Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* '' Our ...
in
Central India
Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in alm ...
. It is the
ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the
seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states –
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
to the north,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
to the northwest,
Maharashtra to the southwest,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . ...
to the northeast,
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...
to the east,
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and ...
and
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...
to the south. Formerly a part of
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
, it was granted statehood on
1 November 2000 with
Raipur as the designated state capital.
Chhattisgarh is one of the fastest-developing states in India. Its
Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is , with a
per capita
''Per capita'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "by heads" or "for each head", and idiomatically used to mean "per person". The term is used in a wide variety of social sciences and statistical research contexts, including government statistic ...
GSDP of . A resource-rich state, it has the third largest
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...
reserves in the country and provides electricity, coal, and steel to the rest of the nation.
It also has the third largest forest cover in the country after
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
and
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It share ...
with over 40% of the state covered by forests.
Etymology
There are several theories as to the origin of the name ''Chhattisgarh'', which in ancient times was known as
Dakshina Kosala (South Kosala). The native place of
bhagwan Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...
as his mother name was
Kausalya
Kausalya () is the senior queen-consort of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the mother of Rama, the titular hero of the epic, and the senior wife of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital of Ayodhya.
In some later acco ...
, daughter of Kaushal Naresh. "Chhattisgarh" was popularised later during the time of the
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of S ...
and was first used in an official document in 1795.
The most popular theory claims that Chhattisgarh takes its name from the 36 ancient forts (from ''chhattis'' meaning thirty-six and ''garh'' meaning
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
) in the area. The old state had 36 demesnes (feudal territories):
Ratanpur, Vijaypur, Kharound, Maro, Kautgarh,
Nawagarh, Sondhi, Aukhar, Padarbhatta, Semriya, Champa, Lafa, Chhuri, Kenda, Matin, Aparora, Pendra, Kurkuti-kandri, Raipur, Patan, Simaga, Singarpur, Lavan, Omera, Durg, Saradha, Sirasa, Menhadi, Khallari, Sirpur, Figeswar, Rajim, Singhangarh, Suvarmar, Tenganagarh and Akaltara. However, most historians disagree with this theory as 36 forts have not been found and identified.
According to the opinion of Hiralal, it is said that at one time there were 36 strongholds in this area, that is why its name was Chhattisgarh. But even after the increase in the number of strongholds, there was no change in the name, Chhattisgarh is the
State of India which has been given the status of 'Mahtari' (Mother). There are two regions in India which are named for special reasons – one was '
Magadha' which became "
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
" due to the abundance of
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
viharas and the other was '
Dakshina Kosala' which became "Chhattisgarh" due to the inclusion of thirty-six strongholds.
Another view, more popular with experts and historians, is that Chhattisgarh is the corrupted form of ''Chedisgarh'' meaning ''Raj'' or "
Empire of the Chedis". In ancient times, Chhattisgarh region had been part of the Chedi dynasty of
Kalinga, in modern
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...
. In the medieval period up to 1803, a major portion of present eastern Chhattisgarh was part of the
Sambalpur Kingdom of
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...
.
History
Ancient and medieval history
Sitabega caves are one of the earliest examples of
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
architecture in India located on
Ramgarh hill
Ramgarh may refer to:
Bangladesh
* Ramgarh Upazila, a sub-district of Khagrachari District
India
* Ramgarh, Bihar, a village near Munger, Bihar
* Ramgarh, Kaimur, a town in Kaimur district, Bihar
* Ramgarh, Uttarakhand, a hill station in Nainit ...
of Chhattisgarh dated to Mauryan period of 3rd century BCE.
Jogimara caves contain ancient Brahmi inscription and the oldest painting known in India. The inscription can be translated as either a love proclamation by a girl or a dancer-painter creating a cave theatre together. In ancient times, this region was known as
Dakshina Kosala. This area is also mentioned in Ramayana and Mahabharata. One of the earliest statues of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...
has been excavated from
Shunga period site at
Malhar.
Between the sixth and twelfth centuries,
Sharabhpurias, Panduvanshis (of
Mekala and
Dakshina Kosala),
Somavanshi,
Kalachuri
The Kalachuris (IAST: Kalacuri), also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Heheya Kingdom, Haihayas or as the Early Kalachuris to d ...
and
Nagavanshi rulers dominated this region. The
Bastar region of Chhattisgarh was invaded by
Rajendra Chola I
Rajendra Chola I (; Middle Tamil: Rājēntira Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Rājēndradēva Cōla; Old Malay: ''Raja Suran''; c. 971 CE – 1044 CE), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, and also known as Gangaikonda Chola (Middle Tam ...
and
Kulothunga Chola I of the
Chola dynasty
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BC ...
in the 11th century.
Modern history
Chhattisgarh was under
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
rule (
Bhonsles of Nagpur) from 1741 to 1845 CE. It came under British rule from 1845 to 1947 as the
Chhattisgarh Division of the
Central Provinces. Raipur gained prominence over the capital Ratanpur with the advent of the British in 1845. In 1905, the
Sambalpur district was transferred to Odisha and the estates of Surguja were transferred from Bengal to Chhattisgarh.
The area constituting the new state merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956, under the
States Reorganisation Act, 1956 and remained a part of that state for 44 years. Prior to that, the region was part of the
Central Provinces and Berar (CP and Berar) under British rule. Some areas constituting the Chhattisgarh state were
princely state
A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...
s under the British rule, but were later on merged into Madhya Pradesh.
Separation of Chhattisgarh
The demand for Chhattisgarh to be a separate state first rose in the 1920s, with similar demands appearing at regular intervals; however, a well-organised movement was never initiated. Several all-party platforms were created and usually resolved around petitions, public meetings, seminars, rallies and strikes.
