourism.
- Archaeological sites
Archaeological sites worth seeing are Barsoor in Dantewada district, Malhar
Malhar, Chattisgarh
Malhar is a small town situated in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh, India. It is famous for its archeological importance. It is situated at 40 km by road from Bilaspur.-Archaeological Sites:...
and Ratanpur
Ratanpur
Ratanpur is a town and a nagar panchayat in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is located about 25 km from Bilaspur on the National Highway 200 towards Ambikapur.-Demographics:...
in Bilaspur district, Sirpur in Mahasamund district and Surguja in Surguja district. A small picnic spot with waterfall on the extremity of Satpura ranga along with a stone inscription of circa 1st century CE is also found at Damau dhara
Damau dhara
Damau Dhara is a religious place and popular picnic spot in district Janjgir-Champa of Chhattisgarh near Gunji village. Gunji is attached to Barpali village and are together called Gunji . In the north, on the other side of the hill is village Rainkhol. Damau Dhara is located on a road between...
in Janjgir-Champa district.
- Temples
Famous and ancient temples in Chhattisgarh are Bhoramdeo temple
Bhoramdeo temple
Bhoramdeo Temple is a very old Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located at a distance of 18 km from Kawardha town in Kabirdham district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. This temple, scenically situated amidst mountain ranges, was built in the period of 7th to 11th century AD...
near kawardha in Kabirdham district, Rajivlochan temple at Rajim
Rajim
-Location:Rajim is 45 km from Raipur. To reach there, one needs to take National Highway 43 to Abhanpur; from there a left turn leads a narrow but motor-able road to Rajim. Nearest airport is Raipur Airport.-Tourism:...
and Champaran in Raipur district, Chandrahasini Devi temple at Chandrapur, Vishnu temple at Janjgir, Damudhara (Rishab Tirth) and Sivarinarayana Laxminarayana temple in Janjgir-Champa district, Bambleshwari Temple
Bambleshwari Temple
Bambleshwari Temple is at Dongargarh in Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh, India. It is on a hilltop of 1600 feet. This temple is referred as Badi Bambleshwari. Another temple at ground level, the Chhotti Bambleshwari is situated about 1/2 km from the main temple complex...
at Dongrigarh in Rajnandgaon district, Danteshwari Temple
Danteshwari Temple
Danteshwari Temple is temple dedicated to Goddess Danteshwari, and is one of the 52 Shakti Peethas, shrines of Shakti, the divine feminine, spread across India. The temple built in 14th century by the Chalukyas of the South, is situated in Dantewada, a town situated 80 km from Jagdalpur...
in Dantewada district, Deorani-Jethani temple at Tala gram and Mahamaya temple at Ratanpur in Bilaspur district, Laxman temple at Sirpur in Mahasamund district, Uwasaggaharam Parshwa Teerth at Nagpura in Durg district, Pali with Lord Shiva temple and
Kharod with Lakshmaneswar temple.
Giraudhpuri, a religious place for the Satnamis. They are the follower of Satnam Panth.
Sirpur is proposed world heritage site and Malhar, are of historical significance, as they were visited by 'Xuanzang', the Chinese historian.
Dams – Khudiya dam, Lormi & Khutaghat dam, Ratanpur.
Education
According to the census of 2011, Chhattisgarh's literacy, the most basic indicator of education was at 71.04 percent. Female literacy is at 60.59 percent.Absolute Literates and Literacy Rate
Data from Census of India,2011.| Description | 2001 Census | 2011 Census |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 1,11,73,149 | 1,55,98,314 |
| Male | 67,11,395 | 67,11,395 |
| Female | 44,61,754 | 66,36,193 |
| % Total | 64.66 | 71.04 |
| % Male | 77.38 | 81.45 |
| % Female | 51.85 | 60.59 |
Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University
Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University(RSU) is Chhattisgarh's largest and one of the oldest institution of higher education, founded in 1964. There are 5000 students enrolled for variety of courses offered by the departments who are steered under the guidance of more than 100 faculty members. Jurisdiction of RSU covers entire central and southern part of Chhattisgarh. There are 180 educational institutions affiliated to the University. The University plays a major role in the educational, cultural and economic life of the region.Sarguja University
Sarguja Vishwavidyalaya is established by and incorporated by Chhattisgarh Vishwavidyalaya Adhiniyam No. 18 of 2008. The territorial jurisdiction of the University is the entire Sarguja division comprising revenue districts of Korea, Sarguja and Jaspur. It started functioning from September 2, 2008. Formerly a university campus was started with the permission of State Higher Education Department by the Guru Ghasidas University Bilaspur with 02 diploma courses i.e. Diploma in Pharmacy (30 Students) and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application (30 Students) in the year 2005 with a hope that it may be upgraded as university by the Government as soon as necessary infrastructures are developed, this resulted true in 2008 the state government allotted 220 acres of land nearby Ambikapur Ramanujganj Road just 10 kilometers away from Ambikapur town. Sarguja is a fast growing industrial area already having a large number of small industrial units coming up in the region. The jurisdiction is the nerve centre of the Trade specially in coal mines sector forestry, natural recourse including medicinal trees and so on. The region in its vicinity has a very rich historical and cultural heritage. The first effort of Open Theatre was made in near-by place i.e. Ramgarh. Relics and old temples with statues and building built-up by various dynasties are found in surrounding areas. The whole division is full of natural beauty, flora and fauna, tribal and folk culture. Situated in