Raghu Nandan Mandal
Indian politician
Raghunandan Mandal (4 February 1952 – 3 January 2016) was an Indian politician who was a Member of Legislative Assembly from 17 Godda District in Jharkhand from BJP(Bharatiya Janata Party). Mandal overcame his Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rival Sanjay Prasad Yadav by 34,486 votes. He was also elected as The Assembly committee member on environment and pollution control of jharkhand.
Education and background.
He graduated in 1971 with a BSc from Marwari College, Bhagalpur University. He was a businessman by profession and an agriculturalist. He was the director of Sumrit Mandal Company PVT LTD before entering politics.
Personal life.
He was born to Sumrit Mandal and Phulwati Devi. His father was also a Member of Legislative assembly from 17 Godda District in Jharkhand representing JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) during the period (1985–1995). He studied at Ranchi Vikas Vidyalaya. Mandal has been married to Sulochana Mandal since 30 January 1979. They have three children, two sons Amit and Sumit and a daughter named Puja. He died while being taken to a hospital in Jharkhand in 2016 after complaining of chest pains.
References.
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Jharkhand
State in eastern India
Jharkhand ( , ; lit. 'the land of forests') is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites. Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in cities as of 2011.
Jharkhand suffers from what is sometimes termed a resource curse: it accounts for more than 40% of India's mineral production but 39.1% of its population is below the poverty line and 19.6% of children under five years of age are malnourished.
Etymology.
The word ""Jhar"" means 'forest' and ""Khand"" means 'land' in various Indo-Aryan languages. Thus "Jharkhand" means "forest land".
In the ancient period, in the Mahabharata, the region was referred as Kark Khand due to location near Kark Rekha, that is, Tropic of Cancer. During the Medieval period, the region was known as "Jharkhand". According to Bhavishya Purana (1200 CE), Jharkhand was one of the seven Pundra desa. The name is first found on a 13th-century copper plate in Kendrapada, Odisha region from the reign of Narasimha Deva II of Eastern Ganga dynasty. Forest land from Baidhnath dham to Puri was known as Jharkhand. In Akbarnama, from Panchet in the east to Ratanpur to west, Rohtasgarh to the north and the frontier of Odisha to the south was known as Jharkhand.
History.
Ancient period.
The region has been inhabited since the Mesolithic-Chalcolithic period, as shown by several ancient cave paintings.
Stone tools have been discovered from Chota Nagpur Plateau region which are from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. There are ancient cave paintings in Isko, Hazaribagh district which are from Meso-chalcolithic period (9000–5000 BCE). During 2nd millennium BCE the use of Copper tools spread in Chota Nagpur Plateau and these find complexes are known as the Copper Hoard Culture. In the Kabra-Kala mound at the confluence of the Son and North Koel rivers in Palamu district various antiquities and art objects have been found which are from the Neolithic to the medieval period and pot-sherds of Redware, black and red ware, black ware, black slipped ware and NBP ware are from Chalcolithic to the late medieval period. Several iron slags, microliths, and potsherds have been discovered from Singhbhum district that are from 1400 BCE according to carbon dating age. The region was ruled by many empires and dynasties including Nanda, Maurya and Gupta during ancient period.
In the Mahabharata, the region was referred as Kark Khand due to its location near Tropic of Cancer. During the age of Mahajanpadas around 500 BCE, Jharkhand state was a part of Magadha and Anga. In the Mauryan period, this region was ruled by a number of states, which were collectively known as the Atavika (forest) states. These states were subdued and were forced to accept the hegemony of the Maurya empire during Ashoka's reign (c. 232 BCE). In the ancient site of Saridkel, burnt brick houses, red ware pottery, copper tools, coins and iron tools have been found which belong to the early centuries CE. Brahmi inscriptions have been found in Khunti district which are from the 3rd century BCE. Samudragupta, while marching through the present-day Chotanagpur region (North and South), directed the first attack against the kingdom of Dakshina Kosala in the Mahanadi valley.
Medieval period.
In the 7th century, the Chinese traveller Xuanzang passed through the region. He described the kingdom as Karnasuvarna, with Shashanka as its ruler. To the north of Karn-Suberna was Magadha, Champa was in the east, Mahendra in the west, and Orissa in the south.
During the medieval period, the region was governed by Nagvanshi, Pala, Khayaravala, Ramgarh Raj and Chero rulers. A Buddhist monastery has been found in Hazaribagh which was built during the Pala period in the 10th century. Bhim Karn was a Nagvanshi king during medieval period. He defeated the Raksel dynasty of Surguja when they invaded the region with cavalry.
Modern period.
Mughal influence reached Palamu during the reign of Emperor Akbar when it was conquered by Rajput Raja Mansingh in 1574. Several invasions took place during Mughal rule. During the reign of the Nagvanshi King Madhu Singh, Akbar's general invaded Khukhra. Also there was an invasion during the reign of Durjan Shah.
King Ram Shah ruled Navratangarh from 1640 to 1663. He built the Kapilnath Temple in 1643. He was succeeded by his son Raghunath Shah. Thakur Ani Nath Shahdeo built the Jagannath temple of Ranchi in 1691. The King Medini Ray ruled from 1658 to 1674 in Palamu. His rule extended to areas in South Gaya and Hazaribagh. He attacked Navratangarh and defeated the Nagvanshi Maharaja of Chhotanagpur. Chero rule in the Palamu region lasted until the 19th century until internal conflict between various factions weakened the Cheros and they were defeated by the East India Company. Later Palamu estates were sold by the British.
During the 18th century, regions under the Kings of the Chero dynasty, Nagvanshi dynasty, Ramgarh and Kharagdiha became parts of territories of East India Company. Ramgarh Raj along with estates of other chiefs in the regions were permanently settled as Zamindari estates. The Kharagdiha Rajas were settled as Rajas of Raj Dhanwar in 1809, and the Kharagdiha gadis were separately settled as zamindari estates. Some of the notable Kharagdiha Zamindari estates were Koderma, Gadi Palganj and Ledo Gadi. The princely states in the Chota Nagpur Plateau came within the sphere of influence of the Maratha Empire, but they became tributary states of British East India Company as a result of the Anglo-Maratha Wars and became known as Chota Nagpur Tributary States.
Subjugation, colonisation and imposition of taxes by the British East India Company resulted in spontaneous resistance from the local people. Chuar Rebellion, the first revolt against the British East India Company led by Jagannath Singh Patar in 1767 with the Bhumij tribals. The Bhumijes again revolted in 1769–71, led by their Sardar Ghatwals in Dhalbhum. In 1769, Raghunath Mahato also revolted against the British East India Company (EIC).
In 1771, the revolt against the landlords and the British government was led by Tilka Majhi, a Paharia leader in Rajmahal Hills. Soon after in 1779, the Bhumij tribes again rose in arms against the British rule in Manbhum, called the Chuar Rebellion. In 1807, the Oraons in Barway murdered their landlord from Srinagar. The Munda tribe rose in revolt in 1811 and 1813. Bakhtar Say and Mundal Singh, two landowners, fought against the British East India Company in 1812.
