Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Central India Central India refers to a geographical region of India that generally includes the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Central Zonal Council, established by the Government of India, includes these states as well as Uttar Prades ...

. 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 ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

to the north,

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

to the northwest,

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

to the southwest,

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, 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 ...

to the northeast,

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

to the east,

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

and

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

to the south. Formerly a part of

, it was granted statehood on 1 November 2000 with

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 Chh ...

as the designated state capital. The Sitabenga caves in Chhattisgarh, one of the earliest examples of theatre architecture in India, are dated to the

Mauryan period The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...

of 3rd century BCE. The region was split between rivaling dynasties from the sixth to twelfth centuries, and parts of it were briefly under the

Chola dynasty The Chola dynasty () was a Tamil dynasty originating from Southern India. At its height, it ruled over the Chola Empire, an expansive maritime empire. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd cen ...

in the 11th century. Eventually, most of Chhattisgarh was consolidated under the Kingdom of Haihaiyavansi, whose rule lasted for 700 years until they were brought under Maratha suzerainty in 1740. The

Bhonsles of Nagpur The Bhonsles of Nagpur were a Maratha royal house that ruled the Kingdom of Nagpur from 1739-1853. They hailed from the Bhonsle clan of Marathas and were one of the most important and powerful Maratha chiefs in the Maratha Confederacy. Orig ...

incorporated Chhattisgarh into the

Kingdom of Nagpur The Kingdom of Nagpur was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was ruled by the Maratha Bhonsles of Nagpur, Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the state. After ...

in 1758 and ruled until 1845, when the region was annexed by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

, and was later administered under the Raj until 1947 as the Chhattisgarh Division of the

Central Provinces The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Nagpur was the primary ...

. Some areas constituting present-day Chhattisgarh were princely states that were later merged into Madhya Pradesh. The

States Reorganisation Act, 1956 The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines. Although additional changes to India's state boundaries have been made since 1956, the States ...

placed Chhattisgarh in Madhya Pradesh, and it remained a part of that state for 44 years. Chhattisgarh is one of the fastest-developing states in India. Its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is (2023–24 est.), 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". Social statistics The term is used in a wide variety of social science, social sciences and statistical research conte ...

GSDP of (2023–24 est.). A resource-rich state, it has the third largest

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

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

and

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...

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

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

's mother

Kausalya Kausalya (, ) is a queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the first senior queen consort of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital Ayodhya. She is the mother of Rama, the male protagonist of the epic. She is a secondar ...

. "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 India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

and was first used in an official document in 1795. The Bastar region was previously referred to as and . 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 (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

) 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 Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...

' which became "

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

" due to the abundance of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

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

. In the medieval period up to 1803, a major portion of present eastern Chhattisgarh was part of the Sambalpur Kingdom of

History

Ancient and medieval history

During post Vedic period the Chhattisgarh region south-east to Daśārṇas was referred as

Pulinda Pulinda (Sanskrit: ) were an ancient non-Aryan tribe of south-central Indian subcontinent, whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. Pulindas were mentioned in Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda (c. 500 BCE) as descendants of Sage Vishvam ...

. Pulinda tribe were dominating tribe in this region. Surguja District of Chhattisgarh is notable for finding of Mauryan and Nanda period coins. Few gold and silver coins of the Nanda - Mauryan ages, picked up at Akaltara and Thathari of the adjacent district of Bilaspur. Another major discovery was Sirpur of Chhattisgarh. Sitabenga 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 to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

architecture in India located on Ramgarh hill 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 Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

has been excavated from

Shunga is a type of Japanese erotic art typically executed as a kind of ukiyo-e, often in Woodcut, woodblock print format. While rare, there are also extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate ukiyo-e. Translated literally, the Japanese word '' ...

period site at

Malhar "Malhar" is a Hindustani classical raga. Malhar is associated with torrential rains. Besides the basic Shuddha Malhar, which was the original Malhar, several Malhar-related ragas use the Malhar signature phrase m (m)R (m)R P, including "Miyan ...

