CHATTISHGARH :  MAJOR CITIES AND TOURIST PLACES

 

Major cities

Raipur  :Raipur District is situated in the fertile plains of Chhattisgarh Region. The District is surrounded by District Bilaspur in North, District Bastar and part of Orissa state in South, District Raigarh and part of Orissa state in East and district Durg in West. The district occupies the south eastern part of the upper Mahanadi valley and the bordering hills in the south and the east. Thus, the district is divided into two major physical divisions, Viz., the Chattisgarh plain and the Hilly Areas.

Jagdalpur :Filled With Green Mountains, Deep Valleys, Dense Forests, Waterfalls, Caves Etc. 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 Bastar District. The area is famous for age old wooden handicrafts. These are in high demand among both local as well as foreign tourists.

Champa : Champa is a city and a municipality situated at bank of Hasdeo river in Janjgir-Champa district in the state of Chhattisgarh, India.In 1998,a political controversy rose due to the name of the district,which was later resolved as “Janjgir-Champa”.

Champa is famous for its Kosa silk, gold and brass metal works. Champa has large industries viz. Madhya Bharat Paper Limited (MBPL),Prakash Industries Ltd., CSPGCL’s Marwa Power Plant and many mega power projects are in under construction. Kosa silk merchant are particularly Dewangancaste.They import Kosa(Tassar silk) yarn from China and Korea and make silk shirtings and sarees.They also make yarn from Kosa called Cocoon in English and make KhadiShirtings. They Export it to many Indian states and countries like U.K. and U.S.A. and Brazil.

Ambikapur  :Ambikapur is a city and Surguja district headquarters. The district is one of the oldest districts of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, in east-central India. Ambikapur is also the divisional headquarters of Surguja Division which consists of the five districts of Surguja, Korea, Balrampur, Surajpur and Jashpur.

Chirmiri :Chirmiri is one of the Chhattisgarh cities located in the Koriya district of the state of Chhattisgarh. The region is renowned for the coalmines that are situated in the town. Chirmiri has earned the position of being the second largest Crane in the continent of Asia. The religiosity of the people of the city of Chirmiri is reflected in the temples constructed in the region. The town of Chirmiri is rich in the coal deposits found in the region. The coal industrial belt has developed in the region owing to the close proximity of the coalmines.

Rajnandgaon :The District Rajnandgaon came into existence on 26th Jan’ 1973, by way of division of District Durg. The Rajnandgaon state was ruled by Somvanshis, Kalchuris and Marathas. The Rajnandgaon was originally named as Nandgram. The Palaces in the town of Rajnandgaon reveals its own tale of the rulers, their society & culture and the splendid tradition during that time.

NayaRaipur :Naya Raipur is the new planned capital city of Chhattisgarh. Considered to be one of the world’s first integrated city it has provisions even further expansion and infrastructure upgrade in the future.  Nesting between between the National Highway-6 and National Highway-3, it is about 17 km out of the current Raipur city. Swami Vivekananda Airport is nestled in between the Naya Raipur and Raipur.  Naya Raipur consists of 41 villages renovated with robust facilities like roads, parks and water pipelines.  Naya Raipur is India’s sixth planned city after Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Bhubaneshwar (Odisha), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Chandigarh (Punjab & Haryana), and Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra), and fourth among the capital cities.

Durg :Situated on the east bank of river Shivnath, District Durg is herald of Chhattisgarh’s Industrial Development, Cultural competence, Social harmony and Meaningful use of resources. It is a symbol of status , prestige and glory of Chhattisgarh. History of Durg is like conducive inspiration which is unique mixture of oldness and modernity, culture-rite and entrepreneurship.Bhilai known as “Mini India” for Industrial development, social harmony and cultural diversity is a twin city of Durg. Establishment of Bhilai steel plant in Durg district had created vast opportunities for industrial progress on one hand and on the other hand durg district become centre of many other productive activities.

Bhilai :Bhilai of Chhattisgarh is a major travel destination of central India.  With the help of Russian Government the second Indian Steel plant was set up here and a new, modern city was developed surrounding the steel plant.  Today, Bhilai has emerged as an excellent educational centre, contributing to the educational needs in all technological fields.

Bilaspur: Bilaspur enjoys the distinctiveness of being one of the major cities in Chattisgarh with considerable historical significance. Located in the eastern part of Chattisgarh, Bilaspur is nearly four centuries old. Referred to as the “Rice Bowl of India”, Bilaspur abounds in lush greenery and boasts of a myriad number of tourist attractions.

