CHHATTISGARH is a young state but an ancient land, referred to in ancient texts as "Dakshin Kosala". Chhattisgarh is one of the rapidly developing states of India.
Chattisgarh is famous for its unique and rich cultural heritage and exceptionally beautiful natural landscapes. The region is full of lush green virgin forests, scenic hills and plateaus intersected by meandering rivers, waterfalls, ancient caves and temples and the last but not least for its rich tribal population.
Chhattisgarh, a central Indian state in India, formed when the sixteen Chhattisgarhi speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on 1st of November, 2000 and Raipur serves as its capital. Now, Chhattisgarh is the 10th largest state of India by area. Chhattisgarh takes its name from 36 ("Chattis" means thirty-six in Hindi and "Garh" means Fort) princely states in this region from very old times.
Chhattisgarh is bodered with seven states, Madhya Pradesh on the northwest, Maharashtra on the west, Andhra Pradesh on the south, Orissa on the east, Jharkhand on the northeast, and Uttar Pradesh on the north.
In this state people commonly used the Chhattisgarhi language, part of the East-Central group of Indo-Aryan languages, is the predominant language in the region. The hill districts of the state serve as a home to the Gond peoples, who speak Dravidian languages.
The north and southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile plain. Around 44% of the state is covered by Forest.
The northern part of the state lies on the edge of the great Indo-Gangetic plain; the Rihand River, a tributary of the Ganges, drains this area. The eastern end of the Satpura Range and the western edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau form an east-west belt of hills that divide the Mahanadi River basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain. The central part of the state lies in the fertile upper basin of the Mahanadi and its tributaries, with extensive rice cultivation. The upper Mahanadi basin is separated from the upper Narmada basin to the west by the Maikal range, part of the Satpuras, and from the plains of Orissa to the east by ranges of hills. The southern part of the state lies on the Deccan plateau, in the watershed of the Godavari River and its tributary the Indravati River.
Chhattisgarh is well connected by Rail. Road, and Air.
The rail network is centered in Bilaspur, which is also a zonal headquarters of South East Central Railway of Indian Railways. Other main railway junctions are Raipur, Durg and Champa. These junctions are well connected to all the major cities of India.
Roadways infrastructure and network in Chhattisgarh is also picking up. The NH-6 (Mumbai to Kolkata) passes through the state. The state also hosts NH-43, which starts from Raipur and goes up to Vishakhapatnam. NH-16 from Hyderabad ends at Bhopalpatnam in Dantewada district.
Airway network in the state is minor. Raipur, the capital city of Chhatttisgarh, is the sole commercially operating airport. But now a days Raipur has air links to top four cities of the country from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. The state, however, has airport in Bilaspur and air strips in Bhilai, Jagdalpur, Sarguja, Korba, etc.
Chhattisgarh is a favorite of anthropologists and sociologists due to its relevant profile. On Sundays, markets are arranged in some prominent villages. The state has identified and is developing ethnic villages and private sector is encouraged for proper maintenance and professional site management of important heritage sites/monuments.
With so much of varieties, Chhattisgarh has a great potential for the growth of tourism.
Chhattisgarh is also the birthplace of many empires and kingdoms of India with the Mauryas being the most prominent, therefore it has a rich historical and cultural heritage and its history, archaeology, art and culture and tribal life are the main attractions of the Chhattisgarh Tourism.
Chhattisgarh offers an exciting range of tourist attractions to its visitors. Be it historic attractions like monuments, exquisitely carved temples, Buddhist sites, ancient caves and rock Paintings; natural landscapes like exotic waterfalls, enchanting hill Plateaus and lush green forest surrounding with amazing wildlife; or unique arts and crafts and the tribal villages, Chhattisgarh has it all.
The government of Chhattisgarh has set up a "State Tourism Promotion Board" (STPB) and drafted its tourism policy concentrating on special tourism areas. The government has also taken initiatives towards the tourism specific infrastructure developments with the active participation of private sector by providing suitable land on lease basis for construction and management of hotels, restaurants, tourist spots and other wayside tourist amenities.
For more details, you can contact to:
Chhattisgarh Tourism Board,
Paryatan Bhavan, Indira Gandi Marg
Raipur, 492006, Chhattisgarh
Phone : +91 771 4066 415
Fax : +91 771 4066 425
Email: visitcg@rediffmail.com or contactus@chhattisgarhtourism.net |