The demand was raised by the Raipur Congress unit in 1924 and was also discussed in the Indian Congress at Tripuri. A discussion about forming a Regional Congress organisation for Chhattisgarh took place. In 1954, when the State Reorganisation Commission was set up, the demand was put forward but was rejected. In 1955, the demand was raised in the Nagpur assembly of Madhya Bharat.
In the 1990s, the demand became more prominent, resulting in the formation of a statewide political forum known as the Chhattisgarh Rajya Nirman Manch. The forum was led by Chandulal Chadrakar and several successful region-wide strikes and rallies were organised under it, all of which were supported by major political parties, such as the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...
and the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the List of ruling p ...
.
The new National Democratic Alliance government sent the Separate Chhattisgarh Bill for approval by the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, where it was unanimously approved and then submitted to the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-pas ...
. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, which allowed the creation of the state of Chhattisgarh.
K. R. Narayanan gave his consent to the
Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act
Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of India which enabled the creation of Chhattisgarh state out of Madhya Pradesh. The law was introduced by the NDA government headed by Prime Minister Vajpayee to fulfil its ...
on 25 August 2000 and the government of India set 1 November 2000 as the day Chhattisgarh would be separated from Madhya Pradesh.
As such, Chhattisgarh was formed from Madhya Pradesh.
Geography
The northern and southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile
plain
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands. ...
. The highest point in the state is the Gaurlata near Samri, Balrampur-Ramanujganj district. Deciduous forests of the Eastern Highlands Forests cover roughly 44% of the state.
In the north lies the edge of the great
Indo-Gangetic plain. The
Rihand River, a tributary of the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
, drains this area. The eastern end of the
Satpura Range
The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat running east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and ends in Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and th ...
and the western edge of the
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 Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the b ...
form an east–west belt of hills that divide the
Mahanadi River basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain. The outline of Chhattisgarh is like a sea horse.
The central part of the state lies in the fertile upper basin of the Mahanadi River and its tributaries. This area has extensive rice cultivation. The upper Mahanadi basin is separated from the upper
Narmada basin to the west by the
Maikal Hill
The Maikal Hills are range of hills in the state of eastern Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh India. The Maikal Hills are an eastern part of the Satpuras in Kawardha District of Chhattisgarh and Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, overlooking the ...
s (part of the Satpuras) and from the plains of Odisha to the east by ranges of hills. The southern part of the state lies on the
Deccan plateau
The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by t ...
, in the watershed of the
Godavari River
The Godavari ( IAST: ''Godāvarī'' od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakes ...
and its tributary, the
Indravati River
Indravati River is a tributary of the Godavari River, in central India.
The Indravati River
is a stream of the river Godavari. Its starting point, found to be the Ghats of Dandakaranya, range from a hilltop village Mardiguda of Thuamula Ra ...
. The Mahanadi is the chief river of the state. The other main rivers are
Hasdeo (a tributary of Mahanadi),
Rihand,
Indravati,
Jonk, Arpa and Shivnath.
Forest
The state has 3rd largest forest by area in India. The state animal is the ''van bhainsa'', or wild Asian buffalo. The state bird is the ''pahari myna'', or hill myna. The state tree is the
Sal (Sarai) found in Bastar division.
Chhattisgarh has the 3rd largest forest cover in the country. The state is surrounded by the forests in
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
(1st),
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...
(4th),
Maharashtra (5th),
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . ...
and
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and ...
making it India's largest covered forests across state boundaries. There are multiple National Parks, Tiger Reserves across the state.
Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve is
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
recognised
Biosphere
The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be ...
with total area of 383,551 hectares (3835.51 km2).
The natural environment of Koriya in Chhattisgarh includes forests, mountains, rivers and waterfalls. Koriya was a princely state during the British rule in India. Koriya is also known for its mineral deposits. Coal is also found in this part of the country. The dense forests are rich in wildlife.
The Amrit Dhara Waterfall, Koriya's main attraction, is a natural waterfall which originates from the Hasdeo River. The fall is situated seven kilometres from Koriya on the Manendragarh-Baikunthpur road. The Amrit Dhara Waterfall falls from a height of 27 m, and it is approximately 3–4.5 m wide.
Chirimiri is one of the most popular places, known for its natural environment and climate, in Chhattisgarh.
Climate
Chhattisgarh has a tropical
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologica ...
. It is hot and humid in the summer because of its proximity to the
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted tow ...
and its dependence on the
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...
s for rains. Summer temperatures in Chhattisgarh can reach up to 49 °C (113 °F). The monsoon season is from late June to October and is a welcome respite from the heat. Chhattisgarh receives an average of of rain. Winter is from November to January. Winters are pleasant with low temperatures and less humidity. Ambikapur, Mainpat, Pendra Road, Samri and Jashpur are some of the coldest places in the state.
Transport
Roads
Chhattisgarh has four-lane or two-lane roads that provide connectivity to major cities. A total of 20 national highways pass through the state, together measuring 3,078 km. Many national highways exist only on paper and are not fully converted into four-lane, leave alone six-lane or eight-lane, highways. These include:
* NH 130A New
* NH 130B New
* NH 130C New
* NH 130D New
* NH 149B New
* NH 163A New
* NH 343 New
* NH 930 New
* NH 6
* NH 16
* NH 43
* NH 12A
* NH 78
* NH 111
* NH 200
* NH 202
* NH 216
* NH 217
* NH 221
* NH 30
* NH 930 New.
The
state highways and major district roads constitute another network of 8,031 km.
Rail network
Almost the entire railway network spread over the state comes under the geographical jurisdiction of the
South East Central Railway
The South East Central Railway (abbreviated SECR) is one of the 19 Railway Zones in India. The Zone Office is headquartered at Bilaspur and comprises the Bilaspur, Nagpur and Raipur Division.
