Raipur district General information
Raipur district is situated in the fertile plains of Chhattisgarh Region. This District is situated between 22o 33' N to 21o14'N Latitude and 82o 6' to 81o38'E Longtitude. The District is surrounded by District Bilaspur in North, District Bastar and part of Orissa state in South, District Raigarh and part of Orissa state in East and district Durg in West. The district occupies the south eastern part of the upper Mahanadi valley and the bordering hills in the south and the east.
Raipur district is administratively divided into 13 Tehisils and 15 revenue blocks. It comprises of two Lok Sabha Constituencies (Raipur and Mahasamund) and 13 Vidhansabha constituencies. Industrial development in this district is mainly because of availability of wide spread Minerals, Coal, Electricity and cheap labour cost.
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 AD.
In the 4th Century AD the king Samudragupta had conquered this region and established his domination till Fifth-Sixth Century AD when this part had come under the rule of Sarabhpuri Kings. For some period in Fifth-Sixth Century A.D., Nala kings dominated this area. Later on Somavanshi kings had taken the control over this region and ruled with Sirpur (Sripur-The city of Wealth) as their capital city. 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 A.D. 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 seperate Commissionery with its Headquarters at Raipur in 1854. After independence Raipur district was included in Central Provinces And Berar.
River
Mahanadi is the principal river of this district. Its tributaries being Sendur, Pairy, Sondur, Joan, Kharun and Shivnath. The fertility of lands of Raipur district can be attributed to the presence of these rivers. Mahanadi originating in the hills of Sihava flows in the direction of East into the Bay of Bengal. Mahanadi crosses the district diagonally from its south western corner to Northern boundaries. The area to the west of the river comprising the North Eastern part of Dhamtari (now separated from the Raipur District), the whole of Raipur, Rajim Tehsil and the western part of Baloda Bazar Tehsil is a part of the open Chhattisgarh plain, gently sloping, thickly populated and closely cultivated and almost devoid of forests. The plain also extends in a belt of about 13 to 15 kilometers east of Mahanadi, except between Sirpur and Kasdol where the hills are very closed. The Southern part of Mahanadi plain is about 305 metres above the M.S.L. , whereas the northern part is about 244 metres above the M.S.L.
Culture
The Culture prevailing in Raipur district is that of Chhattisgarh. 'Chhattisgarhi' is the local language that most of the people in this area love to converse in. Chhattisgarh culture in itself is very rich and interesting. 'Baigas' (traditional medical practitioners) apply their own methods (called Jhad phook) to cure diseases and snake bites etc. However, known for their modesty, kindness and adjustable nature people of this area are fond of variety in dressing, entertainment and way of living. This culture has unique styles of music and dance. Raut Nacha, Dewar Nacha, Panthi & Soowa, Padki and Pandwani are some of musical styles and dance dramas. Pandwani is a famous musical way of singing Mahabharata in this region. This particular music style has been brought into lime light by well known Teejan Bai and young Ritu Verma. Colourful dresses and variety of ornaments are worn by women and men of this part of country .
Various decorative items used by women are Baandha, 'suta', 'Phuli', 'Bali' and Khunti, 'Ainthi', Patta, Choora, Kardhani on waist, Pounchhi a ring for upper arm and Bichhiya worn on toes. Men also decorate themselves with Koundhi and Kadhah for occasions like dances.
Gouri-Goura, Surti, Hareli, Pola and Teeja are the main festivals of this area. Celebrated in the month of 'Savan' hareli is a mark of greenery. Farmers worship farm equipment and cows on this occasion. They place branches and leaves of 'Bhelwa' (a tree resembling cashew tree and found in the forests and villages of this district) in the fields and pray for good crop. People also hang small Neem branches at the main entrance of houses on this occasion to prevent occurrence of seasonal diseases.
Children play 'GEDI' (walking on bamboo) from the festival of hareli to Pola. They display various feats on GEDI and participate in GEDI race. Hareli is also beginning of festivals in this region. Pola and Teeja follow Hareli. People celebrate POLA by worshipping Bullocks. Bull race is also a major event of the festival. Children play with Nandia-Bail (Nandi the Vahan of Lord Shiva) idols made of clay and fitted with clay wheels. Teeja is the festival of women. All married women pray for the welfare of their husbands on this occasion. The custom is to perform this prayer at the parents' place of the women. The feeling of togetherness and social harmony is filled in every festival and art of Chhattisgarh culture.
Climate
Raipur has a tropical wet and dry climate, temperatures remain moderate for most of the year, apart from the summer from March to June, which can be extremely hot. The city receives about 1300 mm (51 inches) 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
Economy
Raipur is primarily a commercial city. Traditionally, the city of Raipur has been described as "an agricultural-processing and saw-milling town". 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. There are several small-scale industries, which include oil milling, soap manufacturing and electrical welding.