. Between the sixth and twelfth centuries, Sharabhpurias, Panduvanshis (of Mekala and Dakshina Kosala),

Somavanshi The Lunar dynasty ( IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling varna (Social Class) mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-relat ...

, Kalachuri and Nagavanshi rulers dominated this region. The Bastar region of Chhattisgarh was invaded by

Rajendra Chola I Rajendra I (26 July 971 – 1044), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, was a Chola Empire, Chola Emperor who reigned from 1014 to 1044. He was born in Thanjavur to Rajaraja I. His queen was Vanavan Mahadevi and he assumed royal power as ...

and

Kulothunga Chola I Kulottunga Chola I ('; Middle Tamil: Kulōttuṅka Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Kulottuṅgā Cōḷa; 1025–1122) also spelt Kulothunga (), born Rajendra Chalukya ( Telugu: Rājēndra Cāḷukyuḍu), was a Chola Emperor who reigned fro ...

of the

in the 11th century. Eventually most of Chhattisgarh was consolidated under the

Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom The Kingdom of Haihaiyavansi, ruled by the Kalachuris of Raipur was a kingdom which consisted of the central part of the present-day state of Chhattisgarh located in India. In 1740, the Maratha general of Nagpur, Bhaskar Pant conquered the king ...

, who ruled central Chhattisgarh and held smaller kingdoms like Kanker under their authority. The Haihaiyavanshis continued to rule the region for 700 years until they were invaded by the Marathas in 1740 and came under their authority. Chhattisgarh was directly annexed to the Maratha

Nagpur Kingdom The Kingdom of Nagpur was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was ruled by the Maratha Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the state. After the Third Anglo-Mar ...

in 1758 on the death of Mohan Singh, the last independent ruler of Chhattisgarh.

Modern history

Chhattisgarh was under Maratha Rule (

) from 1741 to 1845. It came under British rule from 1845 to 1947 as the Chhattisgarh Division of the

. Raipur gained prominence over the capital Ratanpur with the advent of the British in 1845. In 1905, the

Sambalpur district Sambalpur District is a district in the western part of state of Odisha, India. The historic city of Sambalpur is the district headquarters. The district is located in the Mahanadi River basin. It has a total area of , of which almost 60% is c ...

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

, and remained a part of that state for 44 years. Prior to that, the region was part of the

Central Provinces and Berar The Central Provinces and Berar was a province of British India and later the Dominion of India which existed from 1903 to 1950. It was formed by the merger of the Central Provinces with the province of Berar, which was territory leased by the ...

(CP and Berar) under British rule. Some areas constituting the Chhattisgarh state were princely states under

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

, 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 Madhya Bharat, also known as Malwa Union, was an Indian state in west-central India, created on 28 May 1948 from twenty-five princely states which until 1947 had been part of the Central India Agency, with Jiwajirao Scindia as its Rajpramuk ...

. 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, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

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. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...

. 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, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha and the

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

, which allowed the creation of the state of Chhattisgarh.

K. R. Narayanan Kocheril Raman "K. R." Narayanan (27 October 1920 – 9 November 2005) was an Indian statesman, diplomat, academic, and politician who served as the vice president of India from 1992 to 1997 and president of India from 1997 to 2002. Naray ...

gave his consent to the

Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000, is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of India which enabled the creation of Chhattisgarh state out of Madhya Pradesh. The law was introduced by the National Democratic Alliance (India), NDA gov ...

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, commonly known as flatland, 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 ...

. 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 Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the Northern Plain or North Indian River Plain, is a fertile plain spanning across the northern and north-eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. It encompasses North India, northern and East India, easte ...

. The

Rihand River The Rihand River (also referred to as Renu, Renuka, Rend, Rer or Rehar) is a tributary of the Son River and flows through the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Its old name was Renu or Renuka. Course The Rihand ...

, 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 which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

, drains this area. The eastern end of the

Satpura Range The Satpura Range, formerly also known as the Seeonee Hills, 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 paralle ...