tribally enriched, socially, economically challenged area of Chhattisgarh State. At present the university is partially residential and fully one, having its jurisdiction spread over within Sarguja revenue division. At present the university is having 42 affiliated colleges offering various courses in the areas of arts, science, commerce, education, law, management, social life science and so on. Ambikapur town is a Municipal Corporation and is well connected with all parts of the country by road and rail also. Recently town is connected with Durg, Raipur, Bilaspur and Anuppur of SECR. /Rly Station is 4 kilometers away from town. Frequent local transport is available for reaching the university. The nearest railway zone and main railway is Bilaspur in SECR. 235 kilometers away. Raipur the capital city of Chhattishgarh 350 kilometers away is the nearest Airport well connected with Delhi, Nagpur, Kolkata etc.Guru Ghasidas Central University
Formally known as Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, is a Central University located in Bilaspur, established under Central Universities Act 2009, No. 25 of 2009. Formerly called Guru Ghasidas UniversityGuru Ghasidas University
Guru Ghasidas University was formally inaugurated on June 16, 1983 and is one of the two universities in Chhattisgarh State, India. It is in Bilaspur. It was named after Guru Ghasidas, the founder of the Satnami movement in the region. The jurisdiction of the university is spread across the...
(GGU), established by an Act of the State Legislative Assembly, was formally inaugurated on June 16, 1983. It covers almost the entire spectrum of the higher education requirements of the local people. It has several University Teaching Department (UTDs) on its campuses and about 125 colleges affiliated to it.
Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University
Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical UniversityChhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University
-Institution:Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University is a public university located in the city of Bhilai, the STEEL CITY of India, in the state of Chhattisgarh in India. The university was established on 21 January 2005...
(CSVTU) is a public university located in the city of Bhilai
Bhilai
Bhilai or Bhilai Nagar is a city in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh, in eastern central India. As of 2001, it had a population of 753,837. The city is located west of the capital Raipur, on the main Howrah–Mumbai rail line, and National Highway 6...
, the STEEL CITY. The university was established on 21 January 2005. The University incorporates the purpose of ensuring systematic, efficient and qualitative education in engineering and technological subjects including Architecture and Pharmacy at Research, Postgraduate, Degree and Diploma level.
Premier Professional Colleges in Chattisgarh
There are four premier Professional Institutes in the state of ChattisgarhHidayatullah National Law University
Main article: Hidayatullah National Law UniversityHidayatullah National Law University
Hidayatullah National Law University is a university in New Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India, named after former Chief Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah. It is one of the esteemed national law schools established in India...
It is one of the esteemed national law schools established in India.[1] It was established as a centre for legal excellence by the Government of Chhattisgarh under the Hidayatullah National University of Law, Chattisgarh, Act (Act No.10 of 2003. HNLU being one of the most prestigious centres for legal education in India offers innumerable opportunities for the students to interact with academicians, lawyers, Judges, firms, banking and other related institutions. The University offers B.A. L.L.B. (Hons.). L.L.M., and Ph.D. degrees. It is a residential University and is sixth in the series of National Law Schools in India.
National Institue of Technology
National Institute of Technology, Raipur is an important technical university located in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Originally founded in 1956 as Govt. College of Mining & Metallurgy, institute is one of the oldest of its kind in India. Currently it is one of the 20 National Institutes of Technology, which have been accorded Institute of National Importance status by the NIT Act of the Indian Government.The institute offers 2 undergraduate (B.Tech. and B.Arch.) and 2 post graduate programmes M.Tech. and M.C.A. in 11 engineering disciplines and architecture.
Indian Institute Of Management
The Indian Institute of Management Raipur, is a Premium Business SchoolBusiness school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
in the state of Chhattisgarh. It is the tenth Indian Institute of Management in the country. The first batch of Post Graduate Programme of the institute was inaugurated by Dr Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh on October 11, 2010.
All India Institute of Medical Science
Capital Raipur is all set to get a new All India Institute of Medical SciencesAll India Institute of Medical Sciences
All India Institute of Medical Sciences is a premier medical college and teaching hospital based in New Delhi, India. The Institute operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ....
in next two years. It will be a huge leap in availability of top notch Medical education and remarkable milestone in the availability of health services in Chhattisgarh.
External links
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/72030961/Dr-Sanjay-Alung-CG-Ki-Riyaste-Jamindariya-Hindi Dr. Sanjay Alung-Chhattisgarh ki purv Riyaste aur Jamindariya
- Chhattisgarh District Maps
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- Folk Song & Ballad of Chhattisgarh
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