Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a relatively younger state in India. This western Indian state is formed in 2000 out of the larger central Indian state, Madhya Pradesh.
The name Chattisgarh literally means the land of 36 forts. That explains the heritage of Chattisgarh, though it many not be easy to trace and list the 36 forts.
Geographically Chattisgarh is landlocked by the 6 states - Madhya Pradesh (northwest), Maharashtra ( west), Andhra Pradesh ( south), Orissa ( east) , Jharkhand ( northeast), Uttar Pradesh (north).
Close to 50% of the sate is forest. The central plane of Chattisgarh is the fertile, and often referred as the rice bowl of the region. The north end of the state almost touches the fringes of the Indo-Gangetic place while the south part of Chattisgarh fall in the Deccan plateau.
Districts of Chhattisgarh: Bastar, Bilaspur, Dantewada, Dhamtari,Durg, Jashpur, Janjgir-Champa, Korba, Koriya, Kanker, Kawardha, Mahasamund, Raigarh, Rajnandgaon, Raipur, Surguja.
From a tourist attraction point of view , Chattisgarh offers an amazing variety.
The tourism map of Chattisgarh is generously sprinkled with ancient monuments, wildlife sanctuaries, temples, Buddhist sites,caves, rock paintings, palaces, waterfalls and other Natural attractions.
Major towns of Chhattisgarh: Jagdalpur, Bilaspur, Dantewada, Dhamtari, Durg, Jashpur, Naila Janjgir, Korba, Koriya, Kanker, Kawardha, Mahasamund, Raigarh, Rajnandgaon, Raipur, Ambikapur.
The princely state of Bastar has a history dating more than 600 years. This region now overlaps the southern districts of Chattisgarh.
The Chitrakote Falls, where the Indravati make a 96 ft, dive is often compared with the awe of the Niagara falls. So is the Tirathgarh Falls. Here Kanger river makes a cascade and drops about 100 feet as a series of steps.
With 50% forest cover all around, Chattisgarh has a rich biodiversity and home to some of the rare wildlife.
Keshkal valley, Kangerghat National Park, Kailash caves and Kutumbsar caves, are known for its heritage value and natural beauty. Achanakmar sanctuary, Udanti sanctuary are popular destinations.
Other important tourist destinations include Mahamaya temple at Ratanpur, Khutaghat waterfall, Dindneswari Devi temple in Mallahar , Pali waterfall , Kendai waterfall in Korba and so on.
Access :
The rail network in Chattisgarh is centered on Bilaspur, which is zonal headquarters of South East Central Railway of Indian Railways. Other main railway junctions include Raipur, Durg, Raigarh and Champa. These junctions are well connected to all the major cities of India.
Major airport is Raipur.
Also there are many national highways passing through Chattisgarh with connectivity to major towns withing the state, and also with major cities of the neighbouring states.
Attractions of Chattisgarh :
Amarkantak, Arang, Aranyak, Bastar, Bheemkhoj (Khallari), Bhoramdeo, Champaranya, Charama Valley, Chitradhara, Chitrakoot, Dantewada, Dhoomar, Dongargarh, Jagdalpur, Kailash, Kanak & Dongare, Kawardha, Keshkal Valley, Kotamsar, Kotamsar, Mainpat, Makar, Malhar, Mandra, Raipura, Rajim, Rani, Ratanpur, Sakal Narayan, Sheorianarayan, Sirpur, Tala, Tamda, Teerathgarh, Tular.
National Parks of India
India has more than 200 wildlife sanctuaries and about 100 of them are classified as National Parks. Here is a list of national parks of India. The names of the national parks are organized according to the state in which they belong to. Some of the national parks are speared over many states and only one state in listed in such cases. You can see the same list of national parks in India here arranged in the alphabetical order of their names.