Korba :korba is situated at the south of churi-hills i.e. at the north-central part of chhattisgarh comprising katghora and korba tehsils of korba district. the average height of this basin is about 250-350 meters. bango dam is build in korba for irrigation purpose, which supplies water to korba, janjgir- champa and raigarh districts. korba and champa are well known for “kosa”, a special variety of silk used for producing one of the best quality of cloth in the world. being light in weight and having shiny glaze, it is used to make kurtas, sarees, shirts, salwar-suits and other garments for party as well as casual wears.

 

Tourist places in Chattishgarh :

Chitrakotefalls :Chitrakot Waterfalls is located 38 km away from Jagdalpur. It falls from a height of 96 ft, and during the season, the width is above 1000 feet. The shape of the waterfalls resembles horseshoe. The forest area around the waterfalls offers spectacular views. It is popularly known as the niagra fall of India.

Bhoramdeotemple :The Bhoramdeo temple, is carved on the rocky stones in the Nagar style. The Bhoramdeo temple has a resemblance with the Sun temple of Konark and The Khajurahotemple , and that is why it is also called the Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh. The erogenous idols of this temple are also extremely beautiful. On the outer walls there are as many as 54 erotic sculptures in different poses. These asanas from the “Kam sutra”, are truly an epitome of eternal love and beauty. They are artistically significant too. The Nagwanshi  Kings were believed to be  the practitioners of ‘Trantra’ as their contemporaries in Khajuraho. The traces of turmeric on the walls, indicate that marriage and other rituals must have been performed here from time to time

Maitribagh :Maitribagh consists of a large zoo, beautiful lakes, gardens, musical fountain, a tall tower called the PragatiMinar, a toy train called Maitri Express for the children. The lush greenery, shimmering musical fountain, flower beds and scenic locales attract tourists from far and wide. A toy train called the Maitri Express is operated in the zoo from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm. The price of a ticket is Rs.5, however, it is free for children below three.  There is a musical fountain on an island in the artificial lake. The Fountain consists of many fountains of water dancing on instrumental music on some retro and contemporary songs. The jets of water shoot out in the air, twist and sway in the air, appearing as if dancing to the tune of the music. Each of these movements is lit up by shimmering and bright colours, providing a visual treat to the viewers

Teerathgarhfall :The Teerathgarh Falls is a waterfall at KangerGhati in Bastar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is located at a distance of 35 kilometres (22 mi) south-west of Jagdalpur. One can approach the falls from Darbha, near state highway that connects Jagdalpur to Sukma. One has to take a jeep at Darbha junction to visit Teerathgarh and Kutumsar. Kutumsar Caves and KailashGufa are nearby attractions. It is in KangerGhati National Park.

 

Teerathgarh waterfall scene

 

KawardhaPalace :Kawardha Palace in Chhattisgarh is a beautiful monument, located at about 140 km from Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The stunning Kawardha Palace was designed and built by Maharaja Dharamraj Singh between the period 1936-39 AD, using Italian marble and stone. Its area is spread across 11 acres of lush green landscaped gardens. Kawardha Palace is surrounded by the beautiful and scenic Maikal hill ranges. It is an interesting attraction place worth visit. It is a superb architectural blend of Italian, Mughal and Colonial styles.

Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary : It is Located  in Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh State. It had been established in 1975and declared a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger, in 2009. It is a part of the Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve.

Kailash and KutumsarCaves :The Kailash and Kutumsar Caves in Bastar, Chhatisgarh, are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area. They are located in the thick forests of Kanger Valley National Park, near the famous TirathgarhWaterfalls . The Kailash Cave, located atop a small hillock, covering a stretch of approximately 100m, was discovered in the year 1993.

The Kutumsar Caves contain stalagmite formation of the Shivalingam, towards its end, which attracts Lord Shiva devotees and curious tourists alike. The most enthralling thing about the cave is that the hollow walls of the cave make astonishing sounds when struck by bare hands. The Kailash Caves have beautiful and natural Shivalinga formations to flaunt. Unlike the latter, the former is an underground cave, situated approximately 35m below ground level and is pitch-dark.

GadiyaMountain :Gadiya Mountains are the highest mountains of Kanker. It is a natural fort. At the time of Kandra dynasty, it came into light. When the Kandra king Dharma Dev won the Kanker. He declared his capital which was situated on Gadhiya Mountain, which is a natural form of a fort. There is a tank on the mountain which never dries and fulfill by water throughout the year. One of the part of the tank is Sonai and while the other is called as Rupai. Actually these parts of the tank are named after the two daughters of Kandra king Dharma Dev. There is a cave named Churipagar on the southern part of the tank. The entry of this cave is very much narrow. In the times of attack, the King and his family lived safe in this cave.