Chhattisgarh Tourist Guide
Chhattisgarh State largely consists of plateaus streaked with high range of Satpuras in the North, the river Mahanadi and its tributaries in the Central Plains and the Bastar Plateau in the South. The Past (Hills) give rises to the main river systems- Mahanadi, Hasdo, Sheonath and Indravati.
Intersected by these meandering rivers and dotted with hills and plateaus, the state has varied natural settings of great beauty. To the north of river Shivnath there were 18 garhs belonging to the Kalchuris and to the South there were another 18 garhs belonging to the Kalchuris of Raipur. Hence, the total of these 36 Garhs (Forts) formed the basis of naming this region as Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh lies between 17 - 46' to 24 - 5' North and 80 - 15' to 84 - 20' East. It covers an area of 1,35,133 Sq. kms. bordering six other states - Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand in the North, Orissa in the East, Andhra Pradesh in the South, Maharashtra in the South West and Madhya Pradesh in the North West.
Although the newly formed state came into existence on 1st November 2000, its cultural heritage is as ancient as Stone age. In ancient times Chhattisgarh was known as Dakshin Koshal. Geographical evidence of the place is found in the Ramayana and the Mahabharat.
Lord Rama entered Dandkarnaya from North-East of Koshal and spent some of his exile (forest-living) period here. In Mahabharat's Rajsoo Yagya episode the description of Dakshin Koshal has been found. In historical records in Samudragupta Prayag eulogy, description of Kosal has been found. After the sixth century evidence of political insurgence of Dakshin Koshal has been found.
From Sixth Century to mid-twelve century Sarabhpurnima, Panduvanshi, Somvanshi, Kalchuri and Nagwanshi rulers dominated the region. The various documents, Copper plaques, coins, and archeological goods apprise us about the cultural heritage and political development of that time.
In contemporary history evidence of ancient people has been found in the hills of Raigarh, Singhanpur, Kabra, Basnajhar, Boslada and Ongana mountains at "Chitwandongri" in Rajnandgaon district. The stone equipment made and used by ancient people have been found from the coasts of Mahanadi, Mand, Kanhar, Manihari, and Kelo River.
Tourist Places in Chhattisgarh
Bastar
Bastar was once one of the largest districts in India, bigger even than the state of Kerala and countries like Israel and Belgium. Its early history is obscure - it is believed to have been established in the 11th century by the Nagavanshi dynasty who had their capital at Barsu.
Bilaspur
Bilaspur is known for its kosa silk and the quality of its rice. It is the
second largest city in Chhattisgarh, and home to its High Court. The city
is approximately 400 years old. The name is derived from bilasa , the name
for fisherwomen.
Raipur
The state capital was originally established by the Kalchuri King, Ram Chandra,
in the last quarter of the 14th century AD. For a long time it was the capital
of the Haihaya kings. It is the biggest city in the region, fast developing
into an important industrial center for large and middle scale industries.
The region is in the south east part of the Mahanadi River valley, with
Bilaspur to its north, Bastar to its south, Durg on the west and Raigarh
on the east. It is rich in mineral resources and has 2 major physical divisions:
the Chhattisgarh plains and the hilly areas. The main crop is paddy. Raj
Kumar College, one of Central India's prime schools, is in Raipur.
How to Reach Chhattisgarh
By Road: The roads in Chhatisgarh are generally excellent - wide, clean, smooth and virtually free of traffic. Even the smallest villages are linked. All places of tourist interest are connected by good, motorable roads.
By Rail: Raipur, the state capital, is on the main Howrah-Mumbai line. Jagdalpur is connected to Vishakapatnam, on a route that passes through virgin forests with breath-taking valley-views. Shimliguda, the highest broad-gauge railway station in Asia (at 3628 feet above m.s.l, it is probably the highest in the world!) falls on this route.
By Air: Raipur, the state capital, is connected to Nagpur, Delhi, Mumbai. If you are coming from Kolkata or Chennai, the nearest airport is Visakhapatnam.