History
This Zone was formerly part of the South ...
Zone of Indian Railways centred around
Bilaspur, which is the zonal headquarters of this zone. Almost 85% of tracks are electrified, the non-electrified route is Maroda–Bhanupratappur line from Durg–Bhanupratappur branch line, which is 120 km long. The main railway junctions are
Bilaspur Junction
Bilaspur Junction railway station (station code BSP), located in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, serves Bilaspur in Bilaspur district.
History
The railway station came up in 1889 with the opening of Rajnandgaon to Bilaspur extension of er ...
, and Raipur, which is also a starting point of many long-distance trains. These three junctions are well-connected to the major cities of India and also these station comes under the top 50 booking stations in 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 the rail network in the state is 1,108 km, while a third track has been commissioned between Durg and Raigarh. Construction of some new railway lines include Dalli–Rajhara–Jagdalpur rail line, Pendra Road–Gevra Road rail line, Raigarh–Mand Colliery to Bhupdeopur rail line and Barwadih–Chirmiri rail line. Freight/goods trains provide services mostly to coal and iron ore industries in east–west corridor (Mumbai–Howrah route). There is a lack of passenger services to north and south of Chhattisgarh.
Major railway stations of Chhattisgarh
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Air
The air infrastructure in Chhattisgarh is improving.
Swami Vivekananda International Airport
Swami Vivekananda International Airport (referred as VARP until February 2018), formerly known as Mana Airport, is a major airport serving the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It is the busiest airport in Central India and the busiest in Chhattis ...
in
Raipur is well connected to all major cities of India and operation of International flights from Raipur are under consideration besides this small airports
Bilaspur Airport and
Jagdalpur Airport are regionally connected with scheduled commercial services. A massive reduction in sales tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from 25 to 4% in Chhattisgarh in 2003 contributed to a sharp rise in passenger flow. The passenger flow increased by 58% between 2011 and November 2012.
Other Airstrips
*
Ambikapur Airport
Maa Mahamaya Ambikapur Airport or Ambikapur Airport is located at Darima, south of Ambikapur, in Chhattisgarh, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by ar ...
, Darima, Ambikapur
Governance
The State Legislative assembly is composed of 90 members of the Legislative Assembly. There are 11 members of the Lok Sabha from Chhattisgarh. The
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, wikisource:Constitution of India/Part V#Article 80, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legisl ...
has five members from the state.
Administration
Divisions
Districts
Chhattisgarh comprises 33 districts.
The following are the list of the districts of Chhattisgarh State with major cities:
Major cities
Economy
Chhattisgarh's nominal gross state domestic product (GSDP) is estimated at in 2018–19, the
17th
17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number.
Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers.
In mathematics
17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...
largest state economy in India. The economy of Chhattisgarh recorded a growth rate of 6.7% in 2017–18.
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. According to a government estimate, net sown area of the state is 4.828 million hectares and the gross sown area is 5.788 million hectares.
Horticulture and animal husbandry also engage a major share of the total population of the state. About 80% of the population of the state is rural and the main livelihood of the villagers is agriculture and agriculture-based small industry.
The majority of the farmers are still practicing the traditional methods of cultivation, resulting in low growth rates and productivity. The farmers have to be made aware of modern technologies suitable to their holdings. Providing adequate knowledge to the farmers is essential for a better implementation of the agricultural development plans and to improve productivity.
[http://nhm.nic.in/ActionPlan/ActionPlan_Chhattisgarh.pdf]
Considering this and a very limited irrigated area, the productivity of not only rice but also other crops is low, hence the farmers are unable to obtain economic benefits from agriculture and it has remained as subsistence agriculture till now.
File:Chloroxylon from India.JPG, Chloroxylon is used for pest management in organic rice cultivation in Chhattisgarh
File:Medicinal Rice.jpg, Medicinal rice of Chhattisgarh used as an immune booster
File:Aloe Farming.jpg, Aloe vera farming in Chhattisgarh
File:Gulbakawali Farming.jpg, Herbal farming in Chhattisgarh: Gulbakawali
Agricultural products
The main crops are rice, maize, ''kodo-kutki'' and other small millets and pulses (''tuar'' and ''kulthi''); oilseeds, such as groundnuts (peanuts), soybeans and sunflowers, are also grown. In the mid-1990s, most of Chhattisgarh was still a monocrop 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% of a state's area is covered only by one crop, immediate attention to turn them into double crop areas is needed. Also, very few cash crops are grown in Chhattisgarh, so 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".
File:Kodo Millet in Chhattisgarh.jpg, Kodo Millet is used as a life saving medicine in Chhattisgarh
File:Bastar Beer.jpg, Bastar beer prepared from Sulfi
Irrigation
In Chhattisgarh, rice, the main crop, is grown on about 77% of the net sown area. Only about 20% of the area is under irrigation; the rest depends on rain. Of the three agroclimatic zones, about 73% of the Chhattisgarh plains, 97% of the Bastar plateau and 95% of the northern hills are rainfed. The irrigated area available for double cropping is only 87,000 ha in Chhattisgarh plains and 2300 ha in Bastar plateau and northern hills. Due to this, the productivity of rice and other crops is low, hence the farmers are unable to obtain economic benefits from agriculture and it has remained as subsistence agriculture till now, though agriculture is the main occupation of more than 80% of the population.
