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Chhattisgarh, situated in the heart of India, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The state is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Most of these sites are untouched and unexplored, and offer a unique and alternate experience to tourists.
Chhattisgarh borders the states of Madhya Pradesh on the northwest, Maharashtra on the west, Andhra Pradesh on the south, Orissa on the east, Jharkhand on the northeast and Uttar Pradesh on the north.
Raipur is the capital of the state of Chhattisgarh, which is the 10th-largest state in India.
There are a wide array of opinions on the origin of the word Chhattisgarh. The name is not a very old one and has come into popular usage in the last few centuries. In ancient times, the region was called Dakshin Kosala (South Kosala). The name Chhattisgarh was popularized during the Maratha period and was first used in an official document in 1795.
The northern and southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is fertile plain. Deciduous forests of the Eastern Highlands Forests cover roughly 44% of the state. The state animal is the van bhainsa, or wild water buffalo. The state bird is the pahari myna, or hill myna. The state tree is the Sal, or Sarai. The north of the state lies on the edge of the great Indo-Gangetic plain. The Rihand River, a tributary of the Ganges, drains this area. The eastern end of the Satpura Range and the western edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau form an east-west belt of hills that divide the Mahanadi River basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain.
The climate of Chhattisgarh is mainly tropical. It is hot and humid because of its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer and is completely dependent on the monsoons for rains.
Longitude: 81° E Latitude: 21° N
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