The State of Jharkhand was carved out from the southern part of Bihar and was formed on November 15, 2000. For a long time, Jharkhand remained as a part of Bihar, but after Indian independence, the demand for a separate state of tribals started gaining momentum. Jharkhand shares its border with the state of Bihar to the north, Chattisgarh to the west, Odisha to the south and West Bengal to the east. Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand while Jamshedpur is the largest and the biggest industrial city of the state. Some other major cities of Jharkhand are Dhanbad, Bokaro and Hazaribag. Known as the Land of Forests, Jharkhand is enshrouded in the hills and forests inaccessible to a large segment of people. It is also known for evergreen forests, rolling hills, rocky plateau and has some of the beautiful waterfalls in the state.
Jharkhand – Geography and Climate
Most of the states of Jharkhand lies on the Chota Nagpur Plateau with Damodar, Kharkai, Koel and Subanarekha being the main water source for the state. Much of the state is still covered by forests and the forests supports and preserves population of tigers and Asiatic Elephants.Few centuries ago, the Jharkhand was extensively covered with the dense Sal forest which had always been inaccessible. But with the discovery of its hidden mineral wealth has led Jharkhand marching towards becoming one of the leading industrialized regions of India. On the one hand, the mine-fields, railways and roadways have gone ahead rapidly, educational and technical institutions have multiplied and the principal towns have become more cosmopolitan. Jharkhand experiences three major seasons namely summers, monsoons and winters. Summers are extremely hot, dry and are not an ideal time for the travellers to visit the state. The month of September is the best time to visit the state when the rains have subsided and the weather remains pleasant for travelling.
Tourists Places in and around Jharkhand
Jharkhand Tourism takes one on a tour of a kaleidoscope of culture, people, nature and languages. Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand and has many tourists attractions like The Ranchi Hill, Sun Temple and many more. Other major tourist destinations in Jharkhand are Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Palamu and Bokaro. Some Wildlife Sanctuaries like Betla National Park, Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary form an important part of Jharkhand Tourism and its flora and fauna.
Jharkhand – It’s Rich Flora and Fauna
Jharkhand has a rich variety of flora and fauna. The National Parks and Zoological Gardens located in the State of Jharkhand present a panorama of this variety. Betla National Park in the Latehar district has a large variety of wildlife.Part of the reason for the variety and diversity of flora and fauna found in Jharkhand state may be accredited to the Palamu Tiger Reserves under the Project Tiger. This reserve is abode to hundreds of species of flora and fauna. The Hazaribag Wildlife Sanctuary with incredible scenic beauties is set in an ecosystem very similar to Betla National Park of Palamu.
The Jawahar Lal Nehru Biological Park in Bokaro Steel City is the largest zoological garden in Jharkhand. The garden is spread over 200 acres and has many animal and bird species and also includes an artificial water lake and boating facilities. Another zoo, Birsa Munda Jaiwik Udyan, is also located about 16 km from Ranchi, and a number of mammalian fauna have been collected there for visitors.
Jharkhand – The Cultural Mosaic, Festivals and Cuisines
Being a tribe dominated state, nature has been given utmost importance in every sphere of life and culture. Branches of sacred trees are brought and ceremonially planted in the courtyards. Devotees then worship these tree parts associated with gods and goddesses. Poush Mela or Tusu Fair is a significant occasion celebrated during the Makar Sankranti wherein brightly coloured excellently decorated symbolic artifacts of folk deity are carried by the people. This is a folk harvesting festival. Tusu is a folk belief, not about any God or Goddess, but about a sweet little girl of the tribal folk. The festival takes place as new crops are harvested. The entire festival is a very colourful one. It takes the shape of the all-around festive mood of the tribal people, where everyone takes part. In whole Chotanagpur Plateau Region, the Karam Festival is celebrated with great pomp and show among the local people. Among the Oraon Tribe, the Karamcuisine of Jharkhand festival is one of the most important festivals and holds a very important place in their social and religious life. Being a very important community festival of the region, it is celebrated by the entire Oraon and other local communities of the region; now in its modern day re-embodiment, the festivity has spread far and wide, from the rural to the urban ambience, and from Chotanagpur to other parts of our country.
The cuisine of Jharkhand is traditional and is a combination of various locality in Jharkhand region. In general, the food cooked in Jharkhand is considered to be very light on the stomach and easy to digest. This fact can very well be demonstrated by the nature of Jharkhand food habits that have been imbibed by the native folks. Litti and Chokha also form an important portion of Jharkhand food. The mouth-watering non-vegetarian Jharkhand food preparations like spicy chicken are also popular with a considerable section of Jharkhand. The cuisine mainly associated with this state also bears a faint touch of the robust Mughals which is vividly visible in the food of Jharkhand.Local alcoholic drinks include rice beer, originally known as Handiya, an earthen pot named after the vessel used to make in it. Handiya is culturally associated with native i.e. Tribals as well as Sadan, as this drink is consumed by both men and women, on social occasions like marriage and other festivals. Another common liquor is called chullu, made from fruit or flowers of the Mahua tree.
