Giridih

Giridih is headquarters of the Giridih district of Jharkhand state, India. The literal meaning of Giridih is the land of hills and hillocks – giri, a Hindi word, means hills and  dih, another word of the local dialect, indicates land of. Before 1972, Giridih was part of Hazaribagh district.

Giridih is a centre of the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). Giridih is also one of the six Data Processing Centres of Data Processing Division (DPD) of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).

History
Giridh district was a part of Kharagdiha estate till the late 18th century. During the British Raj Giridih became a part of Jungle Terry. After Kol Uprising in 1831, the parganas of Ramgarh, Kharagdiha, Kendi and Kunda became parts of the South-West Frontier Agency and were formed into a division named Hazaribag as the administrative headquarters. 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, Ledo Gadi, Gande Gadi, Ghoranji Gadi and Gadi Sirsia. The town of Giridih was under the rule of the Khargdiha Zamindari Estate of Salimpur and the temporary settled estate of Karharbari. 
 
Giridih district was created on 6 December 1972 by carving some parts of Hazaribagh district. In 1999 part of it became Bokaro district.

It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.

Minerals
Land of Giridih is rich in coal, and once Giridih was boomed by mica industry which exported mainly to Japan. 
There are many small and big mines of coal found in Giridih.

Geography
Giridih is located at . It has an average elevation of . Śrī Sammed Shikharji also known as the Parasnath Hills, located in Giridih is the highest mountain peak in Jharkhand. It is a conical granite peak located 4,477 feet (1,365 metres) above the sea level.

Giridih District is geographically divided into two natural divisions, which are the central plateau and lower plateau. The central plateau touches the western portion of the district near Bagodar block. The lower plateaus have an undulating surface and an average height of 1300 feet. In the north and north-west, the lower plateaus form fairly level tablelands until they reach the ghats when they drop to about 700 feet. The district has uniformly distributed and vast forests. Sal tree is the most famous and predominant trees here. Among other common trees are bamboo, semal, Mahua, palash, kusum, kend, Asian pear and bhelwa.

Giridih district is divided into two main water heads – Barakar and Usri rivers. Giridih is rich in mineral resources and has several large coal fields with one of the best qualities of metallurgical coal in India. Mica is found in abundance near the blocks Tisri and Gawan. Mica is of importance not only to Jharkhand but to India and other countries as well.

Climate
The climate of Giridih is generally dry. It is pleasant during winter season between October and March. Summer season starting April, is generally hot, with May being hottest when temperature rises up to 47C. Often high temperature is accompanied by high humidity levels, specially during June when premonsoon rain falls. It rains maximum during July and August, and rainy season continues up to mid October.

Government and politics
Nageshwar Prasad Sinha was the first MP from Giridih, when the town declared as separate district from Hazaribagh.
Ravindra Kumar Pandey from the Bharatiya Janata Party won the 2014 Indian general election from Giridih (Lok Sabha constituency) and is the present Member of Parliament. Giridih city forms the Giridih (Vidhan Sabha constituency).
Sri Nirbhay Shahabadi(BJP)is the current MLA of Giridih

Transport
Giridih is connected by Road and Rail link.

Rail

Giridih Station is connected to Madhupur Junction located 38 km to the east by a single broad gauge railway line. There is a single passenger train which runs five times a day between the two stations and takes about an hour to reach Giridih. Parasnath Station, on the Howrah-Delhi grand chord line, is 48 km from Giridih towards the west. The Giridih station is under the administration of the Asansol division of the Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways. There is a direct train (Boggie Attach) service from Giridih to Kolkata and Patna

Railway line between Koderma (KQR) and Giridih (GRD) is completed, presently train is ferrying twice between Koderma and New Giridih City   (Maheshmunda)

One new rail line is proposed between Giridih (GRD) and Parasnath (PNME) which will cater to the needs of locals and Jain Tourists coming to Madhuban, Parasnath.
It will be connected to Dhanbad and Jhajha as well.
New railway station New Giridih Railway Station NGRH is operational.

Road
The NH 19 (old NH 2)/Grand Trunk Road passes through Giridih district but away from the city.

Giridih has a bus terminus in the center of the town. The bus stand is divided into platforms for private buses. A Government Bus terminus is just adjacent to the main bus terminus.  There are regular bus services from the city to other parts in the district. Bus service to Dhanbad, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Deoghar, Asansol, Durgapur, Kolkata, Howrah, Patna, Ranchi and Jamshedpur is available. Private cars and taxi facilities are available in the city. Other transport is trekkers, autos, rickshaws and mini buses.

