For the district in 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...

 see Raigad

Raigad district

Raigad District , also known as Raigarh District, is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the Konkan region. The district was renamed after Raigad, the fort which was the former capital of the Maratha leader Shivaji, and is located in the interior regions of the district,...

.

Raigarh is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Raigarh district

Raigarh District

Raigarh 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....

 in the 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...

n state

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:...

 of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh

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....

. It is the administrative headquarter of Raigarh district

Raigarh District

Raigarh 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....

.

History

Prior to Indian Independence, Raigarh was a Princely state

Princely state

A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...

. The former king and his sons still live here. They still lead a royal life but with no rent to collect. Their palace - Moti Mahal - is in very bad shape. It was declared a heritage site very recently by the state government.

Geography & Climate

Raigarh is located at 21.9°N 83.4°E. It has an average elevation of 215 metre

Metre

The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...

s (705 feet).
The Kelo river flows through the city, which is one of its main water sources.

The minimum - maximum temperature range is 29.5 - 49 °C in summer, and 8 - 25 °C in winter.

Demographics

India census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Raigarh district had a population of 12,69,925, and the city of Raigarh a population of 364,287. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Raigarh has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 62%. About 80% of the population are Hindus, 15% Christians and remaining 5% are other religions. In Raigarh, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The major languages spoken are Chhattisgarhi, Hindi

Hindi

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 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...

.

Culture

Raigarh has been considered the cultural capital of Chhattisgarh. Raigarh is now famous for its cultural heritage with its own Kathak Gharana - Raigarh Gharana and its annual classical music concert - Chakradhar Samaroh.

Economy

Raigarh is famous for its 'kosa' or tasar (a kind of fine silk created by the silk worm feeding on mulberry fruit).

It is also on the industrial map, with the world's largest sponge iron plant and 62 industries surrounding this hill city. It has transformed into a growing industrial hub for the steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 market. Just 8 km from Raigarh city is the world's largest sponge iron and steel plant owned by Jindal Steel and Power Limited. It has provided employment to large number of people. The chairman of the company is the renowned MP, Naveen Jindal. The Jindal township also includes, O. P. Jindal School, O. P. Jindal Institute of Technology,O.P.Jindal College, O.P. Jindal General Hospital and Heart Research Centre among many modern amenities.

Raigarh is an old city and the market place is congested with narrow and curving roads. Now the situations are changing drastically. It has become an industrial hub. More than 50 sponge iron plants have already been started in the vicinity of Raigarh and various industries are looking forward for opportunities. The new Raigarh consists of various shopping complex, broad four-lane roads, star hotels and much more.

Apart from these mainstream attractions, 'Dhokra Casting' or 'Bell Metal Casting' is world acclaimed art form of Raigarh. Based in the village of Ektal, the bell metal structures are famous for their aesthetic value.

Tendu patta collection is one of major source of economy for villagers, Raigarh District is one of major producer of rice.

Education

Raigarh is not far developed in terms of education but Raigarh still has of many schools and colleges which serve the students with the required education for a child.

Colleges

The major colleges consists of:

1. O.P. Jindal institute of technology

2. Kirodimal institute of technology (K.I.T.)

3. Kirodimal Govt Polytechnich (KGP)

4. P.D.Commerce & Arts College

5. K.G. Arts & Science College

6. Swami Balkrishna Puri Law College

7. Aricent College (Sarguja University)

Schools

The major schools are:

1. Govt Natwar Higher Sec School

2. Carmel Convent Senior Secondary School

3. O.P. Jindal School

4. Aricent Public School

5. Kendriya Vidyalaya

6. Sanskar Public School

7. Maharshi Vidya Mandir

8. Govt Girls Higher Sec School

9. Saraswati Shishu Mandir

10. Anand Vidya Bharati

11. Dav Public School

12. Delhi Public School (DPS)

13. Municipal Higher Secondary School

14. Guru Dronacharya Higher Sec School