Raigarh

Raigarh, C.G रायगढ़,छ.ग.
City
Country	India
State	Chhattisgarh
District	Raigarh
Elevation	219 m (719 ft)
Population  (2012)
• Total	150,786
Languages
• Official	Hindi, Chhattisgarhi, Marwari
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	496 001
Area code	7762
Vehicle registration	CG 13
Sex ratio	1000/985 ♂/♀
Website	www.raigarh.gov.in

Raigarh is a City and a Municipal Corporation in Raigarh district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the administrative headquarters of Raigarh district. Raigarh is also known for its Coal reserves and power generation in the state as well as the country. The languages spoken in the city are Chhattisgarhi, Hindi, Marwari and Oriya.

The demographics of the town consist mainly people from Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Bihar. Additionally, a considerable community of Bengali, Telugu and Marathi speaking people live here.

It is rapidly growing as an industrial city of Chhattisgarh. One of the oldest Jute mill of India is situated here, Mohan Jute Mill; it was the only Jute mill in the state even in the undivided Madhya Pradesh. Raigarh is one of the major producers of Steel, Iron Ore and Power in the country. Raigarh is also known as cultural capital and industrial capital of chhattisgarh.

History

Main article: Raigarh State

Prior to Indian Independence, Raigarh was capital of Princely State of Raigarh. After the independence of the country, the princely state was the first ones to join the Union of India. The Royal family still resides here, but due to Privy Purse and internal conflicts, the royalty seems to have faded away. Moreover, the palace - Moti Mahal - is in very bad shape. It has recently been declared a heritage site by the state government.

Geography and climate

Raigarh is located at 21.9°N 83.4°E / 21.9; 83.4. It has an average elevation of 215 metres (705 feet). The Kelo river flows through the city, which is one of its main water sources.

The minimum - maximum temperature range is 29.5 - 49 °C in summer, and 8 - 25 °C in winter.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Raigarh district had a population of 12,69,925, and the city of Raigarh a population of 364,287. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Raigarh has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 62%. About 80% of the population are Hindus, 15% Christians and remaining 5% are other religions. In Raigarh, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

See also: List of cities in Chhattisgarh

The major languages spoken are Chhattisgarhi, Hindi, Marwari and Oriya.

Naya Raigarh

' Naya Raigarh' (New Raigarh) is the transformation of old Raigarh to a more planned and a plotted town. Located around National Highway NH-216, it is 10 km away in the south-east direction from the old town of Raigarh and 15 km before the proposed NTPC Lara-Pussore site. Kodatarai Airport (future's domestic airport of Chhattisgarh) separates the old Raigarh and new Raigarh and NTPC. Naya Raigarh will serve as the industrial capital of the State and also cater to the infrastructural needs of industry and trade in the region. Naya Raigarh spreads over an area of about 600 acres. It includes few villages out of which village Kodatarai forms the core of the Naya Raigarh. About half of the total acquired land is being used for afforestation, roads, parks, public conveniences, water facilities-canals, green belts etc. 23 percent of the land would be reserved for educational institutions, government offices and public auditoriums etc. 30 percent of the land will be used for residential and economical purposes.

Culture

Raigarh is a cultural city . It is famous for Kathak dance and classical Music. Raja Chakradhar Singh of Raigarh made prominent contribution to the development of Kathak Dance. This city has produced great katthak dancers like - Pt. Kartik Ram, Pt. Kalyan Das Mahant, Shree Firtu maharaj and Pt. Barman Lal. The School of Kathak is also known as Raigarh Gharana which is promoted by various disciples of this gharana such as Pt. Ramlal, Dr. Bhagwandas Manik, Vijaya Sharma, Manav Mahant etc. Every year on Ganesh Chaturthi a festival named 'Chakradhar Samaroh' is organized in which music and dance exponents from all over India visit and display their arts. This event is organized in the memory of the Great King and Musician Maharaja Chakradhar Singh.

