Raipur is the capital city of the state of chhattisgarh, India. The population is 605,131 (agglomeration 922,559) (2001 census). The city is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur District. It was formerly a part of Madhya Pradesh, before the state of Chattisgarh was formed on November 1, 2000.

History

Based on the ruins of a fort and other structures located on the southern part of the city, some historians believe that the city of Raipur was in existence even during the 9th century. However, most historians agree that the King Rama Chandra founded the city in the last quarter of the 14th century.

Geography and climate

The city of Raipur is located near the centre of a large plain, sometimes referred as the “rice bowl of India” - where hundreds of varieties of rice are grown. The Mahanadi River flows to the east of the city of Raipur and the southern side has dense forests. Maikal Hills rise on the north-west of Raipur; on the northwards, the land rises and merges with the Chota Nagpur Plateau, which extends northeast across Jharkhand state, India. On the south of Raipur lies the Baster Plateau.

Raipur city is situated on the Nagpur-Bilaspur route of the Indian Railways and is well connected with important places like Mumbai, Howrah (Calcutta), Delhi, Amritsar, Pune, Cochin, Patna, and Dhanbad.

National Highway 6 passes through the city of Raipur and National Highway 43 links the city with Vijayanagaram. It is well connected by roads to all important places of India.

The air links to the city has been revived after the city becoming capital of Chattisgarh state. Along with Indian Airlines, which connects the city to Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Vishakapatnam, Air Deccan is flying to Kolkata and Ranchi, while Jet Airways is has a daily flight to Mumbai.

The airport in Raipur is situated in the outskirts of the city, in the village called Mana. The airport is popularly known as Mana Airport. It is the sole commertially operating airport of Chattisgarh state.

Temperature:
Summer around 29 to 45 °C
Winter around 10 to 27 °C

Rainfall:
Around 1200 mm (July to mid-September)