Pilgrimage in Jharkhand

The 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.

The Rajrappa Temple-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.
Jaganathpur Temple-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.

Water Falls in Ranchi

Hundru Falls-‘Hundru Falls’ one of the most picturesque falls surrounding Ranchi.It is 45 kms from Ranchi on Ranchi-Purulia Road.. Here, the Subarnarekha river falls from a height of 320 feet. The pools at the bottom of the falls are favourite picnic and bathing spots.


Jonha Falls-Just 34 km away from Ranchi, this cascade greets you with its milky white exuberance. The beautiful scenery around the falls makes the place a picnic spot. The waterfall is also called Gautam Dhara, which implies some Buddhist legacy. There is a tourist rest house in the vicinity, which houses a temple of Lord Gautam Buddha. You can reach Gautam Dhara station directly by train. After alighting from train take a narrow road to reach the wide falls.


Dassam falls-This is 34 kms from Ranchi on Ranchi-Tata Road near a village called Taimara. Here, the Kachni river falls from an altitude of 144 feet. It is also known as Dassam Gagh.

Panch Gagh falls-This is on Ranchi- Chakradharpur Road about 6 kms from Khunti. This fall consists of five streams which falls from a good height.

Hirni falls-Another beautiful waterfall amidst forests about 70 km from Ranchi.

Palamu Tiger Reserve

Palamu Tiger Reserve-It was one of the nine forest reserves, which was brought under Project Tiger in 1973. It encompasses through parts of Betla National Park (226 km) and the Palamau Sanctuary (980 sq km). The tiger reserve has an enchanting variety of flora and fauna.The wildlife population, besides tiger, includes wolves, leopards, sloth bear, four horned antelope, mouse dear and they share the space with the tribal population, which is a clear indication of nature and man harmony that our civilization needs to learn. Palamau Tiger Reserve is a chief attraction of Jharkhand Tourism.

The Betla National Park

The Betla National Park-Spread across 250 km, this sprawling wildlife park houses a wide variety of wildlife, which includes tiger, elephant, bison, sambhar, wild boar, cheetal deer, 15-20 feet long pythons, wild cats, badgers, Malabar giant squirrel among others. Covered with forests, valleys and hills, the park can serve as the right address in a wildlife enthusiast's tourism itinerary. Elephant rides are offered in the park, which gives a wonderful aerial view of the wildlife. 226 km of this park has been included under the ambit of Palamau Tiger Reserve.

Hazaribagh National Park

Hazaribagh National Park-About 135 km from Ranchi is also a sanctuary adorned with scenic beauties. The park has also the same features as that of Betla to some extent. The park has tigers, panthers, sambhars, spotted deer, bisons and a number of mammalian faunas. There are some towers which the tourists use to behold the beasts. A canteen is also there to cater. The park is approachable by all weather metalled road. The Cheetal, Kakar, Nilgai, Sambar and Wild Boar are among the most easily and often spotted animals particularly near the waterholes at the time of the dusk. The population of the tigers is very less. According to 1991 Census, there were 14 tigers in the park. The tigers are really difficult to sight.A 111-km long stretch of the road in the sanctuary takes the tourists to the remotest corners and masonry towers of the park. The road, strategically laid down, offers excellent opportunities for the view of the wild animals. The tribal population also lives around the sanctuary. The ark has many watchtowers that act as the perfect hideouts to see the wildlife in its natural surroundings.

Canary Hill-Close to the Hazaribagh town lies the Canary Hill which has a well-laid out park and is studded with three small but enchanting lakes. It has an observation tower also. From the top of the Canary hill one can have a panoramic view of the whole town.

Rajrappa-About 75 km from Ranchi on Ramgarh Chitarpur Road, Rajrappa is situated at the confluence of the rivers Damodar and Bhairavi (popularly known as Bhera). Rajrappa, which was once desolate hillocks with a small temple of Chhinamastika, has now turned into a renowned pilgrim resort for the Hindu devotees of Bihar and West Bengal. The headless statue of Goddess Chhinamastika stands upon the bodies of Kamdeo and Rati on a lotus bed. The temple is very old and its construction and architectural design resembles 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 temple. 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. Pilgrims come here throughout the year.Rajrappa has also turned into a popular picnic spot. On the day of Makar Sakranti (14th January), a religious fair is held here. Rajrappa can be easily reached from Ranchi and Hazaribagh. It is en route to Bokaro from Ramgarh.

Parasnath Hills

Parasnath Hills-The word Parasnath comes from the 23rd Jain Tirthankara Shri Parshwanath Bhagwan. Parasnath hills are a range of small to medium size hills (highest peak 1350 meters) and are located in Jharkhand state, eastern India. They make up the highest mountain south of the Himalayas.In Jainism, the Parasnath hills are referred to as Shri Sammet Shikhar Teerth. They are one of the two most prominent Jain pilgrimage centers, the other being Shetrunjaya, located in Gujarat State of Western India.Twenty Jain Tirthankars, out of twenty-four attained salvation in the Parasanth hills. Jains believe that ordinarily, all 24 attain nirvana at this location. The current time cycle is known as the Hundav Avsarpini, in which events and situations are found to be worse than in past time cycles. These 20 Tirthankars are:
1. Ajitnath
2. Sambhavnath
3. Abhinandan
4. Sumatinath
5. Padmprabhu
6. Suparshwanath
7. Chandraprabhu
8. Suvidhinath
9. Sheetalnath
10. Shreyansnath
11. Vimalnath
12. Anantnath
13. Dharmnath
14. Shantinath
15. Kunthunath
16. Arnath
17. Mallinath
18. Munisuvrat Swami
19. Naminath
20. Parshwanath
It is an exotic place to visit with innumerable temples, shrines and meditation halls in the midst of natural scenery and wildlife. The Parasnath Hills (Madhuban) can be reached by train or by road from Giridih or Parasnath Station. Both the Jain Svetambara and Digambar sects have established their Dharamshalas or Ashrams here to accommodate the pilgrims to this the second most holy place for Jains from all over the world. One can stay in hotel Bhuvan located in Ishri Bazaar(1 km from Parasnath Railway Station). The food and snacks in this hotel specially Ras Malai is awesome.

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