JHARKHAND TRAVEL INFORMATION

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar state on 15 November 2000. Jharhkand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east.The industrial city of Ranchi is its capital. The other major cities and indurstrial centres are Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Giridih, and Dhanbad.Jharkhand is also popularly known as Vananchal . Jharkhand is known for its mineral wealth and forestry products together with its excellent human resources.

History : The demand for a separate Jharkhand state can be traced back to the early 1900s, when Jaipal Singh, an Indian Hockey captain and Olympian, suggested the idea of a separate state consisting of the southern districts of Bihar. The idea did not become a reality, however, until August 2nd, 2000, when the Parliament of India passed the Bihar Reorganisation Bill to create the state of Jharkhand, carving 18 districts out of Bihar to form Jharkhand state on 15th November, 2000. It became the 28th state of India.However, according to some historians there was already a distinct geo-political, cultural entity called Jharkhand even before the period of Magadha Empire. According to a legend, Raja Jai Singh Deo of Orissa was accepted as the ruler of Jharkhand by its people in the 13th century. The Singh Deo's of Orissa have been very instrumental in the early history of Jharkhand. The local tribal heads had developed into barbaric dictators who could govern the province neither fairly nor justly. Consequently, the people of this state approached the more powerful rulers of Jharkhand's neighbouring states who were perceived to have a more fair and just governance.

Tourism : Ranchi - It is the Capital of the State is known for the Tagore Hill, Lamle Da,. Kagammatj Temple which is believed to have been built during the 17th century, and on Ranchi - Hazaribagh road is the War Cemetery.Ranchi offers an ideal opportunity to those interested in anthropology. Tribal Research Institute and museum is well worth a visit for those seeking to know more about the tribal life of Jharkhand. Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary - The Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary is set in a similar ecosystem. Hence, most of the denizens of the wild found in Palamau can also be seen here. Sighting of wild boar, sambar, nilgai, cheetal, and kakar is assured especially near the waterholes at dusk. Tigers being less in number - 14 according to the 1991 census - are difficult to sight. The sanctuary is situated at an average altitude of 1800 feet and stretches over 184 square kilometers of undulating country and steep hills with dense tropical forests and grass meadows.Netarhat - It is worth driving on a couple of hours through Betla to Netarhat, which is a pretty place at an elevation of 1250 meters. It is renowned for spectacular sunrises and sunsets plus the scenery.Rajrappa - Rajrappa, 90 km from Hazaribagh town is famous for "Ma Chhina Mastika" temple where River Bhera joins the Damodar from a height of 20 ft. The little waterfall offers boating facilities, which introduces some very spectacular rock formations in this area. Parasnath - It is the highest hill in Jharkhand, rising to a height of 4,480 ft. The loftiness here is of another order. According to Jain tradition, no less than 20 out of 24 tirthankaras or saints (including Parsvanatha) are believed to have attained salvation in the Sammeta shikhar or the Parasnath hills. The hill seems to have been an abode of Jains. Parsvanatha, the 23rd tirthankar was very popular among the tribal population of Chotanagpur. Both the Swetambara and Digambara Jains have many beautiful temples here on the hills. Deoghar -Deoghar or Baidyanathdham is the most important Hindu pilgrimage site for the people of Jharkhand as well as Bihar. Lakhs of pilgrims visit this place on foot traveling for around 100 km during the month of Shravan to pay their reverence to Lord Shiva.

Geography and climate : Most of the state lies on the Chota Nagpur Plateau, which is the source of the Koel, Damodar, Brahmani, Kharkai, and Subarnarekha rivers, whose upper watersheds lie within Jharkhand. Much of the state is still covered by forest. Forest preserves support populations of tigers and Asian Elephants. Soil content of Jharkhand state mainly consist of soil formed from disintegration of rocks and stones.

Industry : Jharkhand is known as a rich state of poor but talented people. It has a concentration of some of the country’s highly industrialized cities such as Jamshedpur, Ranchi ,Bokaro and Dhanbad.

Language, literature & culture : Jharkhand is home to a number of languages belonging to three major language families. Indo-Aryan languages include Angika, Nagpuri (Sadri), Hindi, Urdu, Oriya and Bengali. Jharkand is also home to the Munda languages, Kurmali, Korku, Santhali, Mundari, Bhumij, Kharia and Ho, and the Dravidian languages Korwa, Oraon and Paharia.

Major Travel Destinations

>>  Ranchi
>>  Palamu
>>  Chatra


Refer Map of Jharkhand