The Hos in Singhbhum revolted in 1820 and a Kol revolt occurred in 1832. Also in 1832 the Bhumijs revolted again against the British, this time under the leadership of Ganga Narayan Singh, known as the Bhumij Rebellion. During the 19th century, large numbers of santals from Manbhum, Hazaribagh, Midnapore were settled by British in Damin-i-koh to cultivate the land and generate revenue. But the Santal revolted against tax imposition.
The Santhal rebellion broke out in 1855 under the leadership of two brothers Sidhu and Kanhu. Later the British renamed it as Santal Pargana.
Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo and Pandey Ganpat Rai rebelled against the British East India Company in the 1857 rebellion. In the Battle of Chatra, conflict took place between the rebels and the East India company. Tikait Umrao Singh, Sheikh Bhikhari, Nadir Ali and Jai Mangal Singh played pivotal role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The brothers Nilambar and Pitambar were chiefs of Bhogta clan of the Kharwar tribe who held ancestral jagirs with many Chero Jagirdars and led revolt against the British East India company.
After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the rule of the British East India Company was transferred to the Crown in the person of Queen Victoria, who, in 1876, was proclaimed Empress of India. The Cheros and Kharwars again rebelled against the British in 1882 but the attack was repulsed. Then Birsa Munda revolt, broke out in 1895 and lasted until 1900. The revolt though mainly concentrated in the Munda belt of Khunti, Tamar, Sarwada and Bandgaon.
In October 1905, the exercise of British influence over the predominantly Hindi-speaking states of Chang Bhakar, Jashpur, Koriya, Surguja, and Udaipur was transferred from the Bengal government to that of the Central Provinces, while the two Oriya-speaking states of Gangpur and Bonai were attached to the Orissa Tributary States, leaving only Kharsawan and Saraikela answerable to the Bengal governor.
In 1936, all nine states were transferred to the Eastern States Agency, the officials of which came under the direct authority of the Governor-General of India, rather than under that of any provinces.
In March 1940, the INC 53rd Session occurred under the presidency of Maulana Azad at Jhanda Chowk, Ramgarh, which is now Ramgarh Cantonment. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Sarojini Naidu, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Industrialist Jamnalal Bajaj and other great leaders of the Indian freedom movement attended the Ramgarh Session. Mahatma Gandhi also opened the Khadi and Village Industries Exhibition at Ramgarh.
At that time, under the leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose a conference against Samjhauta was also completed. In Ramgarh, Subhas Chandra Bose was seen as president of the All India Forward Block and M. N. Roy was seen as leader of the Radical democratic party.
Post Independence.
After Indian independence in 1947, the rulers of many states chose to accede to the Dominion of India. Changbhakar, Jashpur, Koriya, Surguja and Udaipur after that became part of the state of Madhya Pradesh, but Gangpur and Bonai became part of the state of Orissa and Kharsawan and Saraikela became part of the state of Bihar. In 1928, a separate state was demanded by "Unnati Samaj", the political wing of the Christian Tribals Association, which submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission to constitute a tribal state in eastern India. Prominent leaders like Jaipal Singh Munda and Ram Narayan Singh also demanded a separate state. In 1955, the Jharkhand Party, led by Jaipal Singh Munda, submitted a memorandum to the States Reorganization Commission for a separate Jharkhand state comprising the tribal area of South Bihar, but it was rejected because there were many languages, no link language in the region, tribals were in the minority, Hindustani was the majority language, and it risked adverse effect on the economy of Bihar.
Later the Sadan people, the native various caste/non-tribal groups, also joined the movement for a separate state. In 1972, Binod Bihari Mahato, Shibu Soren and A. K. Roy founded Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Nirmal Mahto founded the All Jharkhand Students Union. They led the movement for a separate state of Jharkhand. The Jharkhand coordination committee (JCC), consisting of Ram Dayal Munda, B. P. Keshri, Binod Bihari Mahato, Santosh Rana and Suraj Singh Besra started a new initiative and tried to coordinate between different parties. Keshri sent a memorandum to form Jharkhand state in 1988. The Jharkhand co-ordination committee was then led by Congress General Secretary Ram Ratan Ram, who urged Rajiv Gandhi to pay attention to the issue at hand.
In July 1988, the Bharatiya Janata party led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, and Murli Manohar Joshi decided to demand a separate state, Vanachal, comprising the forest region of South Bihar in Jamshedpur. Inder Singh Namdhari, Samresh Singh, and Rudra Pratap Sarangi were the leaders of the Vanachal movement. They organised several rallies to form a separate state.
The central government formed a committee on the Jharkhand matter in 1989. It stressed the need for greater allocation of development funds for the area. There was a provision for limited internal autonomy in the hill area of Assam. Other tribal areas were covered by the fifth schedule of the constitution. Chotanagpur and Santal Pargana development boards were constituted under the chairmanship of the then chief minister of Bihar under the provision of the fifth schedule in 1972. This failed to achieve the desired result. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha wanted more representation and the All Jharkhand Students Union was against it. Due to differences these parties broke away from each other. The All Jharkhand Students Union introduced elements of violence in the movement and called for a boycott of election while Jharkhand Mukti Morcha opposed this. The Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council bill passed in Bihar's legislative assembly in December 1994. The Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council were given responsibility for forty areas including agriculture, rural health, public work, public health and minerals. The council has power to recommend legislation to the Assembly through the state government and to frame bylaws and regulations.
In 1998, when the separate state movement was falling apart, Justice Lal Pingley Nath Shahdeo was leading the movement. In 1998, the Union government decided to send the bill concerning the formation of the state of Jharkhand to the Bihar Legislative Assembly to which Lalu Prasad Yadav had said that the state would be divided over his dead body. A total of 16 political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the All Jharkhand Students Union, and the Congress came in one platform and formed the 'All Party Separate State Formation Committee' to start the movement. Shahdeo was elected as the convener of the committee. Voting on the Jharkhand Act was to be done on 21 September 1998 in the Bihar legislature. On that day the committee, under the leadership of Shahdeo called for Jharkhand Bandh and organised a protest march. Thousands of supporters of a separate state took to the streets led by Shahdeo. He was arrested and detained in a police station for hours along with many supporters.
In 1999 the Bharatiya Janata party promised to form a separate Vanachal state if they won the state election with a majority of votes. After the last Assembly election in the state resulted in a hung assembly, RJD's dependence on the Congress extended support on the precondition that RJD would not pose a hurdle to the passage of the Bihar reorganisation Bill. Finally, with the support from both RJD and Congress, the ruling coalition at the Centre led by the Bharatiya Janata Party which had made statehood its main poll plank in the region in successive polls earlier, cleared the Bihar reorganisation Bill in the monsoon session of the Parliament on 2 and 11 August in Loksabha and Rajyasabha. This paved the way for the creation of a separate Vanachal state comprising the Chota Nagpur Division and Santhal Pargana Division of South Bihar. NDA formed the government with Babulal Marandi as chief minister. Later the name of the state was changed from Vanachal to Jharkhand. Babulal Marandi took the oath of chief minister on 15 November 2000 on the anniversary of the birth of tribal leader Birsa Munda.