Air
By air, there is a landing airstrip known as Boro aerodrom at the district headquarters of Giridih. Giridih is well connected to some of the popular airports of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and they are :
Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi  
Gaya Airport 
Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Patna 
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata

Demographics

Population
 India census, Giridih had a population of 143,529, it is the 8th largest city of jharkhand. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Giridih has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 63%. In Giridih, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age. The language spoken is known as Khortha.(

Religion 

Hinduism is the prominent religion of giridih city followed by 67.66% of the population. Islam is the second most followed religion in the city  by 30.31% of the people. Minorities are Christians 0.84%, Sikhism 0.55%, Jains 0.47%, Buddhists 0.04%,  and others are 0.07%.

Economy
This town used to bustle with economic activity in the period from the 1960s to 1980s when the mineral mica processing and export community reaped tremendous gains through exports to the USSR. However, since the decline of the USSR and its split into twelve CIS countries, the industry has slowly declined and is currently ailing.

On the southern side of Giridih, in Beniadih, are the coal mines of Central Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (a Maharatna and the world's largest coal miner). It is the largest industry in the Giridih district and major contributor to the economy of the town. Central Coalfields Limited itself is a Miniratna.

The Data Processing Center of Data Processing Division (DPD) of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) provides complete IT solution from sample selection, software development to processing and tabulation of data canvassed through various socio-economic surveys of National Sample Survey Organisation.

Mica business also contribute a lot in the trade data, mainly mica are exported to China, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, US the total value of mica exports are  100 million, the main mica exporters are Jalan Mica Exports, Ratan Mica Exports, Jai Mica, Mount Hill Etc.

In 2006 the Indian government named Giridh one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 21 districts in Jharkhand currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Presently, there are more than a dozen Sponge Iron and Rolling Mill Factories in Giridih. The name of few are Mongia Steel, SriBir, Siscon, Baba, Salasar, SriRam, Lal Steel, Saluja Gold, Gouri Shanker etc.

There is an Industrial Area adjacent to the city, which is full of small , medium and large Factories, these units provide employment to the locals and also to people from different parts of the country.

However, pollution remains a critical issue in the surroundings of the Industrial Area which needs to be addressed by Municipal Corporation of Giridih, Chamber of Industries & Commerce and other authorities.

Culture

Kheer Kadam, Kalakand, Rajbhog (rasgullah), Tilkut, Ghewar and Piau are popular sweet here. Eid ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Moharram, Vishwakarma Puja, Saraswati Puja, Durga Puja, Chhath, Deepawali, Holi, Guru Purnima, Ram Navami, Raksha bandhan, Karma Mahavir Jayanti, Shyam Mahotsav, Sarhool, and Christmas are among the long list of festivals celebrated in Giridih. After Chhath puja, a local village fair held is at Pachamba known as Gaushala (cow shed) fair.

Education
Giridih has many prestigious colleges and schools.

The major colleges in this town include –

 Subhash Teachers training B.ed college, koldiha affiliated to [Vinoba Bhave University]
 Subhash Teachers training D.el.ed college, koldiha affiliated to [jharkhand academic council]
 Subhash Institute of technology, koridih affiliated to [state board of technical education]
 Giridih College affiliated to the Vinoba Bhave University
 Sri Ram Krishna Mahila College affiliated to Vinoba Bhave University.
 Langta Baba College affiliated to the Vinoba Bhave University
 Vananchal College affiliated to Vinoba Bhave University.
 GD Bagaria institute of management affiliated to the Vinoba Bhave University
Khandoli Institute of Technology affiliated to AICTe

Schools include –

 Candy Floss S Goenka School
Carmel School, Giridih
BNS DAV Public School, Giridih
 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Giridih
 DAV Public School, CCL, Beniadih, Giridih
Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir, Barganda, Giridih
St. Joseph School, Giridih
 Subhash Public School, Koldiha, Giridih
Birla School, Giridih
 Honey Holy Trinity School, Giridih
 Holy Cross, Giridih
 Sigman Mission School, Giridih
 Rani laxmi Bai Middle school, Giridih
 Sir JCBose Girls high school, Giridih

Media

Hindi newspapers Hindustan Dainik, Dainik Bhaskar, Prabhat Khabar and Dainik Jagran are the popular newspapers as the local language is Hindi. The main English newspapers covering Giridih are The Telegraph, The Times of India and The Hindustan Times. City News (News line) channel for the cable network provides the local news from Giridih. Doordarshan Jharkhand is the official channel covering Giridih.