In Chhattisgarh region, about 22% of net cropped area was under irrigation as compared to 36.5% in Madhya Pradesh in 1998–99, whereas the average national irrigation was about 40%. The irrigation is characterised by a high order of variability ranging from 1.6% in Bastar to 75.0% in Dhamtari. Based on an average growth trend in the irrigated area, about 0.43% additional area is brought under irrigation every year as compared to 1.89% in Madhya Pradesh and 1.0% in the country as a whole. Thus, irrigation has been growing at a very low rate in Chhattisgarh and the pace of irrigation is so slow, it would take about 122 years to reach the 75% level of net irrigated area in Chhattisgarh at the present rate of growth.
Chhattisgarh has a limited
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been dev ...
system, with dams and
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface fl ...
s on some rivers. Average rainfall in the state is around 1400 mm and the entire state falls under the rice agroclimatic zone. The Large variation in the yearly rainfall directly affects the production of rice. 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.
A total of four major, 33 medium and 2199 minor irrigation projects have been completed and five major, nine medium and 312 minor projects are under construction, as of 31 March 2006.
Industrial sector
Power sector
Chhattisgarh is one of the few states of India where the power sector is effectively developed. Based on the current production of surplus electric power, the 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 state and is in good financial health. According to
Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Chhattisgarh provides electricity to several other states because of surplus production.
In Chhattisgarh,
National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (, NTPC) has
Sipat Thermal Power Station with a capacity of 2,980 MW at Sipat, Bilaspur;
LARA Super Thermal Power Station with a nameplate capacity of 1600MW and
Korba Super Thermal Power Station with a capacity of 2,600 MW at Korba, while CSEB's units have a thermal capacity of 1,780 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 government has pursued a liberal policy with regard to captive generation which has resulted in a number of private companies coming up.
The state has a potential of 61,000 MW of additional thermal power in terms of availability of coal for more than 100 years and more than 2,500 MW hydel capacity. To use this vast potential, substantial additions to the existing generation capacity are already underway.
Steel sector
The steel industry is one of the biggest heavy industries of Chhattisgarh.
Bhilai Steel Plant, Bhilai operated by
SAIL
A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails ma ...
, with a capacity of 5.4 million tonnes per year, is regarded as a significant growth indicator of the state. More than 100 steel rolling mills, 90 sponge iron plants and ferro-alloy units are in Chhattisgarh. Along with Bhilai, today Raipur, Bilaspur, Korba and Raigarh have become the steel hub of Chhattisgarh. Today, Raipur has become the centre of the steel sector, the biggest market for steel in India.
Aluminium sector
The aluminium industry of Chhattisgarh was established by Bharat Aluminium Company Limited, which has a capacity of around 5,700,000 tonnes each year.
Natural resources
= Mineral deposits
=
Chhattisgarh is rich in minerals. It produces 50% of the country's total cement production. Due to proximity to the western States of Maharashtra and Gujarat it has the highest producing coal mines in India. It has the highest output of coal in the country with second-highest reserves. It is third in iron ore production and first in tin production.
Limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
,
dolomite and
bauxite
Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO(O ...
are abundant. It is the only
tin ore-producing state in India. Other commercially extracted minerals include
corundum
Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide () typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colors depending on the ...
,
garnet
Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives.
All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different ...
,
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...
,
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorpho ...
,
alexandrite and diamonds.
Gevra,
Dipka
Dipka is a census town in Korba District in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It is known for its Gevra and Dipka Open cast coal mines.
History
Dipka (earlier known as Junnadih) was a Gram Panchayat with very few population mostly part was co ...
,
Kusmunda open cast
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...
mines in
Korba, Chhattisgarh are largest in India and biggest men-made structure visible in satellite images of India. Major coal companies are
SECL,
Adani,
Jindal which operates multiple
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...
mines across north east Chhattisgarh.
Maikal Hills.jpg, Mineral deposits in the Maikal Hills
Mineral wealth of Chhattisgarh.jpg, Mineral Wealth from Chandidongri
= Information and technologies
=
In recent years, Chhattisgarh is also receiving exposure in
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system ...
(IT) projects and consultancy. Its government is also promoting IT and has set up a body to take care of IT solutions. The body, known as CHiPS, is providing large IT projects such as Choice, Swan, and so forth.
= Major companies
=
Major companies with a presence in the state include:
* Metal:
Bhilai Steel Plant,
Jindal Steel and Power,
Bharat Aluminium Company
* Oil:
Indian Oil Corporation,
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited
* Mining:
NMDC,
South Eastern Coalfields
* Power :
NTPC,
Lanco Infratech,
KSK Energy Ventures
KSK Energy Ventures Limited is a public limited company listed on the Bombay stock exchange in India as BOM:532997. It is a subsidiary of KSK Power Ventur Plc which listed on the Alternate Investment Market of the london stock exchange (LSE) in ...
,
Jindal Power Limited
Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) is an Indian steel company based in New Delhi. JSPL is a part of OP Jindal Group, and a leading player in steel, mining, and infrastructure in India. The company produces steel through backward integration ...
Exports
Chhattisgarh's total exports were US$353.3 million in 2009–10. Nearly 75% of exports comes from Bhilai and the remaining from Urla, Bhanpuri, and Sirgitti. The major exports products include steel, handicrafts, handlooms, blended yarn, food and agri-products, iron, aluminium, cement, minerals, and engineering products. CSIDC (Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation Limited) is the nodal agency of the government of Chhattisgarh for export promotion in the state.
Media
Mainline print media present in Chhattisgarh are
Hari Bhoomi,
Dainik Bhaskar,
Patrika
Patrika is the romanisation of a term that translates to "publication", "periodical" or "letter" in several Indian languages, and may refer to:
Newspapers
*''Amrita Bazar Patrika'', a newspaper in India started 1868
*''Anandabazar Patrika'', a Ben ...
, Navabharat, and Nai Duniya.
Human Development Indicators
HDI
As of 2018 Chhattisgarh state had a
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the Educational system, education system), ...
value of 0.613 (medium), ranks 31st in Indian states & union territories. The national average is 0.647 according to Global Data lab.