Jharkhand statehood.
The dynamics of resources and the politics of development still influence the socio-economic structures in Jharkhand, which was carved out of the relatively underdeveloped southern part of Bihar. According to the 1991 census, the state has a population of over 20 million out of which 28% is tribal while 12% of the people belong to scheduled castes. Jharkhand has 24 districts, 260 blocks, and 32,620 villages out of which only 45% have access to electricity while only 8,484 are connected by roads. Jharkhand is the leading producer of mineral wealth in the country after Chhattisgarh state, endowed as it is with a vast variety of minerals like iron ore, coal, copper ore, mica, bauxite, graphite, limestone, and uranium. Jharkhand is also known for its vast forest resources.
Naxal insurgency.
Jharkhand has been at the centre of the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. Since the uprising of the Naxalites in 1967, 6,000 people have been killed in fighting between the Naxalites and counter-insurgency operations by the police, and its paramilitary groups such as the Salwa Judum.
Despite having a presence in almost 7.80% of India's geographical area (home to 5.50% of India's population), the state of Jharkhand is part of the "Red Corridor" comprising 92,000 square kilometres, where the highest concentration of the groups estimated 20,000 combatants fight. Part of this is due to the fact that the state harbours an abundance of natural resources, while its people live in abject poverty and destitution. The impoverished state provides ample recruits for communist insurgents, who argue that they are fighting on behalf of the landless poor and tribals that see few benefits from the resource extractions. As the federal government holds a monopoly on sub-surface resources in the state, the tribal population is prevented from staking any claim on the resources extracted from their land. In response, the insurgents have recently begun a campaign of targeting infrastructure related to the extraction of resources vital for Indian energy needs, such as coal.
On 5 March 2007, Sunil Mahato, a member of the national parliament, was shot dead by Naxalite rebels near Kishanpur while watching a football match on the Hindu festival of Holi. His widow, Suman Mahato, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha candidate, won the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha by-election in September 2007 and served in parliament until 2009.
Geography.
Jharkhand is located in the eastern part of India and is enclosed by West Bengal to the eastern side, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh to the western side, Bihar to the northern part and Odisha to the southern part.
Jharkhand envelops a geographical area of . Much of Jharkhand lies on the Chota Nagpur Plateau. Many rivers pass through the Chota Nagpur plateau. They are: Damodar, North Koel, Barakar, South Koel, Sankh and Subarnarekha rivers. The higher watersheds of these rivers stretch out within the Jharkhand state. Much of the Jharkhand state is still enclosed by forest. Forests sustain the population of elephants and tigers.
Climate.
Climate of Jharkhand varies from Humid subtropical in the north to tropical wet and dry in the south-east. The main seasons are summer, rainy, autumn, winter and spring. The summer lasts from mid-April to mid-June. May, the hottest month, characterised by daily high temperatures around and low temperatures around . The southwest monsoon, from mid-June to October, brings nearly all the state's annual rainfall, which ranges from about in the west-central part of the state to more than in the southwest. Nearly half of the annual precipitation falls in July and August. The winter season lasts from November to February. The temperatures in Ranchi in December usually vary from . Spring season lasts from mid-February to mid-April.
Main Rivers.
For the list of dams built across these revere refer to
Flora and Fauna.
Jharkhand has a rich variety of flora and fauna. The wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and zoological gardens in the state present a panorama of this variety. There are several wildlife sanctuaries and national park in the state, including Hazaribag Wildlife Sanctuary, Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, Koderma Wildlife Sanctuary, Lawalong Wildlife Sanctuary, Palkot Wildlife Sanctuary, Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary, Palamu Tiger Reserve and Betla National Park. Palamu Tiger Reserve reserve is abode to hundreds of species of flora and fauna, as indicated within brackets: mammals (39), snakes (8), lizards (4), fish (6), insects (21), birds (170), seed bearing plants and trees (97), shrubs and herbs (46), climbers, parasites and semi-parasites (25), and grasses and bamboos (17).
Demographics.
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According to the 2011 Indian Census, Jharkhand has a population of 32.96 million, consisting of 16.93 million males and 16.03 million females. The sex ratio is 947 females to 1,000 males. The literacy rate of the state was 67.63% with Ranchi district being most educated at 77.13% compared to rural Pakur district being least at 50.17%. In social demographics, Jharkhand's Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes populations are 3,985,644 (12.08%) and 8,646,189 (26.21%), respectively. Nationally, they rank 14th and 6th, comprising 1.98% and 8.29% of the total population within these social groups. They are predominantly concentrated in south-western district Simdega (78.23%), Khunti (77.77%), Gumla (72.11%), Paschim Singhbhum (71.1%), Latehar (66.85%), and in Lohardaga district (60.21%).
Languages.
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Jharkhand is linguistically diverse, with speakers of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, and Austroasiatic languages. Hindi is the official language and is spoken as the link language by the people of the state, although different regional languages exist. Some of which, including Nagpuri, Khortha, Kurmali, Magahi and Bhojpuri are categorised as 'Hindi languages' in the Indian census 2011. Jharkhand has accorded additional official language status to Angika, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Bhumij, Ho, Kharia, Kurukh, Khortha, Kurmali, Magahi, Maithili, Mundari, Nagpuri, Odia, Santali and Urdu.
Religion.
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As per the 2011 census, Hinduism is the majority religion in the state at 67.8%, followed by Islam at 14.5% and Christianity at 4.3%. Other religions, primarily Sarnaism, claim to be 12.8% of the population.
Hindus form the majority in 19 out of the 24 districts of the Jharkhand. Christianity forms majority in Simdega district (51.04%). Sarna forms majority in Lohardaga (51.01%), West Singhbhum (62.29%) and plurality in Gumla (44.62%) and Khunti (45.37%). Muslims have the highest presence in Pakur district and Sahebganj district of Jharkhand forming 35% and 34% of the population, respectively.
Government and administration.
The constitutional head of the government of Jharkhand is the governor, who is appointed by the president of India. The real executive power rests with the chief minister and the cabinet. The political party or the coalition of political parties having a majority in the Legislative Assembly forms the government.
The head of the bureaucracy of the state is the chief secretary. Under this position, is a hierarchy of officials drawn from the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Forest Service and different wings of the state civil services.
The judiciary is headed by the chief justice. Jharkhand has a High Court which has been functioning since 2000.
All the branches of the government are located in the state capital, Ranchi.
Administrative districts.