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 th ...

form an east–west belt of hills that divide the

Mahanadi River The Mahanadi River is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India's independence ...

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 The Mahanadi River is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India's independenc ...

and its tributaries, of which Shivnath River is a major one running around 300 km long. This area has extensive rice cultivation. The upper Mahanadi basin is separated from the upper

Narmada The Narmada River, previously also known as ''Narbada'' or anglicised as ''Nerbudda'', is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Prade ...

basin to the west by the Maikal Hills (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 Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura Range, Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound ...

, in the watershed of the

Godavari River The Godavari (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganges River, Ganga River and drains the third largest Drainage basin, basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. It ...

and its tributary, the

Indravati River Indravati River is a tributary of the Godavari River, in central India. The Indravati River's starting point, found to be the Ghats of Dandakaranya, ranges from a hilltop village Mardiguda of Thuamula Rampur Block in the Kalahandi distric ...

. 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 the third 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. Shorea robusta in Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh has the 3rd largest forest cover in the country. The state is surrounded by the forests in

(1st),

(4th),

(5th),

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 (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

recognised

Biosphere The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...

with total area of Landuse landcover imgae of Chhattisgarh

Climate

Chhattisgarh has a tropical

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, 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 meteoro ...

. It is hot and humid in the summer because of its proximity to the

Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, also known as the Northern Tropic, is the Earth's northernmost circle of latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun ...

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 Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

s for rains. Summer temperatures in Chhattisgarh can reach up to . 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 . Many national highways exist only on paper and are not fully converted into four-lane, let 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 53 * 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 A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

and major district roads constitute another network of .

Rail network

Almost the entire railway network spread over the state comes under the geographical jurisdiction of the South East Central Railway 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 the Maroda–Bhanupratappur line from the Durg–Bhanupratappur branch line, which is 120 km long. The main railway junctions are Bilaspur Junction, , 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 the 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 the north and south of Chhattisgarh.

Major railway stations of Chhattisgarh

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Air

Swami vivekananda Airport terminal Raipur

The air infrastructure in Chhattisgarh is gradually improving.

Swami Vivekananda Airport Swami Vivekananda Airport , formerly known as Mana Airport, is a domestic airport serving Raipur, the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The airport is located at Mana, approximately south-east of Raipur and east of Naya Raipu ...

is the primary airport (domestic) and is well connected to all major cities of India. Besides this, the smaller Bilaspur Airport, Jagdalpur Airport and Ambikapur 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.

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

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 2023–24, the 17th largest state economy in India. The economy of Chhattisgarh recorded a growth rate of 11.2% in 2023–24. Chhattisgarh's success factors in achieving high growth rate are growth in agriculture and industrial production. GEVRA DUMPERS

Agriculture

Agriculture is counted as the chief economic occupation of the state. According to a government estimate, the 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 agricultural 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 the 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 the Chhattisgarh region, about 22% of the 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% of 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, that 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 of plants) 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 bee ...

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 ...

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 the 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 several 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 may b ...

, 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 Jagdalpur, Raipur, Bilaspur, Korba and Raigarh have become the steel hub of Chhattisgarh. Today, Raipur and Jagdalpur has become the centre of the steel sector, the biggest market for steel in India. RID2433a

Aluminium sector

The aluminium industry of Chhattisgarh was established by the erstwhile Bharat Aluminium Company (now Vedanta Resources) in

Korba, Chhattisgarh Korba is a city and an industrial area in Korba District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Korba was part of Bilaspur District before 25 May 1998. It was later designated as a separate district for ease of administration, but is still und ...

, which has a capacity of around 5,700,000 tonnes each year.

Natural resources

Gevra, Dipka, Kusmunda open cast coal mines in Korba are the largest in India and the biggest man-made structure visible in satellite images of India. Major coal companies are SECL, Adani, Jindal which operate multiple coal mines across northeast Chhattisgarh.

