Jharkhand, The state was carved out of the southern part of Bihar and shares its border with Orissa, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Jharkhand literary means “Piece of Gold” and is also commonly known as “The Land of Forests”. The state is famous for its rich flora and fauna and preserves a large number of national parks and zoological gardens which are the major attraction of tourists all over the world. The national parks here are home to tigers, elephants, wild boars, sambhars, wolves, bison, foxes, rabbits, wild cats, Malabar giant squirrels, deer, porcupines, hares, and many other animals. The state is also rich in its culture, tradition, and cuisines. Other major attractions of this state include magnificent waterfalls, holy temples, historical monuments, and archaeological sites. Visiting this state gives you a totally new experience of this fascinating paradise.
Major Cities in Jharkhand
Ranchi: The city is the capital of Jharkhand and a major city to reach this state. The city is blessed with several tourist attractions including Rock garden and Kanke Dam (situated at around 4 kilometers from Ranchi in Gonda Hills), Hundru Falls (45 kilometers from Ranchi on the Ranchi-Purulia Road), Jonha Falls (40 kilometers from Ranchi famous for the Lord Buddha Temple), Panchghagh Falls (magnificent five stream waterfall situated around six kilometers from Khunti on the Ranchi-Chakradharpur Road), Dassam Falls (this waterfall is at a height of 144 feet and situated around 34 kilometers on the Ranchi-Tata road), Hirni Falls (situated in between the forests around 70 kilometers from Ranchi), Ranchi Lake and Pahari Mandir (the ancient lake was excavated in 1842 by the Colonel Onsely and the Pahari Mandir is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva), Birsa Jaiwik Udyaan (situated around 16 kilometers from Ranchi is home of discrete species of plants as well as animals), Tagore Hill (the hill is well known for the house of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s elder brother Jyotirindranath Tagore), and the Muta Crocodile Breeding Center (home for around fifty crocodiles is situated on the Ranchi-Ramharh road which is 23 kilometers from Ranchi). The other major tourist visited places here include Jaganathpur temple, Tribal Research Institute and Museum, Sun temple, Amreshwar Dham, Devri temple, and Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Jamshedpur: Famous as the “First Planned Industrial City of India”, Jamshedpur was founded by the late Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata. The city is also famously known as the “Steel City”. The city houses a huge number of heavy industries including Tata Steel, Telcon, Telecon, BOC Gases, Tata Motors, Tata Technologies Limited, Praxair, TCS, Tinplate, and many more. Jamshedpur is also famous for several tourists attractions including the Jubliee Park (a 225 acres park enriched with flower beds, illuminated fountains, and gardens is worth watching), Dimna Lake and Dam (situated around 13 kilometres from Jamshedpur at the feet of Dalma Hills), Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary (famous for elephants, deer, sloth bear, tigers, leopards, porcupines, and foxes), Tata Steel Zoological Park (famous for the Nature Education Centre, the Safari Park, boating, and beautiful lake along with natural surroundings), Sir Dorabji Tata Park (dedicated to the eldest son of J N Tata, the park is full of elegant fountains, flower beds, and manicured gardens), and the Hudco Lake (situated in the hilly terrain of Telco Colony and gives you a delightful retreat of being in nature). The other famous attractions around Jamshedpur include Jubilee Amusement Park, Ghatshila, Burudih lake, Dharagiri Falls, and Fuldungri.