The state was formed with 18 districts that were formerly part of south Bihar. Some of these districts were reorganised to form 6 new districts, namely, Latehar, Saraikela Kharsawan, Jamtara, Pakur, Khunti and Ramgarh. At present, the state has 5 Divisions and 24 Districts. One interesting thing about Jharkhand is that all its districts, except Lohardaga and Khunti, share a border with a neighbouring state.
Major cities.
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Economy.
The gross domestic product of Jharkhand is estimated at () in 2020–21. The per capita GDP of Jharkhand in 2018–19 was .
Jharkhand has several towns and innumerable villages with civic amenities. Urbanization ratio is 24.1%. Jharkhand also has immense mineral resources: minerals ranging from (ranking in the country within bracket) from iron ore (4th), coal (3rd), copper ore (1st), mica (1st), bauxite (3rd), manganese, limestone, china clay, fire clay, graphite (8th), kainite (1st), chromite (2nd), asbestos (1st), thorium (3rd), sillimanite, uranium (Jaduguda mines, Narwa Pahar) (1st) and even gold (Rakha Mines) (6th) and silver and several other minerals. Large deposits of coal and iron ore support concentration of industry, in centres like Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Ranchi. Tata Steel, a "NSE NIFTY 500" conglomerate has its corporate office and main plant in Tatanagar, Jharkhand. It reported a gross income of ₹. 204,910 million for 2005. NTPC will start coal production from its captive mine in state in 2011–12, for which the company will be investing about Rs 18 billion.
In February 2006, the government of Jharkhand established the Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation (Jharcraft), which promotes local sericulture and weaving and the wider marketing of these products.
Agriculture is another major economic sector. Farmers in Jharkhand produce several crops such as rice, wheat, maize, pulses, potatoes, and vegetables such as tomato, carrots, cabbage, brinjal, pumpkin, and papaya. Other important industries include the cottage industry and IT.
Culture.
Cuisine.
Staple foods of Jharkhand are rice, dal, roti, vegetables, and tubers. Spices are sparingly used in cuisine. Famous dishes include Chhilka Roti, Malpua, Pitha, Dhooska, Arsa roti, Dudhauri, and Panipuri (Gupchup). Rugra and Putoo is a type of edible mushroom that is grown extensively in Jharkhand and harvested during the rainy months. It has a hardened, white, edible shell and a softer dark coloured centre. Bamboo shoot are a versatile ingredient used in many culinary traditions, particularly in Jharkhand cuisine. They can be boiled, steamed, stir-fried, or pickled, making them a popular addition to dishes such as soups, curries, and salads. Bamboo shoots are known for their ability to absorb the flavours of the ingredients they are cooked with, enhancing the overall taste of the dishes. The leaves of Munga (Moringa oleifera) and Koinar (Bauhinia variegata) trees are used as a leafy vegetable or Saag.
Local alcoholic drinks include rice beer, originally known as Handi or Handia, named after the vessel, handi (earthen pot), used to make it. Handia is culturally associated with natives, i.e., Sadans and Tribals; this drink is consumed by both men and women on social occasions like marriage and festivals. Another common liquor is called "Mahua daru", made from flowers of the Mahua tree (Madhuca longifolia).
Folk music and dance.
There are several folk dances in Jharkhand such as: Jhumair, Mardani Jhumar, Janani Jhumar, Domkach, Vinsariya, Jhumta, Fagua, Angnai, Paiki, Chhau, Firkal, Mundari, and Santali dance.
Festivals.
Major festivals of Jharkhand are Sarhul, Baha Parab, Karam Parab, Mage Parab, Sohrai, Bandna, Tusu festival, Makar Sankranti, Nawakhani, Durga Puja, Jitiya, Manasa Puja, Rath Yatra, Saraswati Puja, Diwali, Holi, Phagua and the Sendra festival.
Paintings.
Sohrai and Khovar painting is a mural art form practised by women. Sohrai painting is traditionally done at the Sohrai harvest festival, while Khovar painting is done at weddings.
Tattoo.
The tattoo making tradition of Godna is an essential part of local tradition.
Cinema.
Jharkhand produces many films in regional and Tribal languages including Nagpuri, Khortha, Santali, Ho, and Kurukh. The film industry in the state of Jharkhand is known as Jhollywood.
Media.
There are some television channels, newspapers, and radio stations which operate in Jharkhand. DD Jharkhand is an important channel in Jharkhand. All India Radio operates from Ranchi.
Hindustan, Dainik Jagran, Sokal Sokal, Prabhat Khabar, and Ranchi Express are some of the Hindi newspapers and The Hindu, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Navbharat Times, The Pioneer, and The Telegraph are some English newspapers in Jharkhand.
Transport.
Roadways.
Jharkhand has extensive network of National Highways and State Highways. There is of paved National Highways in the state as of 2016. The National highways present in the state are numbered 18, 19, 20, 22, 33, 39, 43, 114A, 118, 133, 133A, 133B, 139, 143, 143A, 143AG, 143D, 143H, 218, 220, 320, 320D, 320G, 333, 333A, 343, 419 and 522. The Golden Quadrilateral network of Delhi – Kolkata route runs through Jharkhand notably at Dhanbad.
Ports.
Jharkhand is landlocked state but has numerous rivers and waterways. A multi-modal port has been planned at Sahebganj where river Ganges flows. The project is estimated to cost ₹65,000 million and phase-1 is estimated to be completed by 2019.
Railways.
Jharkhand is very well connected by railways. The state has numerous railway stations and railway junctions. Dhanbad Junction is the largest railway station in the state which is connected to almost all big cities of India. Hilly regions of state are equipped with tunnels that form essential organ of railways.
Education.
As per the 2011 census conducted by Government of India the official literacy rate for the state was 66.41% (male: 76.84%; female: 55.42%) with nine districts above the average literacy rate:
Since the formation of the new state, the Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) has been implementing four projects to spread elementary education: DPEP, SSA, NPEGEL, and KGBV. The state has been moving towards the goal of universal elementary education but the target of 100% enrolment and retention of children in schools has not yet been attained. Jharkhand has made primary education so accessible that 95% of children of ages 6–11 are enrolled in school, as opposed to 56% in 1993–94; this will likely improve literacy a great deal.
Schools.
The medium of instruction in schools is Hindi/English with English/Hindi/Sanskrit/Bengali/Odia as second language. After 10 years of schooling, students can join two years of Intermediate course (or +2 courses) in Arts, Science and Commerce. This is followed by three years of degree courses (graduation) or four years of Engineering/Agriculture/Medicine degree.
The school system comprises various private and public schools. The government schools are abundant. Few notable schools are: St. Thomas School, Ranchi, Sainik School Tilaiya, Loyola School, Jamshedpur, Delhi Public School, Bokaro, Delhi Public School, Ranchi, Bishop Westcott Boys' School, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar, De Nobili School and St. Xavier's School, Hazaribagh.