Central India Coalfields

The Central India Coalfields are spread over the districts of Surguja, Koriya (both in Chhattisgarh),

Shahdol Shahdol is a City in Shahdol district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Shahdol district, The total geographical area of the district is . Geography Shahdol is Located on . It has an average eleva ...

and Umaria (both in Madhya Pradesh). The group covers an area of about with estimated reserves of 15,613.98 million tonnes. The deposits are at a depth of 0–1200 meters. Therefore, extraction is mainly amenable to underground mining except for a few blocks in the eastern part of these coalfields which have opencast potential. Jhilimili Coalfield located in

Surguja district Surguja district is a district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The district is one of the oldest districts of Chhattisgarh. The headquarters of the district is Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, Ambikapur. The district lies in its eponymous Surguja d ...

is spread over an area of . Estimated total reserves are 215.31 million tonnes, out of which about half have been indicated to be Grade I. According to the

Geological Survey of India The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is a scientific agency of India. It was founded in 1851, as a Government of India organization under the Ministry of Mines, one of the oldest of such organisations in the world and the second oldest survey ...

, total reserves of non-coking coal (as of 1 January 2004) in Jhilimili Coalfield (up to a depth of 300m) was 267.10 million tonnes. The Sonhat is a large coal field representing one of the largest

reserves in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

having estimated reserves of 2.67 billion tonnes of

. Bisrampur coal field represents one of the largest

reserves in

having estimated reserves of 1.61 billion tonnes of

. Chirimiri Coalfield is located in the valley of the Hasdeo River, a tributary of the

. Opened in 1930 with production starting in 1932, and has been owned by several companies and owners such as Chirimiri Colliery Company Pvt. Ltd., Dababhoy's New Chirimiri Ponri Hill Company (Private) Limited, United Collieries Limited, K.N. Dhady and Indra Singh & Sons (Private) Limited. These were nationalized in 1973. This coalfield is spread over of hilly country and includes both the sections – Kurasia and Chirimiri. Total reserves in the Chirimiri coalfield have been estimated to be around 312.11 million tonnes.Shri Kamal Sharma, Resource Development in Tribal India, p. 165, 1989, Northern Book Centre, 4221/1 Ansari Road, New Delhi, According to

reserves of non-coking coal up to a depth of 300 m in Chirimiri Coalfield was 362.16 million tonnes.

South Chhattisgarh coalfields

The South Chhattisgarh Coalfields are made up of the Mand Raigarh, Korba, and Hasdo Arand coalfields. Of at least twelve seams in the Mand Valley, the Mand and Taraimar seams are important. Mand Raigarh Coalfield includes the areas earlier known as North Raigarh, South Raigarh, and Mand River Coalfields and is located in

Raigarh district Raigarh district is a district of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raigarh is the district headquarters. The district was formed by merging the princely states of Raigarh State, Raigarh, Sakti State, Sakti, Sarangarh State, Sarangarh, ...

and lies in the valley of the Mand River, a tributary of the

. This coalfield is spread over an area of . The field has a potential for mining power-grade coal, much of which can be extracted through open-cast mining. Gare block has been identified for captive mining by private companies. According to the

total reserves (including proved, indicated, and inferred reserves) of non-coking coal in the Mand Raigarh Coalfield is 18,532.93 million tonnes. Out of this 13,868.20 million tonnes is up to a depth of 300 metres, 4569.51 million tonnes is at a depth of 300–600 metres and 95.22 million tonnes is at a depth of 600–1200 m. Maikal Hills.jpg, Mineral deposits in the Maikal Hills Mineral wealth of Chhattisgarh.jpg, Mineral Wealth from Chandidongri

Mineral deposits

Chhattisgarh is rich in minerals. It produces 50% of the country's total cement production. Due to its proximity to the western States of Maharashtra and Gujarat, it has the highest producing

coal mine Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

s in India. It has the highest output of coal in the country with the second-highest reserves. It is third in iron ore production and first in tin production.

Limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, 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 (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...

are abundant. It is the only

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

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 (geology), rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparency and translucency, transparent material, but ...

garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. Garnet minerals, while sharing similar physical and crystallographic properties, exhibit a wide range of chemical compositions, de ...

