Raipur, Chhattisgarh

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This article is about Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh. For other places, see Raipur (disambiguation).
Raipur,Chhattisgarh

रायपुर
—  capital  —
Raipur
Raipur,Chhattisgarh
Location of Raipur,Chhattisgarh
in Chhattisgarh and India
Coordinates 21°08′N 81°23′E / 21.14°N 81.38°E / 21.14; 81.38Coordinates: 21°08′N 81°23′E / 21.14°N 81.38°E / 21.14; 81.38
Country India
State Chhattisgarh
District(s) Raipur
Mayor Mrs. Kiranmayi Nayak
Population

• Density

 1,122,555 (2011)

• 4,967 /km2 (12,864 /sq mi)
Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)
Area

• Elevation

 226 km2 (87 sq mi)

• 314 metres (978.2 ft)
Website www.raipur.nic.in

Raipur About this sound pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi: रायपुर) is the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Raipur District. It was formerly a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of Chhattisgarh was formed on November 1, 2000. The population is 1,122,555 (as per census of India, 2011).

Contents

[edit] Geography

Raipur is located near the centre of a large plain, sometimes referred as the "rice bowl of India", where hundreds of varieties of rice are grown.[1] The Mahanadi River flows to the east of the city of Raipur, and the southern side has dense forests. The Maikal Hills rise on the north-west of Raipur; on the north, the land rises and merges with the Chota Nagpur Plateau, which extends north-east across Jharkhand state. On the south of Raipur lies the Baster Plateau.

[edit] History

Raipur district is important in historical and archeological point of view. This district was once part of southern Kosal and considered to be under Mourya Kingdom. Raipur city had been the capital of the Haihaya kings, controlling the traditional forts of the Chhattisgarh for a long time. The town of Raipur has been in existence since the 9th century; the old site and ruins of the fort can be seen in the southern part of the city. Satawahana kings ruled this part till the 2nd–3rd century.

In the 4th century AD the king Samudragupta had conquered this region and established his domination till fifth–sixth century when this part had come under the rule of Sarabhpuri kings. For some period in the fifth–sixth century, Nala kings dominated this area. Later on Somavanshi kings had taken the control over this region and ruled with Sirpur ("City of Wealth") as their capital. Mahashivgupt Balarjun was the mightiest emperor of this dynasty. His mother, the widow queen of Harshgupta of the Somavansh, Rani Vasata built the famous brick temple of Lakshman. The Kalchuri kings of Tumman ruled this part for a long time making Ratanpur as capital. The old inscriptions of Ratanpur, Rajim and Khallari refer to the reign of Kalchuri kings. It is believed that the King Ramachandra of this dynasty established the city of Raipur and subsequently made it the capital of his kingdom.

Another story about Raipur is that King Ramachandra's son Brahmdeo Rai had established Raipur. His capital was Khalwatika (now Khallari). The newly constructed city was named after Brahmdeo Rai as 'Raipur'. It was during his time in 1402 that Hajiraj Naik the temple of Hatkeshwar Mahadev was constructed in the banks of river Kharun. The decline of this dynasty's rule came with the death of King Amarsingh Deo. This region had become the domain of Bhosle kings after the Amarsingh Deo's death. With the death of Raghuji the III, the territory was assumed by the British government from Bhonsla'a of Nagpur and Chhatisgarh was declared a separate commissionery with its headquarters at Raipur in 1854. After independence Raipur district was included in Central Provinces and Berar.

[edit] Climate

Raipur
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
6.7
 
28
13
 
 
12
 
31
17
 
 
25
 
36
21
 
 
16
 
40
25
 
 
19
 
42
28
 
 
190
 
37
27
 
 
381
 
31
24
 
 
345
 
30
24
 
 
230
 
31
24
 
 
54
 
32
22
 
 
7.4
 
30
17
 
 
3.7
 
27
13
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: IMD

Raipur has a tropical wet and dry climate, temperatures remain moderate throughout the year, except from March to June, which can be extremely hot.The temperature in April-May sometimes rises above 48 °C (118 °F).These summer months also have dry and hot winds. The city receives about 1,300 millimetres (51 in) of rain, mostly in the monsoon season from late June to early October. Winters last from November to January and are mild, although lows can fall to 5 °C (41 °F).

