Surguja district
| Surguja district सरगुजा जिला | |
|---|---|
| District of Chhattisgarh | |
 Location of Surguja district in Chhattisgarh | |
| Country | India |
| State | Chhattisgarh |
| Headquarters | Ambikapur, India |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15,732 km2 (6,074 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 2,361,329 |
| • Density | 150/km2 (390/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 61.16 |
| • Sex ratio | 991 |
| Website | Official website |
Surguja District (सरगुजा) is a district in the northern part of the state of Chhattisgarh in India. The district headquarters is Ambikapur.
The district borders on the states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, and overlaps the southeastern part of the Vindhyachal-Baghelkhand region of peninsular India.
History
According to legend, Lord Rama had visited Surguja during his 14 years of exile into the forests. There are many places in connection to epic of Ramayana, which are named after Lord Rama, Laxmana and Goddess Sita such as Ramgarh, Sita-Bhengra and Laxmangarh.[1]
Prior to the arrival of the Mauryas, the area was ruled by the Nandas. In the third century BC the region was divided into tiny kingdoms. Later, a Rajput king belonging to the Rakshal clan, attacked from what is now Jharkhand, and took control of the area. In 1820, Amar Singh was crowned as Maharaja. During the British period, Surguja State was a princely state.[1][2]
The district is currently a part of the Red corridor.[3]
Geography
It lies between 23°37'25" to 24°6'17" north latitude and 81°34'40" to 84°4'40" east longitude. 244.62 kilometres (152.00 mi) long east to west and 67.37 kilometres (41.86 mi) broad north to south, this land has as area of about 16,359 square kilometres (6,316 sq mi).[1]
The high-lands of Surguja district have peculiar 'pat formations' – highlands with small tablelands. The Mainpat, the Jarang pat, the Jonka pat, the Jamira pat and the Lahsunpat are the major parts of the district. The average height of area is above 600 metres (2,000 ft). Some of peaks are – Mailan 1,226 metres (4,022 ft), Jam 1,166 metres (3,825 ft), Parta Gharsa 1,159 metres (3,802 ft), Kanda Dara 1,149 metres (3,770 ft), Chutai 1,131 metres (3,711 ft), and Karo 1,105 metres (3,625 ft). There are a number of other peaks. North–west Surguja is hilly in nature, and moving westwards, three distinct steps may be marked out: the first from Shrinagar on the east to the low-lands of Patna and Khargawan, the second from thence to the uplands around Sonhat and the third beyond Sonhat to above a height of 1,033 metres (3,389 ft). Central Surguja is a low basin through which the Rihand and its tributaries flow.[1]
There are three river basins in Suguja district – those of the Hasdeo River, the Rihand River and the Kanhar River.[1]
In winters temperature dips to below 5 °C (41 °F) and in summers it rises above 46 °C (115 °F).
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Surguja district has a population of 2,361,329,[4] roughly equal to the nation of Latvia[5] or the US state of New Mexico.[6] This gives it a ranking of 192nd in India (out of a total of 640).[4] The district has a population density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre (390/sq mi) .[4] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 19.74%.[4] Surguja has a sex ratio of 976 females for every 1000 males,[4] and a literacy rate of 61.16%.[4]
Major population comprises tribal population. Among the primitive tribes are Pando and Korwa, who still live in forest. The Pando tribe believes themselves as the member of "Pandav" clan of epic Mahabharata. The Korwa tribe believes themselves to be member of "Kauravs" of Mahabharata.[1]
Languages
Languages spoken include Bharia, a Dravidian vernacular spoken by at least 200,000 members of the Bharia tribe and written in the Devanagari script.[7]
Culture
The first Asian film to win a Green Oscar, The Last Migration, was filmed in Surguja by the wild life film maker Mike Pandey. Sonabai is a clay sculptor famous for her tribal and folk artform.
The famous book on the truth of fake saints specially of so-called Asaram Bapu/Asharam Bapu was written in this district 14 years ago i.e. in the year, 2000 by First Chartered Accountant, Author, BJP Leader and Social worker CA. Somraj Agarwalji. The name of the book is 'KADUA SACH'. Second elaborated edition of the book was published in the year, 2008.
References
-Surguja ka ek Adhyaan, by Samar Bahadur Singhdeo, 1957 Varanasi. Dr.Sanjay Alung-Chhattisgarh ki Riyaste/Princely stastes aur Jamindariyaa (Vaibhav Prakashan, Raipur1, ISBN 81-89244-96-5)
Dr.Sanjay Alung-Chhattisgarh ki Janjaatiyaa/Tribes aur Jatiyaa/Castes (Mansi publication, Delhi6, ISBN 978-81-89559-32-8)
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Surguja". Surguja district administration. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ↑ "Surguja (Princely State)". Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ↑ "83 districts under the Security Related Expenditure Scheme". IntelliBriefs. 2009-12-11. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
- ↑ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01.
Latvia 2,204,708 July 2011 est.
- ↑ "2010 Resident Population Data". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
New Mexico - 2,059,179
- ↑ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Bharia: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th edition ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
External links
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Balrampur district, | | ||
| Surajpur district |  |
Jashpur district | ||
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| Korba district | Raigarh district |
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