Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh

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Bilaspur
Bilaspur
Location of Bilaspur
in Chhattisgarh and India
Coordinates 22°05′N 82°09′E / 22.09°N 82.15°E / 22.09; 82.15
Country  India
State Chhattisgarh
District(s) Bilaspur District
Mayor
Population
• Density		 330,291 (2001)
• 322 /km2 (834 /sq mi)
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation		 345.76 km2 (133 sq mi)
• 262 m (860 ft)
Website www.bilaspur.nic.in


See Bilaspur for disambiguation

Bilaspur is located in the Chhattisgarh region in the Bilaspur District, India. It is the third-largest city in the state with a population of 16948,83 (agglomeration 330,291) (2001 census). The High Court of Chhattisgarh is located here. It is the headquarters of Bilaspur District and is located 111 km (69 mi) north of the state capital of Raipur. Besides this it is also the headquarters of the South East Central Railway which comprises the Bilaspur, Nagpur and Raipur divisions.

Bilaspur is situated on the banks of the rainfed Arpa River which originates from the high hills of the Maikal Range of central India. This dolomite rich region is surrounded by lush green forests in the north and the coal mines of Hasdeo valley in the east. Bilaspur is known for its aromatic Doobraj rice, handloom woven colorful soft Kosa silk Saris, and more for its rich, varied and colorful culture.

Contents

[edit] History

Historical records like Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol 8, 1908 note that the city is said to be named after a fisher-woman by name Bilasa in the 17th century, and for a long period it consisted only of a few fishermen's huts. In 1901, population of Bilaspur was 18,937 and was 8th largest town in Central Provinces of British India. In 1908, weaving of tasar silk and cotton clothes were recorded as major industries of Bilaspur.

The management of Bilaspur district was undertaken by British Government in 1818, before this it was under harsh extortionist nature of marathaa rule for about 60 years. Bilaspur district was constituted in 1861. Bilaspur municipality was constituted in 1867. Famines in Bilaspur district before 1908 were recorded by British administration in 1828-9, 1834-5, 1845-6, 1868-9 and 1899–1900. In 1868-9 and 1899–1900, the rains failed almost completely, accompanied with severe distress, migration and desertion of villages. After 1868-9 famine, there was prosperity for next 25 years; but in 1895 there was a very poor harvest, followed in 1896 by a complete failure of crops, and severe famine prevailed through the year 1897. In 1997, mortality rate was as high as dying of one in every group of six people. Famine of 1897 was followed by two favorable years; but in 1899 monsoon failed completely and rice crop was wholly destroyed.

Guru Ghasidas[1], (1756–1836) started a religious movement Satnamis (meaning the worshippers of Satnam) between 1820 and 1830 primarily around Sonakhan forests. This religious movement preached that god is not idols or not in idols but god is synonymous to truth. His community was a farmer community though in Hindu caste hierarchy they have been put in Schedule caste. University at Bilaspur is named after him as Guru Ghasidas University.

Historically, Bilaspur was a part of Kalchuri dynasty of Ratanpur. The city, however, came into prominence around 1741, the year of the Maratha Empire invasion, when a Maratha official took up his abode there and began to build a fort which was never completed. The populace of Bilaspur suffered heavily during the famine of 1896–1897, during which the city experienced the highest death rate of the region.

The city was taken over by the British East India Company of Great Britain in the year 1854 when the then ruler of the region of the Mahratta kingdom died heirless.

Railways arrived at Bilaspur in the decade of 1880-90 under Bengal Nagpur Railway. The present Railway Station and Yard of Bilaspur was consturcted by famous Gujrati Railway Contractor of the city Jagmal Gangji in the year 1890. His son Mulji Jagmal Sawaria was later given title of "Rao Sahib" by British for his contribution in development of town, Railways and the District. Jagmal Block and Jagmal Chowk in city are named after this Kutchi Railway Contractor Jagmal Gangji Sawaria. In year 1888 Mistri Jagmal Gangji laid first Railway tracks from Rajnandgaon to Bilaspur and in 1890 he built Railway Station, Yard and Raiway Colony. In same year 1888 another fellow Kutchi Contractor Mistri Khoda Ramji built track from Bilaspur to Jharsuguda and bridge over Champa river.

[edit] Description

The city now, is spread over about 30 km² (12 mi²). Over the years, Bilaspur has developed with wide roads, cafes, hotels, street lighting and some beautiful squares. However the last decade has seen large scale unregulated urbanization and residential and commercial expansion, over straining the water resources and generally defunct civic amenities due to its indifferent officials and politicians.

The downtown is called Gol Bazaar (Circular Market). Gol Bazaar and Sadar Bazaar are buzzing and vibrant but overcrowded with slow moving traffic. In contrast there are some newly developed areas as well. Electricity is government regulated and frequent power cuts have become a routine especially during the summer months. The sewerage and drainage system is practically nonexistent, so much so, that like any other Indian town even the first shower of monsoon floods many areas.