Standard of living
The standard of living in Chhattisgarh is extremely imbalanced. The cities such as
Durg, Raipur, Bhilai and Bilaspur have a medium to high standard of living, while the rural and forested areas lack even the basic resources and amenities. For example, Bhilai has a literacy rate of 86%, while
Bastar has a literacy rate of 54%.
Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, is one of the fastest developing cities in India.
Atal Nagar
Naya Raipur, officially known as Atal Nagar-Nava Raipur, is a planned city and fully Greenfield city in Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is planned to replace Raipur as the capital city of Chhattisgarh. The Government of Chhattisgarh, the st ...
(Formerly ''Naya Raipur'') is the new planned city that is touted to become the financial hub of the
Central Indian region. New world class educational institutions and hospitals have already been established in the city.
Education Index
Chhattisgarh has an Education Index of 0.526 according to the 2011 NHDR, which is higher than that of the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan. The Average Literacy rate in Chhattisgarh for Urban regions was 84.05 percent in which males were 90.58% literate while female literacy stood at 73.39%. Total literates in the urban region of Chhattisgarh were 4,370,966.
Among the marginalized groups, STs are at the bottom of the rankings, further emphasizing the lack of social development in the state. Bastar and Dantewada in south Chhattisgarh are the most illiterate districts and the dropout ratio is the highest among all the districts. The reason for this is the extreme poverty in rural areas.
Ramakrishna Mission Asharama Narainpur serves the tribals at the abhjhmad jungle region of Chhattisgarh for their upliftment and education.
As per census 2011, the State has population of 25.5 million and six medical colleges ( five Government and one private) with intake capacity of 700 students and doctor patient ratio of 1:17,000.
Under The NITI Aayog released Health Index report titled, "Healthy States, Progressive India", Chhattisgarh has an index of 52.02 Out of 100, which is better than states such as Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Bihar, Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
Despite different health-related schemes and programs, the health indicators such as the percentage of women with BMI<18.5, Under Five Mortality Rate and underweight children, are poor. This may be due to the difficulty in accessing the remote areas in the state. The prevalence of female malnutrition in Chhattisgarh is higher than the national average—half of the ST females are malnourished. The performance of SCs is a little better than the corresponding national and state average. The Under Five Mortality Rate among STs is significantly higher than the national average.
Net state domestic product
Chhattisgarh is one of the emerging states with relatively high growth rates of net state domestic product (NSDP) (8.2% vs. 7.1% All India over 2002–2008) and per capita NSDP (6.2% vs. 5.4% All India over 2002–2008). The growth rates of the said parameters are above the national averages and thus it appears that Chhattisgarh is catching up with other states in this respect. However, the state still has very low levels of per capita income as compared to the other states.
Urbanisation
Out of total population of Chhattisgarh, 23.24% people live in urban regions. The total figure of population living in urban areas is 5,937,237 of which 3,035,469 are males and while remaining 2,901,768 are females.
Raipur, Durg, Bhilai Nagar, Bilaspur, Korba, Jagdalpur, Rajnandgaon, Ambikapur and Raigarh are some of the urban towns and cities in the region.
Sex ratio
There are more than 13 million males and 12.9 million females in Chhattisgarh, which constitutes 2.11% of the country's population. The
sex ratio
The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species de ...
in the state is one of the most balanced in India with 991 females per 1,000 males, as is the child sex-ratio with 964 females per 1,000 males (Census 2011)
Fertility rate
Chhattisgarh has a fairly high fertility rate (2.4) as of 2017 compared to All India (2.2) and the replacement rate (2.1). It has a rural fertility rate of 2.6 and urban fertility rate of 1.9
SC and ST population
With the exception of the hilly states of the north-east, Chhattisgarh has one of highest shares of Scheduled Tribe (ST) populations within a state, accounting for about 10 percent of the STs in India. Scheduled Tribes make up 30.62% of the population. The tribals are an important part of the state population and mainly inhabit the dense forests of Bastar and other districts of south Chhattisgarh. The percentage increase in the population of the scheduled list of tribals during the 2001–2011 decade had been at the rate of 18.23%. The Scheduled Caste (SC) population of Chhattisgarh is 2,418,722 as per 2001 census constituting 11.6 percent of the total population (20,833,803). The proportion of Scheduled Castes has increased from 11.6 percent in 2001 to 12.8% in 2011.
Poverty
The incidence of poverty in Chhattisgarh is very high. The estimated poverty ratio in 2004–05 based on uniform reference period consumption was around 50 per cent, which is approximately double the all India level. The incidence of poverty in the rural and urban areas is almost the same.
More than half of the rural STs and urban SCs are poor. In general, the proportion of poor SC and ST households in the state is higher than the state average and their community's respective national averages (except for rural SC households). Given that more than 50 percent of the state's population is ST and SC, the high incidence of income poverty among them is a matter of serious concern in the state.
This indicates that the good economic performance in recent years has not percolated to this socially deprived group, which is reflected in their poor performance in human development indicators.
Access to drinking water
In terms of access to improved drinking water sources, at the aggregate level, Chhattisgarh fared better than the national average and the SCs of the state performed better than the corresponding national average. Scheduled Tribes are marginally below the state average, but still better than the STs at the all India level.
The proportion of households with access to improved sources of drinking water in 2008–09 was 91%. This proportion was over 90% even in states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. This was largely because these states had over 70% of their households accessing tube wells/hand-pumps as sources of drinking water.
