Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh
छत्तीसगढ़
—  state  —

Seal
Location of Chhattisgarh
छत्तीसगढ़ in India
Coordinates
Country  India
District(s) 18
Established 2000-11-01
Capital Raipur
Largest city Raipur
Governor Shekhar Dutt
Chief Minister Raman Singh
Legislature (seats) Unicameral (90)
Population

• Density

 20,795,956 (17th)

• 108 /km2 (280 /sq mi)
Official languages Hindi, Chhattisgarhi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area 135194 km2 (52199 sq mi)
ISO 3166-2 IN-CT
Website www.chhattisgarh.nic.in

Chhattisgarh (Chhattisgarhi/Hindi: छत्तीसगढ़, pronounced [tʃʰəˈtːiːsɡəɽʱ]  ( listen)) is a state in central India, formed when the sixteen Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on 1 November 2000.

Raipur serves as its capital. It is the 10th largest state of India by area of 52,199 sq mi (135,194 km²). Chhattisgarh takes its name from 36 (Chhattis is thirty-six and Garh is Fort in English) princely states that constitute this region. They are : 1- Ratanpur, 2- Vijaypur, 3- Kharound, 4- Maro,5- Kautgarh, 6- Nawagarh, 7- Sondhi, 8- Aukhar, 9- Padarbhatta, 10- Semriya, 11- Champa, 12- Lafa, 13- Chhuri, 14- Kenda, 15- Matin, 16-Aparora, 17- Pendra, 18-Kurkuti-kandri, 19- Raipur, 20-Patan, 21- Simaga, 22- Singarpur, 23- Lavan, 24- Omera, 25- Durg, 26- Saradha, 27- Sirasa, 28- Menhadi, 29-Khallari, 30- Sirpur, 31- Figeswar, 32- Rajim, 33- Singhangarh, 34- Suvarmar, 35- Tenganagarh and 36- Akaltara.[1]

Chhattisgarh borders 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.

The Chhattisgarhi language, a dialect of eastern Hindi, is a predominant language in the state, recognized along with Hindi as the official language of the state. Many tribal and some Dravidian influenced dialects or languages are spoken in various parts of Chhattisgarh.

Chhattisgarh is primarily a rural state with only 20% of population residing in urban areas. Chhattisgarh's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at 12 billion USD in current prices. After partition, this mineral-rich state produces 30% of the output of the old Madhya Pradesh state.

The state's economy is further fuelled by the presence of Bhilai Steel Plant, S.E.C.Railway Zone, BALCO Aluminium Plant (Korba), and NTPC(National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd) at Korba and Sipat (Bilaspur) and S.E.C.L. (South Eastern Coalfields Limited). Korba & Bilaspur are the power hubs of the state, from where the electricity is supplied to several other Indian states. Chhattisgarh's southern area contains iron ore which NMDC is mining to meet iron demand in India as well as export. NMDC is located in Dantewara district. Recently ESSAR has started transporting iron ore through pipe lines to Vizag. Recently Three New Power Plant is Proposed in Bhaiyathan and Premnagar of Surajpur District. Many Private companies individually and with collaboration with C.G govt. has sign a memorandum for power plant.

The state is also launching an ambitious plan to become biofuel self-sufficient by 2015 by planting crops of jatropha.

Contents

Geography

Mahanadi River Satkosia Sanctuary.

The north and south parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile plain. Forests cover roughly forty-four percent of the state.

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 Hills, (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.

The Mahanadi is the chief river of the state. Other main rivers are Hasdo (a tributary of Mahanadi), Rihand, Indravati, Jonk and Arpa.It is situated in the east of Madhya Pradesh. Maoist insurgency has been main source of instability, recently they ambushed to kill 40 policemen.

Transportation

The rail network in Chhattisgarh is centered around Bilaspur, which is zonal headquarters of South East Central Railway of Indian Railways. The other main railway junction is Raipur, followed by Durg Junction which is also a starting point of many long distance trains. These three junctions are well connected to the major cities of India.

