JHARKHAND

CAPITAL-RANCHI

LIST OF CHEIF MINISTERS OF JHARKHAND

#	NAME	TOOK OFFICE	LEFT OFFICE	PARTY
01	Stephen Marandi	02 March 2005	12 March 2005	Independent
02	Sudhir Mahto	24 September 2016	18 January 2009	Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
03	Stephen Marandi	13 October 2006	18 January 2009	Independent
04	Raghubar Das	30 December 209	29 May 2010	Bharatiya Janata Party
05	Sudesh Mahto	30 December 209	31 May 2010	All Jharkhand Student Union
06	Hemant Soren	11 September 2010	Incumbent	Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
07	Sudesh Mahto	11 September 2010	Incumbent	All Jharkhand Student Union

ELECTED POLITICAL OFFICIALS OF Jharkhand

Lok Sabha members of Jharkhand

S.NO.	CONSTITUENCY	NAME OF MEMBER	PARTY
01	Chatra	Namdhari, Shri Inder Singh	IND
02	Dhanbad	Singh, Shri Pashupati Nath	BJP
03	Dumka	Soren , Shri Shibu	JMM
04	Giridih	Pandey, Shri Ravindra Kumar	BJP
05	Godda	Dubey, Shri Nishikant	BJP
06	Hazaribagh	Sinha, Shri Yashwant	BJP
07	Jamshedpur	Munda, Shri Arjun	BJP
08	Khunti	Munda, Shri Kariya	BJP
09	Kodarma	Marandi, Shri Babu Lal	JVM
10	Lohardaga	Bhagat, Shri Sudarshan	BJP
11	Palamu	Baitha, Shri Kameshwar	JMM
12	Rajmahal	Besra, Shri Devidhan	BJP
13	Ranchi	Sahay, Shri Subodh Kant	INC
14	Singhbhum	Kora, Shri Madhu	IND

Rajya Sabha Members of Jharkhand

S.NO.	NAME OF MEMBER	PARTY
01	Ahluwalia Shri S. S.	BJP
02	Nathwani Shri Parimal	IND
03	Rebello Ms. Mabel	INC
04	Sahu Shri Dhiraj Prasad	INC
05	Singh Shri Jai Prakash Narayan	BJP
06	Soren Shri Hemant	JMM

OCCUPATION

Mundas have remained haunters for centuries. But now they have been converted into the settled agriculturist. Most of the then do not have land of their own. They are largely dependent on the labour work in the fields to earn their livelihood.

FOOD

DRESS

LANGUAGE

Oriya

Urdu

Nagpuri

Bengali

Bhojpuri

Khortha

Sadri

Angika

IMPORTANT PLACE

Dassam Falls-

About 40 km. away from Ranchi on Tata Road falls a village named Taimara near which flows the Kanchi river, Falling from a height of about 144 feet Kanchi river makes a pretty fall called Dassam falls known as Dassam Ghagh also encircled with charming scences. The tourists are warned not to take bath in the falls or at least be careful while bathing in the stream.

Hundru Falls-

Ranchi is nature’s bounty to mother India which has specially been adorned with falls and streams. Hundru falls is about 28 km. aways from Ranchi town. The Swarnarekha river falls from a height of 320 feet making a wonderful scene known as Hundru falls. During rainy season it takes a formidable form but in summer it turns into an exciting picnic spot.

Jonha Falls-

Jonha is about 40 km. away from Ranchi. The road leading to Jonha is a bit narrow but not so rough and rugged as well as arduous as that of Hundru. There is also a hospice Tourists rest house which accommodates Lord Gautam Budha’s temple. This falls is named after Gautam as Gautamdhara too, it is approachable by road. The tourists can go upto Gautamdhara station by train also.

Hirni Falls-

About 70 km. From Ranchi on way to Chakradharpur is located Hirni Falls. Having situated amidst dense forest Hirni has been favoured by nature for scenic beauties. The tourists are carried away by emotions and flight of imagination while observing Hirni.

Ranchi Hill-

Ranchi, being situated at an altitude of 21,40 feet from sea level, is a popular health and holiday resort and a place of sacred pilgrimate. Some comely sights in the town include Ranchi Hill, Tagore Hill, Ranchi Lake etc. A panoramic view of the town can be behond from the hill top.The Shiva Temple situated on the top of the hill, is an added attraction for the devotees for whom it assumes the places of reverence during Shravanmas same as that of Baijnath Dham (Deoghar).

Gonda Hill & Rock Garden-

About 4 km. from G.P.O., Ranchi on Kanke Road. Is situated the Gonda Hill with a water reservoir at its top. At the foot of the hill is a big lake known as Kanke Dam and a lucrative place for tourists.