In 2009 Franz Gastler established Yuwa School a NGO in Hutup village in Ranchi district with helps of friends to use football as a platform to combat child marriage, illiteracy and human trafficking in rural India. In 2019, It won the Laureus Sport for Good Award.
Public Health.
Because of its mild climate, Jharkhand, particularly its capital Ranchi, has been a health resort. As far back as 1918, facilities were set up for treatment of mentally challenged.
European Mental Hospital was established along with Indian Mental Hospital. Today they are called Central Institute of Psychiatry and Ranchi Institute of Neuro-psychiatry and Allied Sciences respectively.
In certain areas of Jharkhand, poverty and consequent malnutrition have given rise to diseases like tuberculosis (TB). In fact, TB has assumed epidemic proportions in certain areas of the state. For management and treatment of such TB, Itki TB Sanatorium, Ranchi, established in 1928 has been doing work as a premier institute for clinical and programmatic management of TB. The Itki TB Sanatorium is well equipped and accredited by the Indian government for quality assurance and Culture and Drug Sensitivity Testing for M.TB. It provides free of cost treatment for TB as well as drug-resistant TB. Likewise, in the field of treatment of cancer, Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, is rendering pioneering work. In the same way, Bokaro General Hospital equipped with modern facilities for the treatment of cancer and heart-related problems with the capacity of 1100 beds one of the largest in eastern India.
Although several public and private health facilities are available in the state, overall infrastructure for dispensing health related services require improvements. An exception is the Tata Motors Hospital which is an example of an ISO 14001 and 18001 certified hospital with DNB teaching facilities.
Ranchi, the capital, has witnessed a sharp growth in the number of hospitals.
Fluoride in groundwater presents a public health problem in Jharkhand. A recent survey led by the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi in collaboration with UNICEF in the northwest districts of Palamau and Garhwa found fluoride levels above the drinking WHO drinking water guidelines. Excessive amounts of fluoride in drinking water can lead to dental fluorosis, prevalent bone fractures, and skeletal fluorosis, an irreversible disabling condition. Some work has focused on combating fluorosis through increased calcium intake by consuming local plants. Researchers at Princeton University and the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi are currently investigating defluoridation options, while performing an epidemiological survey to assess the extent of fluoride linked health problems and the impact of future interventions.
Almost 80% of Jharkhand's people are farmers, although it contains 40% of India's mineral reserves it has some of India's poorest people, in Summer 2009 the state was threatened by drought, with people criticising the government for not providing food aid or assistance.
Sports.
JRD TATA Sports Complex, Jamshedpur hosts football matches of Indian Super League and is the home of ISL based football club Jamshedpur FC.
Cricket, hockey, and football are common games in Jharkhand. Players like Jaipal Singh, a former Indian hockey captain and Olympian and Manohar Topno currently play for the Indian Hockey team. Jaipal Singh was the captain of the hockey team that won the first gold medal for India in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Mahendra Singh Dhoni who was the captain of Indian cricket team and led the Indian cricket team to ICC Cricket World Cup glory on 2 April 2011, ending a 28-year wait to repeat the feat achieved by former Indian captain Kapil Dev in 1983 at Lord's, England is from here.
Other notable cricketers from Jharkhand are Varun Aaron, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Saurabh Tiwary. He was one of the key batsmen in the Indian team that won the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. Other sportspeople include Deepika Kumari, a young archer who won gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth games in the women's individual recurve event. Nikki Pradhan currently a member of the national hockey team. Pradhan was the first female hockey player from Jharkhand to represent India in the Olympics.
An International Cricket stadium with an indoor stadium and a practice ground has been constructed. This international stadium has hosted an International match between India and England on 19 January 2013. Apart from that, this stadium has hosted two IPL 6 matches for KKR and qualifier 2 of IPL 8 between CSK and RCB and Celebrity Cricket League Matches for Bhojpuri Dabanggs. A tennis academy, which was inaugurated by Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik, also runs besides the cricket stadium. Ranchi is among six cities in Hockey India League to be played in January 2013. Ranchi franchise was bought by Patel-Uniexcel Group and the team named Ranchi Rhinos which is now being co-hosted by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and named as Ranchi Rays.
Tourism.
Jharkhand is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places. Parasnath, Baidyanath Dham, Maa Dewri Temple and Chhinnamasta Temple are major religious places.
Tattapani Hot Water Spring is located 8 km from Latehar. The hot spring water come out from different places on the Sukari River bed. Rich in sulphur, the hot spring is believed to have medicinal properties and good for skin.
Itkhori is a holy place for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. It is believed to be the place from where Gautama Buddha started his journey for Bodh Gaya. Many sculptures of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist art styles were found in 2018. Rankini Temple of Jadugora is famous in Jharkhand, as well as in Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. There are several waterfalls in the state including Jonha Falls, Hundru Falls, Dassam Falls, Perwaghagh Falls and Panchghagh Falls. Netarhat is a hill station in the state.
There are several wildlife sanctuaries and national park in Jharkhand including Betla National Park and Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, which are major attraction for tourists.
State Museum Hotwar and Tribal Research Institute and Museum showcase various cultural heritage and tribal culture of Jharkhand.
References.
Sources.
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External links.
Government
General information

Rajahmundry Urban mandal
Rajahmundry Urban mandal, officially known as Rajamahendravaram Urban mandal, is one of the 19 mandals in East Godavari of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It has its headquarters at Rajahmundry city, that covers the entire urban mandal. The mandal is surrounded by Rajahmundry (rural) mandal and lies on the banks of Godavari River.
Demographics.
As of 2011[ [update]] census, the mandal had a population of 341,831. The total population constitute, 168,735 males and 173,096 females —a sex ratio of 1029 females per 1000 males. 32,024 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 16,261 are boys and 15,763 are girls —a ratio of 969 per 1000. The average literacy rate stands at 84.12% with 260,616 literates.
References.
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Mandhali
Mandhali or Mandali is a village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district of Punjab State, India. It is located away from postal head office Kultham, from Phagwara, from district headquarter Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and from state capital Chandigarh. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representative of the village.
Demography.
As of 2011, Mandhali has a total number of 328 houses and population of 1655 of which 916 include are males while 739 are females according to the report published by Census India in 2011. The literacy rate of Mandhali is 59.93%, lower than the state average of 75.84%. The population of children under the age of 6 years is 170 which is 10.27% of total population of Mandhali, and child sex ratio is approximately 635 as compared to Punjab state average of 846.
Most of the people are from Schedule Caste which constitutes 30.15% of total population in Mandhali. The town does not have any Schedule Tribe population so far.
As per the report published by Census India in 2011, 924 people were engaged in work activities out of the total population of Mandhali which includes 546 males and 378 females. According to census survey report 2011, 62.77% workers describe their work as main work and 37.23% workers are involved in Marginal activity providing livelihood for less than 6 months.
Education.