[edit] Transport

Raipur is situated on the Mumbai-Howrah route of the Indian Railways (via Bhusawal, Nagpur, Bilaspur, Kharagpur) and is well connected with almost all major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kota, Ahmedabad, Jaipur et cetera. National Highway 6 (Akola - Kolkata) passes through Raipur. National Highways 43, 200 and 12A link the city with Vizag and Jabalpur. Swami Vivekananda Airport is the city's airport located 15 km away from the center. The airport has seen a surge in traffic post 2006 and presently connects Raipur to most of the major airports of India & operate 32 Flight Daily

For the intra-city travel, a bus service is provided by Raipur City Bus Limited (RCBL). Raipur Municipal Corporation launched the Raipur City Bus service on 25 Feb 2008. The company runs 40 buses out of which 32 are low floor Tata Starbuses. Also auto-rickshaws are available all over the city.

Raipur Airport old terminal building

[edit] Economy

Historically, when Raipur was a part of Madhya Pradesh, it was the second major commercial centre in Madhya Pradesh after Indore. Traditionally, Raipur's economy has been based on agricultural-processing and saw-milling. The city is located centrally in the state of Chhattisgarh, and now serves as a regional hub for trade and commerce for a variety of local agricultural and forest products.

The traditional face of city has changed with Raipur becoming an important regional commercial and industrial destination for the coal, power, steel and aluminium industries. Raipur is Largest market of Steel in India. Raipur is among the richest cities and India’s biggest iron market; there are about 200 steel rolling mills, 195 sponge iron plants, more than 6 steel plants, 500 agro-industries and more than 35 ferro-alloy plants. There are more than 800 rice milling plants, and all major and local cement manufacturing companies have a presence in the city.

Raipur also has a big chemical plant, Prachi Resins Pvt. Ltd, which produces formalin and is distributed throughout the country.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2011 India census,[2] Raipur had a population of 11,22,555. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Raipur has a reported literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 65%. 13 percent of the population is under 6 years of age.

Being an important regional centre and a city with a history stretching back more than a thousand years, Raipur has attracted people from different parts of Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring states. The population includes local ethnic Chhattisgarhis, North Indians, South Indians, and a few people from the North East. Local ethnic Chhattisgarhi comprises Kurmi, Swarnkar, Teli, Koshta and Satnami communities. The city is also inhabited by the trading communities like Baniyas, Agarwals, Jains, Gujaratis, and Marwaris. Due to close proximity with Orissa there is large numbers of Oriya population found in the city as well as in the state. The city is also home to an immigrant population that includes Sindhis and the Sikhs. It also has a sizable Bengali, Telugu, Malayalee and Maharashtrian population. Majority of the population in Raipur is Hindu. Muslims and Christians are minorities. Muslims primarily reside in such areas as Moudhapara (occupied by the immigrants from UP and Bihar), Baijnathpara, Chota Para, Momin Para (Shia Islam community) and Byron Bazaar (which is named after a Briton who is supposed to have formed the place; Byron Bazar was once mostly inhabited by the Muslims from the "Madras Paltan" i.e. those serving in the British Army (Madras Regiment), and had occupied Byron Bazaar as a result of their regiment getting disbanded). The Christian population is scattered around the city. This city is also populated by the people of Gond community.

[edit] Education

NIT Raipur

Raipur is fast emerging as a hub for education in the region as number of institutes of national repute have come up.

[edit] Primary and secondary education

There are many Government & Private schools in Raipur. Some prominent government schools of raipur are:

  • J R Dani Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School
  • Govt. Hindu High School
  • Kalibadi
  • Govt. Multipurpose High School
  • Kendriya Vidyalaya

Other notable private schools include:

  • Salem English School
  • Rajkumar College, Raipur
  • Gyan Ganga Educational academy
  • DPS, Raipur
  • Holy Cross School, Kapa & Byron Bazar
  • Krishna Public School, Raipur
  • Holy Cross School, Pension Bada, Raipur
  • St.Vincent Pallotti College
  • St. Xavier's High School,Raipur
  • Desh Bandhu School,Raipur
  • Ararsh Vidyalaya,Raipur
  • Balaji Vidya Mandir,Raipur
  • Radiant Public School,Raipur

[edit] Universities and deemed universities

Administrative Building of Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, India

[edit] Architecture colleges

[edit] Engineering colleges

[edit] Medical colleges

  • Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College, Raipur
  • Govt. Ayurvedic College
  • Govt. Homeopathy College
  • Govt Yunani Medical College

[edit] Healthcare

Most modern healthcare facilities are now available in Raipur. Some major hospitals are :

[edit] Some prominet religious places

  • Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple
  • Dudhadhari Montesary and Temple
  • Mahamaya Temple
  • Banjaari Dham
  • KaliBadi
  • St Paul Church


.

