Things to Know Before Planning a Trip to Jharkhand

A trip to Jharkhand is waterfalls, sal forest and terracotta temples, and the state holds no World Heritage site. The world's first tiger census was taken at Palamau in 1932, by counting pugmarks, forty-one years before Project Tiger began. Its one international listing is Maluti, a village in Dumka district where seventy-two terracotta temples still stand out of a hundred and eight.

Jharkhand has two seasons worth planning around. Palash is the state flower and it blooms from February to April. The flowers open before the leaves do, so a bare tree goes solid red, and that is why palash is called flame of the forest. The waterfalls are at their fullest much later, from July to October. The groundwork for travelling in the country sits in the guide to getting ready for a trip in India.

How do you plan a trip to Jharkhand?

The west and the east of the state are a full day's drive apart. The roads run through forest for long stretches.

Five days is enough for one of these. Ten days covers two.

Tatanagar at Jamshedpur is the biggest railway station in the state. It is on the Howrah to Mumbai line, 250 km from Howrah. More than a hundred trains a day run through it. Dhanbad is on the Grand Chord, the Howrah to Delhi line. The Howrah to Ranchi Shatabdi takes about seven hours.

Rampurhat is in West Bengal. Maluti is closer to Rampurhat than to any town in Jharkhand.

Does Jharkhand have a World Heritage site?

No. Nothing in Jharkhand is on the World Heritage List. Nothing here is on India's waiting list for it either.

Maluti is the one place in the state with an international listing. The Global Heritage Fund put it on a list of the twelve most endangered heritage sites in the world. It is the only Indian site on that list. Maluti is a village in Dumka district. Seventy-two terracotta temples still stand there, out of an original hundred and eight.

Parasnath hill holds Shikharji. Twenty of the twenty-four Jain tirthankaras are held to have reached moksha on it. Baidyanath Dham at Deoghar is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. It is also a Shakti Peetha. Neither place is a World Heritage site.

Where was the world's first tiger census taken?

At Palamau, in 1932. The count was made from pugmarks on the ground. J.W. Nicholson ran it. He was Divisional Forest Officer, Palamau, at the time.

No tiger had ever been counted anywhere before that. Project Tiger started in 1973, forty-one years later. Palamau was one of its first nine reserves and it is still the only tiger reserve in Jharkhand. Betla National Park sits inside it. So does Lodh Falls, the highest waterfall in the state.

Which is the best time to visit Jharkhand?

March gives you red forest and dry tracks. October gives you full waterfalls. The two do not happen in the same month.

What happens at Deoghar during Shravani Mela?

The Shravani Mela runs for a whole month. The month is Shravan. It falls across July and August.

Pilgrims walk to Baidyanath Dham from Sultanganj in Bihar. They carry Ganga water. They walk barefoot. They are called kanwariyas.

Deoghar is fuller that month than at any other time of year. Rooms go early. Mondays are the most crowded, because Monday is Shiva's day.

Many pilgrims go on to Basukinath, 45 km away in Dumka district.

Which Jharkhand festivals change date every year?

Three of the big ones move. Their dates come from the moon and from when the sal trees flower.

Sarhul means worship of sal. It is a public holiday in the state. It is the new year for the Oraon, the Munda, the Ho and others. The pahan is the village priest. He offers sal flowers to the village deity, and field work starts after that.

Karam is for Karam Devta. Branches of the karam tree go into the middle of the village ground. People dance round them all night.

One date never moves. Jharkhand was made a state on 15 November 2000, under the Bihar Reorganisation Act. That day is Birsa Munda's birthday. He was born on 15 November 1875, and the date was picked for that reason. Since 2021 the Union government has kept 15 November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas too.

A five day journey through the waterfalls, forests and plateau views of Jharkhand runs the western side, where the driving days are longest. For dates outside October and November, or for a route that takes in the plateau and Santhal Pargana both, Journeys, Just for You works to the week you have. North Bengal including the Dooars is across the eastern border, and we cover North Bengal separately.

Also Read

• Destinations in India: culture, stories and everyday life
• Cultural places to visit in India
• Understanding the land: how ecology shapes local life

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days do you need in Jharkhand?

Five days for one part of the state. Ten days for two. The west and the east are a full day's drive apart.

Does Jharkhand have a UNESCO World Heritage site?

No. Nothing here is on the World Heritage List, and nothing here is on India's waiting list for it. The one international listing is Maluti, named among the twelve most endangered heritage sites in the world.

Which airports fly into Jharkhand?

Ranchi is the busiest, with flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. Deoghar has been open since 2022 and Jamshedpur since January 2023. Bokaro and Dumka are built and waiting for clearance.

Which is the only tiger reserve in Jharkhand?

Palamau Tiger Reserve, in Latehar district on the Chhotanagpur plateau. Betla National Park sits inside it. It was one of the first nine reserves Project Tiger set up.

When is the best month to visit Jharkhand?

March or October, and they give you different things. In March the palash is in flower across the plateau and the forest tracks are dry. In October the waterfalls are still full from the monsoon.

Why is 15 November important in Jharkhand?

Jharkhand was made a state on 15 November 2000, under the Bihar Reorganisation Act. That day is Birsa Munda's birthday. He was born on 15 November 1875, and the date was picked for that reason.