BEAUTY OF CHHATTISGARH(RAIPUR)

State Profile: location, Capital City, Population, languages:

Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India. The state covers an area of 135,194 km2 with 25,540,196 inhabitants. The state is bordered by 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.

 The capital and largest city of Chhattisgarh is Raipur. 

The official language of the state is Hindi, Chhattisgarhi. 

Other  languages spoken in the state are Urdu and Marathi. The state has the quality of life in the county with excellent physical infrastructure and it has 64.7% literacy level.

Physiography: Mountains, rivers and forest.:

The northern and southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is fertile plain.Moist, deciduous forests of the Eastern Highlands Forests cover roughly 44 percent of the state. The Mahanadi is the chief river of the state. Godavari, Rihand, Hatkul, Chinar, Doodh,Sendoor, Nakti, Shivnath, Hasdo, Mand, Eb, Pary, Jonk, Kelo, Udanti, Sukha and Doori are the other rivers of the area. Godavari is the second largest river. Rihand is Main River in northern side of Chhattisgarh.

Climate:

1. The climate of Chhattisgarh is mainly tropical. It is hot and humid because of its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer. It is dependent completely on the monsoons for rains.
2. Summer in Chhattisgarh is from April to June, and can be uncomfortably hot, with the mercury hitting the high 40's.
3. Monsoon season is from middle and late June to October and is a wonderful time to visit Chhattisgarh. The rains provide a welcome relief from the scorching summer heat and the whole state is covered with greens and waterfalls are at their best.
4.  The best season to visit the state is winter season which is from November to January.Winters are pleasant with low temperatures and less humidity.

Short history

Kalchuris were the first rulers who ruled clearly over this region till 19th century. After the fall of Kalchuris, it was time for the Bhonsles of Nagpur to dominate over this region for a brief period in the 19th century. However with the decline of the Marathas, there prevaile complete lawlessness throughout the region and many tribal chieftains established rule over small tracts of land

.

The English recognized the mineral wealth of the region and established a vast network of mines and railway track throughout the region, which marked the beginning of a new phase in the tribal history of the state. Today, the state is a heterogeneous mix of races from all over the country working together to create a prosperous Chhattisgarh.

State is known or famous for what?

The rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity is one of the most important tourism attraction offered by Chhattisgarh. Pristine nature, exotic wildlife, ancient caves, waterfalls, tribal culture, hill stations etc are some of the reasons why Chhattisgarh is a nature lover's paradise.

 Another major attraction of Chhattisgarh tourism is the less crowded, untouched and unexplored tourist destinations.

Accessibility – Road, Railways, Airways, Sea routes

Chhattisgarh, being the one of the most important cites of India, is well connected to most of the other Cities of the Country, by highways, railways, and airways. 

Roadways:

Chhattisgarh has an excellent road network. All district headquarters, tehsils and development blocks are connected with good all weather roads. There are eleven National Highways passing through Chhattisgarh together constitute 2,184 km of roads in the state. The State Highways and major district roads account for another 8,031 km.

Railways

The rail network is centered on Bilaspur, which is zonal headquarters of South East Central Railway of Indian Railways. Other main railway junctions include Raipur, Durg and Champa. These junctions are well connected to all the major cities of India. The approx. Length of the rail track in the state is 1,159 kilometeres.

Airways

Raipur is the only commercially operating airport of the state. The state, however, has airport in Bilaspur and air strips in Bhilai, Jagdalpur, Sarguja, Korba. Raipur has links to top cities of the country i.e. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhopal, Indore. It is also connected to Jaipur, Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Ahmedabad, Gwalior, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Bangalore. 

Time Zone, Currency and No Of Districts :

Throughout the India, the time zone is same of all the States i.e. Indian standard Time +5:30 

The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The new Indian rupee symbolINR is derived from the Devanagari. The first series of coins with this new rupee symbol was launched on 8 July 2011.

The modern rupee is subdivided into 100 paise though this division is now theoretical; as of 30 June 2011, coin denominations of less than 50 paise ceased to be legal tender. Bank notes are available in nominal values of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and higher denominations. Coins of the rupee are available in 1, 2, 5 and 10. Paise coins of the rupee have nominal values of 50,and lower denominations have been officially withdrawn.