The village has a Punjabi medium, co-ed upper primary with secondary/higher secondary school founded in 1962. The schools provide mid-day meal as per Indian Midday Meal Scheme. The school provide free education to children between the ages of 6 and 14 as per Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. Sikh National college is the nearest colleges and Lovely Professional University is away from the village.
Landmarks and history.
The village has a mausoleum called Rauza Mandhali Sharif. It has the tomb of Sayed-ul-Shaykh Hazrat Abdullah Shah Qadri which was built by himself. A fair is held at the Rauza in the month of June and July every year which is attended by people of all religions, castes and cultures. The mausoleum also has the tombs of Ali Ahmed Shah Qadri, Bhajan Shah Qadri and Gulam Bille Shah. Umre Shah Qadri is the present head of the shrine.
Transport.
Kultham Baba Abdullah Shah railway station is the nearest train station, However, Phagwara Junction train station is away from the village. Sahnewal Airport is the nearest domestic airport located away in Ludhiana and the nearest international airport is located in Chandigarh also Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport is the second nearest airport which is away in Amritsar.
References.
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Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
Town in Himachal Pradesh, India
Mandi (formerly known as Mandav Nagar) is a major town and a municipal corporation in Mandi District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated north of state capital, Shimla in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of Mandi is connected to the Pathankot through National Highway 20 and to Manali and Chandigarh through National Highway 21. Mandi is approximately from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and from New Delhi, the national capital. In the 2011 Indian census, Mandi had a population of 26,422. Mandi district is currently the 4th largest economy in the state. Mandi has the second highest sex ratio of 1013 females per thousand males, in the state.
It serves as the headquarters of Mandi District and Zonal Headquarters of central zone including districts namely Kullu, Bilaspur, and Hamirpur. As a tourist place, Mandi is often referred to as "Varanasi of Hills" or "Choti Kashi" or "Kashi of Himachal". Also, Mandi is the starting point for a trek of the region, Prashar lake trek. From Mandi, trekkers go to Bagi village, which serves as the base village for Prashar lake.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi is a premier institute located from Mandi town.
This one-time capital of the princely state of Mandi is a fast-developing town that still retains much of its original charm and character. Mandi was established in 1527 by Ajbar Sen, as the seat of the Mandi State, a princely state till 1948. Foundation of the town was laid on the establishment of Himachal Pradesh in early 1948. Today, it is widely known for the International Mandi Shivaratri Fair. Mandi is also the first heritage city of Himachal Pradesh. It also has the remains of old palaces and notable examples of 'colonial' architecture. Mandi had one of the oldest buildings of Himachal Pradesh.
Origin of name.
The name "mandi" (and the former name "Mandav Nagar") has its roots from Great Sage Rishi 'Mandav' who did Spritual Sadhana in this area, and the rocks turned black due to the severity of his penance. Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the common word "mandi" which means "market" in Hindi. It may possibly be connected with the Sanskrit root "mandaptika", meaning "an open hall or shed,".
While the town's name has always been pronounced "[mŋɖɪ]" in the local language, the anglicised version "Mandav Nagar" was the official name until it was changed to "Mandi". This change is now the most widely used name for the town. Mandi is renowned for its 81 ancient old stone Shaivite temples and their enormous range of fine carving. Because of this, it is also often called the "Varanasi of the Hills".
History.
The present District of Mandi was formed with the merger of two princely states, Mandi State and Suket State, on 15 April 1948, when the State of Himachal Pradesh was established. Until the mid-20th century, Mandi was on the trade route between Yarkant County and Ladakh to Hoshiarpur and the Indian plains, served as commercial hub and trade centre.
Historical events.
The princely state of Mandi was founded by Bahu Sen in 1200 AD. But Ajbar Sen was the one who founded the historical town of Mandi in 1526 AD. The Chiefs of Mandi State are said to be the descendants of common ancestors of the Chandervanshi line of Rajputs of Sen dynasty of Bengal who claim to be the descendants of Pandavas of Mahabharata times. The present District of Mandi was formed with the merger of two princely states Mandi State and Suket (Sunder Nagar) on 15 April 1948, when the State of Himachal Pradesh was established. Ajbar Sen assassinated Mandi, it led to the beginning of the modern period of Mandi history. Old Mandi capital was abandoned, and the site of present capital was acquired. Some historians put the selection of present capital in the year 1527 AD. The idol of Madho Rai, the presiding deity of Mandi and incarnation of Lord Vishnu is said to be made by Goldsmith Bhima, in 1648. Maharaja Ranjit Singh occupied Mandi in 1839 but Ranjit Singh died on 27 June 1839.
It was beginning of the disintegration of Sikh powers in the hills and British power emerged as most powerful. In 1849, Princely states of Mandi, Suket and Chamba were put under the control of Superintendent 'Cis-Satluj States'.
Lala Lajpat Rai visited Mandi during 1906 to organise the revolutionary activities. The revolt occurred in Mandi State against the repressive, corrupt and arrogant administration of Raja Bhawani Sen and his Wazir Jiwa Nand Paddha. This revolt was led by Shobha Ram in 1909. A prominent revolutionary of Mandi, Hardev Ram joined a revolutionary band of patriots in 1913. He went to Shanghai, America and Japan where he met Lala Hardayal and Dr. Mathura Singh. Another revolutionary of Mandi Bhai Hirda Ram started participating in revolutionary activities in 1914. He joined Ras Behari Bose, Sant Baba Wasakha Singh Dadehar, Mathura Singh, Kartar Singh Sarba, Bhai Parma Nand and Pingle. In 1915, on the request of Sarla Devi, wife of Bhai Hirda Ram, the Viceroy converted his death sentence into life imprisonment. In the same year, Nagchala Dacoity in Mandi state took place. In Mandi's conspiracy case, Mandi revolutionary Sidhu Kharara was sentenced for seven years in 1917. Mandi Legislative Council was constituted in 1933. Swami Purna Nand of Mandi was elected as president of "Himalayan Hill states regional Council" (founded in 1945) & Pt. Padam Dev became its general secretary. The session of "Himalayan Hill states regional Council" was held at Mandi from 8 March 1946 to 10 March 1946. It was also attended by INA activists Dhillon, Sehgal and Shah Nawaz Khan. So finally, Mandi came into existence on 15 April 1948. Suraj Sen ruled over Mandi at time of Damdama Mahal of Mandi.
Before independence.
The Chiefs of Mandi State are said to be the descendants of common ancestors of the Chandervanshi line of rajputs of Sen dynasty of Bengal who claim to be the descendants of Pandavas of Mahabharata times. According to the earlier accounts, Bahu Sen established an independent territory and was recognised as a Rana or local Chief. The Raja Ajber Sen, the nineteenth descendant from Bahu Sen, was considered as an able and benevolent ruler. He founded the present Mandi around the 'Bhootnath Temple' in
the early 16th century (1500 AD-1534 AD) and shifted his capital to this place from Purani Mandi. The temple of Trilokinath was also constructed during his reign. He was succeeded by Chhattar Sen who built a fort in Kalar by name Lakargarh. The successive rulers of Mandi were Shyam Sen, Gaur Sen, Sidh Sen, Shamsher Sen, Surma Sen, Ishwari Sen, Jalam Sen, Balbir Sen and Vijay Sen. Many public utility, services and facilities like schools, hospitals and post offices, etc., were started by Raja Vijay Sen during his time. He also built large number of palaces and houses. A mule road from Baijnath in District Kangra to Sultanpur in adjoining District of Kullu, via Mandi and the Victoria suspension Bridge on river Beas were constructed during his time in the year 1877. Raja Vijay Sen was issue less and left no direct heir.
