Excursion

Jharkhand is among the few destinations that offer you the perfect holiday option. Apart from natural allure you can enjoy a wide range of pursuits. Chhotanagpur a name which presents up before mind's eye a highland interspersed with rolling hills clad in luxuriant forest criss-crossed by numerous narrow, limpid hill streams. The glorious plateau is riddled with celestial springs bubbling with mineral water. The majestic flow of water in a number of falls thundering down in rainbow mists, froth and foam enthralls the onlookers. On approach their never ending soft and haunting music rises to a crescendo.

Jharkhand has many things to entice tourists and all those who are lovers of natural beauty. As indicated above, its evergreen forests, wild life, lakes, waterfalls, scenic beauty, health and holiday resort and soothing climate are a bonanza for tourists.

Imagine a fantasy land where nature is a benevolent queen. Where the woods are lovely, dark, green and deep. Where the sky is an azure blue. Where hill streams bubble like a young adivasi's laughter. A place where you can hear the sounds of silence and actually taste the elegance of nature.

Water Falls
Hundru Fall
Ranchi is nature's bounty to mother India which has specially been adorned with falls and streams. Hundru fall is about 45 kms away from Ranchi Town. The Swarnarekha river falls from a heightof 320 feet making a wonderful scene known as Hundru fall. At the base of the fall a beautiful pool is formed which allows visitors to take a good bath, but with precautions. During rainy season it takes a formidable form but in summer it turns in to an exciting picnic spot.

Dassam Fall
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 encircled with charming scenes. It is also known as Dassam Ghagh. The tourists are warned not to take bath in the falls or at least be careful while bathing in the stream.

Jonha Fall
Jonha is about 40 kms away from Ranchi. The road leading to Jonha is a bit narrow but not so rough, rugged and arduous as that of Hundru. There is also a hospice (Tourist Rest House) which accommodates Lord Gautam Buddha's temple. This fall is named after Gautam as Gautam dhara too. It is approachable by road. The tourists can go upto Gautam dhara station by train also.

Hirni Falls
About 70 km. from Ranchi on way to Chakradharpur is located Hirni Falls. Situated amidst dense forests Hirni has been favoured by nature for scenic beauties. The tourists are carried away by emotions and flight of imagination while at Hirni.

Punch Ghatt
Located on way to Simdega via Khunti, this beautiful waterfall has infact five water falls in a row and therefore called Panch Ghagh. The distance of this waterfall is about 55 kms from Ranchi.

Pilgrimage
Sun Temple
About 39 km. from Ranchi on Tata Road near Bundu, stands the elegant Sun Temple fashioned in the form of huge chariot with richly decorated 18 wheels (nine on each side) and seven life like horses ready to take off. Built by Sanskriti Vihar headed by Shri Sita Ram Maroo, the Managing Director of Ranchi Express Group, the Sun Temple deserves the title 'a poem in stone'. The surroundings of the temple, studded with a pond serving as a sacred place for Chhathavratis are actually a natures bounty to the people of Chhotanagpur. A beautiful dharmashala, meant for the pilgrims and the tourists is under construction. The all weather motor able road upto the temple premises is likely to attract tourist who will be captivated to behold the newly built Sun Temple in placid and serene surrounding leading to it's celestial beauties.

Rajrappa
About 80 km. from Ranchi on Ramgarh Chitarpur Road, Rajrappa is situated at the confluence of rivers Damodar and Bhairavi popularly knows as Bhera. Rajrappa, which was once desolate hillocks with a small temple of Chhinamastika, now turned into a famous pilgrim resort for the Hindu devotees mainly from Bihar and West Bengal. The headless statue of Goddess Chhinamastika stands upon the bodies of Kamdeo and Rati in a lotus bed. The Chhinamastika Temple is a very sacred and popular place of Hindu pilgrimage. The temple is very old and its architectural design is the same as that of other temples of tantrik importance. Though its antiquity is yet to be dated. Some people are of the opinion that the present temple is a renovated one of the original and traditional temple turned into ruins. A number of other temples have come up around the original temple. Particularly, the temples of Mahavidyas (Tara, Shodashi, Bhubneswari, Bhairavi, Bagla, Kamla, Matangi, Dhumavati) built in a series, attract more devotees. Rajrappa has turned into a popular picnic spot. Pilgrims come here throughout the year. A number of devotees perform their marriages here and childrens have their mundan ritual (hair cut) to take blessings from Maa Chhinamastika. On the day of Makar Sakranti (14th January) a religious fair is held which is visited by lacs. On the Dussehra day also the number of visitors coming increases considerably. Rajrappa can be easily reached from Ranchi and Hazaribagh. It is on the route to Bokaro from Ramgarh.

Parasnath
About 190 km from Ranchi, Parasnath (also knows as Samved Shikhar) is the biggest hill of Jharkhand 4431 ft. above sea level. It is the most sacred / adored place of the Jains. It is believed that 20 out of 24 Teerthankars attained their Nirvana there. Both Shwetambar and Digamber Jains have their temples there.

