Introduction
Raipur is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur district and Raipur division, and the largest city of the state. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of Chhattisgarh was formed on 1 November 2000. Raipur is a major commercial hub for trade and commerce in the region. It has exponential industrial growth and has become a major business hub in Central India. It has been ranked as India’s 6th cleanest city as per the Swachh Survekshan for the year 2021. Raipur is ranked 7th in the Ease of Living Index 2019 and 7th in the Municipal Performance Index 2020, both by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
It is among the biggest producers of steel and iron in the country. There are about 200 steel rolling mills, 195 sponge iron plants, at least 6 steel plants, 60 plywood factories, 35 ferro-alloy plants and 500 agro-industries in the city. In addition, It also has over 800 rice milling plants.
Census of India, the urban agglomeration population in Raipur, Durg-Bhilai was 3,186,632. It is a food-processing (rice, wheat, cotton, and oilseeds) and sawmilling centre connected by rail with Vizianagaram and Vishakhapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh state. Other industries include hand-loom weaving, furniture making, and the manufacture of machinery, cigarettes, aluminium, and brass and bell-metal products. Several musical academies, printing presses, a museum, a tuberculosis clinic, and rice and sericulture experimental farms are located in Raipur. It is the seat of Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University (1964). Pop. (2001) city, 605,747; urban agglom., 700,113; (2011) city, 1,010,433; urban agglom., 1,123,558.
History
The earliest archaeological evidence from old sites and ruins of the fort indicate that Raipur has existed since at least the 9th century. However, there is enough literary evidence that defines the history of Raipur since the time of the Maurya Empire. Raipur district was once part of Southern Kosal and considered to be under the Maurya Empire. Raipur had later been the capital of the Haihaya Kings, controlling the traditional forts of Chhattisgarh for a long time. Satawahana Kings ruled this part till the 2nd-3rd century CE. Samudragupta had conquered this region in the fourth century, but the region came under the sway of Sarabhpuri Kings and then Nala Kings in the 5th and 6th centuries.
Later on, Somavanshi kings took control over this region and ruled with Sirpur as their capital city. The Kalchuri Kings of Tumman ruled this part for a long time making Ratanpur as capital. It is believed that the King Ramachandra of this dynasty established the city of Raipur and subsequently made it the capital of his kingdom.
Economy
Raipur, being the capital city of Chhattisgarh, has attracted large amounts of industrial development. As it is the state capital, the government and service sectors makes up a large part of the city’s economy and workforce. Manufacturing industries are also well developed in the city, with a large number of industrial zones. It is also regarded as one of the best cities to do business. It is abundantly rich in mineral resources, and is among the biggest producers of steel and iron in the country. There are about 200 steel rolling mills, 195 sponge iron plants, at least 6 steel plants, 60 plywood factories, 35 ferro-alloy plants and 500 agro-industries in the city. In addition, It also has over 800 rice milling plants.
Present
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) is planning to set up an integrated cement manufacturing unit with a capacity of 2.5 million TPA in Raipur. A South Korean multinational Sung Ha Telecom is also planning to set up a plant in Naya Raipur. JSW Steel has a steel plant in this City. APL Apollo’s in joint venture with a Singaporean company has planned a manufacturing plant in Raipur. Grasim Industries operates a cement plant at Rewan in Raipur. Ambuja Cements has a plant in In addition, It has a large chemical plant which produces and supplies formalin all throughout the country. LPG bottling plants owned by Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum are also in Raipur. Godavari – E – Mobility is planning to set up a manufacturing plant in the city as well. A heavy machinery plant of Jindal Group is in this City.
Functioning as an information technology (IT) and cyber hub, a technology park in Chhattisgarh’s new capital city Naya Raipur was built. Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC) will be developing a new industrial area in Tilda near Raipur to provide facilities for small and medium industries. Two new industrial parks for apparel and metal industries are coming up in Raipur.
Master Plan
Raipur Master Plan 2021 recognizes the need for planned development to take the pressure off the downtown core and meet the need for green spaces and bodies of water in that area. The plan calls for dense housing in new subdivisions on the outskirts and well-planned high-rise commercial and industrial development along with the NH-6 as well as on the north side of the city.
Traditional Food
Raipur is famously called rsice bowl of Central India as most of the traditional food items here are made up of rice flour. Famous breakfasts of these regions are fara/muthiya, angakar roti, housera roti.
Use of leafy vegetables and curd is also common, giving rise to delicious dishes, such as kochai patta, chowlai bhajji, khoda bhaji, bohar bhaji and chech bhaji. Dal is another favourite of the region and the Bafauri made from chana dal is a delightful delicacy eaten with rice or chapatti.