Nearby places
Giridih has several religious and scenic tourist spots, including the following:

 Sri Sammeta Shikharji (), also known as the Parasnath Hills, with the highest mountain peak in Jharkhand, 4480 feet above sea level, is a major Jain pilgrimage destination and one of the most sacred places for Jains in the world. According to Jain belief, twenty of the twenty-four Tirthankaras (teachers of the Jains), (including Parshanath) attained Moksha (Nirvana) from this place.
Rajdah Dham, sabalpur, उत्तरवाहिनी गंगा (प्रकृति की अनुपम भेंट ) also known as Rajdaha, is a temple of Lord Shiva. It is situated approximately 60 km Giridih and 5 km from Suriya. (Near nimatand sabalpur). It is situated on the bank or Barakar River.
 Langta Baba Samadhi Sthal This is located in Kharagdiha, about 30 km North West of the town on road towards Jamua.  Langta Baba is revered both by the Hindus and the Muslims alike. People offer chadar to his samadhi as a ritual, and it is believed the wish made here by a true devotee always get fulfilled.
 Usri Falls 13 km from town, on the Tundi road, it is one of the most famous picnic spots in Giridih. The Usri river falls a 40 feet steep gorge in three separate streams. The place is surrounded by dense forest of Parasnath Hills.
 Khandoli Dam located 10 km North-East of Giridih headquarters towards Bengabad block, is a scenic water reservoir and a dam. The place has been developed as a tourism attraction. It is a famous spot for water related adventure sports and bird-watching. A watch tower and 600 feet high hillock offers a panoramic view of Khandoli site. A number of other amusement facilities are available there including boating, Rock-climbing, Parasailing and Kayaking.
 Sri Kabir Gyan Mandir in Sihodih, some 2 km from Giridih headquarters, Founded in 1985, a motivational institution in headed by Sadguru Maa Gyan which spreads the message of Sant Kabir and Sanatan Dharma. It has a sacred temple Guru Govind Dham having beautiful idol of Sant Kabir and Lord Vishnu. It also has Kabir Gyan Darshan with worth to watch murals and paintings based on life of Sant Kabir, Vedas, Morality and paintings of famous Saints of India.
Surya Mandir is located in Mirzaganj, 33 km from Giridih Town. It is built in the middle of a lake in the shape of a Lotus flower. Pilgrims can visit here while returning from Langta Baba Samadhi. The temple has been declared Monument of National importance and is maintained by Archaeological Survey of India.

Notable people
Anurag Anand - Born in Giridih | Director & Producer who has produced various documentaries and tele-shows for international giants like BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic & Discovery. He also owns a production house known as Inkingenious Media which is headquartered in London. 
 Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose spent his last days in Giridih and the Sir J.C. Bose Girl's High School is named in his honour.  He died in Giridih. His then residence is now known as "Vigyan Kendra" run by "Bihar Council of Science and Technology".
 Jnan Chandra Ghosh was born in Purulia and studied at the Giridih High School, from where he passed the Entrance Examination of Calcutta University in 1909. He was a famous scientist and played an important role in shaping science and engineering education in India. He was the first Director of Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Director of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University.
 The literary figure and the Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore also spent some time in Giridih. He wrote his Shivaji Utsav in 1904 while residing in Giridih. The house in which he resided, Dawasika Bhawan, still exists in Giridih.
 The film maker Satyajit Ray who is one of the Oscar recipients from India, spent his childhood in Giridih. He sketched his fictional character (appearing in a series of science fiction books), scientist Professor Shonku as residing in Giridih beside the Usri river.
Krishna Ballabh Sahay was the elected member of Bihar Legislative Assembly from Giridih Constituency for several terms, including the one in which he served as the chief minister of Undivided Bihar during 1963 – 67.
Babulal Marandi was born in a remote Kodia Bank village under Tisri block of Giridih district.  He was the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand and the founder of the political party Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik).
Kumar  Gaurav was born in Giridih, Studied in Saraswati Shishu mandir and 1st Batch of B. N. Saha D. A. V. Public School is well known person for the people of Giridih and Resident of Krishna Nagar.

See also
Giridih district
Kharagdiha
India

References

External links
 Official website of the Giridih district
 

Category:Giridih district
Category:Community development blocks in Jharkhand
Category:Community development blocks in Giridih district
Category:Cities and towns in Anga Desh
Category:Cities and towns in Giridih district
 Vigyan Kendro