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

alexandrite The mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula Be Al2 O4. The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words χρυσός ''chrysos'' and βήρυλλος ''beryllos'', meaning "a gold-white spar". Despite ...

and diamonds. Rowghat iron ore deposits are located in the Antagarh Tahsil of

Kanker district Uttar Bastar Kanker District is located in the southern region of the state of Chhattisgarh, India within the latitudes 20.6-20.24 and longitudes 80.48-81.48. The total area of the district is 6432 square kilometers. The population is 748,941. The ...

and contain the largest

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

deposits after the Bailadila Iron Ore Mine. Rowghat Mines' reserves have been assessed at 731.93 Mn tonnes. Bailadila has reserves assessed at 1.343 Bn tonnes. Iron ore deposits in Rowghat were discovered in 1899 and in 1949

investigated the area. Rowghat deposit is NNW of Narayanpur, and about from

Jagdalpur Jagdalpur is a city located in the southern part of Chhattisgarh state in India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Bastar district and Bastar division. Before the independence of India, it also served as the capital of the erstw ...

. Fe content varies in the various blocks - A Block (62.58% Fe), B Block (50.29% Fe), C Block (57.00% Fe), D Block (60.00% Fe), E Block (52.93% Fe), and F Block (59.62% Fe).

Information and technologies

In recent years, Chhattisgarh has also received exposure in

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

(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 Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL or IOC), trading as IndianOil, is an Indian multinational oil and gas company under the ownership of the Government of India and administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It is ...

, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited * Mining: NMDC, South Eastern Coalfields * Power : NTPC, Lanco Infratech, KSK Energy Ventures, Jindal Power Limited

Exports

Chhattisgarh's total exports were US$353.3 million in 2009–10. Nearly 75% of exports come from Bhilai and the remaining are from Urla, Bhanpuri, and Sirgitti. The major export products include steel, handicrafts, handlooms, blended yarn, food and agri-products, iron, aluminum, 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 ''Hari Bhoomi'' () is a daily newspaper published in North and Central India. Established on 5 September 1996 as a weekly Hindi language newspaper, in November 1997, it was converted into a daily newspaper and was started in Haryana as thHari ...

Dainik Bhaskar ''Dainik Bhaskar '' () is a Hindi-language daily newspaper in India which is owned by the Dainik Bhaskar Group. According to the World Association of Newspapers, it ranked fourth in the world by circulation in 2016 and per the Indian Audit ...

, Patrika, 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 statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...

value of 0.613 (medium), ranking 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 Durg is a city in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, east of the Shivnath River and is part of the Durg- Bhilai urban agglomeration. With an urban population of 1,064,077, Durg- Bhilai is the second largest urban area in Chhattisgarh after Rai ...

, 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 Nava 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 sta ...

(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. According to the NITI Aayog's Fiscal Health Index 2025, Chhattisgarh ranks second with a score of 55.2.

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, and 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 in the abhjhmad jungle region of Chhattisgarh for their upliftment and education. As per census 2011, the State has a population of 25.5 million and six medical colleges (five Government and one private) with an intake capacity of 700 students and a 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 the total population of Chhattisgarh, 23.24% live in urban regions. The total population living in urban areas is 5,937,237, of which 3,035,469 are males and the 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 A sex ratio is 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. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

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 an 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 the 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 percent, 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 Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission is a country-wide campaign initiated by the Government of India on 2 October 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management and to create Open Defe ...

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 behavioral change in order to get open defecation-free status. In Chhattisgarh, people don't get toilet incentives before the construction of toilets, so they have to construct the toilet with their own money, and only after using the toilet for 3 months are they entitled to the incentive amount. In 2020, it again won the title of the cleanest state with more than 100

Urban Local Bodies In India, the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), also called municipalities, are self-government institutions responsible for the administration of cities, towns, and transitional areas within a state or Union Territory. The 74th amendment to the Const ...

