OVERVIEW:
Godda is a beautiful place located in the Godda district of Jharkhand. It is also got recognition as the district headquarter. It became a part of Bihar on 25th May 1983 but became a part of Jharkhand after separation of Jharkhand from Bihar on 15th November 2000. Previously the place had no railway connectivity. People here mainly depend upon agriculture for their living.majority of the population here belongs to tribal community Santal.
Ancient Oraon comb cut paintings can be found here. They used to make the paintings of cattle, papyrus, birds and used different geometry for their painting such as triangular form, square form, and zigzag form. Ganju formed paintings are also very common. They used to make paintings of both wild as well as domesticated animals, plants, and different birds. These paintings were used to decorate homes and provide them with a traditional look. A unique style painting is known as Kurmi by Sohrai.basically they used to draw outlines on the surface with a wooden compass or nails and make different paintings. They used glyptic art to represent plants and animals on the floors and walls.
A small community in these areas famous as Turi used to make baskets, and they knew the use of tones in the wall of their homes. Another form of painting made by Birhor and the Bhuiya community. They used to make the paintings of Yoni, rectangular petals with their fingers. Manjhi santal community had some connections with the Indus valley civilization, and they used to make simple clay plaster walls.
Ratneshwar Dham: This holy place is situated near Godda town. This place has a lot of similarities with the Baba Baidyanath temple and rich collection od Shivlings. People have a great belief in this. They used to pour water on the Shivling to get the blessings from the all mighty God. During Sawan maas, people walk about 50 Kilometers to reach near the temple to pray the lord.
Yogini maa mandir: This place is famous throughout the world.people believe that when Lord Shiva was carrying Sati Mata round the world, some part of her body has fallen in this place. One has to step up almost 400 steps to reach the main temple on the hill. A small cave is there where actual God exists. A ropeway is also there to go to the temple and enjoy the beautiful natural place.
Sundar Dam: This dam is located about 10 Kilometers away from the highway. This is the hub of different flora and fauna and a vast forest reserve area. Many waterfalls originated from this place.it is a beautiful spot for a picnic during wintertime.
Lalmatia: Beautiful hills and forests surround this place. People from different regions came to the place to spend some time with nature. The place also has a lot of mineral and coal mines.
The staple food of the locals is rice and dal, along with vegetables 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.
Hansidha is the nearest railway station to Godda. But railway track to Godda is under construction.so probably it will be finished shortly. Birsamunda Airport in Ranchi is the nearest airport here. The place has functional roadway connectivity.it has got connectivity to the major cities of Jharkhand as well as to other cities of India.
The people of Godda are generally very calm and friendly and respect outsiders very much. A holiday in Godda 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. Godda promises an experience worth remembering.
This place has an age-old history. As per some evidence, the place has existed during the Stone Age also. Some of the weapons like hammer, axes, bow, and arrow, and some of the agricultural equipment have been recovered in the past. Some of the people believe that the place was there during the Vedic era. Some of the records of the place are there in Megasthenes. During 302 B.C. he visited the court of Chandra Gupta Maurya in Pataliputra. He has mentioned about the living of Parihar and Sauria tribe in this region. According to the Chinese Pilgrimage, Hiuen Tsang during his visit to Champa, the history of Godda was unknown. The place was a great supporter of the religion of Buddhism. During that time Devis are worshipped as a tantric sect and Buddhism gives a clear indication of this. Some of the facts about the place also mentioned in Bhavishyat Puran, which was written during the 15th and 16th centuries A.D.
During Turk and Afghan era Sher Shah Suri was the administrator of the district, and it was the main trading center during that time. But during the Mughal era, the place was offered to Raja Man Singh. But during British rule, a lot of development of the place started. The huge forest area and the mineral resources stored there were the main reason for its development. Initially, Paharia tribes used to live here, but the British brought the Santal tribe into this region for labor purposes in 1717. But later the santal tribes did not get proper justice, so they started a rebellion in 1885. This rebellion was so impactful, and this district became a separate district after separation from Birbhum and Bhagalpur district. Godda district was a part of Santal Paragana until 1981 and later became a new district.