[edit] Media

[edit] Newspaper

Many national and local newspapers are published from Raipur both in Hindi and English:

Newspaper Language Notes
Dainik Bhaskar Hindi
Nava Bharat Hindi
Deshbandhu Hindi Mr. Lalit Surjan, MD of Deshbandhu acted as the Chairman of NIT Raipur until 2010
Nayee Duniya Hindi
Patrika Hindi
Haribhoomi Hindi
The Central Chronicle English
The Hitavada English

[edit] Radio

Raipur has 6 Radio stations & from the beginning Radio Mirchi is leading the private FM Radio space :

Radio Station Name Radio Frequency
Radio Mirchi 98.3 MHz
Akashwani Raipur 981 kHz
MY FM 94.3 MHz
Rangila FM 104.8 MHz
Radio Tadka 95 MHz
Vividh Bharti 101.6 MHz

[edit] Entertainment

[edit] Shopping malls

Name Location Multiplex
City Mall 36 G.E Road,Telibandha INOX
Magneto,The Mall G.E Road,Telibandha PVR Cinemas
RK Mall Amanaka Railway crossing Glitz Cinemas
Chhattisgarh City Center Devendra Nagar,Pandri Cinemax
Colors Mall (upcoming) Pachpedi Naka Glitz Cinemas(proposed)
Treasure Island (upcoming) NH 6,Near Agri University Fun Republic(proposed)
Ambuja City Centre(upcoming) Vidhansabha Road Not finalised

[edit] Attractions in the city

  • Mahant Ghasidas Museum - It was built in 1875 by Raja Mahant Ghasidas, King of erstwhile Rajnandgaon state.
  • Guru Tegh Bahadur Museum - It was built in honour of Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur situated near Ghasidas museum.
  • Sushilpikangan - The Art Gallery:Gallery of Chhatisgar / Bastar art where you can find Dhokra arts with finest workmanship.
  • Shabari handicrafts emporium and Chhattisgarh Haat - These are famous for uplifting the local artist and craftsman.
  • Mahakoshal Kala Parishad - This is a historic place for the exhibit of arts and paintings.
  • Purkhauti Muktangan Meuseum - This is being developed by Government of Chhattisgarh, Culture Department under Ministry of Tourism.It is spread over 18 hectares exhibiting entire Natural Resources with existing infrastructures, industries, places of tourists attraction, etc. including the VISION 2020
  • Vivekananda Sarovar (Burha Talab) - It is a very old lake which is as old as the city. A huge statue of Swami Vivekananda has been build in between the lake. The lake has color-light fountains
  • Nandanvan - It is a mini zoo in the western fringes of the city on the banks of river Kharoon
  • Nagar Ghadi (City Clock Tower) - It is a clock tower situated in one of the busiests squares of the city. This clock plays a different local folk tune every hour(24 tunes in a day).
  • Gaurav path (The pride way) - This is a stretch of G.E road within the city which has been decorated with beautiful sculpture and plantation on both sides.
  • Rajiv Smriti Van and Urja Park (Energy Park)- This is a theme park built in the memory of Rajiv Gandhi.The unique feature here is that everything runs on solar energy.
  • Shaheed Smarak Bhavan- A huge and beautiful building with an art gallery and an auditorium dedicated to the freedom fighters of India
  • MM Funcity - A water cum amusement park in the eastern outskirts of the city .
  • Water World Resort - A water park on the banks of river kharoon in the south-western part of the city
  • New Raipur Municipal Corporation Building - The new building of the Raipur Municipal Corporation is a latest attraction in the city. It a 7 storeyed building built with a mix of ancient and modern architecture. The building is illuminated in blue light at night
  • 5D shows - Raipur is one of the few cities in India which have three 5D theatres. These are located in Magneto Mall ,City Mall 36 and CG City Centre

  • Mahant Ghasidas Museum

  • Purkhauti Muktangan

  • Vivekananda Sarovar(Burha Talab)

  • Nagar Ghadi at night

  • Sculpture at Gaurav Path

  • A musical fountain at Urja Park run by solar energy

  • Raipur Municipal Corporation Building

[edit] Notable people associated with Raipur

The building in Raipur where Swami Vivekanand lived for 2 years

[edit] International relations

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.walkincg.com/Chhattisgarh/ChhattisgarhState.aspx
  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. 
  3. ^ http://www.vivekananda.net/ReminiscenesOnSwami/BhupendranathDatta.html
  4. ^ Carter 1990, p. 44

[edit] External links

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