The roadways infrastructure is also slowly picking up in the state. The National Highway 6 (Mumbai to Kolkata) passes through the state. The state also hosts National Highway 43 which starts from Raipur and goes up to Vishakhapatnam. National Highway 16 from Hyderabad ends at Bhopalpatnam in Dantewada district. The National Highway 78 From Katni (M.P)ends at Gumla (Jharkhand) pass through Koria, Surajpur, Sarguja, Jashpur District. The state has 11 National Highways (2,225 kilometres).

The air infrastructure is minor. Raipur, the capital city, is the sole commercially operating airport of the state. However, of late, Raipur has shown low upsurge in passenger traffic. Raipur has links to top cities of the country i.e. Delhi (3 Flights a day), Bombay (2 Flight a day),Kolkata (2 Flights a day), Bhopal (2 Flights a day), Indore (2 Flights a day), and Chennai (1 Flight a day). It is also connected to Jaipur (1 Flight a day), Nagpur (2 Flights a day), Bhubaneshwar, Ahmedabad (2 Flights a day), Gwalior, Vizag and Hyderabad (2 Flights a day). The state, however, has airport in its capital Raipur only.

Economy

Economy of Chhattisgarh has rapidly grown in recent years. Chhattisgarh recorded a high GDP growth of 7.35% from 2004-05 to 2008-09. More than 80 per cent population depends on agriculture. The area under cultivation is 43 per cent. Main crops are paddy, wheat, maize, groundnut, pulses and oilseeds. Chhattisgarh is also called "Rice bowl of india". Chhattisgarh has also very good irrigation systems with Dams and canals on different rivers.

Forests occupy 41.33 per cent(as per the latest FSI report) of the area and has rich forest resources i.e. Wood, Tandu leaves, Honey and lac.

Chhattisgarh is rich in mineral resources. Twenty per cent of the country's steel and cement is produced in the State. Iron-ore, limestone, dolomite, coal, bauxite are found in abundance. It is the only tin-ore producing state in the country. Other minerals such as korandum, garnet, quartz, marble, diamond are also found in Chhattisgarh.

State has private and state owned industries, which are significant part of states economy. Bhilai steel plant and NTPC are some of state owned industry. Balco (sterlite industry), Lafarge and Jindal steel are some of big private industry in the state.

Tourism in Chhattisgarh

Main article: Tourism in Chhattisgarh
Panoramic View of Chitrakot Falls, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh, situated in the heart of India, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The State is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Most of these sites are untouched and unexplored and offer a unique and alternate experience to tourists compared to traditional destinations which have become overcrowded. Chhattisgarh offers the tourist a Destination with a Difference. For those who are tired of the crowds at major destinations, Bastar district, with its unique cultural and ecological identity, will come as a breath of fresh air. The Green State of Chhattisgarh has 41.33% of its area under forests, and is one of the richest bio-diversity areas in the country.

Districts of Chhattisgarh

Presently Chattisgarh state consists 18 districts[2][3][4][5]:

Municipal Corporations of Chhattisgarh

Airports in Chhattisgarh

Other Airstrips in Chhattisgarh

Some New airstrips are proposed for more connectivity.

Development, Insurgency, Controversies

Chhattisgarh State is rich in unused timber and mineral resources. There are disagreements between local indigenous peoples and the national government over the use of these resources. An ongoing insurgency between Maoists and the central Government of India has produced much bloodshed. The continuing events have been covered and analyzed by Professor Nandini Sundar of Delhi University[6] The controversy surrounding the arrest of Dr Binayak Sen is related to the insurgency.