Special Tourism Destinations of Jharkhand
NETARHAT
A plateau, four miles long and two and a half miles broad. It is in the extreme of the district, the highest point of which is 3,800 feet above the sea level. It is in Mahuadanr police station and is 96 miles west of Ranchi across seven hills. This is the highest point on the plateau of Chotanagpur. Netarhat is a place of peculiar charm which has a laid its spell on many casual visitors. The stillness of the jungle and the cool and refreshing air brings relief from the dust and heat of the plains. The sight of the sunrise near the Palamau dak bungalow and sunset at Mangolia point about six miles from the Public school. It is advisable that tourist must see the SUNRISE and SUNSET in Netarhat. Presently Netarhat is situated in new created district LATEHAR from Palamau.
Netarhat Public School
In November,1954 a public school was started at this place by the state Government, admission to which is received merit alone. The admission fees are charged according to the parent’s income. The admission age is 10 – 12 years and the education is imparted for preparing the boys for higher secondary examination, Jamalpur Railway Engineering and various other technical and vocation pursuits. The medium of instruction is Hindi but English and Sanskrit are also taught from the beginning to secure a satisfactory standard. A number of top Bureaucrats and Technocrats are the product of this institution.
Upper Ghagri Waterfalls
4 kms from Netarhat and a unique picnic spot. Inside a beautiful valley the over flown water. Netarhat Dam makes a very loving small waterfall.
Lower Ghagri Waterfalls
Situated at a distance of 10 kms from Netarhat in lush green and pass through the forests of a poet’s imagination-deep, dense and delighting. On reaching their witness the stunning fall of water deep down to about 320 feet making a majestic waterfall. The forest is so dense that even sunrays find difficult to pierce through it. forest. A place of scenic beauty and picnic spot.
Magnolia Point
10 kms from Netarhat, it is an ideal site for sunset view. Every day one can witness the different view of setting sun. When the setting sun enters into the lap of Vindhya hills allowing the evening to descend slowly in the valley the natural scenic beauty of the place is beyond any description.
Pine Forest
Netarhat has a game sanctuary amidst pine forest the bestow singular arboreal interest in this part. Some time back it used to be the permanent summer station of the Governor. The temperature of Netarhat is cooler than Ranchi all the year on round. It can be said that this place is the coolest in the whole of Jharkhand State. The place has also been provided with an Agricultural Farm.
Anjan Gram
Anjan Gram is believed to be the birth place of Lord Hanuman after whose name this place has been called Anjan Gram. An ancient statue of Anjani, mother of Bhagwan Hanuman, is situated inside the Anjani cave. The village is surrounded by the Netarhat hills and the river Khatwa.
Other places
Netarhat has a wonderful climate and in the July and August it does not become moist. In summer Netarhat has a very cool climate. The plateau is ringed by forest and the rainfall usually does not exceed 60 inches per year. There are patches of pines and cypresses grown by the Forest. Department and both the species have taken to the soil very kindly. Apples and peaches are grown but the fruits are not very big. English vegetables could easily be grown. The place has now been freed from malaria. There are a number of flowering trees particularly of Bauhinia and Cassia species. Season flowers could be grown throughout the year. It has been held the flowering trees of different species could be very well grown on the plateau which will ensure a feast of flowers throughout the year. The development of Netarhat will open the neighbouring Chhechhari valley and other hill tops such as Jamirapat (3,747 feet above sea level) and Gulgupat (3,819 feet above sea level ). Jharkhand’s second highest fall, the Burhaghagh with a sheer drops of 466 feet is also near Netarhat but at present accessible only to the hiker. Netarhat offers plenty of big game shooting with permission from the Forest Department. Tigers are common in certain sections. With the development of Netarhat which has been taken up, it will have great attraction to the general tourists, hiker, shikari and anthropologists. There is one important beauty spot in Netarhat.
PARASNATH
The literal meaning of the word darshan is knowledge acquired through vision or that which is actually seen. The main objective of all the darshans is describing the soul principle that discuss various issues such as what is the embodied soul, how it is originated, the true nature of the manifest world, how it was created, the reason for its creation, whether it is a gross or endowad with divine consciousness, etc. The world, the embodied soul, God and the final liberation (Moksha) are the four main concepts discussed in all Darshans. What is God? What is the form of God? What is Human? What is the aim of their life? How should a human survive a proper? life? The effort to get wisdom of such and such questions in Darshan.For pilgrims here is an epic Jinalaya to worship. In depth of the double stair main temple statue of supreme Arihant is situated. All around this temple 20 more statues and statues of God and Goddess gives a marvellous look and lusture to the site. On the upper stair the statue of bhagwan Parswanath with few God and Goddess are situated. On the east of this temple Madhuchampa Snatra Mandap in which four chapel for pilgrimes to worship is facilitated. On these chapel Statue of Bhomiya Jee, Shree Ghantakaran, Mahavir Mahalaxmi devi and Guru Bhagwant is situated.
