Gariaband District is one of the 33 districts of Chhattisgarh. It has its headquarters at Gariaband town. The district was carved out of Raipur district in 2012.

History

The earliest history of the district is associated with

Rajim Rajim is a town which is proposed to be in Raipur district but officially in Gariaband district, Chhattisgarh, India. Rajim is named after Rajiv Lochan Mandir which is the Main Hindu Pilgrimage Temple of Rajim dedicated to Vishnu. There is also ...

. At the Rajiv Lochan temple, a 7th century inscription records the king as Vilasatunga, most likely from the

Nala dynasty The Nalas were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Chhattisgarh and Odisha during the 6th century CE. Their core territory included the areas around Bastar and Koraput districts. Their capital was probably Pushkari (IAST: Puṣkarī) ...

. The region was controlled by a variety of powers, including the Mauryas and Guptas. The Kalachuris, who conquered the territory in the 10th century CE continued to rule there until Maratha invasions in 1742.

Geography

The district covers an area of . The district is bordered on the south by the

Nabarangpur district Nabarangpur district, also known as Nabarangapur district or Nawarangpur district, is a district of Odisha, India. The city of Nabarangpur is the district capital. Most of its population is tribal and the land is heavily forested. It borders K ...

of Odisha, on the east by the

Kalahandi Kalahandi (locally pronounced ''Kalahani'') is a district of Odisha in India. Archaeological evidence of Stone Age and Iron Age human settlement has been recovered from the region. Asurgarh offered an advanced, well civilised, cultured and ur ...

and

Nuapada Nuapada is a town in western region of Odisha state of eastern India. It is the headquarter of Nuapada district. Nuapada district was carved out of the undivided Kalahandi district on 27 March 1993. It is on the western border of Odisha with Ch ...

districts of Odisha, on the north by the

Mahasamund Mahasamund City is a city in Mahasamund District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.It is situated on the Mumbai-Kolkata and Raipur-Vishakhaptnam National Highways. It is one of the largest (ranked 13th) and most important cities in the State ...

and

Raipur Raipur ( ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raipur is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur district and Raipur division, and the largest city of the state. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of Ch ...

districts and on the west by the

Dhamtari district Dhamtari is a district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. This district is situated at 20°42' N latitude and 81°33' E longitude. Dhamtari district was officially formed on 6 July 1998 by trifurcating Raipur district into Raipur, Dhamtari and ...

. On the north the district is bounded by the Mahanadi river, which merges with the Pairy river near

. Part of the district's southern boundary with Odisha is formed by the

Tel river The Tel river flows in Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Balangir, Boudh Sonepur District of Odisha, India. Tel is an important tributary of Mahanadi. It flows just eight kilometers away from the town of Titilagarh. This significant tributary of the Ma ...

. The district is divided into five taluks: * Gariaband (Bindranavagarh) *

Chhura Chhura is a nagar panchayat located in the Gariaband district (earlier in Raipur district) of Chhattisgarh state of India. Omkar Shah, member of Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha The Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha or the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assemb ...

Mainpur Khurd Mainpur is a village development committee in Parsa District in the Narayani Zone of southern Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working ...

Deobhog Deobhog is a tehsil in Gariaband district in the Chhattisgarh State of India. It is located at an average elevation of 254 meters above sea level. The area is populated with about 271 people per square km. Deobhog has dense forest areas. It is al ...

The district has four urban bodies: Gariaband Municipality and Rajim, Chhura and Fingeshwar Nagar panchayats. Much of the district is covered by forest. The forest area of the district is , including Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, making up over half the district area. The present Collector and

District Magistrate A District Collector-cum-District Magistrate (also known as Deputy Commissioner in some states) is an All India Service officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre who is responsible for ''land revenue collection'', ''canal reve ...

of Gariaband is Chhattar Singh Dehre (IAS). Shri Bhojram Patel is the

Superintendent of Police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territories ...

of Gariaband District.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the population of the district was 597,653. The sex ratio was 1020 and the literacy rate was 68.26%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 17.97% and 36.14% of the population respectively. Tribals made up 48% of Chhura taluk and were the majority in Gariaband and Mainpur taluks. According to the 2011 census 69.48% of the population speaks Chhattisgarhi, 22.95% Odia, 5.10%

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

and 1.19% Marathi as their first language.

Culture

Rajim is an important pilgrimage site, located on a Triveni Sangam: the confluence of the Pairy and Mahanadi rivers. It is sometimes known as the "Prayag of Chhattisgarh". Every year the Rajim Kumbh Mela is held from Magh Purnima to Maha Shivaratri. Rajim is particularly significant for Vaishnavites and there are a variety of temples dedicated to forms of Vishnu in the town. There are also a variety of Shiva temples in the area.

Tourism

Jatmai Temple - Located in Gariaband, from

. Jatmai Temple is dedicated to Mata Jatmai and is located in a small forest. The temple is carved out of granite with a huge tower and many small peak/ towers. On top of the main entrance, can see one murals depicting mythological characters. Ghatarani Temple - It is another located from Jatmai Temple. Nearby there is a famous waterfall. The

Navratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...

festival is celebrated in this temple.

Bhooteshwarnath Bhuteshwarnath (or Bhooteshwarnath) (भूतेश्वरनाथ महादेव) also known as Bhakurra Mahadeva (भाकुर्रा महादेव) is a temple of Lord Shiva, situated near Maroda Village of Gariaband district. ...

- This village is nestled among thick forests away from Gariaband. Here can be found the world's largest natural Shivalinga. Every year on Mahashivratri and Monday of Sawan people (Kawariya) come here. Sikaser Dam - Sikaser Dam is an

artificial dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

located from the district headquarters. It is accessible in all seasons. Sikaser Dam was built in 1977. The Sikaser Dam is long and high. A 2X35 MW Water

Hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a w ...

Plant is installed within the dam's structure and is used for both

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...

and

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 devel ...

. Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve - The Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve was established in 2009. They are also known for their pure-bred Wild Buffaloes. As of April 2021, there is one female buffalo, nine male buffaloes, and one young calf. With a low proportion of male to female buffaloes, the center is concerned about the longevity of the species. The center is hoping that their 25 h.a of land will allow for the species to repopulate successfully.

References

External links

Official websiteList of Chhattisgarh District Centres
at '' Chhattisgarh Official Portal''. {{Gariaband district Districts of Chhattisgarh 2012 establishments in Chhattisgarh States and territories established in 2012