Education

In 1948 the first Government Science college was established as an intermediate college. In 1956, it was upgraded to the Post-graduate Science College status. In the same year Government Engineering College - Raipur was established which was later upgraded and renamed as National Institute of Technology, Raipur. Another college that was founded then was the Sanskrit College. Area in Raipur that belonged the University of Saugor till early sixties was given to the Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University when it was established by Mr. Babu Ram Saxena, a linguist, and the first vice chancellor of the university.Govt. V.Y.T.P.G.Autonomous College, Durg is the only college in Chhattisgarh which is declared by UGC, New Delhi as 'College with Potential for Excellence' in 2006.

Government High School, St Paul's High School, Madhav rao Sapre High schools were the leading schools till the sixties. Medical College, ranked 4th in Madhya Pradesh, came into being in 1962-63. Earlier, in 1956, the Ayurvedic School which was till then awarding diploma and licenses for Ayurvedic Practice, was upgraded to the status of a full college.

Educational institutions set-up by the state government are the prevalent education providers in the state from elementary schools to degree colleges. In these institutions and schools (other than engineering and medical colleges), the dominant medium of education is Hindi.

In Chhattisgarh, there are seven government recognized universities:

The renowned engineering colleges in the state are:

Most of the colleges in the state are affiliated to one of these universities mentioned above. Chhattisgarh is having only one veterinary college situated at anjora ln the district of Durg, affiliated with indira gandhi agriculture university, Raipur.

In the year 2006, Government Engineering College was declared National Institute of Technology (also known as NIT). It is the first of its kind in the state. The Union Cabinet on 28 August 2009 approved a proposal to set up an Indian Institutes of Management at Raipur.

Culture

A village cart usually pulled by a pair of water-buffalos and used for rural transport, from central Chhattisgarh
A carving in 10th or 11th century Hindu temple of Malhar village. This area, 40 km from Bilaspur, was supposedly a major Buddhist center in ancient times.

The state hosts religious sects including Satnami Panth, Kabirpanth, Ramnami Samaj, and others. Champaran (Chhattisgarh) is a small town with religious significance as the birth place of the Saint Vallabhacharya, increasingly important as a pilgrimage site for the Gujarati community.

The Oriya culture is prominent in the eastern parts of Chhattisgarh.

Crafts

Chattisgarh is known for Kosa silk. Besides saris and salwar suits, the fabric is used to create lehengas, stoles, shawls and menswear including jackets, shirts, achkans and sherwanis.

Dance

Panthi, Raut Nacha "Karma" and Soowa dance styles are popular in the region.

Raut Nacha, the folk dance of cowherds, is a traditional folk dance of yadavs/yaduvanshis as symbol of worship to Krishna at the time of 'dev udhni ekadashi' (the awakening of the gods after a brief rest) according to the Hindu calendar. The dance closely resembles Krishna's dance with the gopis (milkmaids).

Panthi, the folk dance of the Satnami community has religious overtones. Panthi is performed on Maghi Purnima, the anniversary of the birth of Guru Ghasidas. The dancers dance around a jaitkhamb set up for the occasion, to songs eulogizing their spiritual head. The songs reflect a view of Nirvana, conveying the spirit of their guru's renunciation and the teachings of saint poets like Kabir, Ramdas and Dadu. Dancers with bent torsos and swinging arms dance, carried away by their devotion. As the rhythm quickens, they perform acrobatics and form human pyramids.

Music

Chhattisgarh has rich traditional folk songs among which sohar, bihav & Pathoni songs are famous.

Sohar songs are related to child birth. Bihav songs are related to marriage celebration. The main parts of Bihav songs are Chulmati, Telmati, Maymouri, Nahdouri, Parghani, Bhadoni and other songs related to Bhanver, Vidai songs.

Pathoni songs are related to Gouna that is, the departure of a bride to the bridegroom's home.

Pandavani is a well-known ballad musical narrative, essentially based on the stories in the epic Mahabharata, but with Bhima as hero. Teejan Bai is the internationally acclaimed Pandavani artist, who was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2003 for her contribution to Pandavani. Ritu Verma is also well known [7].

There is a growing presence of Chhattisgarhi music and other cultural material on the web [8]. The song 'Sasural Genda Phool' in the Hindi film Delhi-6 is based on a folk song from Chhattisgarh.