The traditional face of the city is changing, and the city of Raipur and its neighbourhood are now becoming an important regional commercial and industrial destination for the coal, power, steel and aluminium industries. Close to Raipur, several industries have developed:
* several cement units
* marble cutting and polishing industries
* granite cutting and polishing industries
Education
The state capital is served by these main universities:
* National Institute of Technology, Raipur
* Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla University
* Indira Gandhi Agriculture University
* the Hidayatullah National Law University
* Kishbhau Thakre Patrakarity Avam Jansanchar Vishwavidyalaya
* Swami Vivekanand Tecnical University
Apart from several colleges offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses, there are many professional educational institutes viz.
* Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College, Raipur
* Raipur Institute of Technology, Raipur
Colleges of Raipur --
1.Govt. Model Science College
2.swami vivekanand college [English medium]
3.St. Vincent Pallotti college[English medium]
4.Durga college
5.Central college
6.S.H.S.college
7.D.B.Girls college
8.Smt. Pramila Gokuldas Daga Girls College RAIPUR
9.Pragati college
10.Shanti niketan college
11.Chhattisgarh college
12.Vipra college
13.College of Dairy Technology
14.Chanakya College
15.Ayurvedic College
16.College of Agricultural Biotechnology
17.Datnteshwari College of Horticulture
18.Disha College of information Technology (DCIT)
19.Mats College Pandri
20.Pt.Harishankar College
21.AGRASEN COLLEGE,PURANI BASTI
22.Mahant College, Near Rang Mandir, Raipur
23.Goverment Engineering College, Raipur
24.Shri Ravatpura Sarkar Institute Of Tecnology, Abhanpur, Raipur.
Places of interest
Champaran: The village is identified with Champaranya, the birth place of the Saint Vallabhacharya, the reformer and founder of the Vallabh Sect for whom this place has religious sanctity. A temple was constructed in honour of Guru Swamy Vallabhacharya. Near to this Temple, there is the temple of Champakeshwara Mahadeva.
Sirpur or Shripur: Sirpur or Shripur the city of wealth has been mentioned in ancient epigraphic records and dates back to a periods ranging from between the Fifth and the Eighth century A.D. It was then the capital of the Sarbhapuriya and Somvanshi Kings of Dakshin Kosala or Chhattigarh. It was an important centre of Buddhist from the 6th the 10th century A.D. and was visited by Hieun Tsang, the 7th Century Chinese Pilgrimist and Scholar. Excavations in and around the village have yielded scores of temple sites constructed of bricks, stone pillars and sculptures such as the Shiva Temple of Panchayatan style and the beautiful sculpture of Mahishasuramardini.Two Buddhist monasteries have also been found.
The Lakshmana Temple found here is a brick temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is the only brick temple of its size still standing in this State. The door frame is of stone and a figure of the reclining Vishnu on the Sheshnag may be found on the Lintel. This temple was built by Vasata, the widow queen of Harsh Gupta of the Somvansh. Another temple is the GANDHESHESHWARA TEMPLE (formerly Gandharveshvara) and is interesting because of the Epigraphic records and Genealogy of the Kings of the Somvansh. Some extremely good Vaishnav sculptures are to be found in the Mandapa and several Jain, Buddhist and Hindu Sculptures have been collected in the precincts of the temple .
The most interesting feature of the Sirpur site is that archeological pieces connected with the Shaiv,Vaishnav, Jain and Buddhist religions (of approximately the same age) have been found side by side. The ruins are seen on the banks of numerous tanks existing within a radius of about 6 kilometers around Sirpur.
Turturiya: The Forest village Turturiya Situated on the bank of a spring called Turturiya or Sursuri Ganga contains numerous buddhist remains of 8th Century A.D. and the Brahmanical remains of later period. The site yielded numerous exquisitely sculptured pillars, remains of STUPA made of fine bricks, traces of bathing Ghats, Lingams figures of four armed Vishnu, Ganesha, a man hunting a lion with sword and a man wrestling with an animal. There are numerous heaps of ruins all of bricks, picked with stone. The place is of a great archaeological and anthropological interest.
Rajim:Situated on the right bank of the river Mahanadi was one of the important urban centres in the Mahakoshal region. It is famous for its fine group of temples. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu known as Rajivalochana Temple. The twelve pillars of the temple have tall single figures sculptured on the face like Durga with eight arms, the Ganga and Yamuna and exquisitely carved incarnation of Vishnu, Rama, Varaha (boar) and Narasimha (Man-cum-Lion) etc..