Blissfully remote and uniquely beautiful,
the tranquil environs of Chotanagpur offers an ideal escape from the restrictions
of civilization. It is still the place of bygone days tempered with moments
of serenity, goodwill and charm that make it impossible not to be seduced by
its beauty and climate. The landscape combines. The raucous vivacity, the exquisite
scenery, the creaking Ox-carts and innocent tribal looks that greet us everywhere,
pollution is something unheard and for the fraction of the amount of what we
pay in metros, one can buy fruits and vegetables with unmatched natural taste
and flavour. Anthropologists would make us believe that Chotanagpur region of
Jharkhand must have witnessed the transformation of Homo erectus to Homo sapiens.
Their clan is based on the findings of hand axes and blades that are littered
here in the region of Pathalgarwa. The discovery of Harappan pottery in Hazaribagh
further strengthens the claim to antiquity. Senior archaeologists are staking
their professional reputations on the findings of the cave paintings in the
Isko village. Chotanagpur has impinged on the attention of researchers as being
of an ancient site of continuous human habitation.
The constitutional Order of 1950 has classified 30 different tribes of Jharkhand,
spread over the Chotanagpur plateau that encompasses several districts. These
tribes not only differ considerable from non-tribal population but even from
one another. Cheros (found in Palamu and Chaibasa religion) for instance,
migrated from the Sub-Himalayan tract and they bear the Dravidian Physiognomy
with light brown complexion, while most of the other tribes are dark skinned,
short statured, curly haired and broad nosed people.
Santhals are the most predominant and prosperous among the tribes of Jharkhand.
The Asurs and Lahars are given to the fast disappearing trade of iron smelting
amid black smithy. The Asurs are believed to be the Subcontinent's first iron
smelters who were driven from the Gangetic plains to the plateau of Chotanagpur.
A number of Dravidian tribes like Gonds, Khonds and Koras are believed to
have migrated from the neighbouring states.
Mundas are the most ancient among the tribes of Bihar, who love to live in
association with other tribe is Birsa Munda, who was behind the Ulgulan movement
of 1900 which gave expression to the tribal anguish and resentment against
the English rule and fuelled the Agrarian Crisis.
The oldest geological formation of India are found in Chotanagpur plateau
that also stores a vast deposit of a variety of minerals and caters to national
and international needs.
Chotanagpur plateau is a region of great unevenness and consists of a succession
of plateaus, hills and valleys. Most of the plateau has an elevation exceeding
1,000 feet, while the hills rise to 3,000 feet or more. In the heart of Chotanagpur
there are main plateaus those of Hazaribagh and Ranchi
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