Jharkhand State Information

Capital : Ranchi

Districts :22

Languages: Hindi, Santhali and other tribal languages and English

Introduction to Jharkhand

Indian parliament passed the Bihar Reorganization Bill on August, 2, 2000 to create the
state of Jharkhand. The state comprises of twenty-two districts of the erstwhile Bihar
(eighteen at the time of bifurcation). With an area of 74,677 Sq km, the new state is
bordered by Bihar, Chattisgarh, Orissa, and West Bengal to its north, west, south and
east respectively. Around 35% of the population of former Bihar is in the Jharkhand
region.

Geography of Jharkhand

Jharkhand is located in the eastern part of India bordering the states of Bihar, West
Bengal, Orissa, and Chattisgarh. Tropic of Cancer passes through Kanke, few
kilometers away from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, making it the only state in India
touched by Tropic of Cancer. Most of the Jharkhand region is part of Chotanagpur
plateau, which also extends to some parts of West Bengal, Chattisgarh, and Orissa.
This region is made up of ancient stone Arkiyan Granite Tatanis.

Brief History of Jharkhand

Jharkhand share its history with Bihar and was part of the great empires of Nandas,
Mauryas, Sungas and Guptas. In the 13th century, Raja Jai Singh Deo of Orissa had
declared himself the ruler of Jharkhand. However, during the medieval period,
Jharkhand rarely enjoyed the status of an independent state; rather it swayed with the
fortunes of Delhi, Jaunpur and Bengal. For a long time, Jharkhand was remained as a
part of Bihar, but after Indian independence, the demand for a separate state of tribals
started gaining momentum. Jharkhand became a state under the Republic of India on
November 15, 2000 and now it is poised for a great leap forward.

Government of Jharkhand

Madhu Koda is the Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

Districts of Jharkhand

The state was formed with 18 districts, which were formerly part of Bihar. Some of these
districts were reorganized to form 4 new districts, namely, Latehar, Saraikela
Kharsawan, Jamtara and Sahebgunj. Presently, the state has 22 districts Districts:
Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla district, Simdega, Palamu, Latehar, Garhwa, West
Singhbhum, Seraikela Kharsawan, East Singhbhum, Dumka, Jamtara, Sahebganj,
Pakur, Godda, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Koderma, Giridih, Dhanbad, Bokaro & Deoghar,

Economy of Jharkhand

Born out of partition from old Bihar state in 2000, Jharkhand produces about 40% of the
output of the old Bihar state. Being rich in minerals, the state is one the most
industrialized regions of the country today. The region accounts for 35.5% of the
country's known coal reserves, 90% of its cooking coal deposits, 40% of its copper, 22%
of its iron ore, 90% of its mica and huge deposits of bauxite, quartz and ceramics. It is
home to the largest steel plant in Bokaro, apart from Jamshedpur being practically the
city of TISCO and TELCO. There are other important companies such as HEC in
Ranchi and MECON in Ranchi, which are contributing to the growth of the state.
Agriculture was never the mainstay of economy in the region of Jharkhand but almost
80% of the population in this mineral-rich state is dependent on agriculture. Rice is the
major crop in the state with pulses and wheat being the other ones. The state is
focusing on increasing the land under cultivation, development of the irrigation facilities,
and development of agriculture-related business.

Travel Information of Jharkhand

Ranchi, the capital city of state has its old world colonial charm even now. On the
outskirts of Ranchi lies the famous Tagore Hill, named after Rabindranath Tagore who
is believed to have written a part of his famous Gitanjali here, besides other poems. At
the other end of Ranchi is the Kanke Dam, which is ever crowded with tourists. A few
kilometers from the dam is the 17th century Jagannath Temple where the annual Ratha
Yatra is held in the month of June/July. On Ranchi - Hazaribagh road is the War
Cemetery, which is the smallest ‘concentration’ cemetery in India with a total of 708
burials, which includes a soldier of the army of undivided India, besides various other
countrymen who fought for the British cause. The graves are well classified and all of
them deserve attention for their appealing epitaphs. Mc Cluskieganj is a small village
near Ranch. It evokes nostalgia and one gradually discovers that the place was once
popular with the Anglo-Indian community. Filmmakers have taken note not only of the
spectacular natural beauty, clean air and extravagant greenery, but also of the village
itself, a heady mix of the untamed and the sophisticated. Some of the houses here have
retained their English names together with the epitaph of ‘haunted house’. During the
1950s, there were no less than 100 Anglo Indian families with their typical cottages,
clubs and shops. There are many other destinations worth a visit such as Betla National
Park (Palamau), Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary, Netarhat, Rajrappa, Parasnath,
Deoghar.