The climate is pleasant and mild in the winter (10 °C, 50 °F). There are medium rains in the monsoon season. The summers are very hot and dry (maximum temperature 45+ °C, 113 °F, maximum humidity 90%).

The main languages spoken are Chhattisgarhi and Hindi, while Bengali, Sindhi,Punjabi and English is spoken by only a few.

[edit] Geography

Bilaspur is located at 22°05′N 82°09′E / 22.09°N 82.15°E / 22.09; 82.15[1]. It has an average elevation of 264 metres (866 ft).

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census[2], Bilaspur had a population of 265,178. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bilaspur has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 83% and female literacy of 69%. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Tourism

Places of interest in and around Bilaspur include:

  • Giraudhpuri, A religious place for the Satnami, They are the follower of Satnam Panth.(for more details visit www.satnami.com)

Besides having places associated with its ancient and cultural heritage, the city is also famous for its wildlife variety. This is because of its situation within the state. It is reputed for having some of the densest forests in the country and an even spread of hills and rivers. One of the places worth visiting is the Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary[2]. Famous for the variety of its wildlife, the sanctuary is spread over an area of 551 km² (213 mi²) and was setup in 1975 under the Wildlife Protection Act. The sanctuary is 55 km (34 mi) away form Bilaspur and is closed during the monsoon season.

Just before the entry into Achanakmar Wild Life Sanctuary, there is situated the Ghongapani Jalashya (Dam) with beautiful panoramic view. There is no place to stay though. It can be visited in the day time on way to Achanakmar.

Beyond the sanctuary on way to Amarkantak there are Government Guest Houses in Achanakmar, Keonchi, Lamni. These guest houses can be booked with governmental officials in the district head quarters. These guest houses are well built and the arrangements are also good.

The forest guest house at Lamni was built by the then British Officials. It is 1850 feet above sea level. It was built in June 1913 at the cost of Rs.3055.8 paise and 5 anas.

Within the sanctuary the presence of guar (Indian Bison) and tigers are very much in evidence, as reported by the multiple sightings by the visitors. Other animals include the leopard, chital, panthera, striped hyena, canis, sloth bear, dhole, sambar deer, nilgai, Indian four-horned antelope and chinkara populate the sanctuary in equal numbers.

Trips to the sanctuary can be organized via private taxi operators. A place to stay is the Panther Cottage, Malhaar where there is a beautiful stone carved historical temple ruin.

Located 55 km (34 mi) away is Khutaghat, where there is a dam and reservoir and it is possible to stay in the prebooked Irrigation Department. The beautifully located "Hill Top Rest House" overlooking the vast expanse of the blue water reservoir is chosen by many for accommodation. The Khudia Dam, which is 75 km (47 mi) away from the city, is equally beautiful but more remote.

Places of interest within the city include Vivekanand Uddyaan (a city Park), Kaanan Pindary zoo (8 km, 5 mi), Ramkrishna Ashram (5 km 3 mi), Arpa River Chat Puja Ghat.

The city celebrates all the major festivals of India. There are some local festivals such as the colorful Rout Dance (November). The city has a multicultural mix of locals and people that have migrated from Sindh (Pakistan), Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, etc. The city publishes four morning and one evening daily newspapers in Hindi. The town has been the home of some famous literary personalities including Sri Srikant Verma (Hindi) and Sri. Bimal Mitra (Bengali).

Local memorabilia include the handicrafts that are available in Khadi Bhawan, near Satyam Cinema. Kosa silk saris and cloth are available in Sadar Bazaar.

The best time to visit is from October to March. However, one can visit it anytime of the year to shop and to enjoy the diversity of the culture which is very different from other parts of the country and for the better for sure.

[edit] Transportation

Bilaspur is a regional hub for the railway system. It is the zonal head office of South East Central Railway. It is well connected to the rest of the country through the Indian Railways. The Rajdhani Express (Howrah-New Delhi) via. Bhopal bi-weekly connects Bilaspur to New Delhi. The station is on the main Mumbai-Kolkata (Calcutta) rail line with daily connections to Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad. It is also the originating station for daily trains to :

- 10 trains Bilaspur Intercity Express, Wainganga Express, Gondwana Express, Rajdhani Express, Tirunelveli Express, Mahanadi Express etc.
  • Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) and Raipur. Daily connections are also available for Amritsar, Agra, Gwalior, Roorkee, Haridwar, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Puri, Tatanagar, Patna, Chhapra, Gondia, Raigarh , Jabalpur and Durg. It is also connected by direct trains toKochi (Cochin), Chennai (formerly Madras), Bangalore,Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Porbandar, Gorakhpur and many other cities and towns in India.

The city is connected with Mumbai and Kolkata via Raipur through National Highway network. Bilaspur is on NH-200 connecting Raipur and Raigarh on either side. The city is connected with southern India by Tirunelveli - Bilaspur Super Fast.

