Medininagar, formerly Daltonganj, is a city

municipal corporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ...

in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the headquarters of

Palamu division Palamu division is one of the five divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India. This division comprises three districts: Garhwa, Latehar and Palamu. Medininagar Medininagar, formerly Daltonganj, is a city municipal corporation in the Indi ...

and

Palamu district Palamu district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India. It was formed in 1892. The administrative headquarter of the district is Medininagar (formerly DaltonGanj), situated on the Koel River. History The Palamu district ...

, as well as the subdivision and block of the same name. The city is situated on the banks of the

North Koel River North Koel River flows through the Indian state of Jharkhand. Course The North Koel rises on the Chhota Nagpur plateau and enters Latehar district , below Netarhat near Rud. After flowing nearly due west for about , it turns north at an al ...

Origin of name

The city was named Daltonganj during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

after Irishman Colonel

Edward Tuite Dalton Edward Tuite Dalton CSI (1815 - 1880) was a British soldier and anthropologist. He was posted in Assam, then became commissioner of Chota Nagpur Division. He was posted in Chotanagpur for two decades. Later he became major general of Bengal Lancer. ...

(1815–1880), an anthropologist and the commissioner of Chota Nagpur in 1861. The name was changed to Medininagar in 2004 by the State Government of Jharkhand. The former name is still retained in the name of the city's

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

. It is administered by the Medininagar Municipal Corporation, which was formed on 30 May 2015. The city is named after Raja Medini Ray of

Chero dynasty The Chero dynasty or Chyavana dynasty was a polity that ruled the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, corresponding to the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, after the fall of the Pala Empire; their r ...

Geography

Medininagar is located at . It has an average elevation of . The Betla National Park is located about 20 km from the city. This park is known for

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living Felidae, cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily pr ...

s, and comes under the Palamau Tiger Project. Another picnic spot nearby is Kechki, located about 18 km from Medininagar, at the confluence of the Koel River and the Auranga River.

Netarhat Netarhat is a hill station in Latehar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also referred to as the "Queen of Chotanagpur", and is a hill station. The town is also famous for Netarhat Residential School, set up in 1954. Geography ...

, a plateau covered with thick forests, is also situated near Medininagar.

Transport

Medininagar is located south east of

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

and is accessible by train to Daltonganj Railway station (DTO) from Ranchi,

Bhopal Junction Bhopal Junction railway station (station code: BPL) is a major railway junction of India and main railway station of Bhopal, the capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This station also serves as a connecting point for various ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, Kota,

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...

, Ahmedabad,

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Jabalpur Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. ...

, Patna,

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

and Gaya. The nearest airport is away in Ranchi. It has an airport in Chianki, used occasionally by visiting dignitaries. Medininagar is well connected with Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Raipur, Ambikapur,

Durgapur Durgapur () is a planned tier-II urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the fourth largest urban agglomeration after Kolkata, Asansol and Siliguri in West Be ...

, Allahabad, Kota, Kanpur Gaya, Patna, and other locations by road. Chianki Airstrip is located on the south of the Medininagar. It is mostly used by private choppers and small aircraft. There is a plan to strengthen and extend the airstrip for operation of medium size planes.

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, Medininagar had a population of 389,307. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. It has an average literacy rate of 87.29%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 91.92% and, female literacy is 82.10%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Culture

Major Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian festivals are celebrated in Medininagar. The town is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Daltonganj. The town has several societies, clubs, and NGOs including Palamau Club, Rotary Club and Rida Foundation. Satyajit Ray's Bengali film,

Aranyer Din Ratri ''Aranyer Din Ratri'' (; English: Days and Nights in the Forest) is an Indian Bengali adventure drama film released in 1970, written and directed by Satyajit Ray. It is based upon the Bengali novel of the same name by Sunil Gangopadhyay. It ...

was shot in Palamu and the upcoming Bollywood movie, ''Nastik'' starring

Arjun Rampal Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor, model, film producer and television personality who works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film '' Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on t ...

was also shot in Medininagar. Masoom art Group is an active NGO engaged in promotion of art and culture in the city. Their motion picture Pratyavartan was focused on the issue of Naxal movement in the state.

Climate

Medininagar has a humid subtropical climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Cwa'').

Education

Nilamber-Pitamber University Nilamber-Pitamber University (NPU) is a state university located in Medininagar Medininagar, formerly Daltonganj, is a city municipal corporation in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the headquarters of Palamu division and Palamu distric ...

at Medininagar was established in 2009 and serves the

of Jharkhand. There are many colleges for undergraduate, post graduate & other higher education in and around Medininagar which includes: * Medinirai Medical College and Hospital * DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology established by D.A.V College Managing Committee. * Bhishma Narain Singh Law College *

Ganesh Lal Agrawal College Ganesh Lal Agrawal College, established in 1954, is a general degree college in Medininagar, Jharkhand. It offers undergraduate courses in arts, commerce and sciences. It is affiliated to Nilamber-Pitamber University. See also *Education i ...

* Yodh Singh Namdhari Mahila Mahavidyalaya * Janta Shivratri College * Elite Public B.Ed. College * Jyoti Prakash Mahila B.Ed. College The major private schools in Medininagar include: * M.K. DAV Public School, Chianki (CBSE) * Sacred Heart School, Chianki (ICSE) * Heritage International School (CBSE)

Medical Facilities

Town has a lot of Public as well as private medical facilities and attracts patients from neighbourhood Villages and Cities. The List Includes: Public Hospitals: * Medinirai Medical College & Hospital – Medininagar, Palamu Private Hospitals: * Prakash Chandra Jain Seva Sadan, Daltonganj * Aashi Care Hospital * Shree Narayan Multispeciality Hospital Dental Clinics: * Pragati Dental Clinic

Places of Interest

* Betla National Park, park hosts a wide variety of wildlife * Palamu Tiger Reserve, one of the first tiger conservation projects in India. * Palamu Fort, twin forts of Chero dynasty built by Raja Medini Ray. * Hussainabad Fort, built by Mughal jagirdar, Hidayat Ali Khan. * Shahpur Fort, built by Chero ruler * Bishrampur Fort, built by Chero rulers * Kala-Kabra mound, Harappan era artefacts * Bhim Chulha, a 5,000-year-old stove, on which Bhima used to make food during the Pandavas’ ignorance

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Palamu district 1880 establishments in India