Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India. It is the 10th largest state in India, with an area of 135,190 km2 (52,200 sq mi). With a population of 25.5 million, Chhattisgarh is the 16th most-populated state of the nation. It is a source of electricity and steel for India.Chhattisgarh accounts for 15% of the total steel produced in the country. Chhattisgarh is one of the fastest developing states in India.
The state was formed on 1 November 2000 by partitioning 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh. Raipur was made its capital city. Chhattisgarh borders the states of Madhya Pradesh in the northwest, Maharastra in the southwest Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the south, Odisha in the east, Jharkhand in the northeast and Uttar Pradesh in the north. Currently the state comprises 27 districts.
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India. It is the 10th largest state in India, with an area of 135,190 km2 (52,200 sq mi). With a population of 25.5 million, Chhattisgarh is the 16th most-populated state of the nation. It is a source of electricity and steel for India.Chhattisgarh accounts for 15% of the total steel produced in the country. Chhattisgarh is one of the fastest developing states in India.
The state was formed on 1 November 2000 by partitioning 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh. Raipur was made its capital city. Chhattisgarh borders the states of Madhya Pradesh in the northwest, Maharastra in the southwest Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the south, Odisha in the east, Jharkhand in the northeast and Uttar Pradesh in the north. Currently the state comprises 27 districts.
Transport
Road, rail and air transportation from and to Chhattisgarh can be seen from the official website[dead link] of the Chhattisgarh Government.
Roads
Chhattisgarh has wide coverage of roads which have pan-nation connectivity. The district headquarters, tehsils and development blocks are well connected with good all-weather roads. 11 national highways passing through the state which are together 2,184 km in length. This includes NH 6, NH 16, NH 43, NH 12A, NH 78, NH 111, NH 200, NH 202, NH 216, NH 217, NH 221,[National Highway 30(India)NH30].
The state highways and major district roads constitute another network of 8,031 km. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. As of 2012, there are a total of 6635 passenger vehicles plying on 2316 roads of the state. Transport is coordinated through 22 computerised transport offices in the state. A motor and driving school has also been proposed to be established.
Rail network
Almost the entire railway network spread over the state comes under the geographical jurisdiction of the South East Central Railway Zone of Indian Railways centered around Bilaspur, which is the zonal headquarters of this zone. The construction of Nagpur-Chhattisgarh railway line began in 1878 and was completed in 1882. The main railway junction is Raipur, Durg and Bilaspur 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 state has the highest freight loading in the country and one-sixth of Indian Railway's revenue comes from Chhattisgarh. The length of rail network in the state is 1,108 km, while a third track has been commissioned between Raipur and Raigarh. Construction of some new railway lines are under process. These include Dalli-Rajhara–Jagdalpur rail line, Pendra Road-Gevra Road Rail Line rail line, Raigarh-Mand Colliery to Bhupdeopur rail line and Barwadih-Chirmiri rail line.
Major Railway heads are Mahasamund Bilaspur Durg Champa Rajnandgaon
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been engaged to conduct a pre-feasibility study of the Metro Rail project in the State. A New Metro line is proposed between Durg-Bhilai-Raipur-Naya Raipur. First phase work will start with Bhilai-Raipur connectivity.
Air
The air infrastructure in Chhattisgarh is small compared to other states. Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur is its sole airport with scheduled commercial air services. A massive reduction in sales tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from 25 to 4 per cent in Chhattisgarh in 2003 has contributed to a sharp rise in passenger flow. The passenger flow has increased by an overwhelming 58 per cent between 2011 and November 2012. It has links to top cities of the country. An "On Demand" Air-taxi service is available from Raipur to Korba, Jagdalpur, Raigarh, Ambikapur and Jashpur. The State Government has signed a MOU with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in July 2013 to develop Raigarh Airport as the state's second airport for domestic flights.