Parasnath hill which is 4431 ft height is the highest mountain south of the Himalayas. It is located at the latitude of 23 degree, 9 minutes North and longitude of 86 degree ,3 minutes East. It was made accessible since the construction of a road in 1838 .Significantly the oldest of the Jain temple appears to date only from AD. 1775. Parasnath is the “Marang Buru “or hill deity of the Santhal of Hazaribagh,Manbhum, Bankura and Santhal Parganas and each year they assemble at the period of the full noon in Baisakh from these district and celebrate a religious hunt for three days after which a great tribal session is held .In the assembly they decided the great matter relating to their custom and charge of offenced for outcasting the indivisual.Since Parasnath has been declared as a wild life sanctuary District administration and Forest official are trying to persuade the local tribe to are trying to persuade the local tribe to give up their religious hunt. The special sanctity of Parasnath for the Jain arises from the tradition that twenty -third of the Tirthankars (religious saints who are the object of their worship), Parsva or Parsvanath , like nine of his predecessors attained nirvana on the hill. According to local tradition the number of Tirthankars who attained nirvana on the Parasnath hill is 20 and not 9 .For each of them there is a shrine( gumti for tuk) on the hill.
Shammed Shikhar
Parasnath hill which is 4431 ft height is the highest mountain south of the Himalayas . It is located at the latitude of 23 degree ,9 minutes North and longitude of 86 degree ,3 minutes East. It was made accessible since the construction of a road in 1838 .Significantly the oldest of the Jain temple appears to date only from AD. 1775. The famous Parasnath hill is the highest peak of Jharkhand having altitude of 4431 feet above the sea-level. Giridih District was carved out from Hazaribagh District on 4th December, 1972. Parasnath is the Marang Buru or hill deity of the Santhal of Hazaribagh, Manbhum, Bankura and Santhal Parganas Since Parasnath has been declared as a wild life sanctuary District administration and Forest official are trying to persuade the local tribe to give up their religious hunt.
Madhuban
The Village which lies in Pirtand Block has a famous temple believed to be more than 2000 years old. It is a place of considerable religious importance for the Jain. The Samosharan temple and Bhomiyaji Asthan are two very famous Jain temple. There is a Jain Museum at Madhuban which houses a number of Jain scriptures, Idols and manuscript .One can view the clear sight of Parasnath Temple using the telescope installed at the balcony of the museum.
Usri Falls
Amidst in the range of the famous Parasnath Hills ,the Usri River gushes down from a steep gorge , some 40 feet high in three separate streams .Located about 14 km away from east of Giridih Town .It is a favourite picnic spot.
Khandoli
A water reservoir some 8 km North-East of Giridih headquater is one of the best site for water related adventure sports and bird-watching. A watch tower and 600 feet high hillock offers a panoramic view of Khandoli site. Elephant and Camel Safari and numbers of other amusement facilities are available there including boating , Rock-climbing ,Parasailing and Kayaking.
Surya Temple Mirzaganj
This is a nice and beautiful temple built in the middle of a lake in the shape of a lotus flower. Pilgrims visits here while returning from Langta Baba Samadhi.
Harihar Dham
A small hamlet about 60kms South-west of Giridih district headquarter under Bagodar Block possesses the largest Shiva Linga of India.People from all over the India throngs over here every year.The temple has typical sculpture.
Langta Baba Samadhi sthal
Langta baba was a saint of the locality, and is worshiped like a god. Offering chadar to his samadhi is a ritual followed here. You can take back a chadar in lieu of the offered chadar which is an auspicious possession. His samadhi sthal is in Kharagdiha, 30 Km West of the town.