Sanitation
Sanitation facilities in the state were abysmally low with only about 41 percent having toilet facilities before the
Swachh Bharat Mission was Launched by the Government of India. The Urban areas of Chhattisgarh attained the title of open defecation free on 2 October 2017 and the rural areas have achieved a 90.31% sanitation coverage. What sets Chhattisgarh apart from other states of India is an approach to bring in behavioural change in order to get open defecation free status. In Chhattisgarh, people don't get toilet incentives, they have to construct the toilet with their own money, after using the toilet for 3 months they are entitled for the incentive amount.
In 2020, it again won the title of cleanest state with more than 100
Urban Local Bodies, as announced by
Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri following the 'Swachh Survekshan 2020'.
Teledensity
Across states, it has been found that
teledensity Telephone density or teledensity is the number of telephone connections for every hundred individuals living within an area. It varies widely across the nations and also between urban and rural areas within a country. Telephone density has significa ...
(telephone density) was below 10 percent in 2010 for Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, reflecting a lack of access to telephones in these relatively poorer states. But due to development of new technology the teledensity in 2017 is 68.08 percent which shows improvement of telecom infrastructure. On the other hand, for states like Delhi and Himachal Pradesh and metropolitan cities like Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, teledensity was over 100 percent in 2010 implying that individuals have more than one telephone connection.
Road density
The total density of National Highways (NHs) in Chhattisgarh is at 23.4 km per 1,000 km
2 out of the total length of 3,168 km in the State, the Central Government has informed.
Chhattisgarh Government had completed construction of 5,266 cement concrete (CC) roads having a total length of 1,530 km in various villages of the State as on 31 May 2016 under 'Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana'.
Witchcraft
To bring about social reforms and with a view to discourage undesirable social practices, Chhattisgarh government has enacted the Chhattisgarh Tonhi Atyachar (Niwaran) Act, 2005 against witchery. Much has to be done on the issue of law enforcement by judicial authorities to protect women in this regard, bringing such persecution to an end.
Some sections of tribal population of Chhattisgarh state believe in
witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have u ...
.
Women are believed to have access to supernatural forces and are accused of being witches (''tonhi'') often to settle personal scores.
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.
Demographics
Chhattisgarh has an urban population of 23.4% (around 5.1 million people in 2011) residing in urban areas. According to a report by the government of India, at least 34% are
Scheduled Tribes
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
, 12% are
Scheduled Castes
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
and over 50% belong to the official list of
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with Forward caste, Gen ...
es. The plains are numerically dominated by castes such as
Teli,
Satnami and
Kurmi
Kurmi is traditionally a non-elite tiller caste in the lower Gangetic plain of India, especially southern regions of Awadh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar. The Kurmis came to be known for their exceptional work ethic, superior til ...
; while forest areas are mainly occupied by tribes such as
Gond,
Halba,
Kamar/Bujia and
Oraon
Oraon may refer to:
* Oraon people, an ethnic group of India
* Oraon language, a Dravidian language
Persons with the surname
* Dinesh Oraon, politician
* Kartik Oraon, politician
* Lalit Oraon, politician
* Laloo Oraon, politician
* Manoj Kum ...
. There is also a large
Odia population. A community of
Bengalis
Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of S ...
has existed in major cities since the times of the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Q ...
. They are associated with education, industry and services.
Religion
According to the 2011 census, 93.25% of Chhattisgarh's population practised Hinduism, while 2.02% followed
Islam, 1.92% followed Christianity and smaller number followed
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
,
Sikhism
Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit= Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fr ...
,
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
or other religions.
Hindus are the majority in the state and are the dominant religion in all districts of the state. One sect particular to Chhattisgarh are the Satnamis, who follow
Guru Ghasidas
Ghasidas (18 December 1756 – 1850), also known as Guru Ghasidas, was guru (teacher) of the Satnampanth in the early 19th century. It was Guru Ghasidas who decided to start treating everyone the same in a deep forested part of Malwa Region.
Gh ...
, a saint who promoted bhakti towards God and against the caste system. Chhattisgarh has many famous pilgrimage sites, such as the
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 ...
in
Dongargarh
Dongargarh is a Major town of india and municipality in Rajnandgaon District in the state of Chhattisgarh, India and the site of the Bambleshwari Temple and Chandragiri Jain Temple. A prominent pilgrim destination in Rajnandgaon District, th ...
and
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 the 14th century, is situated in Dantewada, a town situated 80&nbs ...
in the
Dantewada, one of the Shakti Peethas. Buddhism was once a major religion in Chhattisgarh.
Islam is the second-largest religion, concentrated in the urban centres. Most Christians are tribals from the Surguija region. Many tribals stated they belonged to a tribal religion such as 'Gond' in the census, especially in the Bastar region.
Language
The official languages of the state are
Chhattisgarhi
Chhattisgarhi ( / ) is an Indo-Aryan language, spoken by approximately 16 million people from Chhattisgarh & other states. It is mostly spoken in the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra. It is closely related ...
and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
. Chhattisgarhi, a variety of eastern Hindi, is spoken and understood by the majority of people in Chhattisgarh and is the dominant language in the Chhattisgarh plain. Chhattisgarhi is called Khaltahi by tribals and Laria in
Odia. Chhattisgarhi is itself divided into many dialects, one of the most distinct being
Surgujia
Surgujia is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Chhattisgarh. It belongs to the Eastern Hindi subgroup.
Speakers
Surgujia is primarily spoken in Surguja, Jashpur, and Koriya districts of Chhattisgarh; and to a lesser extent in Raigarh and Korb ...
from the Surguja region, which is sometimes considered its own language. Near the Uttar Pradesh border this dialect merges into
Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri (;[Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries](_blank)
, Oxford U ...
, while it merges with
Bagheli near the Madhya Pradesh border. Surgujia also merges into
Sadri in the northeast along the border with Jharkhand.
