On the Southeastern side of Jharkhand there lies Chakradharpur, a town in Chakradharpur Block in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand State, India. It is situated 26 km from Chaibasa District headquarters to the west. It is a Block headquarter. It is also the railway divisional headquarters of its division of South Eastern Railway. It is stretched upon around 10 square kilometers of land and it close to the state border of Odisha and Jharkhand. The block is surrounded by Kuchai Block on North, Kharsawan Block on South, Khuntpani Block on East, and Sonua Block on the west. When it comes to the Indian Railway System, it is also one of the most profitable divisions. The city is one of the mineral-rich areas of the country serving, Jharkhand and Odisha. It also serves other essential industries such as limestone, cement, and steel factories, which are also located here. Mountains cover it on almost all sides, and the river Sanjay runs through its southeastern periphery. In the mid-20th century, Chakradharpur has been a quasi-hill station as per local beliefs.
Chakradhar is one of the common alias' of Lord Krishna, who bore the Sudarshan Chakra. This clearly states the facts for the historical connection of this place with the Hindu Mythology.
The city has always been a well-known name to the fans of Independence and its leaders from the time when "Mahatma Gandhi" mentioned his visit to Chakradharpur Railway Station in his book "Third Class in Indian Railways". Not only that but "Justice Harihar Mahapatra" even has mentioned in his book "My Life, My Work" about his visit to Chakradharpur around the year 1916. This town has always been the place for well-known freedom fighters like Raja Arjun Singh Deo, Jagabandhu Pattanayak (Jaggu Dewan), Pandit Gopabandhu Dash, Pundit Godabarish Mishra, Rahim Bux, and Fakeer Chand. They consistently supported Gandhiji for his Non-cooperation Movement and Maulana Mazharul Haque for his Khilafat Movement against British Raj in the 1920s. Most of the inhabitants are involved in a local business. They used to sell goods in the neighboring weekly market. Before a handful of them were engaged in agriculture. But, due to rapid expansion, most of the agricultural lands were acquired for the construction of houses, so they also change their occupation. Geological Survey of India states that there is a rich deposit of a composite "batholith" of a banded trondhjemitic material intruded by granodiorite, tonalite, alkali-feldspar granite and granite which was metamorphosed and deformed by the F3 event, which the geologists named as the "Chakradharpur Granite Gneiss". Near to the town, there is a lake known as the Burton lake which used to serve as a Raw Water Reservoir, from the time of the British for the entire Railway Colony but now it is a site for Boating and the town's all-new hangout zone.
The major languages spoken in this area are Bengali, Odia, and Hindi. Although Santali, Gujurati, English, Kurmali, Telugu, Urdu, and Punjabi are also spoken prominently in this place. It has its own set of religious and cultural institutions, and multi-ethnic communities including people from Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab thus resulting in a powerful confluence of customs and traditions. Karam is a significant native festival of the natives On the 11th day of a full moon of the month of Bhadra, it is celebrated by the Sadan. Many other festivals are mostly exclusively celebrated by people belonging to these areas and nearby such as Jitia, Nawakhani, Shohrai, Phaguwa, Sarna, and many other festivals. Popular folk dance in this area is Jhumair. It is mostly performed during harvest and festival season. The folk dance comes from Sadan, native Indo-Aryan ethnic groups of the local people. Many other folk dances like Chhau Dance, Painki, Mundari Dance, and Santali Dance are also prevailing in this area. Musical instruments used by people belonging to this town include Dholki, Dhak, Mandar, Khartal, Bansi, Shehnai, Nagara, and Narsinga, among others. When it comes to paintings and art, Sahrai painting is done during the Sohrai festival. Various designs are made on the walls and in courtyards.
The hands of Chakradharpur have an artistic effect. Crafting with Stone, Metals, Bamboo, and clay is recognized around the world. Gharhwa Art is a unique expression of their creative knowledge. Arts using the feathers of peacock and shell have a different fan-base. The people make vibrant and delicate crafts of this locality. The printed mask is truly a legendary one, and masks are made from leaves but very stylish. They also use a variety of materials like wood, pumpkin gourd, and cloths. The Malhar and Tentri of the community are known for their metal craft. They used to make brass scrap the object and have a core of clay concealed in the metal. Another interesting fact is that no sculpture is the exact copy of other everything is unique and has its specialty. Many products made from Kansa and bell materials and having a shiny finish from outside gives the products an outstanding look.
The staple food of the locals is generally like most other; rice, dal, vegetable, and tubers. Typical meals often consist of vegetables that are made in different ways, such as fried, roasted, curried, and boiled. Preparations of dishes may include mild with a low oil and spicy content, although festive dishes and pickles may have a great impact on people of this area. Some of these dishes are Chilka Roti, Arsa Roti, Aaru ki Sabzi, Mard Jhor, Chakor Jhol, Sanai ka Phool ka bharta, Moonj Ada, etc.
Balaji Temple: This temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara or Balaji as he is popularly called. Devotees throng to this temple on special days and on mostly on Saturdays due to the day's historical importance.
Chainpur Shiva Temple: A temple that has become famous purely by word of mouth but it is noted for its simplistic beauty. During holy festivals like Shiva Chaturdasi and Chaitra Sankranti in April, large colorful fairs are held in this village.
Durga temple: The Durga temple is especially famous for its frequent celebrations and festivals. Famed artistes from Kolkata and Kumartoli come here to make beautiful idols for this temple. The highlight of this temple is the monolithic marble statue of Goddess Durga which is at least six feet in height.
Loco temple Mosque: The Railway colony in the city of Chakradharpur has many important religious institutions like the Loco Temple Mosque. People visit the mosque irrespective of any religion to pay their respects.
Hirni Falls: Set in a dense jungle with verdant foliage, this spectacular Hirni Falls has water falling from a height of about 35 meters. A favored site for tourists, the region surrounding this spot is breathtaking in its natural beauty. Hirni Falls is at a distance of 52 km from Chakradharpur.
Iqbal Singh Sindhu Stadium: Managed by the SERSA/CKP organization this place has prevailed upon these years. The most prestigious occasion held in its premises is the Annual Steel Express Football Tournament, in which national teams like Mohammedan Sporting Club Kolkata and Goa take part. This stadium is also popularly known as the Sersa Stadium.
Chakradharpur is an exciting place to visit, given its unique culture, history, and character. The people of the locality are generally very calm and friendly and respect outsiders very much. A holiday in Chakradharpur can typically be of 1-2 days but if someone wants to travel the places of interests nearby with the best views around the rail-line one can stay for some more days. The bag packers can have a budget of 1.5-2 thousand to have a suitable stay. The midrange travelers can have around 2.5-3 thousand to have decent accommodation. For luxury travelers, it will be around 4-5 thousand. They can have a transportation service for the entire stay for their convenience.