Economy

Raigarh is famous for its 'kosa' or tasar (a kind of fine silk created by the silk worm feeding on mulberry fruit).

Kosa Silk culture at Kosabadi

Most of the public buildings in raigarh have been made by seth kirodimal and afterwards been made a part of a charitable trust. district government hospital, mahatma gandhi eye hospital, kirodimal polytechnic college, kirodimal degree college and many more important buildings in raigarh are a contribution by seth kirodimal to the general public of raigarh. It is also on the industrial map, with the world's second largest and India's largest sponge iron plants and 62 industries surrounding this hill city. It has transformed into a growing industrial hub for the steel market. Just 8 km from Raigarh city is the world's largest sponge iron and steel plant owned by Jindal Steel and Power Limited, and 20 km from the city is the Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd. Raigarh is an old city and the marketplace is congested with narrow and curving roads. Now the situations are changing drastically. It has become an industrial hub. More than 50 sponge iron plants have already been started in the vicinity of Raigarh and various industries are looking forward for opportunities. The new Raigarh consists of various shopping complex, broad four-lane roads, star hotels and much more.

Apart from these mainstream attractions, 'Dhokra Casting' or 'Bell Metal Casting' is world acclaimed art form of Raigarh. Based in the village of Ektal, the bell metal structures are famous for their aesthetic value.

Tendu patta collection is one of major source of economy for villagers, Raigarh District is one of major producer of rice.

Black Dust Pollution and its impact on Medicinal Flora in Raigarh

Victim of Fluorosis in Raigarh

Education

Raigarh is not far developed in terms of education but Raigarh still has of many schools and colleges which serve the students with the required education for a child.

Colleges

The major colleges consists of:
1. College of Agriculture - Boirdadar Raigarh.

2. O.P. Jindal institute of technology
3. Kirodimal institute of technology (K.I.T.)
4. Kirodimal Govt Polytechnich (KGP)
5. P.D.Commerce & Arts College
6. K.G. Arts & Science College
7. Swami Balkrishna Puri Law College
8. Aricent College (Sarguja University)
9. O.P. Jindal Community College
10. Kishori mohan tripathi govt. girls college.
11.Batmul Ashram College Mahapalli(Salheona).
12. maa mangala college.
13.Canary Academy (college of Distance Education)

Schools

The major schools are:
1. Aricent Public School
2. Carmel Convent Senior Secondary School
3. O.P. Jindal School
4. Govt Natwar Higher Sec School
5. Kendriya Vidyalaya
6. Sanskar Public School
7. Maharshi Vidya Mandir
8. Govt Girls Higher Sec School
9. Saraswati Shishu Mandir
10. Anand Vidya Bharati
11. Dav Public School
12. Dps
13. Municipal Higher Secondary School
14. Guru Dronacharya Higher Sec School
15. Aadarsh gramya bharti vidya mandir
16. Bachpan, 151 Gulmohar Colony, Near BSNL Office, Raigarh(A Play School)99262-01234
17. Salini Convent school, Boirdadar, Raigarh
18. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya,Raigarh
19. Guardian and guide senior secondary school
20. Industrial Training Institute, Raigarh
21. Govt. Higher Sec School Tarpur, Raigarh
22. Lok Many Tilak HSecondry School RAIGARH
23. Indian School Raigarh.
24. Lions Public School Raigarh.
25. Natwar Higher Secondary School and more.
26. Hemsundar Gupta GHSS Mahapalli.
27. Shree Sai Play School,Near Dhimrapur Chowk,Hanuman Mandir Gali,Raigarh[A Play School]

28. St. Micheal Hr. SC. SCHool RAmbhata RAigarh 29. Arya miri Hr. sc. school

Computer Education Centers

The major Computer Education Centers are:
1. Nic-Tec Computer Education Society,(Nirmala Group) Jutemill RAIGARH
www.nic-tecraigarh.blogspot.com http://nirmalasgroup.in/

2. shree computer center kotra road raigarh

   (AISECT COMPUTER CENTER KOTRA ROAD RAIGARH )

Transportation

Railways

Raigarh is a station on the Tatanagar–Bilaspur section of Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line. It comes under Bilaspur railway division. All express and some superfast trains stop here, while Gondwana express and Janshatabdi express originate at Raigarh. It is well connected with many major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kota, Patna, Ahmedabad, Jaipur etc., while for other destinations it has to depend upon Bilaspur railway station, which is a regional rail hub connected to every part of country and 132 km from Raigarh. The main railway station Raigarh is near the heart of the city. Kirodimal Nagar railway station is another suburb station of Raigarh city.