, as announced by Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri following the 'Swachh Survekshan 2020'. In the Swachh Survekshan Awards-2023, Chhattisgarh secured the third rank in the 'Best Performing States' category.

Teledensity

Across states, it has been found that teledensity (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 km² 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 is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

. 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 ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

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 30% are Scheduled Tribes, 12% are Scheduled Castes and over 45.5% belong to the official list of Other Backward Classes. The plains are numerically dominated by castes such as Teli,

Satnami Satnampanth, also called Satnami Samaj, Satnami movement, or Sadhanpanth, is the Satnami sect founded by Ghasidas in 1820. It is one of several Indian sects called ''Satnami'', the earliest being one founded by Bir Bhan of the Narnaul district i ...

and

Yadav Yadavs are a grouping of non-elite, peasant-pastoral Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern states l ...

while forest areas are mainly occupied by tribes such as Gond, Halba, Kamar/Bujia and Oraon. There is also a major

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

population like

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

, Kurmi, Bania etc. A community of

Bengalis Bengalis ( ), also rendered as endonym and exonym, endonym Bangalee, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia. The current population is divi ...

has existed in major cities since the times of the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. They are associated with education, industry, and services. Danteswari Temple 0034

Religion

According to the 2011 census, 93.25% of Chhattisgarh's population practised Hinduism, while 2.02% followed

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, 1.92% followed Christianity and a smaller number followed

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

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 aka Satnampanthis, who follow Guru Ghasidas, a saint who promoted bhakti towards God and against the caste system. Chhattisgarh has many famous pilgrimage sites, such as the Bambleshwari Temple in Dongargarh and Danteshwari temple in the Dantewada, one of the Shakti Peethas. Buddhism was once a major religion in Chhattisgarh. Islam is the second-largest religion, concentrated in urban centres. Most Christians are tribals from the Surguija region.

Language

The official language of the state is

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, with

Chhattisgarhi Chhattisgarhi () is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 16.25 million people from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in India. It is the official language of Chhattisgarh. It is grouped within the Eastern Hindi lan ...

being the additional official language. Chhattisgarhi 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 from the Surguja region, which is sometimes considered its own language. Near the Uttar Pradesh border this dialect merges into

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri may refer to: * Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal * Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language * Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language * Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language * Bhojpuri region ...

, while it merges with

Bagheli Bagheli (Devanagari: बघेली) or Baghelkhandi is a Central Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Baghelkhand region of central India. Classification A language belonging to the Eastern Hindi subgroup, Bagheli is one of the languages d ...

near the Madhya Pradesh border. Surgujia also merges into Sadri in the northeast along the border with Jharkhand.

is spoken by many migrants from outside the state, and is a major language in the cities and industrial centres, while many whose language 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 are major languages. In addition, Chhattisgarh has several indigenous 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, 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

(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 () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...

and are goddess-centric (e.g.,

Shabari Shabari (, ), also known as Bhilni, Bhilani, and Shramana, is an elderly woman ascetic in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is described as an ardently devoted woman who received Rama's blessing due to her bhakti towards him. Story Shabari w ...

, Mahamaya, Danteshwari) and the existence of these temples gives insight into the 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, male authority and dominance are seen quite clearly in social and cultural life.

Culture

Temple Carvings in Malhar Bilaspur Chhattisgarh 2009

The state hosts many religious sects such as

Satnampanth Satnampanth, also called Satnami Samaj, Satnami movement, or Sadhanpanth, is the Satnami sect founded by Ghasidas in 1820. It is one of several Indian sects called ''Satnami'', the earliest being one founded by Bir Bhan of the Narnaul district in ...

, Kabirpanth, Ramnami Samaj and others.