Dhanbad: Famously known as the “Coal Capital of India”, Dhanbad is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. The district is famous for its coal mining industry and several big companies have their coal mines situated in this district. Apart from the coal mines, the district is also famous for several tourist attractions including Maithon Lake (well known as a Bird Sanctury and Deer Park is situated around 45 kilometers from Dhanbad), Kalyaneshwari Temple (near to the Maithon Lake, the temple is dedicated to Hindu Goddess Maa Kalyaneshwari), Topchanchi Lake (famous tourist destination located at the foot hills of Parasnath), Bhatinda Falls (magnificent waterfall situated around 14 kilometers from Dhanbad near Moonidih), Panra (famous for the Pandeshwar mandir and myths about Pandavas spending some time at this place during their exile), Shakti Mandir (dedicated to Hindu Goddess Durga attracts a huge number of pilgrims throughout the year), Lillori Sthan Mandir (situated around 20 kilometers from Dhanbad is a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali), Chark Khurd (famous for its hot water spring), Gopalpur (famous archaeological site with a sculpture of king Ashoka and other ancient monuments), Panchet Dam (a major tourist attractions situated around 55 kilometers from Dhanbad), and the Birsa Munda Park (marvelous park setup in 25 acre land and is situated around 25 kilometers from Dhanbad). The other attractions of Dhanbad include Jagannath Temple at Dhansar, Shiva Temple at Jhinjhipahari, Bhuphor Mandir on Govindpur road, and Sir Dorabji Tata Park in Jamadoba.
Deoghar: One of the major pilgrim destinations for the Hindus, Deoghar has the great Baidyanath Temple considered as one of the twelve Shiva Jyotirlingas in India. The place is also considered one of the fifty-one Shakti Peethas in India. Along with these famous destinations the district has some of the major tourist attractions including Nandan Pahar (a small hill with a temple dedicated to Nandi), Basukinath (situated around 44 kilometres from Deoghar the place holds a beautiful Shiva Temple), Naulakha Mandir (the temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and heights 146 feet), Satsanga Ashram (situated to the south-west of Deoghar: the place is known for its spiritual blessings), Tapovan (the place has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and famous for several caves situated here), Rikhia Ashram (well known for a huge holy festival conducted every November and December), Shivganga (is a pond situated around 300 meters from the Baidyanath Temple), Harila Jori (situated 8 kilometres away from the Baidyanath Temple is a major tourist attraction), and the Trikuth Parvat (14 kilometres from Deoghar is a mountain with three peaks and a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva). The other attractions of Deoghar include Koiridih, Prabhu Jagadbandhu Ashram, Ram Niwas Ashram, Jalsar Children Park, and the Maa Kali Shaktipeeth.
Must-Visit Destinations in Jharkhand
Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary: Situated around ten kilometres from the city of Jamshedpur, Dalma wildlife sanctuary was founded in the year 1975. The locations and their natural existence themselves make this sanctuary one of the worth visiting ones. The major attractions in this sanctuary include tigers, leopards, porcupines, elephants, barking deer, sloth bears, and various other wildlife. Sonari is the nearest airport, whereas Tatanagar is the nearest railway station. The guest houses of Tata Steel and Forest Department allow the tourists to stay and experience the magnificent view of this sanctuary at night. However, prior permission is required to stay here.
Parasnath Hills: These hills hold several temples and are one of the major Jain pilgrim destinations. The Parasnath hill is also the highest mountain peak in Jharkhand. According to Jain literature, twenty out of twenty-five Tirthankaras/Gurus of the Jains attained Nirvana from this place, thus attracting a huge number of Jain pilgrims every year. The major attractions here include the Jain temples, Chandraprabhuji, Pushpnandanji, Goutamswamiji, Chaprakund, Samosharan temple, Bhomiyaji Asthan, and the Jain Museum. Parasnath has a railway station and a passenger train runs every evening between Dhanbad and Parasnath. One can stay here in the rest houses at the foothills of the Madhuban hills. One can also enjoy the para-gliding and adventure treks conducted here.
Chatra: One of the must-visit heritage sites in Jharkhand, Chatra preserves several ancient architectures. Some of the major attractions here include Raham cave (refuge centre for the Tana Bhagats in the late 19th Century), Sidpa Rock Shelters (which contains enigmatic drawings of several animals and various structures carved out of large stone blocks), Nautangwa (which includes the finest animal forms with various charming figures), Barwadi Punkhri, Saraiya, Thetangi, and Kalhua Pahari. Chatra is one of the worth visiting places in Jharkhand and one can reach here through Dhanbad.