Jaganathpur Temple & Hill
About 10 km. from Ranchi GPO is another sight seeing place where the tourists can rejoice and worship. The old temple of Lord Jagannath, built in 1961 in architectural style of Puri Temple stands like a fort on top of the hill. A portion of the old temple has come down and awaits renovation. Its car / chariot festival held in the light part of Ashadh Mas draws a big crowd comprising of tribals and non-tribals. HEC township nearby is an added attraction.

Baidyanathdham (Deoghar)
Baidyanathdham is a very famous Hindu pilgrimage. It is also called DEOGHAR or the house of Gods and Godesses. Situated on the eastern side of Bihar (now Jharkhand), this township is very close to the Bengal border. Visitors from all over visit this important temple where the Kamana Linga of Lord Shiva is placed. In the month of `shrawan' devotees come in lacs, particularly on 'Mondays'. Many of these devotees come walking after traversing a distance of some 100 kms on foot to pour the holy Ganga water on Kamana Linga brought from Sultanganj. Baidyanathdham can be reached by train or road. Jaisidih station, on the Howrah-Patna rail line of Eastern Railway is just 7 kms away. Regular bus services from Ranchi and Patna are available. From Bhagalpur this pilgrimage site is about 80 kms.

Satsang ashram (Deoghar)
Satsang ashram in Deoghar is one of the holiest of the holy places for the followers ofSri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra who spent his last 25 years of active life here. Satsong ashram was the center from where Sri Sri Thakur's man-making programme was directed. Thus a cluster of socio-industrial and cultural institutions have developed at deoghar. A visit to the ashram would inexorably take one out of the cobweb of mental blocks and would give one a feel of freedom, peace and progress. It shows the way of communal harmony and peaceful co-existence to the egocentric and trife torn world of today.

Sri Sri Thakur encouraged people to earn independent living with innovative zeal and with concern for the environment. That is how a number of small and integrated industrial activities are seen within the premises of satsong ashram. There are literary activities, which is seen in the form of a number of books and periodicals in all languages. Jouranls like 'Alochana' and 'Saptarchee' (in Bengali), 'Ligate' and 'The See-ence' (in English), 'Urjana' (in Oriya), 'Aryayan' (in Hindi) and a few more periodicals get regularly published from this place and carry the message of 'living with peace and progress' to the humanity.

Ashram attracts a large number of devotees everyday. Twice a year, mass congregations take place; once on the occasion of Bengalee New Year in the month of April and second in the aftermath of Dusserah in October. Ashram operates it's spiritual and social mission through a large number of messengers, known as ritwiks, who are nominated workers by the order of Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra.

Anjan Gram
Anjan Gram is believed to be the birth place of Lord Hanuman. Goddess Anjani was the mother of Lord Hanuman on whose name this place has been called Anjan Gram. A very ancient statue of Anjani mata is situated inside the Anjani cave. Surrounded by the Netarhat hills and the river Khatwa Anjan Gram is located at a distance of some 130 kms from Ranchi.

Bhadrakali
Itkhori block headquarters has a famous temple of Bhadrakali where a happy mingling of Hindu,Jain andBudha deities may be seen. Budha deity Tara can be seen here in black stone image. It also has an inscription of the time of the king Mahendra pal Deva. Dr. Grierson in his notes on Gaya District (pp.3,4) has given a description of the Budhist stupa at Bhadrakali complex of Itkhori. A Pair of foot prints is also visitable. It is associated with Sheetal Nath the 10th Trithankar of Jainism. It is also associated with Mallinath the 19th Tirthanker and Parswanath the 23rd Tirthanker. The Hindus worship goddess Kali as Bhadrakali. The whole area is full of historical and cultural heritages.

Itkhori block is also famous for the image of goddess Bhagwati. Goddess kali is worshiped here as Jagdamba. People flock here to offer sacrifice and Mundan sanskar. It has a scenic beauty and is a very good picnic spot.

Kauleshwari
Kauleshwari Devi Temple is situated on the top of kolhua hill at the height of 1575' in Hunterganj block. It contains some ruined temples and historical monuments. It is the place of pilgrimage for the Hindus , the Buddhists and the jains Tirthankers. Its antiquity goes back to 10th century B.C. Here figures of Gautam Budha in meditation posture are also sculptured on the rock belonging to the period of Harshvardhana who was an ardent follower of the Mahayana doctrine of Budhism. There is a temple of Maa Kali known as Kauleshwari Devi or Kuleshwari Devi the revered deity of the kol community. People co-relate this place with epic age i.e. the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. On Basant Panchmi and Ram Navmi a large number of pilgrims flock to the hill top for worship. It is a fascinating and enchanting picnic spot with a very beautiful trekking of an hour duration.

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