Jharkhand-At a Glance Welcome to the state of Jharkhand Introduction India is one of the mostly preferred destinations for international tourists. Tourism is a very promising industry in India. India is a country with a large number of tourist spots and attractive features. It is a country known for its culture, heritage, history and natural resources. All the states and union territories have a good number of tourist locations attaracing to the domestic and international tourists. State Profile Jharkhand is one of the state among 28 states of India, situated on eastern part of India. The capital of Jharkhand is Ranchi. The state of Jharkhand spreads over an area of 79,714 square kilometers. Jharkhand is bordered by Bihar in the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the west, Orissa in the south and West Bengal in the east. The major cities of Jharkhand are Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Hazaribag. The primary official language of Jharkhand is Hindi. Other secondary languages spoken here are Oriya, Urdu, Nagpuri, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Khortha, Sadri and Angika. Industrial Development & Economic Growth In Jharkhand Physiography (Mountain and Forest) In Jharkhand over 79,714 sq.km filled in with everlasting green forest which provides a great outlook on nature’s beauty and wildlife sanctuaries, lakes and waterfalls. This state is encamped with a lot of hill stations around starting from Chota Nagpur Plateau you have Bamiyaburu, Canary hills, Dharni Pahar, Dhwajadhari hills, Dimna Mountain, Gonda hills, Gotashila mountain, Gulgul hills, Hathi Pahar, Huluk hills, Kanhaiswar mountain, Koleshwari mountain, Kolhua hills Makamaro hills,Murhu hills, Panch Pandava Pahar, Parasnath hills, Rajmahal hills, Rakastongrithat hills, Ranchi hills, Saruat mountain, Tagore hills, Trikuti hills. Climate There are three well-defined seasons in Jharkhand. From November to February is the cold weather season is the most pleasant part of the year and the temperature is about 10 °C to 20 °C. From March to mid-June is the hot weather season. May is the hottest month, is characterized by daily high temperatures in the about 37 °C to20 °C. Maximum rainfall takes place during the months from July to September that record for more than 90% of total rainfall in the state. Short History The indigenous people of Jharkhand region fought against British to protect their interests. Many revolts took place from 1771 to 1900 A.D. The two brothers Sidhu and Kanhu spearheaded the Santhal Rebellion in 1855. The demand for the separate state of Jharkhand continued during the British rule in India. In 1948, Dar Commission rejected the plea for the separate Jharkhand on linguistic grounds. In August 1989, Union Home Ministry formed a committee to look at Jharkhand Matters. In 1995, Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council was set up. Finally on 15th November 2000, Jharkhand became the 28th state of India with 24 districts. State is known for what? Jharkhand is famous for its vast forest resources and variety of minerals like iron ore, coal, copper ore, mica, bauxite, graphite, limestone, and uranium. Transportation The state is well connected with other parts of India through its road network. Airways There are four airports in Jharkhand namely Birsa Munda Airport, Chakulia Airport, Nawadih Airfield and Sonari Airport. Among them Birsa Munda Airport located in Ranchi and Sonari Airport in Jamshedpur are the domestic airports that serve people. The Deccan Aviation, North East Shuttles, Air India, GoAir and Jet Airways operate flights from here. Railways Hatia Station, Ranchi Junction, Muri Junction, Madhupur Junction and Jasidih Junction are some of the prominent railway stations in Jharkhand. They come under the South Eastern Railway Zone. Roadways The national highways NH 100, NH 2, NH 23, NH 31, NH 32, NH 33, NH 78, NH 80, NH 75, NH 6, NH 98 and NH 99 pass through Jharkhand. Hence the state is well connected with other parts of India through its road network. Time zone, Currency and No. Of Districts Throughout the India, the time zone is same of all the States i.e. Indian standard Time +5:30 The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The new Indian rupee symbol INR is derived from the Devanagari. The first series of coins with this new rupee symbol was launched on 8 July 2011. The modern rupee is subdivided into 100 paise though this division is now theoretical; as of 30 June 2011, coin denominations of less than 50 paise ceased to be legal tender. Bank notes are available in nominal values of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 2000 rupees. Coins of the rupee are available in 1, 2, 5 and 10. Paise coins of the rupee have nominal values of 50, and lower denominations have been