The state consists of 27 districts. They are Bijapur, Sukma, Dantewada, Bastar, Kondagaon,Narayanpur, Kanker, Kawardha, Rajnandgaon, Balod, Durg, Bemetara, Dhamtari,Gariyaband, Raipur, Baloda Bazar, Mahasamund, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Korba, Janjgir, Raigarh,Korea, Surajpur, Surguja, Balrampur, Jashpur.

Historical Monuments/ Architecturally Significant Bulding / Mansions

Sorar-Karkabhat, Karhibhadar, Tengna, Khallari, Methe are some of the Historical orMegalithic places in Chhattisgarh

.

Sorar-Karkabhat extensive site is located in an area of about 10 sq. km.encompassing the villages of Kannewada, Sorar, Nahanda and Karkabhat. Karkabhat is located 16 from Balod on Balod-Dhamtari Road. It is spread on both sides of the road. Several megalithic types are present here. Menhirs of different sizes and shapes are still lying in finished and unfinished conditions.Karhibhadar is located 15 kilometers on Balod-Dhamtari road from Durg. The types of megaliths that are found here are Menhir, Carin and Stone circles. The megalithic culture of Karhibhadar is to be considered as a single unit along with Mujghan-Navapara-Sorar.

Tengna in the eastern shore of charba stream of Tengna which is located at a distance of 4 km from Dhanora. There are various type of megalithic Burial have been searched but acquired Burial have been destroyed.

Khallari village is located on the Dongargarh Rajnandgoan road near Tumrivoda place. A megalithic ruin has been searched in approximately 500 igneous rock at Mulanda by Mr. A.K. Sharma in 1998.

 

Hill Stations

1. Nainital hill station and kurschel vallery are famous hills in the state.Nainital Hill Station is the most popular hill station. It is situated at the Central Himalayas.Nainital is also known to be India’s “Lake District” and has abundant number of lakes across its boundaries and covers an area of 11.73 square kilometers.

1. Kurschel Valley is another exquisite place located in the state. It has many temples that are worth visiting too.

   

Zoo/Parks/Jungles/Gardens

The most famous zoo of the state is Kanan Pendari Zoo and is consisting of eight tehsils and those are Bilaspur, Pendra Road, Lormi, Kota, Mungeli, Takhatpur, Bilha and Masturi. This zoo is situated at the west of the capital state of Chhattisgarh by name Rajpur which is thirty kilometers away from this zoo.

National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries

Chhattisgarh is the home for many wildlife parks and sanctuaries.

Indravati National Park is the finest and most famous one. Also the only Tiger Reserve in the state. The Park is located in Dantewada district. The flora in this Park is mainly consists of tropical moist and dry deciduous type with high proportion of Sal, Teak and Bamboo trees.
Kanger Ghati National Park and Guru Ghasidas National Park are the other famous parks present in this state
Chhattisgarh is also filled with many wildlife sanctuaries and the most popular one are  Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Sitanadi Sacntuary and Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary
Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the finest and important wildlife sanctuaries in the region. Established in 1976 under Wildlife Protection Act of 1972,the sanctuary is relatively a small one covering an area of only 245 sq km. The Sanctuary is known for its lush green vegetation and unique wildlife.
Sitanadi Sacntuary is Located in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh. The sanctuary is established in 1974 under Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the sanctuary covers an area of approximately 556 sq km. The flora in Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary chiefly comprises of moist peninsular Sal, Teak and Bamboo forests. Other major plants in the sanctuary include Semal, Mahua, Harra, Ber and Tendu.

Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary was constituted in the year 1975 it comprises of557.55 Sq.km. The Sanctuary has numerous species of wild animals like the Chital,Wild Bear, Leopard, Tiger Panthera, striped Hyaena, Canis aureus jackal, sloth bear Melursus ursinus, Indian wild dog Cuon alpinus, Chital Axis axis, four-horned antelope or Tetracerus quadricornis, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, Chinkara,Blackbuck, Wild Boar and many more.
Badalkhol Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhairamgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Gomarda Wildlife Sanctuary, Pameda Wildlife Sanctuary, Virgin Kurschel Wildlife Sanctuary and
Bhoramdev Wildlife Sanctuary are the other famous sanctuary present in this state.

Palace/Forts/ Museums/Art Galleries

The forts and palaces of Chhattisgarh represents the culture of this state and are very beautifully constructed.The most famous palaces of this state are Bastar Palace, Kawardha Palace, and Kanker Palace.