Airports
Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur
Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur
Other airstrips
Nandini Airport, Bhilai
Baikunth Airstrip, Baikunth
Kondatarai Airstrip, Raigarh
JSPL’s Airstrip, Raigarh
Darima Airstrip, Ambikapur
Korba Airstrip, Korba
Agdih Airstrip, Jashpur
Dondi Airstrip, Dondi, Durg
Proposed airstrips
Kanker Kabirdham Surajpur Dantewada Bijapur Korba Balrampur Rajnandgaon
Road, rail and air transportation from and to Chhattisgarh can be seen from the official website[dead link] of the Chhattisgarh Government.
Roads
Chhattisgarh has wide coverage of roads which have pan-nation connectivity. The district headquarters, tehsils and development blocks are well connected with good all-weather roads. 11 national highways passing through the state which are together 2,184 km in length. This includes NH 6, NH 16, NH 43, NH 12A, NH 78, NH 111, NH 200, NH 202, NH 216, NH 217, NH 221,[National Highway 30(India)NH30].
The state highways and major district roads constitute another network of 8,031 km. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. As of 2012, there are a total of 6635 passenger vehicles plying on 2316 roads of the state. Transport is coordinated through 22 computerised transport offices in the state. A motor and driving school has also been proposed to be established.
Rail network
Almost the entire railway network spread over the state comes under the geographical jurisdiction of the South East Central Railway Zone of Indian Railways centered around Bilaspur, which is the zonal headquarters of this zone. The construction of Nagpur-Chhattisgarh railway line began in 1878 and was completed in 1882. The main railway junction is Raipur, Durg and Bilaspur 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 state has the highest freight loading in the country and one-sixth of Indian Railway's revenue comes from Chhattisgarh. The length of rail network in the state is 1,108 km, while a third track has been commissioned between Raipur and Raigarh. Construction of some new railway lines are under process. These include Dalli-Rajhara–Jagdalpur rail line, Pendra Road-Gevra Road Rail Line rail line, Raigarh-Mand Colliery to Bhupdeopur rail line and Barwadih-Chirmiri rail line.
Major Railway heads are Mahasamund Bilaspur Durg Champa Rajnandgaon
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been engaged to conduct a pre-feasibility study of the Metro Rail project in the State. A New Metro line is proposed between Durg-Bhilai-Raipur-Naya Raipur. First phase work will start with Bhilai-Raipur connectivity.
Air
The air infrastructure in Chhattisgarh is small compared to other states. Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur is its sole airport with scheduled commercial air services. A massive reduction in sales tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from 25 to 4 per cent in Chhattisgarh in 2003 has contributed to a sharp rise in passenger flow. The passenger flow has increased by an overwhelming 58 per cent between 2011 and November 2012. It has links to top cities of the country. An "On Demand" Air-taxi service is available from Raipur to Korba, Jagdalpur, Raigarh, Ambikapur and Jashpur. The State Government has signed a MOU with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in July 2013 to develop Raigarh Airport as the state's second airport for domestic flights.
Airports
Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur
Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur
Other airstrips
Nandini Airport, Bhilai
Baikunth Airstrip, Baikunth
Kondatarai Airstrip, Raigarh
JSPL’s Airstrip, Raigarh
Darima Airstrip, Ambikapur
Korba Airstrip, Korba
Agdih Airstrip, Jashpur
Dondi Airstrip, Dondi, Durg
Proposed airstrips
Kanker Kabirdham Surajpur Dantewada Bijapur Korba Balrampur Rajnandgaon
Culture
A carving in the 10th- or 11th-century Hindu temple of Malhar village. This area, 40 km from Bilaspur, was supposedly a major Buddhist center in ancient times.
The state hosts many religious sects such as Satnami Panth, Kabirpanth, Ramnami Samaj and others. Champaran (Chhattisgarh) is a small town with religious significance as the birthplace of the Saint Vallabhacharya, increasingly important as a pilgrimage site for the Gujarati community.