officially withdrawn. There are 24 districts in Jharkhand. They are Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla, Palamu, Latehar, Garhwa, West Singhbhum, Saraikela Kharsawan, East Singhbhum, Dumka, Jamtara, Sahebganj, Pakur, Godda, Hazaribag, Chatra, Koderma, Giridih, Dhanbad, Bokard, Deoghar, Khunti, Ramgarh. Historical Monuments/ Architecturally Significant Bulding / Mansions The historical monuments in Jharkhand has a rich history. A number of these Mounuments are recognised throughout the world. Monuments are belongs to Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim dynasties,Some of the main monuments are War Cemetery, Kauleshwari Devi Temple, Maithon-Dam and Tilaiya-Dam War Cemetery War Cemetery is the smallest 'concentration' cemetery in India with a total of 708 burials. Located on the Ranchi - Hazaribag road, it includes a soldier of the army of India. The graves are well classified and deserve attention for some of the poignant epitaphs like "may some gentle hand in the far off land lay down a flower for us. The Maithon Dam The Maithon Dam is located 48 km from Dhanbad, is 15,712 ft long and 165 ft. high. This dam specially designed for flood control generates 60000-k Watt of electricity. The unique feature of maithon dam is an underground power station, first of its kind, in whole of South East Asia. The dam is constructed on the Barakar River. Kauleshwari Devi Temple On Basant panchami and Ram navmi days, a large number of pilgrims flock to the hill top for worship. Sacrifice of goat in front of the temple is common. The temples and images are now a place of pilgrimage for the Hindus. The temple was built by the Jains with respects the the birth - place of the tenth Trithankar, Sitala Swami, and fragmented it about 150 years ago. Bhadrakali Temple Bhadrakali Temple is located on the banks of the Mahanad River is near Itkhori in Chatra District of Jharkhand. The deities of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist community can be found here, The image of Buddha is presented in black stone. Hindu devotees flock here to worship Goddess Kali. Apart from this, a pair of footprints can be seen, which is associated with Sheetal Nath, the 10th Trithankar of Jainism; Mallinath, the 19th Tirthanker and Parshwanath, the 23rd Tirthanker. Surrounded by dense forest, the temple’s adjoining areas are important historically as well as culturally. The temple is connected with G T Road, and is about 35 km east of Chatra and 16 km west of Chauparan. Ranchi Museum The Ranchi museum has a wide range that exhibits collections of artifacts and provide a comprehensive picture of peoples lifestyles and social structure. Hill stations The most famous Hill Stations of Jharkhand are Tagore Hills, Ranchi Hill, Gonda Hill. Tagore Hill Tagore hill is also known as Moradabad Hill, is a 300 feet altitude hill located in the beautiful haven of Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi and is named after the world famous poet, Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore. Ranchi Hill Ranchi Hill is one of the favorite tourist attractions in Ranchi. At the summit of the Ranchi Hill there is a temple devoted to Lord Shiva. The place is also considered to be one of the prime locations for trekking and rock climbing. For this reason, many adventure lovers are also attracted to the Ranchi Hill. Local people also use the place as a picnic spot. Gonda Hill The Gonda hill is situated 9 km north of Ranchi. A water reservoir is at the top of the hill, Kanke lake and dam is at the bottom of the hill and a rock garden carved out of the rocks is an ideal place for a picnic. The rock garden has several structures or statues made of granite, waterfalls and a swing made of iron bar, which has only two poles. The garden is similar to the Rock Garden of Jaipur. Zoo / Parks / Jungles / Garden The Bhagwan Birsa Zoo in Jharkhand's Ormanjhi town launched 'Adopt an Animal' program to involve participation of animal-lovers in the upkeep of the zoo inmates. As per the program, any citizen, family, institute or a corporate organization can adopt a zoo animal for a day, a month, three months a year, three years or five years, by bearing the cost of the animal's food and routine care. Birsa Munda Jaivik Udyan Garden Birsa Munda Jaivik Udyan is a zoological garden situated about 16 km from Ranchi, on the Ranchi-Patna highway near Ormanjhi. Rare flora can be spotted here. Deer Park A fast emerging and eye catching tourist spot, the Deer Park in Ranchi, encloses hundred of various species of deer. Beginning with 15 dears, the park has grown in number of deer and also in number of visitors. The park is a natural habitat to the dear. The park is placed a picturesque surroundings, with beautiful gardens, well laid pathways and playing parks for children.