Transport services
The superintendent of Engineers Executive Engineers, the team of Engineers, and the staff responsible for the related activities of the road department head the public works department. Their purposes are planning and designing of road stormwater drains, maintenance of roads and streets, maintenance of gardens and parks, resurfacing the roads, and repairing potholes and bad patches. In the bus transport system of the City there is a total number of 157 buses plying within the city.
Roadways
Some major roads are National Highway 53 (NH-53), National Highway 30 (NH-30), Great Eastern Road, Pandri Road, Baloda Bazar Road, Nardha Raipur Road, VIP Road, and Atal Path Expressway.
The Raipur–Naya Raipur Expressway, also known as Atal Path Expressway, is a 12.7 km (7.9 mi) access-controlled expressway connecting Raipur to Naya Raipur. It has been made to ease the traffic on the GE road and provide faster access to Dhamtari road from Raipur railway station. It serves 4 flyovers and 1 elevated corridor, crossing over GE road and NH-53 in between two ends of expressway.
The proposed Durg–Raipur–Arang Expressway, Raipur-Ranchi-Dhanbad Expressway and the under-construction Raipur–Visakhapatnam Expressway will pass through and start from Raipur, which after completion, will enhance connectivity and commute further with other cities to and from Raipur.
Bus Transport
A recently constructed bus station, the Sri Balaji Swami Trust Sri Dudhadhari Math Inter State Bus Terminal, or ISBT Raipur, is located at Ravanbhantha, and is the main bus station of the city. It has replaced the old Minimata Bus Stand or Pandri Stand, which was creating heavy traffic problems. The services of the new ISBT started on 15 November 2021. The only bus rapid transit system is the Raipur and Naya Raipur BRTS.
Metro
A light rail, or a Metrolite or Lite Metro (as referred in India), has been proposed by the Government of Chhattisgarh, which will run from Naya Raipur to Durg via Raipur and Bhilai
Railways
Raipur Junction railway station is the primary railway station of the city, which is situated on the Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line of the Indian Railways, running through the cities of Bhusawal, Nagpur, Gondia, Bilaspur, Rourkela and Kharagpur. Thus, it is connected with most major cities of India. It is categorized in the A-1 category of railway stations by the Indian Railways. Some small railway stations are also present here for local trains like Sarona, Saraswati Nagar, and WRS Colony railway stations. They also lie on the same railway route.
Airport
Swami Vivekananda Airport, or Mana Airport, is the primary airport serving the state of Chhattisgarh. The airport is located 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Raipur and 10 km (6.2 mi) from Naya Raipur. The airport is well-connected, having daily direct flights to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Goa, Lucknow, Indore, Jaipur, Patrna, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Prayagraj, and Jagdalpur operated by Alliance Air, IndiGo and Vistara airlines.
Education
Raipur has become a big educational hub of Chhattisgarh due to the presence of many institutes of national importance in engineering, management, medical and law, including IIM, NIT, AIIMS, Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), CIPET, Raipur, NIPER (Proposed) and IIIT.
Premier institutes
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur (AIIMS)
- Cerntral Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology
- Hidayatullah National Law University
- Indian Institute of Management Raipur (IIM)
- International Institute of Information Technology, Naya Raipur
- National Institute of Malaria Research
- National Institute of Technology, Raipur(NIT)
- National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) (Proposed) at Naya Raipur
Government universities
- Chandulal Chandrakar Patrakarita Avam Jansanchar Vishwavidyalaya
- Chhattisgarh Kamdhenu Vishwavidyalaya
- Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University
- Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University
- Deendayal Upadhyay Memorial Health Sciences and Ayush University of Chhattisgarh
- Private universities and deemed universities
- Amity University
- ICFAI University
- ITM University
- Kalinga University
- MATS University
Commerce, engineering and management colleges
- Government Engineering College (GEC)
- Pragati College of Engineering and Management
- Raipur Institute of Technology
- Shri Shankaracharya Institute of Professional Management and Technology (SSIPMT)
- Secondary education
- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
- DAV Public School
- Kendriya Vidyalaya
- Rajkumar College, established 1882
- Ryan International School
- Delhi Public School
Conclusion
Raipur district was once part of Southern Kosal and considered to be under the Maurya Empire. It had later been the capital of the Haihaya Kings, controlling the traditional forts of Chhattisgarh for a long time. Satawahana Kings ruled this part till the 2nd-3rd century CE.
People celebrate POLA by worshipping Bullocks. Bull race is also a major event of the festival. Children play with Nandia-Bail (Nandi the Vahan of Lord Shiva) idols made of clay and fitted with clay wheels. Teeja is the festival of women. The community was founded in the 14th century by Rai Brahma Deo of the Ratanpur dynasty. Raipur is home to one of the biggest and largest steel markets in India and also one of the biggest industrial centers. It is also one of the largest cities of Chhattisgarh and hence visited by many tourists all over. It has more than 200 steel mills and six steel plants.