1.  Baster Palace is located on Jagdalpur and it is constructed over 70 years ago. A very famous Bazzar called Haat Bazaar is situated nearer to this palace and are worth visiting too.
2.  Kawarda Palace was built in the year 1936 to 1939. This palace was built by the Maharaja Dharamraj Singh.
3.  Kanker Palace is located at Rajpur which is 140 kilometers away from this palace.This palace is exists from the 12th century onwards. This palace is also famous for its deep forest, wonderful palace and a tribal village.

   

Tourist Spot: Trekking, Boating / Spots / Race course /Golf clubs

The state is also crammed with many ancient monuments, rare wildlife, carved temples,Buddhist sites, palaces, water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus.Some of the most popular sites of this state are Bhilai, Civic Center, Chitrakot Waterfalls,Badal Mahal, Kutumsar and Kailash Caves, Budha Talab, Danteshwari Temple,Shadani Darbar and Rajivalochana Temple.

Chhattisgarh is one of the most popular destinations of water sports. Ganga near Chitrakoot& Narmada Near to Amarkantak are the best spots available for the water sports.

Temples/Pilgrimage Centers/ Mosques/ Churches/ Jain etc.

Chhattisgarh has temples all across the state and the most popular temples of this state are Bambleshwari Temple, Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple, Lakshmi Narayan Temple, and Mahamaya Devi Mandir.

1.  Bhoramdeo temple is located at Bhoramdev and is away by 21 kilometers from Kawardha.
2. Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple is located at 5 kms away from Rajpur.
3. Lakshmi Narayana Temple is otherwise known to be the Birla Temple.
4. Mahamaya Devi Mandir is situated along the Bilaspur-Ambikapur State and is 25kms away from the Bilaspur town.
5. Other famous temples in this state are Champaran Temple, Danteshwari Temple,Bhoramdeo Temple.

   

Handicraft/ Dress Materials/Whole sales products

1. Chhattisgarh is famous for its world famous Dhokara Arts, Wood Carving, Bamboo Crafts,
2. Wrought Iron, Seasal fibre, Kosa Silk, Chanderi, Maheshwari, Bagh print dress material,Godana print, Sarees, and bed sheets.
3. Some of the most famous craft work of this state are Bamboo Craft, Carpet Weaving,Clay Relief Work, Cowrie Craft, Dhokra or Bell Metal, Godna Printing, Jute, Kosa,Pressed dry flower craft, Sisal, Stone Carving, Terracotta, Tribal Painting, Tumba,Wood Craft and Wrought Iron.

Celebrations/Festivals/ Dance/ Music

1. All the festivals of India are being celebrated over here. The most important festivals of all other festivals include Hareli Festival, Madai Festival, Bhagoriya Festival, Dusshera Festival,Charta Festival, Navakhai Festival and Surhul Festival.

   

2. Hareli Festival is celebrated in the month of monsoon. People pray for a good harvest during the celebrating of this festival.
3. Madai Festival is celebrated by the oldest community of tribal peoples. This festival is meant for meeting the relatives and friends.
4. Bhagoriya festival is celebrated about a week before Holi. Bahgoradav is the famous dance that is performed during the celebration of this festival.

   

5.  Dusshera festival is celebrated by performing many tribal dances and is celebrated on the day of Bhim Sen Ekadashi.
6. Charta Festival is a festival of harvesting and is mostly celebrated by the tribal peoples. Many dances will be performed during this festival.
7. Navakhana Festival is celebrated during the rice harvesting. After consuming the first of the newly harvested rice, people start to sing and dance.
8. Surhul Festival is dedicated to the Mother Earth and is mostly celebrated by the farmers. The farmers will be celebrating this festival as a thanksgiving to Mother Earth.
9. Many folk songs are sung by the people according to a particular season like Baramasi is sung 12 months of year, Fag Songs in spring season, Sawnahi sung during rainy seasons. Fewof folk songs sung during the festivals are Dohe of Rout Nacha, Cher-Chera songs is to welcome new crops, child songs, Sua songs.

   

Some of the other regional folk songs of Chhattisgarh are Goura songs, Mata Seva songs,Janvara songs, Dewar songs Bhojali songs, Fugdi, Dhankul songs, Karma songs, songs ofKau-Mau, Nagpanchami, Loriya, Chau-Mau, Khuduwa, Dandi Pouha and Danda songs.The most famous dances of Chhattisgarh are Gaur, Gendi, Bhandri, Hulki Pata, and Kaksaar.