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
is spoken by many migrants from outside the state, and is a major language in the cities and industrial centres, while many whose dialect is actually Chhattisgarhi record their speech as Hindi in the census.
Odia is widely-spoken in eastern Chhattisgarh especially near the Odisha border. Telugu and Marathi speaking minorities can be found along the Telangana and Maharashtra borders respectively. In the eastern Bastar region,
Halbi and
Bhatri
Bhatri is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Bhottada tribe in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, India. The language is spoken predominantly in eastern Bastar district and in Koraput and Nabarangpur
Nabarangpur is a town, villa city and a ...
are major languages.
In addition, Chhattisgarh has several tribal languages.
Kurukh and
Korwa are both spoken in the Surguja region.
Gondi is a major language in southern Chhattisgarh: Bastar and the adjoining districts. Gondi has many dialects, such as
Muria in north Bastar, which transitions to
Madia further south and Dorli, transitional between Gondi and
Koya
Koya may refer to:
Places Iraq
* Koya; ( ar, كيويسنجق), a town in Iraqi Kurdistan
** Koya University, a university in that town
Japan
* Mount Kōya, a mountain in Japan
** Kōya, Wakayama, a town on the top of Mount Kōya
* Kōya Stati ...
, along the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In the east of Bastar. Most Gonds in the north and east of Bastar, as well as the rest of the state, speak regional languages and have largely forgotten their original tongue.
Gender ratio
Chhattisgarh has a high female-male
sex ratio
The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species de ...
(991) ranking at the fifth position among other states of India. Although this ratio is small compared to other states, it is unique in India because Chhattisgarh is the 10th-largest state in India.
The gender ratio (number of females per 1,000 males) has been steadily declining over 20th century in Chhattisgarh. But it is conspicuous that Chhattisgarh always had a better female-to-male ratio compared with national average.
Rural women, although poor, are independent, better organised, and socially outspoken. According to another local custom, women can choose to terminate a marriage relationship through a custom called ''chudi pahanana'', if she desires. Most of the old temples and shrines follow
Shaktism
Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...
and are goddess-centric (e.g.,
Shabari
Sabari (, sa, शबरी) is an elderly woman ascetic in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is described as an ardently devoted woman who received Rama's darshana and blessing due to her bhakti to him.
Story
Shabari was a woman from a villa ...
,
Mahamaya,
Danteshwari) and the 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.
Culture
The state hosts many religious sects such as
Satnampanth,
Kabirpanth
Kabir Panth (Path of Kabir) is a Sant Mat denomination and philosophy based on the teachings of Kabir. It is based on devotion to him as one guru as a means to salvation. Its adherents are from many religious backgrounds as Kabir never advocated ...
,
Ramnami Samaj
The Ramnami Samaj is a Hinduism, Hindu sect founded by Parasuram in the 1890s that worships the god Rama, Ram. Living mainly in Chhattisgarh, its adherents tattoo the word "Ram" on their bodies and wear shawls with the word "Ram" printed on it an ...
and others.
Champaran 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 the Lord
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...
. Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and his younger brother
Lakshmana
Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja () ...
had started his ''
Vanvas'' (exile) in the Bastar, then known as Dandakarayna. They lived more than 10 of their 14 years of Vanvas in different places of Chhattisgarh. One of the remarkable places is
Shivrinarayan
Shivrinarayan also known as Sheorinarayan is a town and a nagar panchayat located at the ''Triveni Dhara'' of Mahanadi, Shivnath and Jonk River in Janjgir-Champa district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
Shivrinarayan has a significan ...
which is nearby
Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh. Shivrinarayan was named after an old lady
Shabari
Sabari (, sa, शबरी) is an elderly woman ascetic in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is described as an ardently devoted woman who received Rama's darshana and blessing due to her bhakti to him.
Story
Shabari was a woman from a villa ...
. 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."
The
Odia culture is prominent in the eastern parts of Chhattisgarh bordering Odisha.
Literature
Chhattisgarh is a storehouse of literature, performing arts and crafts—all of which derives its substance and sustenance from the day-to-day life experiences of its people. Religion, mythology, social and political events, nature and folklore are favourite motifs. Traditional crafts include painting, woodcarving, bell metal craft, bamboo ware, and tribal jewellery. Chhattisgarh has a rich literary heritage with roots that lie deep in the sociological and historical movements of the region. Its literature reflects the regional consciousness and the evolution of an identity distinct from others in Central India.
Crafts
Chhattisgarh is known for "Kosa silk" and "Dhokra or Bell metal 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 the government's Shabari Chhattisgarh State Emporium, Raipur.
Dance
Panthi, Raut Nacha, Pandwani, Chaitra, Kaksar, Saila, Khamb-swang, Bhatra Naat, Rahas, Raai, Maao-Pata and Soowa are the several indigenous dance styles of Chhattisgarh.
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
Ghasidas (18 December 1756 – 1850), also known as Guru Ghasidas, was guru (teacher) of the Satnampanth in the early 19th century. It was Guru Ghasidas who decided to start treating everyone the same in a deep forested part of Malwa Region.
Gh ...
. The dancers dance around a jaitkhamb set up for the occasion, to songs eulogising their spiritual head. The songs reflect a view of ''
nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo. ...
'', 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.
Pandavani
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. Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan
Teejan Bai is most popular artist of Pandavani
Raut Nacha
Raut Nacha, the folk dance of cowherds, is a traditional dance of Yaduvanshis (clan of
Yadu) as symbol of worship to
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
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 Raut Nach Mahotsav folk dance festival is organised annually since 1978. Tens of hundreds of Rautt dancers from remote areas participate.
Suwa 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.
