Introduction

Situated quietly in the Netarhat-Ranchi plateau in the southwestern part of Jharkhand, Simdega is a verdant paradise of lush forests, picturesque hills and captivating waterfalls. The serenity of the place can mesmerise any visitor. The district may not have been explored enough as a top tourist destination, but its potential for tourism is unlimited. Those who have been to Simdega confirm its eternal beauty and omnipresent serenity.

Simdega is an enchanting place, blessed with the gifts of nature and, of course, a rich cultural heritage. There are interesting sobriquets given to the district such as “Kala Pahar (Black Mountain), and the “Land of Bamboo”, which reflect the distinctive features of Simdega.

With an area of 3,774 square kilometres, Simdega was a sub-division of Gumla district until it was elevated to the status of district on April 30, 2001. With 32% forested areas, it is one of the greenest districts in the country. Its topography is characterised by hilly areas with high elevations, interspersed with raging rivers, steep slopes, high cliffs and narrow valleys. The area is drained by the South Koel and Shankh rivers, while Deo, Girwa and Palamara are other important rivers.

Surrounded by the districts of Gumla in the north, Khunti and West Singhbhum in the east, Jashpur in Chhattisgarh in the west and Sundargarh in Odisha in the south, it is a predominantly rural area with 92.83% of the population living in villages. Simdega ranks 22nd in terms of total population in the state and 20th in terms of decadal population growth rate (2001-11) among the 24 districts in  Jharkhand.  The official language of Simdega is Hindi. However, as the town is located on the border with Odisha, Odia culture has greatly influenced the region. Therefore, the local tribal language Sadri is widely spoken, which is an offshoot of Nagpuri. Mundari and Oraon are other languages spoken by the tribal population of the district.