So in 1897, Bhawani Sen was recognised as his successor. During his period the town was considerably damaged in the earthquake of 1905. He was succeeded by Joginder Sen in April 1914 who was, however, vested with full powers of ruling chief in February 1925. During the period of his minority, Mandi remained under the management of a British officer, and a number of departments were overhauled and reorganised. Mandi being one of the oldest town is enjoying urban status since 1901. The Mandi palace popularly known as "Raj Mahal" as it looked in the past. The area where the "Sunken Garden" exists today was once a pond.
mandi is also known as MINI PARIS, due to wide market of clothes and fashionable people.
Predecessors and short history.
The predecessor state of Siokot was founded in 1527. Formerly part of the Kingdom of Suket in the Punjab Hills, the dynasty traditionally goes back to 765 AD. In about 1100, Vijaya Sen had two sons, Sahu Sen who ruled over Suket and Bahu Sen who ruled over Kullu. Bahu Sen's descendants emigrated to Kullu until the tenth descendant, Kabakha Sen was killed by the Raja of Kullu and his son had to flee to Siokot, not very far from the present town of Mandi which was founded during Ajbar Sen's rule. Since 1986, HH Raja Ashokpal has been the ruler.
After independence.
Mandi District was formed by amalgamation of the erstwhile princely states of Mandi and Suket on the formation of Himachal Pradesh on 15 April 1948. Since then, it is serving as the district headquarters of the Mandi District. Mandi district comprises 8 Tehsils namely Joginder Nagar, Sarkaghat, Sundar Nagar, Sadar Mandi, Chachyot, Thunag, Karsog, Balh and 9 Sub-Tehsils, i.e., Ladbharol, Padher, Sandhole, Dharmpur, Makreri, Baldwara, Nihri, Kotli, Aut, Bali Chowki.
For the purpose of development activities, the District has been divided into 10 Blocks. The District has a total population of 9,00,987 persons as per 2001 Census and area of 3,950 km2. and covers 7.10% area of the State. The District has six towns including Pandoh as census town. These are namely Mandi, Sunder Nagar, Joginder Nagar, Rewalsar, Sarkaghat and Pandoh. Recently Mandi has become Zonal Headquarters of Central Zone, which covers the Districts of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kullu and Mandi itself and has gained much importance from administrative point of view.
Municipal Council.
Nagar Parishad Mandi was constituted during 1950. It has 13 wards consisting of 10 Revenue hadbasts. In 2020, it has now become a Municipal Corporation with 15 wards presently having population of 41375 with 14626 households.
Geography.
Mandi is built on the banks of the Beas River, at the confluence of the Suketi Khad stream. Sikandar Dhar, Ghugar Dhar and Dhar Kot are some of the prominent hills and mountains found near the town. Mandi is located in 31°72'N latitude and 76°92'E longitude. It has an average elevation of . It lies on the Midlands of the Himalayan range.
There is great variation in the climatic conditions of Himachal due to extreme variation in elevation. The climate varies from hot and sub-humid tropical in the southern tracts to cold, alpine and glacial in the northern and eastern mountain ranges with more elevation.
Geology.
Mandi is a bowl-shaped table land on the banks of river Beas, surrounded by the high hill ranges of Gandharv Hills, Motipur Dhar, Rehra Dhar and Tarna Hill. Two small rivulets, Suketi Khad and Skodhi Khad join River Beas. Besides, the table land on the banks of river/streams, terrain is steep and hilly. Geologically, the town is located in seismic Zone No. IV near a fault line and is prone to earthquakes. As National Highway-20 Pathankot-Mandi, National Highway-21 Chandigarh-Mandi-Manali, National Highway-70 Hoshiarpur-Sarkaghat
-Mandi and State Highway-32 Hoshiarpur-Mandi passes through the town, it is well connected with Jogindernagar, Palampur, Pathankot, Kullu, Sunder Nagar, Bilaspur, Chandigarh, Rewalsar, Sarkaghat and Una. Though Mandi is an old and fast developing town, yet it still retains its original charm and character.
Climate.
Mandi falls in the lowermost climatic zone of the Himalayas, and features a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen "Cwa"), characterised by hot summers and pleasant winters with chilly mornings. These regions enjoys a wet warm temperate climate in the foothills between as against the dry cold alpine climate with snowfall at higher altitudes of between . Temperatures typically range from over the course of a year. The average temperature during summer is between , and between in winter. Monthly precipitation varies between in November to in July. It is typically around per month during winter and spring and around in June as the monsoon approaches. The average total annual precipitation is .
Economy.
The people of Mandi follow an agrarian economy and cultivate rice, pulses, millets, tea, sesame seed, groundnut, sunflower oil and herbal products. Himachal Pradesh Town and Planning Department works for Mandi Planning area (MPA). More than 9,000 farmers are directly involved in cocoon cultivation for producing Silk in lower hills of Mandi District. Mandi District is also facing tough competition from China, which is marketing raw silk at much lower rates in the market.
Many Hectares of land in Mandi is also under Apple production. Apples are generally planted during December every year. The area under fruit in Mandi is about 15 per cent of the total area under fruits in Himachal Pradesh. Mandi raw silk has acquired wide fame but the salt mines at Drang and Guma are the special features of the economy. With abundant deposit of salt and limestone, possibilities are being investigated for the existence of magnesite, coal and china-clay. Mandi also has fish markets where brown trout is one of the most demanded fish species. In Mandi, a farmer gets around Rs. 200 a kg for Brown Trout.
Government and politics.
Established on 15 April 1948, the Mandi municipal council is the oldest elected body nominated by the government of Himachal Pradesh. Municipal Council of Mandi was constituted during 1950. It has 13 wards consisting of 10 Revenue Hadbasts. As of the 2017 general election, the two major political parties are the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (in power) and the Indian National Congress (INC) (in opposition). The administrative head of the council is the Municipal commissioner who is appointed by the state government.
Mandi contributes one seat to the lower house of parliament (Lok Sabha). Law and order in the town is collectively maintained by the police department, vigilance department, enforcement directorate, forensics, fire department, department of prisons, and home guard department. The Superintendent of Police of Mandi, Shalini Agnihotri, heads the police department. The Deputy Commissioner of Mandi, Arindam Chaudhary, is the head of District. There is one district court in the town including other courts in other towns of the district.