Runner-up in the first Indian Idol, Amit Sana, is from Bhilai, a city in Chhattisgarh state. He was the runner-up in the first Indian Idol, a singing competition held in India. Now, he lives in Mumbai.

Theater

Theater is known as Gammat in Chhattisgarh. Pandavani is one of the lyrical forms of this theater. Several acclaimed plays of Habib Tanvir, such as Charandas Chor, are variations of Chhattisgarhi theater, and heavily use Chhatttisgarhi folk songs and music.

Religion and Social Composition

Religion in Chhattisgarh
Religion Percent
Hinduism
  
 96%
Others
  
 4%

Over 95% of the population of the state are Hindus. Several saints have their origin in Chattisgarh, including Parsurama Ramnami and Vallabha Acharya. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a noted Hindu leader and founder of the Transcendental Meditation was from Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh). There is a significant minority of Christians among several tribal groups in Chattisgarh, though there are few reliable statistics on their exact numbers.

According to the report from Government of India [9], at least 96% of Chhattisgarh population is either Shudra or non-Hindu scheduled tribes (ST can practice any religion of their choice): 34% are Scheduled Tribes, 12% are Scheduled Castes and over 50% belong to official list of Other Backward Castes. Plain area is numerically dominated by castes such as Teli, Satnami and Kurmi; while forest area is mainly occupied by tribes such as Gond, Halba and Kamar/Bujia and Oraon.

Status of women

In many ways, the women of Chhattisgarh enjoy a unique position within India. The proportion of women in the population is second highest among states in India. Further, the female-male ratio is in favor of women in rural population. This State is 10th largest state in India, much larger than Tamil Nadu; so this feature - though accords well with that of many smaller areas within other States - is unique to Chhattisgarh. Probably, such social composition also results in some customs and cultural practices that seem unique to Chhattisgarh: the regional variants are common in India's diverse cultural pattern. Rural women here are though poor but are more independent, hardy, better organized and socially more vociferous and command more power just like women in North-East India: so much so that they can choose and even terminate a marriage at will. Most of the old temples/shrines here are related to 'women power' (e.g., Shabari, Mahamaya, Danteshwari) and existence of these temples gives insight into historical and current social fabric of this state.

Both women and men here generally marry at a young age; just like marriages that happen or used to happen at young age in most parts of India and world in their not urbanized society. Women aged between 20 to 49 years were found (in one particular study) to have married at median age of 15.4 years; and 34% of girls aged between 15 to 19 years are already married (according to Government).

There is widespread social belief in witchcraft in Chhattisgarh; which is similar to such belief in some other less civilised parts of the world; see in particular Witch trials in Early Modern Europe . Women are supposed to have access to supernatural forces, and accused of witchcraft and called 'Tonhi' often to settle personal scores. They are barbarically persecuted, particularly older women, widows, women with deformities or with abnormal facial features. As of 2010, they are still hounded out of villages on the basis of flimsy accusations by male village sorcerers paid to do so by villagers with personal agendas, such as property and goods acquisition. According to National Geographic Channel’s investigations, those accused are fortunate if they are only verbally bullied and shunned or forced to leave their village. Humiliations are commonplace, such as being forced to eat human excreta and in recent years, 2,500 women accused of witchcraft have been unlawfully murdered by stoning, hanging and beheading by neighbours. The police and judicial authorities have done very little to protect women in this regard and show only mild interest in bringing such persecution to an end.

Today, with increasing contact with mainstream India, many of the cultural concomitants of female subservience common to mainstream India have started creeping in Chhattisgarh. The gender ratio (number females per 1000 males) has been steadily declining over the century in Chhattisgarh: 1046 in year 1901, 1032 in 1941, 996 in 1981 and 990 in 2001; but is better than the ratio for India: 972 in 1901, 945 in 1941, 934 in 1981 and 933 in 2001. Detailed information on various aspects of women status in Chhattisgarh can be found in the linked 103 page report titled 'A situational analysis of women and girls in Chhattisgarh' prepared in year 2004 by 'National Commission of Women', a statutory body belonging to government of India.

