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| Chhattisgarh |
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 The
state of Chhattisgarh, located in the heart of India, is hemmed
between Orissa and Jharkhand in the East and Madhya Pradesh
and Maharashtra in the West. It is a predominantly tribal state
with very rich mineral and forest resources. It has no less
than thirty-five big and small tribes, all unique in their traditions.
Its cultural heritage and natural diversity is simply bewildering
and is a tourist's delight because of its innumerable ancient
monuments, awe inspiring wildlife, amazing temples, Buddhist
Vihars, forts, palaces, waterfalls and caves. It is a virgin,
unexplored land, which comes as a breath of fresh air.
It does not come as a surprise that Chhattisgarh, with 12% of
India's forests, has no less than three National Parks and eleven
Wildlife Sanctuaries. It also has some wonderful archaeological
sites in places like Sirpur, Rajim, Dantewada and Dongargarh. |
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| GETTING
HERE |
Raipur is the
state capital, which is connected by air with Delhi, Bhubaneswar,
Bhopal, Jabalpur, Nagpur, Mumbai and Khajuraho. It is an important
railhead linked with Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolkata and other cities.
By road too, it is linked with many cities of North and South
India.
Janjgir: There are two railway stations in
Janjgir-Champa. Naila railway station is about 3 kms and Champa
railway station is about 9 kms from Janjgir. Bus and auto facilities
are available from these railway stations to Janjgir.
Surguja:
The main city here is Ambikapur. The nearest airport is at Raipur
(358 kms). The nearest railhead is Bishrampur. From here one
can get to Ambikapur (27 kms) by taxi or bus. Bishrampur in
turn is linked to Raipur by rail.
Durg:
The nearest airport is at Raipur (50 kms). By rail and road
it is linked to many important Indian cities.
Bilaspur:
The nearest airport is at Raipur (110 kms). From Raipur one
can get to Bilaspur by rail or road. Bilaspur is well connected
to the rest of the country by rail. There are trains for New
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhopal, Indore, Chennai, Bangalore and
Hyderabad and to other major cities in India.
Kanker:
Kanker is located between Raipur (140 kms) and Jagdalpur (160
kms away) and can be reached by road. |
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| WHAT
TO SEE |
Raipur
Places worth visiting in the state capital are Champaran (Champakeshwar
Mahadev temple), Turturiya (surrounded by forests, Buddhist
and Brahmanical ruins), Laxman temple and Gandheswar temple
in Sirpur (one hour from Raipur, here the Archaeological Survey
of India museum displays rare statues and other relics) and
Rajim (30 minutes from Raipur, fine group of temples).
Bastar
Major tourist attractions are Jagdalpur (small beautiful town),
Danteshwari Temple, Bastar Palace, Anthropological Museum at
Dharampura (focusing on tribes of Bastar), Ganga Munda and Dalpat
Sagar lakes, Chitrakot Waterfalls-100 ft (38 kms from Jagdalpur,
horseshoe shaped and very beautiful), Tiratgarh Waterfalls-300
ft (35 kms from Jagdalpur), Kutumsar Caves (38 kms, amazing
stalactite and stalagmite formations), Kailash Gufa (40 Kms)
and Kanger Valley National Park (40 kms, tiger, panther, deer,
a number of birds and reptiles).
Bilaspur
Attractions in Bilaspur include Ratanpur (25 kms from Bilaspur,
ruins of an old fort, attractive stone sculptures, Goddess Mahamaya
temple, palace of Ratanpur, Baba Bhairavnath temple, palace
of Ramtekri, Bhuddeshwar Shiv Temple, Laxmi Temple on the hilltop,
Ratneswar Mahadev Temple and Dargah of Musekhan in Juna), Mallhar
(in Saravpur, Pataleswar Kedar Temple, Didneswari Temple, Deor
Temple, museum of old sculptures), Talagram (25 kms from Bilaspur,
famous for Deorani-Jethani temple), Belpan (famous for a big
pond and samadhi) and Khadia Dam (85 kms).
Dantewada
Places worth visiting are Bailadila (mountain range, famous
for iron deposits. Worth visiting are the top most peak known
as Aakash Nagar and another peak called Kailash Nagar), Barsur
(75 kms from Jagdalpur, it has ruins of numerous temples), Bodhghat
Sath Dhar (6 kms from Barsur, beautiful small waterfall on Indravati
river), Memory Pillars of Gamawada (14 kms from Dantewada) and
the ancient Danteshwari Temple (at the confluence of Dankini
and Shankini rivers, about one and a half hours from Jagdalpur).
Durg
Places that can be visited are Bhilai Steel Plant, Maitry Baugh
(zoo cum children's park, maintained by the Bhilai Steel Plant),
Uwasaggaharam Parshwa Teerth (beautiful marble Jain shrine in
Nagpura on Sheonath river, with guest house, garden, naturopathy
and Yoga Centre) and Ganga Maiya Temple (58 kms from Durg).
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Janjgir-Champa
Janjgir-Champa is famous for its amazingly beautiful temples
and scenic natural landscapes. There are many unique tribes
here and exploring the tribal villages can be an exciting experience.
Important tourist destinations are Vishnu Mandir, Pithampur
Shiv temple, Madanpurgarh Devi temple, Ghatadai Tripur Sundar
Devi temple, Kanhara (beautiful picnic spot on Lilagar river),
Shivarinarayan Laxminarayan temple, Kharud Nagar Laxmaneshwar
Temple, Dewarghat (confluence of Mahanadi, Lilagar and Shivnath
rivers, a popular picnic spot), Turridham Shiva temple, Damudhara
(natural waterfalls, caves and temple of Ram-Janaki, Radha-Krishna
and Rishabhdev), Adbhar Ashtbhuji temple and Chandrahasini Devi
temple.
Kanker
Attractive places here are Gadiya Mountain (a natural fort with
a tank that never dries, a cave called Churi Pagar, 50 metre
long Jogi Cave with small pond inside and Doodh River at the
bottom of the mountain), Malanjhkudum Waterfalls (three falls,
15 kms from Kanker, superb picnic spot), Charre-Marre Waterfalls
(16 metre high zig-zag waterfall) and Shivani temple.
Surguja
Mahamaya temple, Thinthini Patthar (200 quintal rock, cylindrical
in shape), Kudargarh (Goddess Kudargarhi temple on a hill),
Ramgarh and Sita Bengra (caves where Lord Ram and Sita once
stayed), Tata Pani (95 kms from Surguja, hot spring), Pawai
Waterfalls, Kendai Waterfalls, Deepadih (Shankar temple) and
Mainpat (hill station known for the beautiful Tiger Point waterfall
and its woollen fabric).
Koriya
This place is known for its wonderful waterfalls like Amrit
Dhara Waterfalls (90 feet high, also has a Shiva Temple nearby),
Ramdaha Waterfalls (120 feet high beautiful falls surrounded
by forests and rocks), Gavar Ghat Waterfalls and Akuri Nala
waterfall.
Jashpur
Jashpur is a beautiful hilly district, its upper parts consisting
of scenic hills with lush forests and beautiful waterfalls.
Major attractions are Rajpuri Waterfall, Kailash Gupha (cave
surrounded by springs and fountains), Danpuri Waterfall (in
the middle of a forest), Rani Dah Waterfall and Kunkuri Cathedral
(40 kms from Jashpur, Asia's second largest Catholic church). |
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