With a rich past and soaked amidst its mythical aura, Chhatisgarh is a young state acquring 52,199 sq mi its capital beingRaipur. Although reckoned as a young state, Chhatisgarh has its reference in ancient texts and literary works. With a mythological past Chhatisgarh is full of surprises. The shimmer of sunshine, the beat of the tribal life, the varied rock paintings, the mystifying waterfalls and the emerald forests make Chhatisgarh the place where beauty ideally harmonizes with dream. Whether to experience the simplicity of the tribal life or to witness nature at its best or just to feel the quintessence of the unsullied ancient caves, picturesque palaces and effervescent wildlife, Chhatisgarh is the ideal place.

Chhatisgarh is the 27th state of India and is the zenith of the hopes and desires of the aboriginal people.

Origin of name of Chhattisgarh
There is an interesting story explaining the origin of the name of Chhattisgarh. According to the British Chronicler, J.B. Beglar "the real name is Chhattisghar and not Chhatisgarh. According to tradition, ages ago during the time of Jarasandha, thirty-six families of dalits emigrated southwards from Jarasandha`s kingdom and established themselves in country, which after them is called Chhattisgarh.

Another common explanation regarding the origins of the name Chhatisgarh is that it denotes the number of forts or garhs in the region, which are supposed to be thirty-six in number. Therefore the meaning of Chhattisgarh is thirty-six forts. Anyhow experts do not agree with this explanation, as they say that Chhatisgarh do not contain thirty-six forts. An explanation popular with the experts and historians in that Chhattisgarh is the corrupted form of `Chedisgarh` or the political seat of the Chedis.

History of Chhattisgarh
The name of Chhattisgarh finds mention even in the Indian Epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is not mentioned as Chhattisgarh but in its old name Dakshin-Kausal. According to the mythological legends, Rama, during his Vanvas stayed in Dakshin Kosala.

In 1741, the Marathas attacked Chhattisgarh and destroyed the Haihaya power. After four years they deposed Raghunathsinghji, the last surviving member of the Ratanpur house. In 1758, the Maraths annexed Chhattisgarh and was dominated by the Marathas. The Maratha rule was a period of anarchy. They openly surrendered the interests of the region to the British. The Gonds challenged the advances of the Marathas and this led to conflicts between the Marathas and Gonds. In the beginning of the Nineteenth Century the Pindaris attacked this region.

In 1818 Chhattisgarh for the first time came under British control. In 1854, when the province of Nagpur lapsed to the British government, Chhattisgarh was formed into a deputy commissionership with its headquarters at Raipur. The British made changes in the administrative and revenue systems of Chhatisgarh, which affected the people of Chhattisgarh. The British were resisted by the tribals which lasted nearly five years. In 1857, the First war of independence was organized by Vir Narain Singh who was a jamindar of Sonakhan. He formed an army of 500 men to crush the British. He was later arrested and was hanged on the 10th December, 1857. He became the first martyr from Chhattisgarh. The people of Chhatisgarh remember him with pride.

In 1904 Sambalpur was relocated to Orissa and estates of Sarguja were shifted from Bengal to Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh and came into existence on 1 November 2000. It is the 26th State of the Union. Unfortunately, this place is always a victim to violence and riots due to the presence of the Naxalite Maoist rebels.

Geography of Chhatisgarh
Chhatisgarh 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. Chhatisgarh borders six 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.

The northern side of Chhatisgarh lies on the edge of the Indo-Gangetic plain. The eastern end of the Satpura Range and the western edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau divide the Mahanadi River basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain. The middle potion of the place lies in the upper basin of the Mahanadi. The northern and southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile plain. The southern parts of the state lies on the Deccan plateau. It lies in the watershe of Godavari araiver. Its tributary is Indravati River. The chief river is Maahandi. Other rivers of the state are Hasdo, Rihand, Indravati, Jonk and Arpa.

Economy of Chhatisgarh
45% of. Chhatisgarh is under forests. The main crops grown here are paddy, wheat, maize, groundnut, pulses and oilseeds. Chhattisgarh is a state rich in mineral resources as Iron-ore, limestone, dolomite, coal, and bauxite. It is the only state in the country producing tin-ore. Other minerals found in the state are korandum, garnet, quartz, marble and diamond.The state`s economy is fuelled by the presence of the Bhilai Steel Plant, S.E.C.Railway Zone, BALCO Aluminium Plant, and NTPC Korba and S.E.C.L. There are eight sponge iron plants in the private sector, 13 ferro-alloy plants, 125 steel rolling mills and one H.R. strip plant. There are nine major cement plants. There are also iron casting units, engineering and fabrication units, agro-based food processing, chemical and plastic industries have been established.

The irrigation potential of the state is 13.39 lakh. The important irrigation projects are Ravishankar Sagar Mahanadi Project, Hasdeo-Bango, Kodar, Jonk, Pairi and Arpa. About 90% of the villages are electrified. Electricity is supplied to several other Indian states.

Government and politics of Chhatisgarh
The first chief minister of Chhattisgarh wasAjit Jogi. The major political parties of the state are Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Gondwana Party, etc.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is at present holding the majority in the Legislative Assembly of Chhattisgarh. In the southern and northern part of the state there is the presence of armed insurgent communists or the Naxalites. Chhattisgarh is the most Naxalite- affected state in India. As a result the place is fallling prey to violence and bloodshed.

Transport of Chhatisgarh
Chattisgarh is connected to other parts of the state by means of air, road and railway. By Air - Raipur, the capital city, is the sole commercially operating airport of the state. Raipur has air links to top four cities of the country i.e. Delhi, Bombay, Kolkata, and Chennai. One of the airports of Chattisgarh is at Bilaspur. There are air strips at Bhilai, Jagdalpur, Sarguja, Korba.

By Road : The National Highway 6 passes through the state.
By Rail : The rail network is centered on Bilaspur, which is the headquarters of South East Central Railway of Indian Railways. Other railway stations are at Raipur, Durg and Champa.

Districts of Chhattisgarh
The 16 districts of the state are Koriya, Sarguja , Jashpur, Bilaspur, Korba, Raigarh, Champa, Mahasamund, Raipur, Kawardha, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Kanker, Dhamtari, Bastar , Dantewara

Demographics of Chhatisgarh
The population of Chattisgarh is 176.15 Lakhs. The sex ratio of the state has declining in Chhatisgarh when compared to the previous years. The proportion of women is second highest among states in India. The pecentage of females is higher than males in thevillages as compared to the cities.

The major religions practiced by the people of Chattisgarh are Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The religious sects found here are like Satnami, Kabirpanth, Ramnami Samaj which originated as reaction to caste-based Hinduism practised by people coming to the state. The languages used by the people here are Chhatisgarhi, tribal dialects, Hindi and English.

In Chattisgarh women enjoy a very privileged position. The people here are less affected by classical doctrines of Hinduism and as such women are independent, vociferous and command more power. They can even choose and dispose marriage at their own will. Women are married at a very young age of 15. People believe in witchcrafts ans superstitions. It is said that women have acces to supernatural powers and are often accused of witchcraft.

The major festivals of Chhattisgarh are Pola, Nawakhai, Dussehara , Deepavali, Holi , Govardhan etc.

Education of Chhattisgarh
The medium of instruction in the state from elementary schools to degree colleges is Hindi. The two recognised universities of Chhatisgarh are Guru Ghasidas University,Bilaspur and Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur

More on Chhattisgarh
Cities of Chhattisgarh
Culture of Chhattisgarh
Festivals of Chhattisgarh
Folk Dances of Chhattisgarh
Temples of Chhattisgarh