Language

Official language of the state is Hindi and used by almost entire population of the state. Chhattisgarhi a dialect of Hindi language (or a language in its own right) is spoken and understood by the majority of people in Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarhi was also known as Khaltahi to surrounding Hill-people and as Laria to Oriya speakers. In Koria, Surguja and Jashpur, it appears as Surgujia sub-dialect. Including Chhattisgarhi, a total of 93 dialects or languages are spoken in the state which together represent all three of India's major language families except Tibeto-Burman: Munda (Austro-Asiatic languages), Dravidian and Indo-European. All these dialects use the devanagari script of Hindi irrespective of the language group to which they belong. Chhattisgarhi is mainly an IndoEuropean dialect/language with heavy presence of vocabulary and linguistic features from Munda and Dravidian languages.

Classification

Dr. Hira Lal Shukla, an Indologist, has classified the languages / dialects of Chhattisgarh as below within Munda, Dravidian and Indo-European language families:

Munda

                           0)Pre-Munda
                                 |
         1)Pre-Munda (Southern)        2)Pre-Munda (Northern)
                 |                           |
      1)Gadba    2)Kharia     1)Korku 2)Mawasi 3)Nihali 4)Pre-Kherwar
                                                                 |
                                                   1)Korba         2)Bidaho
                                                       |
                              1)Nagesia 2)Sounta or Toori 3)Majhi 4)Majhwar 5)Kherwari

Dravidian

                                               0)Pre-Dravid
                                                      |
           1)South-Central                       2)Central                    3)Northern
                |                                    |                              |
1)Dormi  2)Dandami-Maria  3)Bhuria  4)Abujh-Maria   1)Parji or Dhurbi       1)Kurukh or Oraon

Indo-European

                              0)Indo-European
                                     |
                              0)Pre-Aryan
                                     |
               1)Half-Magadhi    2)Magadhi      3)Pijani
                     |                |               |
              1)Eastern Hindi    1)Oriya  1)Halbi  2)Sadri
                     |                 |
             1)Chhattisgarhi     1)Bhatri

Language Extinction Issue

Since Sanskritized Khari Boli or Hindi is the language of India (and Chhattisgarh) for official use like recruitment, education and there is lack of local people (at least from all ethno-language groups) in the state/local administration; there is ongoing change in the linguistic profile of the state accelerated with more interaction with outside world and desire to get developed.

In northern Chhattisgarh, dialects from all these three language groups are in use today; in middle part of Chhattisgarh, only Indo-European dialects have survived; and in southern Chhattisgarh, Dravidian and Indo-European dialects are in use.

According to H.L. Shukla: Munda dialects are progressing to the stage of becoming extinct; among Dravidian dialects, Parji is also facing extinction problem, Kurukh (Oraon) and Gondi are struggling; and IndoEuropean dialects are in the process of losing their features differentiating them from official Hindi, Khari Boli.

Munda Language Family

According to 1971 census of India, Korku was the major Munda dialect spoken by more than 200,000 people (It is not clear whether this count is for whole India or is specific to Chhattisgarh). Korku, Kharia and Korba are major Munda dialects in use in Chhattisgarh.

Other than these three, Muasi, Toori (in Raigarh), Nihali-Mankari, Khaerwari, Birhord, Kodaku (Sarguja), Dhelki, Mahto, Kora-Majhi, Munda, Mundari and Santhali are other Munda dialects spoken in Chhattisgarh which are either sub-dialects of above stated three dialects or are different but in the stage of extinction.

The only known speaker of Gadba, a Munda dialect spoken in Bastar district, died at the age of 80 some years back, as noted by H.L.Shukla.