Karma
Tribal groups like Gonds, the Baigas and the Oraons in Chhattisgarh have the 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. Pandavani is one of the lyrical forms of this theatre. Several acclaimed plays of
Habib Tanvir, such as ''
Charandas Chor'', are variations of Chhattisgarhi theatre.
Cinema
Chhollywood
Chhollywood refers to the film industry of Chhattisgarh state, central India, or to films created in the Chhattisgarhi language. It was established in 1965 with the release of the first Chhattisgarhi-language film, ''Kahi Debe Sandesh''.
Hist ...
is Chhattisgarh's film industries. Every year many Chhattisgarhi films are produced by local producers.
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her con ...
sang a song for Chhattisgarhi film
Bhakla of Dhriti pati sarkar.
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...
sang a song for Chhattisgarhi film. He had also sung songs for various Chhattisgarhi films like Ghardwaar,
Kahi Debe Sandesh, Punni Ke Chanda, etc.
Cuisine
The State of Chhattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of India and has a rich tradition of food culture.
The typical Chhattisgarhi thali consists of roti, bhat, dal or kadhi, curry, chutney and bhaji. Few Chhattisgarhi dishes are Aamat, Bafauri, Bhajia, Chousela, Dubkikadhi, Farra, Khurmi, Moong Bara, Thethari, and Muthia.
Festivals of Chhattisgarh
Major festivals of Chhattisgarh include
Bastar Dussehra/
Durga Puja
Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrat ...
,
Bastar Lokotsav Bastar Lokotsav is a festival of Chhattisgarh that involves the representation of the folk culture of the state of Chhattisgarh. The lokotsav, which occurs after the end of rainy season, attracts large number of tribal groups who come to particip ...
,
Madai Festival Madai festival is one of many popular festivals oSanskritik Chhattisgarh The festival reflects the rich culture and tradition of the state. The Madai Festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and excitement by people belonging to the Gond Tribe. ...
,
Rajim Kumbh Mela, and
Pakhanjore Mela (
Nara Narayan Mela).
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
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
sites,
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 is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
s,
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...
s, caves, rock paintings, and hill plateaus.
Mainpat is mini Shimla of Chhattisgarh.
There are many waterfalls, hot springs, caves, temples, dams and national parks, tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries in Chhattisgarh.
India's first man-made jungle safari is also situated in Raipur.
Sports
Abujhmad Peace Marathon
The Abujhmad Peace Marathon is a joint initiative of the Narayanpur Police and the District Administration to foster peace and harmony in the maoist hit tribal area of Chhattisgarh
Started in the year 2019, it is a 21 kilometre half marathon. ...
is the largest sports event of Narainpur.
Education
According to the census of 2011, Chhattisgarh's literacy, the most basic indicator of education, was at 71.04 per cent. Female literacy was at 60.59 percent.
Absolute literates and literacy rate
Data from Census of India, 2011.
See also
*
Dadaria
*
Outline of Chhattisgarh
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Chhattisgarh:
Chhattisgarh – state in central India. The state was formed on 1 November 2000 by partitioning 27 Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madh ...
*
List of states and union territories of India by area
The list of states and union territories of the Republic of India by area is ordered from largest to smallest according to the census of 2011. India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It i ...
Notes
* Books on Chhattisgarh
** C.K. Chandrakar, "Chhattisgarhi Shabadkosh"
** C.K. Chandrakar, "Manak Chhattisgarhi Vyakaran"
** C.K. Chandrakar, "Chhattisgarhi Muhawara Kosh"
** Chad Bauman, "Identifying the Satnam: Hindu Satnamis, Indian Christians and Dalit Religion in Colonial Chhattisgarh, India (1868–1947) (Ph.D. dissertation, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2005)
** Deshbandhu Publication Division, "सन्दर्भ छत्तीसगढ़"
** Deshbandhu Publication Division, "छत्तीसगढ़ के तीर्थ और पर्यटन स्थल"
** Deshbandhu Publication Division, "Chhattisgarh: Beautiful & Bountiful (Study in Biodiversity of Chhattisgarh)"
** Dr. Suresh Chandra Shukla & Dr. (Smt.) Archana Shukla - Chhattisgarh Ka Samagra Itihas (Matushree Publication, Raipur )
** Durg district gazetteer Hind
दुर्ग-दर्पण
** Hashmi, Amir. "Johar Gandhi: The Journey of Mahatma Gandhi in Chhattisgarh." ''Meer Publication'' 1 (2021)
** Lawrence Babb, "The Divine Hierarchy: Popular Hinduism in Central India"
** Raipur district gazetteer Hind
** Ramdas Lamb, "Rapt in the Name: Ramnamis, Ramnam and Untouchable Religion in Central India"
** Ramesh Dewangan & Sunil Tuteja, "Chhattisgarh Samagra"
** Saurabh Dube, "Untouchable Pasts: Religion, Identity and Power among a Central Indian Community, 1780–1950" (on the Satnamis)
** डाॅ. सुरेश चन्द्र शुक्ला एवं डाॅ. (श्रीमती) अर्चना शुक्ला - छत्तीसगढ़ का समग्र इतिहास (मातुश्री पब्लिकेशन, रायपुर, )
** ड़ा.संजय अलंग-छत्तीसगढ़ की जनजातियाँ Tribes और जातियाँ Castes (मानसी पब्लीकेशन,दिल्ली 6, )
** ड़ा.संजय अलंग-छत्तीसगढ़ की पूर्व रियासतें और जमीन्दारियाँ (वैभव प्रकाशन,रायपुर 1,
DR Sanjay Alung-CG Ki Riyaste & Jamindariya (Hindi)
References
External links
The Official Site of the Government of Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh''Encyclopædia Britannica'' entry
*
*
{{Authority control
States and union territories of India
States and territories established in 2000
2000 establishments in India