Tagore Hill-

About 3 km. from the Ranchi G.P.O. the Tagore Hill is about 300 ft. high. As the hill is associated with a history pertaining to Tagore family, it is known as Tagore Hill. A number of books are supposed to have been written by Rabindra Nath Tagore on the top of the hill. At the foot of the hill are situated the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram and its office and center of Divyayan and agrarian vocational institute.

Jagannathpur Temple & Hill-

About 10 km. From Ranchi G.P.O. is another sight seeing place where the tourists can rejoice and worship. The old temple of lord Jagannath ,built in 1691 in the architectural style of Puri Temple stands like a fort on the top of the in the hill. Its car/chariot festival held light part on Ashadhmas draws a big crowd comprising of tribals and non-tribals. HEC township nearby is an added attraction.

Angrabadi-

Angrabadi is actually, a temple complex which accommodates the temples of Lords Ganpati, Ram-Sita and Hanuman and Shiva. The Shankracharya Swami Swarupanand Saraswati, having been captivated by serene, placid and celestial beauty of Angrabadi rechristened it as Amreshwar Dham.

Sun Temple-

About 39 km. From Ranchi on Tata Road near Bundu stands on the desolate bush green the elegant Sun temple fashioned in the form of huge chariot with richly decorated 18 wheels and seven life like horses ready to take of. Built by Sanskrit Vihar headed by Shri Ram Maroo, the managing director of Ranchi Express, the sun temple deserves the title "a poem in stone". The surroundings of the temple are studded with a pond serving as a sacred place for Chhathavratis.

Netarhat

Popularly called the `Queen of Chhotanagpur' Netarhat is 154 km west of Ranchi Town. It is a plateau covered with thick forests situated at a height of 3,700 feet or 1128 metres. Generally people visit this place to enjoy the breath taking Sunrise and Sunset.

Hazaribagh-

Nestling in low hilly terrain, at an average altitude of 1800 ft. (615 metres) this 183.89 sq. kms National Park has an abundance of wild animals, i.e. wild Boar, Sambar, Nilgai, Chital, Sloth Bear, tiger and Panthar. The 1970 census has established the presence of 14 tigers, 25 Panthers and 400 Sambars.<\p>

Baidyanath Dham (Deoghar)-

Baidyanath Dham situated in the Santhal Parganas of Jharkhand, is a very important piligram Centre. It's famous for the Hindus for the temple of Shiva-Baidyanath and the place is a popular holiday Centre.

Panchet-

Famous for Panchet Dam. It is constructed on Damodar river, is 22,155 ft long and 124 ft high. A hydel station has also been constructed against the back ground of Panchet Hill in the eastern side of dam.

Maithon -

Famous Maithon Dam is situated here. Maithon can also be translated as "Mother's Abode". Maithon has the biggest reservoir in the Damodar valley Corporation.

Topchanchi -

Famous for Beautiful artificialy created lake, the Topchanhci lake lies 37 km from Dhnabad and is almost on NH2.

Parasnath-

The highest hill in Jharkhand, towering to an elevation of 4480 feet. The Parasnath Temple is considered to be one of the most important and sanctified holy places of the Jains. According to Jain tradition, no less than 23 out of 24 Tirthankaras (including Parsvanatha) are believed to have attained salvation here.

FESTIVALS

Holi-

One of the most important festivals of Jharkhand is the Holi. The spring festival of Holi is celebrated in Dhanbad in the month of Phalgun or in the months of February/March according to the English calendar and seems to have a universal appeal. The festival of Holi is celebrated with great charm and vigor in the state of Jharkhand. The legend of Holika is very much prevalent here. The lighting of bonfire also forms a special feature of the Holi celebrations in Dhanbad. Fun and frolic is also redefined in various forms in the festive celebrations here. People greet each other with colors and thus enhance the feeling of harmony due to which happiness prevails. The tradition of playing Holi with mud is also extremely delightful.

Diwali-

Another prominent festivals of Jharkhand is the Diwali. The people of Jharkhand indulge themselves in the celebration of Diwali with much exuberance. The celebration of Diwali in the state of Jharkhand starts two days before the actual Diwali, celebrated in honor of Dhanvantari also known as the physician of Gods. The day just before the actual Diwali is known as `Choti Diwali` or `Small Diwali`. Songs in honor of the deities, the performance of `Arti`, lighting of lights or oil/ghee diyas, bursting of crackers characterize the festival of Diwali. Tiny footprints of the Goddess of Wealth, Mother Lakshmi are a special feature of the Rangolis designed for this auspicious ceremonial occasion. The tribal people of the state worship Goddess Kali on this day.