📗Educational hubs/ Industrial hubs:

Chhattisgarh is very famous for its educational hub all over India.Some of the most famous educational hub present in this state are 

1. Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University located at Bhilai, 
2. Guru Ghasidas University located at Bilaspur, Hidayatullah National Law University Hnlu located at Raipur,
3.  Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya located at Raipur, Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya located at Khairagarh,
4.  Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University located at Raipur 
5.  Pandit Sundarlal Sharma Univeristy located at Bilaspur.

Hotels (Five star, Four star, three star) and facility:

The types of hotels available here are luxury hotels, Heritage hotels, 5 star hotels, 4 star hotels, 3 star hotels, 2 star hotels and Budget hotels. Discounted hotel packages are also available in this state that favors the tourists a lot.The most famous hotels of this state are Hotel Celebration located at Rajpur, HotelKanishka located at Rajpur, Hotel Mayank situated at Rajpur, Hotel Mayura located opposite to Durg railway station, Ginger Durg located at Rajpur, and Hotel Babylon located at Rajpur.

Tourist Dept. Office / Conducted Tourist operators / Guide facility.:

Many tourists operator may be handling a particular tour genre. The tour packages will also be differing according to the tour operators and must be chosen according to the facilities of the tourists.

The most famous tour operators available in the state are Transworld Travells and Tour,Ascent Air Travel, Rajdhani Services, Satguru Travels, Advance Outfitters, and Chawla Tour and Travels.

Hospitality:

Chhattisgarh has greatest hospital facilities. Abundant hospitals are spread across the state of Chhattisgarh among which the most popular ones are located at the state of Rajpur. The most popular hospitals  are

1. Ashirwad Hospital
2. Agrasen Hospital
3. Rajput Ana Hospital Research Center
4. Shri Medishine Hospital
5. Vidya Hospital & Kidney Centre
6. Devi Laxmi Hospital
7.  Ashoka Women Hospital

   

Shopping Center/ Malls / Business Centers

The shopping experience in this state would be a life time experience and has many gorgeous collections of jewels, garments, accessories etc. Though the shopping malls are widely spread across the state of Chhattisgarh, Rajpur is the famous destination for carrying out the shopping. The most famous shopping malls in Chhattisgarh are 

1. City Center, 
2. City Mall 36,
3. Magneto Mall, 
4. R K Mall,
5.  Adity Teli Shop, 
6. Mahaveer Shoppers Citi,
7.  Mosaic Business 
8. Community Centre,
9.  Radha Swami Shopping Mall 
10.  Salasgar Mega Store.

    

Cinema Halls /Film Cities:

Cinema Halls are very spacious and provides a comfortable environment. The Cinema Halls in Rajpur are the most famous of all other cinema halls in the state. The most famous cinema halls are

1.  PVR Cinemas ,
2. Big Cinemas 
3. ,Fun Cinemas 
4. ,INOX Cinemas ,
5. CineMAX ,
6. Movietime Cinemas, 
7. Raj Talkies, Samrat Talkies,
8.  Shyam Talkies, 
9.  Amrit Talkies.

   

Food Habits🥧

Chhattisgarh is rich in tasty foods and the most special delicacies are

1.  jalebis, 
2. rakhia badi
3. and petha. 
4. Maize, 
5. wheat and 
6. jowar are the basic diet of the people in Chhattisgarh.

   

Rice and oilseeds are found in abundance in the state of Chhattisgarh and are widely Consumed in this state. The food of Chhattisgarh is also categorized by two different menus known to be the tribal recipes and non-tribal recipes.

Rakhia badi and petha are the two major food items that are prepared by the tribal population of Chhattisgarh during major festivals. 

Jalebi is the most popular sweet items of Chhattisgarh and are prepared in almost. every household of Chhattisgarh.

Safety And Precautions😊: There are many important features of vacation. It is not an option but a compulsory measure that has to be taken while traveling anywhere. General safety and precautions are,

1. First aid tool kid is the most important one that everyone has to carry while traveling.
2. Traveling at night is unsafe.
3. Keep a photocopy of your passport and all other important documents in a safe place. Don't share taxis with strangers.
4.  Make a note of emergency exits, stairwells, fire escapes and emergency plans at hotels.
5. And always have local police and ambulance number to make emergency call.
6. Chhattisgarh has plenty of such tourist locations. Each location speaks in volume almost its uniqueness. The pride of India lies in every tourist spot.