Rivers of Jharkhand

The principal rivers are the Damodar, the Suvarnarekha, the Barakar and the Koel.
Education in Jharkhand

The literacy rate of Jharkhand is 54.13% according to census in 2001. Jharkhand has a
network of government and privately run schools, although standards of teaching vary
considerably from place to place, as also from school to school. It has some of the best
schools in country, namely DAV Shyamali, Ranchi, DPS Ranchi, Denobli Sindri,
Denobili School, Mugma, Dhanbad, Loyola School, Jamshedpur and Little Flower
School, Jamshedpur. Jharkhand has 7 Universities: Ranchi University, Ranchi; Sidhhu
Kanhu University, Dumka; Binova Bhave University, Hazaribagh; Birsa Agricultural
University, Kanke, Ranchi; Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, National Institute of
Technology, Jamshedpur and the Indian School Of Mines, Dhanbad. There are three
medical colleges in Jharkhand namely Rajendra Institute Of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at
Ranchi, M.G.M. Medical College Jamshedpur and Patliputra Medical College And
Hospital (PMCH) at Dhanbad. The famous business school Xavier Labour Relations
Institute (XLRI) is at Jamshedpur.

Food of Jharkhand

Rice is the most important part of any meal in the Jharkhand while pulses and
vegetables add immense value to it. Bread is generally taken at the time of dinner with
pulses and vegetables again. Tribal population makes their own local brew Hanria,
made of rice that has a hard smell. Initially tribes of this region were more into hunting
and wild animals, but nowadays most of them are into agriculture and hunting is limited
to a very small segment of the population.

Arts & Culture of Jharkhand

Jharkhand is home to several tribes. They not only differ considerably from the non-
tribal population but from one another as well. The most ancient among them are the
Mundas, while the Santhals were the last of the tribes to settle in Jharkhand. Unlike the
dark brown or almost black complexion of most of the aboriginals, Cheros are light
brown and bear Dravidian physiognomy, as they appear to have migrated from the sub-
Himalayan tract. Other tribes are Hos, Oraon, Karias, Birhors, Sauria, Paharias, Mal
Paharias, Birjias, Asurs, Bhumijs, etc.

The tribal society of Jharkhand has rich tradition of arts and crafts that is quite visible in
the rock paintings of this region that dates back to more than 5000 years. The best
place to experience the arts and craft traditions of this state is Tribal Research Institute
and Museum at Ranchi. The tribes of Jharkhand are expert in making plates made up of
Sal leaves joined together by tiny sticks. You can also have a taste of local brews like
Mahua and Hanaria that flow like water in this region.

Dance & Music of Jharkhand

Dance and music are integral part of tribal life in Jharkhand. Every festival for the tribes
in this state is an opportunity to enjoy with music and dance going on continuously and
without any hindrances. Most of the community dance and music takes place on the
occasion of Sarhul, the most important tribal festivals. For community dance and music
celebrations, a large expanse of land is left in most of the villages.

Festivals of Jharkhand

Sarhul is the most important festival of all the tribes in Jharkhand, though the way to
celebrate the festival is slightly different from one to another. Sarhul, which also means
Sal tree blossom, makes the tribal communities worship the tree of Sal to seek the
blessings of their spirits. The festival is marked by extensive dance and music programs
and unhindered drinking of Hanria (a local brew made of rice). Mukka Sendra is another
festival that is celebrated just ones in every twelve years by Oraon women. During this
festival, women of the tribe wear all the male cloths and gears and explore the entire
region to hunt for animals. The hunting process continues for entire day and they can
kill any animal whether it is a pet or wild one.