Overview
Chhattisgarh which is an amazing treasure house of age-old tribal culture and history is one of the states with a majority of tribal population. It lies in East Central part of India. The state accounts for 15% of the total steel produced in India. Chhattisgarh is famous for Pandavani a folk singing style. Batsar Dussehra is the grand festival of the state. It is also home to the world-famous bell metal handicrafts, terracotta items and Kosa silk. Chhattisgarh also accommodates number of national parks and many wildlife sanctuaries.
- Balrampur
- surajpur
- koriya
- sarguja
- jashpur
- korba
- raigarh
- mungeli
- bilaspur
- janjgir champa
- kawardha
- bemetara
- balodabazar
- durg
- raipur
- mahasamund
- rajnandgaon
- balod
- dhamtari
- gariyabandh
- kanker
- kondagaon
- narayanpur
- bastar
- bijapur
- dantewada
- sukma
History
In ancient times, the region of Chhattisgarh was referred to as Dakshin Kosala. An important feature of the history of Chhattisgarh was the Haihaya dynasty which ruled this region till 14th century AD after which they underwent a split. An important freedom fighter in Chhattisgarh was Vir Narain Singh who led Chhattisgarh in the Sepoy Mutiny or the First War of Independence, in 1857. The demand for recognition of Chhattisgarh as a separate state was first raised by the Raipur Congress unit in 1924. Finally, for the first time, the institutional and governmental initiative for the formation of Chhattisgarh was taken by the Congress Government of the region, in 1994. On November 1, 2000, Chhattisgarh was carved out from Madhya Pradesh.
Chitrakote Waterfall: Chitrakote Waterfalls popularly known as the “Niagara Falls of India” is a spectacular natural beauty located in Jagdalpur of Bastar District of Chhattisgarh. Falling from a height of 95ft and is almost as wide as 985ft, this waterfall is one-third of the glorious Niagara Falls. Evidently, it is the widest waterfall in India and is also compared to the most magnanimous and beautiful waterfall in the world. This horseshoe-shaped waterfall falls on the river Indravati that originates in Odisha, flows west and falls at Chitrakoot. Finally it enters Andhra Pradesh and merges with the river Godavari.
Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary: An ideal example of eco-tourism in India, Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the famous tourist attractions in Chhattisgarh. It is located around 100km from Raipur and 45km from Mahasumund City. The sanctuary derives its name from Bar and Nawapara forest villages which are in the heart of the sanctuary. The sanctuary lies on a flat & terrain area and is home to Indian Bison, neelgai, wild boar, sambhar, cheetal, barking deer and around 150 species of birds. The source of water is the tributaries of Mahanadi.
Kailash & Kutumsar Caves: The Kailash and Kutumsar Caves are situated in the dense forests of Kanger Valley National Park which is close to the Tiratgarh waterfalls. These caves are located at a distance of around 40 km from Jagdalpur. The Kutumsar Caves include extraordinary formations of stalagmites & stalactites and are underground caves situated 35 m below ground level. The Kutumsar caves are considered to be the second longest natural caves in the world. The Kailash Cave which was discovered in 1993 is located on a small hill. In the shape of a Shivlinga, a stalagmite formation is situated at the end of the cave.
It was visited by Chinese Scholar & traveller Hieun Tsang in 7th Century AD and was an important Buddhist Centre from 6th to 10th Century AD.
