Chhattisgarh, India

2012-02-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

Chhattisgarh (pop. 20,795,956), is a state in central India. The Indian government created Chhattisgarh in November 2000 by taking land from the southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh. The capital of Chhattisgarh is Raipur. Chhattisgarh has rich deposits of coal and many other minerals, including diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, and limestone. Despite its mineral wealth, Chhattisgarh is a poor state, and much of the population cannot read or write.

Brief Facts

Population: 17,620,000 (World Book estimate based on 1991 census).

Area: 52,198 sq mi (135,194 sq km).

Capital: Raipur.

Largest cities: Raipur, Bilaspur, Jagdalpur.

Chief products: Agriculture—Rice, millet, tendu leaves. Manufacturing—Steel, cement. Mining—Coal, bauxite, limestone, iron ore, phosphate, copper ore, asbestos, mica, dolomite, tin ore, diamonds, gold.

People

Many of Chhattisgarh's people belong to ethnic groups often referred to as tribes or tribal groups. The tribal groups in Chhattisgarh include the Gonds, the Halbas (or Halbis), the Kawars, and the Oraons. Special laws protect tribal groups from discrimination, ensure their political representation, and protect tribal language and culture. The government reserves some academic scholarships and government service positions for tribal people.

Government

The head of state is the governor, whom the president of India appoints to a five-year term. Chhattisgarh has a legislative assembly with 90 members elected from the state's 16 districts. The chief minister is responsible for the administration of the government. A cabinet of ministers chosen from the legislative assembly assists the chief minister. Chhattisgarh elects 11 members to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. The Chhattisgarh assembly nominates 5 representatives to the Rajya Sabha, India's upper house.

Land Features

The central part of the state is known as the Chhattisgarh Plain. It is surrounded by hill ranges with an average elevation of more than 985 feet (300 meters). In the northwestern part of the state, several hill ranges occupy the Baghelkhand Plateau, which has an average elevation of more than 1,970 feet (600 meters). In the northeast lies the Chota Nagpur Plateau, with elevations of more than 4,270 feet (1,300 meters). Just to the northwest of Raipur is the Maikal Range. South of the Kanker, Korba, and Mahanadi basins is the Parasgaon Plateau. Farther south are the Bastar Hills and Dantewara Plateau.

Rivers

The most important river in the state is the Mahanadi. It flows north and east through the Chhattisgarh Plain before entering the Hirakud Reservoir in Odisha (formerly Orissa). The Indravati River, a tributary of the Godavari, flows through the southern portion of the state.

Climate

Chhattisgarh is hot most of the year. It has a tropical monsoon climate, with over 75 percent of its rain falling during the monsoon season, which occurs between June and September. During the monsoon season, the average high temperature is 82 °F (28 °C) and the average low is 73 °F (23 °C). From March to June, the average daily high temperature is 106 °F (41 °C) and sometimes rises to 113 °F (45 °C). May and June, the months before the monsoon season, are the hottest and most humid of the year. In the winter months, November to February, the average high temperature is 82 °F (28 °C), and the average low is 50 °F (10 °C).

Animals & Plants

More than 40 percent of Chhattisgarh is covered by forests. The forests contain a rich variety of wildlife, including gaur (Indian bison), black buck, wild buffalo, chital (white-spotted deer), sambar (large brown deer), and leopards. Chhattisgarh is also rich in herbs and plants used for medicinal or other commercial purposes, such as tamarind, chironji, and karkatiya. There are several wildlife sanctuaries in Chhattisgarh, including Semarsot, Gomarda, and Udanti. Indravati National Park, in far southwestern Chhattisgarh, is a reserve for the endangered Indian tiger.

Agriculture

About 80 percent of the working population of Chhattisgarh is involved in agriculture. The soil of central Chhattisgarh is fertile, and much rice is grown there. The area has become known as India's rice bowl. In addition to rice, other important food crops include corn, jowar (sorghum), gram (chickpeas), and millets such as kodon and kutki. Only about one-fifth of the cropland is irrigated. Chhattisgarh suffered from severe droughts in the late 1900's and early 2000's.

Manufacturing

Chhattisgarh's manufacturing sector is underdeveloped. Manufacturing and industry are concentrated in the central parts of the state, particularly in the districts of Bilaspur, Durg, Korba, and Raipur. The main industries of Chhattisgarh include steel and aluminum processing, cement manufacturing, and rice milling. The state produces more electric power than it consumes, but less than one-third of all households in Chhattisgarh have electric power.

Mining

Chhattisgarh has rich deposits of limestone, iron ore, copper, phosphate, manganese ore, coal, asbestos, mica, and bauxite, the ore from which aluminum is made. The state holds about one-fourth of India's dolomite reserves. Diamond prospecting takes place in the Raipur district, and there is an extensive program to explore gold deposits in the Raipur and Raigarh districts.

Transportation

Chhattisgarh has limited railway and road networks. Only about 20 percent of the state's roads are paved. Bilaspur and Raipur are the chief railway centers. Raipur also has an airport. The lack of adequate transportation limits economic development in the state.

History

The earliest inhabitants of the region now known as Chhattisgarh were the Adivasis. They lived as hunters and gatherers or as nomadic farmers. The Adivasis, whose name means original inhabitants, now form Chhattisgarh's tribal population. Chhattisgarh became part of the Mauryan Empire, which ruled almost all of India from about 324 to 185 B.C. Sometime after 60 B.C., Chhattisgarh fell under the control of the Satavahana dynasty, which ruled a large empire in central India until around A.D. 400. Local rulers in Chhattisgarh paid tribute (money or gifts acknowledging another group's authority) to rulers of the Gupta Empire (A.D. 320-c. 500). Following the period of the Gupta Empire, various dynasties ruled Chhattisgarh. Around 1000, a branch of the Kalachuri dynasty established itself in north-central Chhattisgarh, near what is now Bilaspur. The Kalachuris are also called Chedis. The Kalachuris of Chhattisgarh became an independent dynasty and established a capital in Ratanpur. At about this time, the Nagavamsi dynasty began ruling in southern Chhattisgarh.

Indian State of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh, India