Chhattisgarh has a significant role in the life of lord Rama.[36] Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and his younger brother Lakshaman had started his Vanvas (exile) in the Bastar [37] region (more precisely Dandakaranya region [38]) of Chhattisgarh. They lived more than 10 years of their 14 years of Vanvas in different places of Chhattisgarh. One of the remarkable place is Shivrinarayan [39] which is nearby Bilaspur [40] district of Chhattisgarh. Shivrinarayan was named after an old lady Shabari.[41] When Ram visited Shabari she said "I do not have anything to offer other than my heart, but here are some berry fruits. May it please you, my Lord." Saying so, Shabari offered the fruits she had meticulously collected to Rama. When Rama was tasting them, Lakshmana raised the concern that Shabari had already tasted them and therefore unworthy of eating. To this Rama said that of the many types of food he had tasted, "nothing could equal these berry fruits, offered with such devotion. You taste them, then alone will you know. Whomsoever offers a fruit, leaf, flower or some water with love, I partake it with great joy." More details at Shabari.[41]
The Oriya culture is prominent in the eastern parts of Chhattisgarh bordering Odisha.
Crafts
Chhattisgarh 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. Works by the internationally renowned sculptor, Sushil Sakhuja's Dhokra Nandi, are available at government's Shabari handicrafts emporium, Raipur.
Dance
Panthi, Rawat Nacha Pandwani, Chaitra, Kaksar, Saila and Soowa are the several 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 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, 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.
Pandwani
Pandavani 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.
Rawat Nacha
Rawat Nacha, the folk dance of cowherds, is a traditional dance of Yaduvanshis (clan of Yadu) as symbol of worship to Krishna from the 4th day of Diwali(Goverdhan Puja) till 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, the Rawat Nach Mahotsav folk dance festival is organized annually since 1978. Tens of hundreds of Rawat dancers from remote areas participate.
Soowa Nacha
Soowa or Suwa tribal dance in Chhattisgarh 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.
Sua Nacha at Khudmudi Village, Chhattisgarh
Karma
Tribal groups like Gonds, the Baigas and the Oraons in Chhattisgarh 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.
A carving in the 10th- or 11th-century Hindu temple of Malhar village. This area, 40 km from Bilaspur, was supposedly a major Buddhist center in ancient times.
The state hosts many religious sects such as Satnami Panth, Kabirpanth, Ramnami Samaj and others. Champaran (Chhattisgarh) is a small town with religious significance as the birthplace of the Saint Vallabhacharya, increasingly important as a pilgrimage site for the Gujarati community.
Chhattisgarh has a significant role in the life of lord Rama.[36] Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and his younger brother Lakshaman had started his Vanvas (exile) in the Bastar [37] region (more precisely Dandakaranya region [38]) of Chhattisgarh. They lived more than 10 years of their 14 years of Vanvas in different places of Chhattisgarh. One of the remarkable place is Shivrinarayan [39] which is nearby Bilaspur [40] district of Chhattisgarh. Shivrinarayan was named after an old lady Shabari.[41] When Ram visited Shabari she said "I do not have anything to offer other than my heart, but here are some berry fruits. May it please you, my Lord." Saying so, Shabari offered the fruits she had meticulously collected to Rama. When Rama was tasting them, Lakshmana raised the concern that Shabari had already tasted them and therefore unworthy of eating. To this Rama said that of the many types of food he had tasted, "nothing could equal these berry fruits, offered with such devotion. You taste them, then alone will you know. Whomsoever offers a fruit, leaf, flower or some water with love, I partake it with great joy." More details at Shabari.[41]
The Oriya culture is prominent in the eastern parts of Chhattisgarh bordering Odisha.
Crafts
Chhattisgarh 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. Works by the internationally renowned sculptor, Sushil Sakhuja's Dhokra Nandi, are available at government's Shabari handicrafts emporium, Raipur.
Dance
Panthi, Rawat Nacha Pandwani, Chaitra, Kaksar, Saila and Soowa are the several 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 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, 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.
Pandwani
Pandavani 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.
Rawat Nacha
Rawat Nacha, the folk dance of cowherds, is a traditional dance of Yaduvanshis (clan of Yadu) as symbol of worship to Krishna from the 4th day of Diwali(Goverdhan Puja) till 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, the Rawat Nach Mahotsav folk dance festival is organized annually since 1978. Tens of hundreds of Rawat dancers from remote areas participate.
Soowa Nacha
Soowa or Suwa tribal dance in Chhattisgarh 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.
Sua Nacha at Khudmudi Village, Chhattisgarh
Karma
Tribal groups like Gonds, the Baigas and the Oraons in Chhattisgarh 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.
