Durg is a city in the Indian state of
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...
, 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
Raipur. It is the headquarters of
Durg District.
History
The town was founded about the tenth century by a person named Jagpal, who originally came from Badhal Desh in
Mirzapur, and became treasury officer of the
Kalachuri king of
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...
. He was rewarded the land grant of Durg with 700 villages for his excellent services and later helped the
Kalachuri king greatly in his conquests.
The original name of the town was "Shiva Durg", literally meaning fort on the
Shivnath River.
Durg used to have a fort that was the headquarters of one of the 18 ''Garhs'' or districts under the administration of the medieval
Kalachuri kings.
Alexander Cunningham
Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Sappers who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly crea ...
, a prominent British archaeologist, thought Durg must have been a place of some importance in medieval times as it name literally means "fort".
When the
Marathas of Nagpur invaded Chhattisgarh in 1741, they occupied the old Kalachuri fort and made it their base of operations.
Climate
Industry
Durg is high rich industrial areas which contribute highly in state and country GDP. Its main industrial areas are in Bhilai, Rasmada and Kumhari. Major industries belong to steel production, for example
Bhilai Steel Plant.
Demographics
As of 2001 India
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
, Durg had a population of 231,182. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. 12.8% of the population is in the 0 to 6 years age range. Durg had an effective literacy rate of 82.7% of the population 7 years and older in 2001.
In the 2011
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
, Durg-Bhilainagar Urban Agglomeration had a population of 1,064,077.
Durg-Bhilainagar Urban Agglomeration includes: Durg (M Corp.), Bhilai Nagar (M Corp.),
Dumardih (part) (OG),
Bhilai Charoda (M Corp),
Jamul (M),
Kumhari (M) and Utai (NP).
Durg Municipal Corporation had a total population of 268,679 in 2011, out of which 136,537 were males and 132,142 were females. Durg had a below six years population of 29,165. Durg had an effective literacy rate (7+ population) of 87.94 per cent, with male literacy of 93.72% and female literacy of 82.00. In 2011, the city had a sex ratio of 968.
Notable people
*
Santosh Araswilli, table tennis international medalist
*
Saba Anjum Karim, former player,
Indian women's national field hockey team
*
Bhupesh Baghel, Ex-Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh
*
Vijay Baghel, MP,
Durg Lok Sabha constituency
*
Saroj Pandey, mayor, MLA and MP
*
Anurag Basu, Indian film Director
*
Amit Sana
Amit Sana (born 1 March 1983) is an Indian pop artist, playback singer, live performer and the finalist of ''Indian Idol 1''. He was also a part of the show Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar. He sings predominantly in Hindi. Apart from this, he has also ...
, runner-up in ''Indian Idol 1''
*
Tamradhwaj Sahu, Home Minister of Chhattisgarh
*
Harpreet Singh,
IPL cricketer
*
Arun Vora, MLA,
Durg City Assembly constituency
*
Motilal Vora, treasurer,
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 ...
*
Aakarshi Kashyap, International badminton player
References
External links
Official web site of Durg District - https://durg.gov.in/{{Durg district