Ramnavami-

This religious Hindu festival is celebrated in the whole country along with the state of Jharkand with equal amount of pomp and show. This auspicious day is observed to mark the birth of Lord Rama. The people of Jharkhand celebrate this sacred festival by observing fasts and observing prayers in his honor. In the state of Jharkhand early morning rituals marks this sacred ceremony. During this festival the people of Jharkhand sing and chant the name of Lord Rama. The devotees indeed have a highly colorful ceremony to mark the beginning of the wedding celebrations.

Dussehra-

Dussehra, one of the much-awaited festivals of Jharkhand. It is a ten days event in total. It demands the participation of the rich and the poor alike. The festival is marked in the state by the worship of Goddess Durga, the incarnation of the cosmic energy. Ramlila also forms a major part of the Dussehra celebrations in this state. The victory of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravana is celebrated in this state by visiting the temples and chanting verses from the great epic Ramayana. Huge effigies of the demon king Ravana are dressed in colorful outfits and then set onto fire.

Basant Panchami-

Another well known festivals of Jharkhand is the Basant Panchami. This festival is celebrated in Jharkhand with as much pomp and fervor as that of the whole country. In this state Basant Panchami is celebrated to welcome the season of spring after the dead and decay of the winter season. People of this state take this festival to be full of religious, seasonal and social significance. The locals celebrate this joyous festival with much ebullience and the main attraction of this festival is kite flying.

Chhath Puja-

The `Sun-God` is worshipped by almost all civilizations but adopts a unique form in the state of Jharkhand. Chhath Puja is reckoned as one of the most important festivals of Jharkhand.. During this festival the setting Sun is worshipped with utmost sincerity and devotion. The inhabitants of the state have immense faith on this auspicious festival, which is celebrated two times a year once in the month of Chaitra or March, and the other time in which it is celebrated is the month of Kartik, which falls in the month of November. The harmonious melody of the lyrics chanted during this festival lets one immerse in the sanctity and the purity of this auspicious occasion. Besides the Hindus, some of the Muslims also actively participate in the holy ceremony. If we opt for redefining this festival then we can say that it is an expression of seeking blessings from the forces of the nature, thus representing the amalgamation of the Vedic and non-Aryan religion.

Jityya Bhaiya Dooj-

Jitya Bhaiya Dooj one of the prominent festivals of Jharkhand is celebrated in the state of Jharkhand with as much exuberance as in the other states. It is a festival purely dedicated to the love and affection between brothers and sisters. Brothers bless their sisters and also promises to protect them from all hardships. The celebration of Bhaiya Dooj in this state can be redefined as a bond that speaks of sensitivity and timeless relationship.

Eid-ul-Fitr-

This festival occurs at the end of the month of Ramzan, is the gayest and falls on the first day of the tenth month of the Hijrah or Muslim calendar. This festival is celebrated in Dhanbad with great pomp and show.

Eid-ul-Adha-

This festival popularly known as Bakri-Id or Eid-ul-Adha or Eid-Ul-Zuha is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar. It is observed on the tenth day of the twelfth month in the Muslim calendar. The holiness of the day and the period preceding it makes this a popular time for undertaking the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Muharrum-

The most solemn and colorful Muslim function held in the state of Jharkhand is Muharram. This festival commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Holy Prophet. In all cities and towns Muslims take out impressive processions of colorfully decorated tazias, replicas of the martyr`s tomb at Karbala. In this state also Muharram is observed by taking out gold and silver replicas of old Nawabi times and men are seen beating their breasts in mourning constantly until blood oozes out.

Karma-

The festival of Karma, also known to be a religious festival, calls for huge celebration among the tribals of Jharkhand. On the day of this festival devotees keep fast of complete 24 hours. The cultural performances are observed keeping a branch of a Sal tree in the middle of an open ground.

Sohrai-

The Sohrai festival is a popular and much-awaited festival of the tribes of Jharkhand. It is associated with the cattle and is celebrated during the festival of Diwali, which falls in the month of November. During the festive celebrations the cattle are washed and worshipped. This is a time for great amusement and performances of cattle such as bullfights are organized to multiply the fun and excitement.

Sarhul-

This is the main festival of the tribal population of Jharkhand. The verbal meaning of Sarhul is worship of the Sal tree. Sarhul can also be redefined as worship of nature in which local people worship Sita, the wife of Lord Rama as `Dhartimata`. They also worship the Sal tree, which is believed as the abode of Goddess Sarna who protects the village from all kinds of natural calamities and disasters.