Champaran Champaran is a region in Bihar, India. It is now divided into two districts: East Champaran and West Champaran. History Champaran is identified with the ''Champāraṇya'' mentioned in the Bheraghat inscription as a place "devastated" b ...

is a small town with religious significance as the birthplace of the saint

Vallabha Vallabha, also known as Vallabhācārya or Vallabha Dīkṣita (May 7, 1478 – July 7, 1530 CE), was the founder of the Krishna, Kr̥ṣṇa-centered Pushtimarg, Puṣṭimārga sect of Vaishnavism, and propounded the philosophy of Shuddhadvait ...

charya, increasingly important as a pilgrimage site for the Gujarati community. Chhattisgarh has a significant role in the life of the Lord

. Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and his younger brother

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

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 which is nearby Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh. Shivrinarayan was named after an old lady

. 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 Odisha (formerly Orissa) is one of the 28 States and union territories of India, states of India, located on the eastern coast. It is surrounded by the states of West Bengal to the northeast, Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west and ...

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. The dancers dance around a jaitkhamb set up for the occasion, to songs eulogising their spiritual head. The songs reflect a view of ''

nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

'', conveying the spirit of their guru's renunciation and the teachings of saint poets like

Kabir Kabir ( 15th century) was a well-known Indian devotional mystic poet and sant. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Gar ...

, 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 Teejan Bai (born 8 August 1956) is an exponent of Pandavani, a traditional performing art form, from Chhattisgarh, in which she enacts tales from the Mahabharata, with musical accompaniments. She has been awarded the Padma Shri in 1987, Padma ...

is most popular artist of Pandavani

Raut Nacha

Raut Nacha, the folk dance of cowherds, is a traditional dance of Yaduvanshis (clan of

Yadu This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indian religions. From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the north ...

) as symbol of worship to

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

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 has been 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 forms 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 Charandas Chor (''Charandas the Thief'') is a 1975 children's film by noted director Shyam Benegal, based on the famous play by Habib Tanvir, which itself was an adaptation of a classical Rajasthani folktale by Vijaydan Detha. The lyrics of ...

'', are variations of Chhattisgarhi theatre.

Cinema

Chhollywood is Chhattisgarh's film industries. Every year many Chhattisgarhi films are produced by local producers.

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

sang a song for Chhattisgarhi film

Bhakla ''Bhakla'' is an Indian Chhattisgarhi-language film, released on 5 May 2006. This film is notable because the Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer an ...

of Dhriti pati sarkar.

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. 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 range of voice ...

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

Chhattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of India and has a rich tradition of food culture. The typical Chhattisgarhi

thali Thali (meaning "plate" or "tray") or Bhojanam (meaning "full meal") is a round Platter (dishware), platter used to serve food in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Thali is also used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a sel ...

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 (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which pays homage to the Hinduism, Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victo ...

, Bastar Lokotsav, Madai Festival,

Rajim Kumbh Rajim Kumbh Mela (Devanagari: राजिम कुम्भ मेला) is an annual Hindu pilgrimage held in Rajim, located in Gariaband district, Chhattisgarh, India. The pilgrimage is similar to the traditional pilgrim fairs like those h ...

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 Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

sites,

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

waterfall A waterfall is any 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 seve ...

s, caves, rock paintings, and hill plateaus. Maitri Bagh in

Bhilai Bhilai is a city in Durg district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, in eastern central India. Along with its twin-city Durg, the urban agglomeration of Durg-Bhilai Nagar has a population of more than a million, making it the second-larges ...

is the largest and oldest

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

and Chhattisgarh. 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 is the largest sports event of Narainpur. The Chhattisgarhiya Olympics are an annual Chhattisgarhi celebration of traditional Indian games such as

kabaddi Kabaddi (, ) is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. In this game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to touch defenders and attempt to return within 30 ...

and kho-kho. The inaugural 2022 edition drew in around 2.6 million participants (almost 10% of the state's population).

Education

According to the census of 2011, Chhattisgarh's literacy, the most basic indicator of education, was at 71.04 percent. Female literacy was at 60.59 percent.

Absolute literates and literacy rate

Data from Census of India, 2011.

Notable people

References

External links

The Official Site of the Government of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' entry * {{Authority control 2000 establishments in India States and territories established in 2000 States and union territories of India