Airport

Raigarh Airport near Kondatarai is 9 km from the center. The State Government signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in July 2013 to develop Raigarh Airport as the state's second airport for domestic flights. A Four Lane road is proposed on NH 216 which will connect the airport to the city more efficiently. A private airport owned by the Jindal Steel and Power Limited is located 10 km North-west of the city.

Media

News channels

Many local news channels are Broadcast from Raipur in Hindi :

News Channels	Language
Zee 24 Chhattisgarh	Hindi
ETV MP Chhattisgarh	Hindi
Sadhna News	Hindi
Sahara Samaye	Hindi
CG 24 News (Cable Network)	Hindi
Abhi Tak (Cable Network)	Hindi

|| hindi

|| Hindi,Chhattisgarhi

Newspaper

Many national and local newspapers are published from Raigarh in Hindi:

Newspaper	Language	Notes Patrika || Hindi ||	Nava Bharat	Hindi
Deshbandhu	Hindi
Nayee Duniya	Hindi
Haribhoomi	Hindi
Raigarh Sandesh	Hindi
Kelo Pravah	Hindi
ISPAT TIMES	Hindi
prompt times	Hindi		daink bhasker hindi Tourism S.no. Place Description 1 Ram Jharna It is about 18 km from the District Headquarters. It has a natural water source. According to History, Lord Ram once had been here during his Vanwas, and drank water from the water source. Hence the name Ram Jharna. It is a very good picnic spot 2 Gomarda Reserve Forest It is situated in Sarangarh Tehsil. It is spread over 278 km2. It is a natural home for many rare wild animals like tigers, bears, etc. It is about 60 km from the District Headquarters 3 Temples Gaurishankar Mandir, Shayam Mandir, Banjari Mandir 20 km from District Headquarters, Pahadh Mandir, Goga Peer Mandir Jute Mill Road, Chandrahasini Mandir 30 km from Raigarh (Situated in Chandrapur, Distt. Janjgir-Champa 4 koilighughar It is about 62 km from the District Headquarters. It has a natural water source. According to history, Lord Shiva and bigger waterfall. It is an amazing picnic spot in Raigarh–Oriisa Road. 5 Parks Kamla Nehru Park, Haritima, Indira Vihar, Rose Garden, Eco Park and many more List of Upcoming and Existing Power Plants near Raigarh Project Promoter Location Capacity AES CG Energy Khamhar 1140 MW Athena CG Power Singitharai 1200 MW BES Power Sapos 500 Bhusan Power & Steel Dhumarpali 1000 MW DB Power Bada tundri 1320 MW Essar Power CG Dabra 1200 MW Green Infrastructure dhumarpali 1200 MW Hira Group Aurda 25 MW Jindal India Thermal Power Lohakhan 1320 MW Jindal Power Tamnar 2400 MW Jindal Steel & Power Dongamuaha 300 MW Korba West Power Bade Bhandar 600 MW NTPC Lara 4000 MW Patni Power Project Gorra 540 MW RKM Powergen Uchpinda 1400MW SKS Ispat & Power KHARSIA 1200 Suryachakra Power Corporation Sapos 600MW Topworth Raigarh Distt 600MW Monnet Ispat Bhupdeopur 600 MW Visa Power Kirtimal 1200 MW -| Sky Alloy || Temtema || 600 MW References Dr.Sanjay Alung-Chhattisgarh ki Riyaste/Princely states 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)