Three-wheeled, black and yellow Auto rickshaws, referred to as autos, is a popular form of transport. They can accommodate up to eight passengers. Local transportation also includes human pulled Cycle Rickshaws, horse drawn Tongas. And just started City Bus services, which covers almost the city with a cheap fare.

Recently City Administration has started City Bus Service which is available on three routs at present i.e. 1) City Railway Station To Koni. 2) City Railway Station To Seepat. 3) City Railway Station To Usalapur.

There are regular buses and taxis that connect to all nearby towns and cities.

Bilaspur Airport is at Chakarbhatta, 10 km away. It is not served by any scheduled airline. The nearest airport that has regular flights for Delhi, Nagpur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhopal, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Indore, Pune, Visakhapatnam, and Chennai, is at Raipur, 110 km (68 mi) away.

[edit] Hospitals

[edit] Education

Bilaspur has developed as a centre of education for Chhattisgarh with students from all over the state coming to Bilaspur to study for engineering, medical and administrative officers' competitive exams. Recently three big schools were started in Bilaspur (i.e. The Jain International School, Brilient Public School & Delhi Public School). Along with the older schools, which provided excellent education, these new schools make Bilaspur the center for primary education too. Bilaspur is also developing on Information Technology and Services area. Now it is known as IT hub for Chattisgarh state. Infotech Institute of Information Technology and some other companis are already setup their centers for Complete IT Solutions.

[edit] Educational Institutes

[edit] Computer Institute & Center

  • Soft Computers-Learning Center Sikkim Manipal University, Tally Academy, SITD, RGCSM.

310 Jain Plaza, CMD Squre, Bilaspur(CG)495001.Director- Manish Jain.
web:Soft Computers

  • Infotech Systems Bilaspur
  • Arena Multi Media Bilaspur

[edit] Universities

[edit] Colleges

[edit] Schools

  • Kendriya Vidyalay
  • Jain International High School
  • DAV Public School
  • Delhi Public School
  • Don Bosco Public School
  • Bengali Higher Secondary School
  • Bharat Mata Higher Secondary School
  • Bharatmata English Medium School
  • Bharatmata Primary School
  • Burgess English Medium School
  • Brilliant Public School
  • Christian English School
  • Government Multipurpose Higher Secondary School
  • Maharashi Vidya Mandir
  • Mohanty English Medium School
  • Normal School
  • Pushparaj English Medium School
  • SEC Railway English Medium school
  • SEC Railway Hindi Medium School
  • SEC Railway Primary School
  • SEC Railway Single Teacher School
  • Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir Juna Bilaspur
  • Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir Tilak Nagar
  • Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir Sarkanda
  • Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir Rajkishore Nagar
  • Sheffer School
  • St. Francis Hr. Sec. School
  • St. Joseph Convent
  • Devaki Nandan Higher Secondary School
  • Shanti Niketan Public School
  • Mission Higher Secondary School
  • St. Xaviers School
  • Puskar Convent School Tifra Bilaspur CG.
  • Loyala School Rajkishor Nagar, Bilaspur CG.
  • H.S.M. Global Public School Dayal Band Bilaspur C.G.
  • Lalu Baba Public School, Chingrajpara Bilaspur

[edit] Software Sales Service Development

  • There are some reputed software development,sales & services provider in the city
    Soft Computers(http://www.softcomputersbsp.com/ ): Dealer Tally Software, Dealer Relyon Tax related software, Software Development.
    Soft Corner : Software Development.
    computer soft:Software Sales

[edit] Features

  • Hotels: There are many budget and mid-level hotels in the city. Hotel Intercity,Panchvati,Central point,Surya are eminent hotels, located in the city.
  • Malls: 4 new malls also developing here.
  • Medical facilities: One medical college and hospital managed by the University, One dental college managed by the Barfani Academia, one of the biggest 9 unit of the Apollo Hospital (http://www.apollohospitals.com/) and many private nursing homes and clinics.
  • Legal: The day the state of Chhattisgarh was constituted (1 November 2000) with its capital at Raipur, the High Court of Chhattisgarh was established at Bilaspur.it is the 19th high court of India
  • Banks: All major Indian Banks have branches and ATMs in the city.
  • WebSite: A web-site dedicated to provide information on Bilaspur ([ http://www.bilaspur.nic.in/ , http://www.merabsp.com/ ]) is being maintained by Data Spec.

Roadways: The city, because of unplanned roadways and random sewrage projects running across the city, is suffering heavy traffic congestion.


[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Bilaspur
  2. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Cities and towns in Bilaspur district
Bilaspur

Bilaspur · Bilha · Bodri · Deori · Gaurella · Kota, Bilaspur · Lingiyadih · Lormi · Mehmand · Mungeli · Pendra · Ratanpur · Sirgiti · Takhatpur
Cities and towns
in other districts
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