रांची : झारखण्ड की राजधानी

The capital city of Jharkhand, Ranchi, has been always popular to the administrators for its comfortable weather. During the colonial period, it was the summer capital of British Raj. Earlier, it was the summer capital of Bihar. The history of Ranchi can be traced back to the Vedic period. It is believed that the Vedic King Jarasandh ruled this area. In ancient times, Ranchi and the entire area were occupied by Munda and Oraon tribes. To the Aryans, these people were the inferior races and they referred this area as “Forest territory.”

“Abua Raj ste Jana, Maharani Raj tundu Jana” it means “Let the kingdom of the queen be ended and our kingdom be established.” These are the words of the famous Munda leader, Birsa Munda, who fought against the British oppression. He was a leader, a preacher and many more to his people. They even see him as god and refer to him as “Birsha Vaghwan.” Ranchi’s colonial history is filled with small and big clashes between the locals and British government. The local landlords, their subordinates and the government exploited the people and collected huge taxes which led to agitation and armed conflict between the two parties.

The city of Ranchi is located at an altitude of 654 meters above sea level. The total area of the city is 7574.17 square kilometer. During summer, the highest temperature is 37°C and in winter 22°C. After Jharkhand was turned into a state in November 2000, it became the state capital. Major rivers of Ranchi are subarnarekha, south koel, and sankh.

After Ranchi was declared the capital, the city saw a sudden rise in its population. People from surrounding places came here for work. Banks, various business organizations opened their offices in this city. Oraon and Munda are the majority here. Main languages are Hindi, Nagpuri, Oraon, Mundari and Kurmali.

Ranchi has many government and private schools but there are not many higher educational institutions. As a result, students go outside to study. Some of the major educational institutions are: Bishop Westcott Boys' School, Bishop Westcott Girls' School, Bridgeford School, Cambridge School, Central Academy, Children’s Educational Centre etc. Among higher education institutions, there are Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology,

Birla Institute of Technology, National Institute Of Foundry And Forge Technology (NIFFT), St. Xavier's College, Xavier Institute of Social Service etc.

Ranchi is very well connected to the rest of the country. The city is near National Highway. Bhagwan Birsa Munda airport is located 7 km from the city in Hinoo. The railway is the most popular mode of transportation. The railway station has train services to all the major Indian cities.

Agriculture is a major industry in the surrounding villages of Ranchi. These villages are known as “The vegetable Bowl” of Jharkhand. Major crops are paddy, wheat, maize, pulses etc. Major fruits include mango, jack fruit, guava, banana, litchi and so on.

After ’s independence, many industries were built around the city. Some of the major industries are Heavy Engineering Corporation, Mecon, SAIL's Research and Development Facility, High Tension Insulator factory, Usha Martin, Usha Beltron, Shipping Corporation of India etc. In this webpage, there is a list of industries situated in Ranchi: http://ranchi.nic.in/industry.htm

Ranchi is also famous for its medical college and hospitals. There are three mental sanatoriums: Central Institute of Psychiarty, RINPAS and
Davis Institute of Psychiatry. The Rajendra medical college is the largest medical college of Jharkhand. Advanced Diagnostic Center of Ranchi has very good neurodiagnostic facilities.

Ranchi and its surrounding areas contain many beautiful sites. Waterfalls, beautiful climate, barren rocks and hillocks are the major tourist attractions of this place.

Hundru Falls: The most beautiful waterfall in Ranchi situated on Ranchi Purulia road.

Jonha Falls: Also known as Gautamdhara, can be reached by road or by train.

Ranchi Hill and Pahari Mandir: This is one of the major landmarks of Ranchi. “Pahar” means and Mandir means “temple”. It is known as “Pahari Mandir” because it is situated on a hill.

Sun Temple: Situated about 40 km from Ranchi.

Water resorts: There are several water resorts in Ranchi. Ranchi Lake, Dhurwa Dam, Rukka Dam, Aqua Home etc.

Park resorts: Nakshatra Van, Tagore Hill, Birsa Zoological Park, Night Safari etc.

Among other major tourist spots there are: Angrabari, Dassam falls, Panch Gagh falls.