BETLA NATIONAL PARK
Betla is situated at 25 km. away from Daltonganj, 70 km. from Latehar and 170 km. From Ranchi. It is well connected by Rail and Road. The nearest airport is Ranchi which is about 180 km. From Daltonganj and 195 km. From Betla and patna air port is about 250 kms. From Betla, the tourist headquarter of the Palamu Tiger Reserve. Daltonganj and Barwadih is an important Railway station where all trains have stoppage. Betla is most important tourist place of jharkhand having luxiuriant Sal and miscellaneous trees and bamboo forests. 226 sq. km. Of Betla forest has been declared as Betla National Park and 753 sq. km. Of forest has been declared as Palamu Sanctuary. The forest starts from Kechki and extended up to Neterhat. The forest has 970 species of identified plants, 174 species of birds, 39 species of Mammals, 180 species of Medicinal plants, besides reptiles and other species. It is proposed to create a tourist complex at Barwadih. It has police station, post office, Market, Health facilities and block Headquarter. The main wild animals found are:-Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, India Gaur (Bison), Chitalor, Sambher, wild boar and sloth bear. There are accommodation available in forest tourist cottages, Forest Rest House, Tourism deptt. Hotel and private hotels having well furnished facilities. Private jeeps, guides are available to go around the area. There are two elephants are available at Betla for tourist to get around the reserve to see the wild animals. Rupees 40/- per trip ( for two hours) for 4 persons are being charged. This is the main attraction for tourist. Palamau Tiger Reserve is very rich in biodiversity and various wild life species have been included in Red data book of the I.U.C.N. (International union for Conservation of nature and natural resources) and the appendices of C.I.T.E.S. (Convention on International trade in endangered species of flora and fauna).
MASSANJORE
Masanjore is a famous picnic spot situated in Dumka District of Jharkhand. This small village is about 31 km south of Dumka. The picturesque Tilpara Barrage (also Canada Dam) on the Mayurakshi River is a major draw. The dam is bounded by hills and forests, a perfect place for outing. Mayurakshi Bhawan Bungalow and Inspect & station Bungalow offer excellent and comfortable accommodation in the village. By road, Masanjore is connected with Vakreshwara (59 km), Sainthia (50 km), Tarapith (70 km), Rampurhat (62 km) and Deoghar (98 km). Masanjor dame or the Pearson dame on rever Mayurakshi is a picturesque place on foot hills of long range of forest clad parallel hill ranges. This place is basically a hydro electric power generating center but in the process of time it has become popular center for the tourist. With the beautiful garden on the down hill and two beautiful Dak-bunglows on the bank of the river at charm to its beauty.
Baba Basukinath Dham
Basukinath is located in Dumka District of Jharkhand. It lies on the Deoghar – Dumka state highway and is around 25 km north-west of Dumka. It is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus. Basukinath Temple is the main attraction here.Jasidih Junction Railway Station and Jamtara Railway Station are the nearest railheads. Ranchi Airport is the nearest airport. It is situated at Jarmundi Block on Dumka Deoghar State Highway at a distance of 24 km from the Distrcit headquarters Dumka. In a year lacs and lacs people from different parts of country come here to worship Lord Shiva. In the month of Shravan people of several country also come here to worship Lord Shiva.
Baba Sumeshwarnath
It is a religious place which is situated in Saraiyahat Block at the distance of 60 km from district headquarters Dumka. There is a big temple of the Lord Shiva. On the eve of Mahashivaratri the people of different parts of the district come here to worship Lord Shiva in addition to daily worshiping.
Tatloi
It is a hot water Spring, situated at a distance of 15 km from the district headquarters of Dumka. It is rounded by small mounts, beautiful, attractive and greenish natural atmosphere. The water of spring is very clear and healthy.
Mallooti
Mallooti is a historical and religious place which is situated in Shikaripara Block on Dumka Rampurhat interstate highway at a distance of 55 km from Dumka District headquarters. In 1860 Mallooti was made tax free capital by the then King Basant Rai alias Basant. This Mallooti is associated with the archaeological and religious importal place for natural beauty.
Hill Range
Running south from pakur to godda.The hill range of Dumka seen parallel and terminate in the Mangalbhanga hill. To the south east of Dumka is Ramgarh hills further west 2 parallel ranges of hills also stretch in an east direction from Masanjore to Ranibhal. Beside hill ranges some hillocks are also in like (i) Lagwa hil at Nonihat under which lies the Tatloi hot water stream (ii) Hijla hill top.(iii) Sapchala hill top.(iv) Chuto pahadi.Maluti (Temple villege on way to Rampurhat).
MAITHON (Dhanbad)
Constitutes one of the most accomplished and successful river valley projects of India, which was a part of the First Five Year Plan after India’s independence. The Damodar Valley region, which Maithon froms a part of, is often hailed as the Ruhr Valley of India.
Charak Pathar
The village is situated in Govindpur development block. It is a very large ancient boulder of white stone. It derives its name from this stone.
Meva
The village is situated in Nirsa-cum-Chirkunda Block . It contains ancient pillars said to date back to the time of Emperor Ashoka. There is also a large stone image said to be of Ashoka himself.
Topchanchi
The village is the headquarters of the development block being the same name. It is situated on the Grand Trunk Road. The Parasnath Hill is located nearby. The Topchanchi Water Reservoir spreads over an area of 214 Ac. It is a noted picnic spot.