Dravidian Language Family

According to 1971 census of India, Kurukh or Oraon was mother-tongue of 300,609 people in Chhattisgarh and there were around 30,000 speakers of Parja or Dhurbi.

Gondi is the Dravidian language spoken by Gond tribals who call themselves Koitor or Koitol and therefor H.L. Shukla has called their language Koitor. H. L. Shukla identifies dialects such as Dormi, Dandami-Maria, Bhuria, Abujh-Maria, Koya, Ghotul-muriya and others under this language. According to 1961 census of India, there were 3,900,000 Koitor or Gond tribals in India. Two thirds of these Gond/Koitor tribals were distributed over Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh according to 1971 census. As of now, almost more than half of these tribals use the dialects in use in their respective areas (other than Koitor). (Mr. H.L.Shukla found that Near Bhopal (capital of Madhyapradesh) which was once the stronghold of Koitor people, one cannot hear Koitor dialect in the circumference of 100 km).

Indo-European Languages

Among 93 dialects spoken in Chhattisgarh, 70 are classified as belonging to the Indo-European language family. Under Chhattisgarhi group, the dialects spoken by Agariya, Binjhwari, Baigani, Bhuliya, Lariya, Dhanwar, Panka, Dindwar and many other tribals are included.

Sadri is the dialect understood by many of the different tribal groups. Sadri is the name given to the Indo-European dialect that is used by tribal people, when they do not use their own dialect, to communicate with other people. Sadri is in use from Chhattisgarh and Orissa to West-Bengal. Similarly, Halbi is understood by many of the different tribal groups in southern Chhattisgarh (earlier there were many different opinions about the language family of Halbi, but now it is usually accepted as an Indo-European dialect) - in 1951 census, it was found that more than 99% of Halbi speakers can speak at least two dialects. Other major languages spoken in Chhattisgarh are Hindi, Telugu, Sambalpuri and Marathi.

Notes

  1. ↑ Dr. Bhagvan Singh Verma, " Chhattisgarh ka Itihas " {in Hindi}, Madhya Pradesh Hindi Granth Academy, Bhopal(M.P.), 4th edition(2003), P.7
  2. ↑ "Electoral rolls". Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Chhatisgarh. http://cg.nic.in/voterlist/index.htm. 
  3. ↑ Chhattisgarh at a glance-2002 Govt. of Chhattisgarh ofiicial website.
  4. ↑ List of Chhattisgarh District Centres at NIC, Chhatisgarh official Portal
  5. ↑ Mathew, K.M. (ed.). Manorama Yearbook 2008, Kottayam: Malayala Manorama, ISSN 0542-5778, p.518
  6. ↑ [1] Chhattisgarh: The Future of India?
  7. ↑ Pandavani
  8. ↑ Chhattisgarhi Music
  9. ↑ "NCW Report, page 4". National Commission of Women, Government of India. http://ncw.nic.in/pdfreports/Gender%20Profile-Chhattisgarh.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-22. 

Tourism in Chhattisgarh

[Chhattisgarhi Film Music]Chhattisgarhi Film Music

References

External links

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Maharashtra Orissa
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Andhra Pradesh
States and territories of India
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Hydrology of Chhattishgarh
Rivers
Hasdeo • Ib • Indravati • Jonk  • Kanhar  • Mahanadi  • Mand  • Pari • Rend  • Rihand • Sabari • Sankh • Shivnath • Sileru • Sondur • Tandula
Waterfalls
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Dams
Dudhawa • Gangrel • Hasdeo Bango • Sondur • Tandula
Hydrology of surrounding areas
Orissa  •  • Uttar Pradesh • Madhya Pradesh • Maharashtra • Andhra Pradesh
Districts of Chhattisgarh

Bastar · Bilaspur · Dantewada · Dhamtari · Durg · Surajpur · Janjgir-Champa · Jashpur · Kabirdham · Kanker · Korba · Koriya · Mahasamund · Narayanpur · Raigarh · Raipur · Rajnandgaon · Surguja · Bijapur