Tourism
Chhattisgarh, situated in the heart of India, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The state is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, 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.
Waterfalls
Beautiful waterfalls in Chhattisgarh are Akuri Nala and Amrit Dhara waterfalls, Gavar Ghat waterfall, Ramdaha waterfall in Koriya district, Tiger point waterfall at Mainpat in Surguja district and Chitrakot and Tirathgarh waterfalls in Bastar district.
Hot spring
Known as Taat Pani, (taat means hot, pani means water) the hot spring flows in balrampur district. This hot spring flows throughout the year. It is reputed to have medicinal properties due to high amount of sodium in it. and ntpc national thermal power corp is developing a geothermal power plant here which is described as first geothermal power plant of India.
Caves
Gadiya mountain in Kanker district, Kotumsar cave and Kailash Gufa in Bastar district, Ramgarh and Sita Bengra in Surguja district and Singhanpur cave in Raigarh district with pre-historic paintings are well known.
National parks and wildlife sanctuaries
Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Bilaspur district, Gamarda Reserve forest at Sarangarh in the Raigarh district, Indravati National Park and Kanger Ghati National Park in the Bastar district, Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in the Mahasamund district, Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary in the Raipur district, and Sitanagi Wildlife Sanctuary in the Dhamtari district are good places for eco-tourism.
Archaeological sites
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 c. 1st century CE is found at Damau dhara in Janjgir-Champa district.
Temples
Notable and ancient temples in Chhattisgarh include: 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 Dongargarh 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, Patal Bhairavi temple in outer area of Rajnandgaon.
Giraudhpuri is a religious place for the Satnamis. They are the followers of Satnam Panth.
Sirpur is proposed world heritage site and Malhar are of historical significance, as they were visited by Xuanzang, the Chinese historian.Mama- bachha temple at Barsoor.
Dams
Hasdev Bango Dam (105 km from Bilaspur), Khudiya Dam in Lormi and Khutaghat Dam in Ratanpur and Gangrel Dam and Murrum Silli Dam in Dhamtari are some of the important dams in Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh, situated in the heart of India, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The state is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, 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.
Waterfalls
Beautiful waterfalls in Chhattisgarh are Akuri Nala and Amrit Dhara waterfalls, Gavar Ghat waterfall, Ramdaha waterfall in Koriya district, Tiger point waterfall at Mainpat in Surguja district and Chitrakot and Tirathgarh waterfalls in Bastar district.
Hot spring
Known as Taat Pani, (taat means hot, pani means water) the hot spring flows in balrampur district. This hot spring flows throughout the year. It is reputed to have medicinal properties due to high amount of sodium in it. and ntpc national thermal power corp is developing a geothermal power plant here which is described as first geothermal power plant of India.
Caves
Gadiya mountain in Kanker district, Kotumsar cave and Kailash Gufa in Bastar district, Ramgarh and Sita Bengra in Surguja district and Singhanpur cave in Raigarh district with pre-historic paintings are well known.
National parks and wildlife sanctuaries
Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Bilaspur district, Gamarda Reserve forest at Sarangarh in the Raigarh district, Indravati National Park and Kanger Ghati National Park in the Bastar district, Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in the Mahasamund district, Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary in the Raipur district, and Sitanagi Wildlife Sanctuary in the Dhamtari district are good places for eco-tourism.
Archaeological sites
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 c. 1st century CE is found at Damau dhara in Janjgir-Champa district.
Temples
Notable and ancient temples in Chhattisgarh include: 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 Dongargarh 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, Patal Bhairavi temple in outer area of Rajnandgaon.
Giraudhpuri is a religious place for the Satnamis. They are the followers of Satnam Panth.
Sirpur is proposed world heritage site and Malhar are of historical significance, as they were visited by Xuanzang, the Chinese historian.Mama- bachha temple at Barsoor.
Dams
Hasdev Bango Dam (105 km from Bilaspur), Khudiya Dam in Lormi and Khutaghat Dam in Ratanpur and Gangrel Dam and Murrum Silli Dam in Dhamtari are some of the important dams in Chhattisgarh.