Transport.
Local transport in Mandi is generally by auto-rickshaw, bus or private vehicles. Tourist taxis are also an option. The taxi station is located right in front of Seri Stage. Auto-rickshaws are the main means of transport in Mandi and are available almost 24 hours.
The nearest airport to Mandi is the Bhuntar Airport, about 75 km from Mandi. It is connected to Pathankot through National Highway 20 which is almost long and to Manali and Chandigarh through National Highway 21 which is long.
Munish Resorts, Visco Resorts and Regent Palms Hotel are hotels and resorts in Mandi. Some other hotels are Raj Mahal, Amar Atithi, Ashoka Holiday Inn, Hotel Evening Plaza, Mandav Hotel (HPTDC), Surbhi Hotel, Hotel Yamini. Most people come to Mandi through Delhi or Chandigarh.
From Delhi
The distance between Delhi and Mandi is about 475 km. This distance can be covered in approximately 12 hrs by bus.
The alternative to reach Mandi from Delhi is to travel by train up to Kiratpur Sahib by Delhi-Una Himachal express (4553). From Kiratpur, there is a bus. All the buses going from Delhi and Chandigarh to Mandi have to pass through Kiratpur.
Also, you can take NH 1 to Ambala and NH 22 to Chandigarh before taking NH 21 to Mandi.
From Chandigarh
From Chandigarh there are buses to Mandi and Manali. The buses from Delhi pass through Chandigarh and some buses start from Chandigarh itself. The distance between Chandigarh and Mandi is 200 km. This distance can be covered in approximately 6 hrs by bus. By taxi, it may take around 5 hrs.
By Air
The nearest airport to Mandi is the Kullu Airport at Bhuntar, about 75 km from Mandi. This is a small domestic airport; only small aircraft fly to Kullu. Flights to Kullu are restricted only from Delhi, and Shimla. From Delhi, flights to Kullu take about 90 minutes by Indian Airlines or Kingfisher Airlines.
By Rail
There is currently no railway, but one is proposed. There is a proposal to extend the Kangra Valley Railway to Mandi, and connect it to a new Bhanupli–Leh line. The nearest railway station currently is the Jogindernagar Railway Station almost 50 km from the Mandi; this is the current terminus of the Kangra Valley Railway.
Demographics.
As of 2001[ [update]] India census, Mandi had a population of 26,858. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Mandi has an average literacy rate of 83.5%, higher than the national average of 65.38% & almost equal to state's literacy rate(83.57%): male literacy is 92%, and female literacy is 75%. In Mandi, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Mandi had a very high sex ratio – 1013 girls for every 1000 boys in 2011. Mandi has a mixed population of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians with more than 90% population being Hindu. According to census 2011, the town has a population of 26,422.
Culture.
Mandi is the cultural capital of Himachal Pradesh. The people of Mandi are informally called Mandyalis. Mandeali language is generally used at local level for communication. Sepu Wadi is the official and main cuisine of Mandi. "Dham" (Lunch) is generally organised in local marriages, functions and parties. Himachal Darshan Photo Gallery is situated at about 4 km from Mandi near Sauli Khad on the Chandigarh-Manali National highway. This art gallery contains a collection of photographs of exotic locations of the entire state and reflects the social & cultural heritage of the people of Himachal Pradesh. District Library is located in Emerson House (District Court). Clothing in Mandi was Kurta-Pyjama for Boys and Sari-Suits for girls but with the Western Culture arriving to India, Mandi's youth have started wearing Western styles. However, there are still large numbers of people who wear the traditional clothing of Himachal Pradesh. Banthra is the main folk dance performed in theatrical shows in Mandi and is the official folk dance of the District.
The Mandi Shivaratri Fair is an international fair held in Mandi for seven days in the month of February/March every year. The celebration of Shivratri of Mandi is said to have started in the year 1526 to commemorate the foundation of present-day Mandi. Before this, the capital of Mandi was on the right bank of the river Beas, which is now known as Old Mandi (Purani Mandi). Mandi hosts a half marathon every year.
Once when the tenth guru of the Sikhs was on a visit to Mandi, the king of Mandi invited him to stay at the royal palace. The guru accepted the invitation to stay in Mandi but not with the king. He put up outside the town in a secluded place, which had once been the hermitage of a rishi (Indian sage). The guru was touched by the king's devotion and prophesied that Mandi would ever remain safe and if any enemy tries to harm it, bolts from heaven would crush the invader. He considered Mandi the safest place on the planet.
V.G.C. mandi hp Youth festival group 4 (one act play, skit, mime and mimicary)
Education.
Mandi has anganwadis, primary schools as well as high schools. Some of the schools in the town include DAV Centenary Public School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Mandi Public School, Indus Global School, The Phoenix School of Integrated Learning, Vijay Government Senior Secondary School, Government Senior Secondary School (Girls), Sarswati Vidya Mandir nagwain., Sai Public School, St. Xavier Residential School, DAV Sr. Secondary School, Anglo Sanskrit Model School.
The medical institutes in Mandi are Himachal Dental College. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College. Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College, T. R. Abhilashi Memorial Institute of Engineering and Technology, and Vallabh Bhai Government College are also located in Mandi. The Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, is an autonomous and top university of the state for Graduation in BTech/MTech offering many courses.
Media.
Mandi has numerous newspaper publications distributed here, television and radio stations. The top Hindi language newspapers are "Amar Ujala", "Punjab Kesari", "Dainik Bhaskar", "Dainik Jagran", "Devbhumi Mirror", "Divya Himachal", "Himachal Dastak", "Jansatta", "Dainik Sawera" and "Uttam Hindu". Magazines include "Outlook", "Champak". English language newspapers sold in Mandi include the "Times of India", "The Hindu", "Hindustan Times", "Indian Express" and "The Tribune".
Numerous Indian and international television channels can be watched in Mandi through the local cable television provider. The national television broadcaster, Doordarshan, provides many channels like DD Shimla, DD National, DD Sports, DD Sports HD.
The wide range of cable channels available includes news channels such as Aaj Tak, Lokmat IBN, Zee News, Star News, NDTV 24X7, sports channels like Ten Sports, ESPN, Star Sports, Neo Sports, Neo Cricket, National entertainment channels like Colors, Sony, Zee TV and STAR Plus. Other News channels include Pole Star Himachal, S-TV, Wireless Communication System & GMC NETWORK NER CHOWK. Satellite television (DTH) are very rarely used. Prominent DTH entertainment services in Mandi include Dish TV, TATA Sky, Videocon TV, Reliance Big TV. There are two radio stations in Mandi. People generally use CRT, LCD, LED Televisions.
Sports.
Mandi is home to Bandy Federation of India which is a member of the IOC recognised Federation of International Bandy. Bandy Federation of India is Headquartered in Mandi. India has a bandy team. Bandy Federation of India takes care of Bandy in India. India is one of 7 countries in Asia and in total 29 to be