Netarhat, The Queen of Chotanagpur

Netarhat Tourist Map

This is the place where your heart dons wings….as a bird set free from the urban dungeons, it soars
over hills and valleys, tapping the rhythm of the wild hilly rivulets. It leaps way ahead of your head
transporting you along on its flights of fancy. Needless to say, the Netarhat Plateau was, “Near to the
Heart” of the erstwhile British soldiers, that reminded them of their Scottish moors back home. Dense
forests, serpentine roads, cool bracing breeze, dark
nights may have probably prevailed upon the English
to christen the place as Nature’s heart or Netarhat.
However, some argue that the place has been named
after ‘NeturHaat which means a marketplace for
bamboo in the local language. Located at about 3622
feet high in Latehar District about 156 kms West of
Ranchi, it was once the summer retreat of the British
Governor.
The Satpura range from Central India, meets the
Chotanagpur plateau on the eastern side at Netarhat,
a home of various primitive tribes, who had been
residing in its hills for generations, in close harmony
with nature. The place itself is very beautiful and so
is the approach passing through some of the most
visually stunning landscape with Pine trees covering both sides of the road. The road though was not
good as it is broken or washed away at most of the places.

The place did not have power mostly and there is no local transportation. You need to have your own
transport to move around. Local residents are few and you won't find many people on the roads. There
are huge number of broken down hotels and houses. They were the remnants of the past, memory of a
time when this place was not politically disturbed. The only hotel in a livable condition was the
Jharkhand tourism hotel, Hotel Prabhat Vihar, which too was in a shabby state.

Some of the must visit attraction at Netarhat are:

 Netarhat Hills
 Koel View Point
 Sadni Falls
 Magnolia Sunset Point
 Upper Ghaghri Falls
 Lower Ghaghri Falls

Entrance to Netarhat
Koel View Point

Once in Netarhat, it is hard to resist the charm of the River Koel. It is about 2 KMS form the bus-
stand in between the jungles of Chirpines reaches you to the Koel View Point. The river flows about
10 kms below the site. Originating from a local hilly village Tutua Paani, the sun osculates waters
sharing the spectacle of dawn and twilight, reflecting the myriad hues of the rising and setting sun.
from deep crimson to fiery orange, or just the lilac and azure of a cloudless sky , the clear waters of the
river mirror the passing moods of a nature at its scintillating best. Do not forget to watch the river
during moonlit nights as well, when the water seems to get transformed into a silvery stream. Located
on the banks of the river are clusters of small villages as Saarna Toli, Chaatan Jori resided by the
primitive tribes that may compel you to go for random shots with your camera, capturing their
interesting ways of life.

Tattapani Hot Water Spring

Tattapani Hot Water Spring is located in Jagram village, 11 Km away from Latehar district of
Jharkhand . The hot waters came out from different places on the river bed at Tattapani. It is a
beautiful place where the Locals and tourist enjoy this hot water bath which is reach in Sulphur and
believed to have high medical value and good for skin.

Sunrise Point
While in Netarhat, if you want to enjoy the most spectacular view of the rising sun, it has to be the
sunrise point in front of the tourist bungalow, Hotel Prabhat Vihar. It is located at a distance of about
one km from the Netarhat bus stand. As you wait in anticipation for that memorable rendezvous with
the sun, you suddenly observe the hills and trees appearing as dark silhouettes against the clearing
horizon.

And lo and behold! The nature around you is gradually steeped in a reddish hue… then as you watch
spellbound the passing shades of vibrant scarlet and orange….From behind the hills in front the
crimson ball suddenly appears in its full flamboyance and glory to greet you. Even the moonrise seen
on full moon nights from here is a long cherished experience.

Netarhat School
In the years just after Independence, the need of the hour was to establish schools on certain ideals of
universal validity. In the new India that had come to birth, the educational system was lacking in all
those elements that define the formation of character and leadership and the development of individual
aptitudes.

Mr. Frederick Gordon Pearce, the founder of the Indian Public School movement and, was one of the
key pillars in the inception of Netarhat Vidyalaya. With his vast experience and association spanning
several well-known public residential schools in India, he was roped in by the Bihar Government to
chart out a scheme to set up a public residential school in the state.

Mr. Pearce envisioned Netarhat Vidyalaya to serve the educational interests of the community as
whole, and not of any particular class. He dreamt of a school that would provide education of the
highest order, and would attract talent irrespective of the social class the students belonged to or the
financial resources of their parents.

Right from choosing the location of the school, to the number of students to be admitted, from the
kind of infrastructure and selection of staff, to the administration of the school, Mr Pearce chalked out
a detailed scheme for Netarhat Vidyalaya. Undoubtedly, it was his experience, efforts and vision that
laid a solid foundation for Netarhat Vidyalaya to steadily progress and prosper as an iconic institution.

After a lot of deliberation, F.G. Pearce's scheme finally received the general approval of the Bihar Govt.
in 1952 and the Residential School was opened on 15th November, 1954 at Netarhat with Charles
Napier as its first Principal. The first batch of students numbering 60 was admitted in 1954 for a six-
year course. From 1982 onwards, the strength of boys was raised up to 100.

The school has a record of producing toppers of the Bihar School Examination Board year after year.
The alumni of Netarhat school have excelled in almost all fields including Administration, Research,
Medicine, Engineering and Teaching; and have gone on to hold important positions in top
organisations across India and around the world.

Chalet House
“Chalet” is a French word which means a wooden dwelling .This is a historical building of Netarhat
is made up of logs of wood . it was established during the period of Sir Edward Gate, L.G of Bihar
and Orissa in early 20th Century; initially, it was used as summer exodus by British Officer for
discussion with local influential village chiefs. Now it is being used as the camp office of D.C Latehar.

Magnolia Sunset Point

There's another sunset to catch, another tale to be told, at Magnolia Point located around 10 KM
from the town's main bus stand. Adding to the ambience of the place is the poignant love story of
Magnolia, a young British girl, the Governor's daughter who fell desperately in love with a tribal
shepherd boy. A granite plaque narrates how Magnolia's love for the poor shepherd drew the ridicule
of the girl's English community. When the couple realised that the ill-fated relationship could go no
further, the girl rode her horse off a cliff. The boy was shot, thus reunited with his loved one after
death.

Netarhat Dam

Ideal for picnics, fishing and bird watching is the Netarhat Dam, located 2 KM from the bus stand.
The dam has been providing water supply to the region since the time of the British Raj.

Badka Bandh
As we were going our eyes got locked into a blue watery body, we were not aware of this as it was not
on our list of destination. We asked Aftab (our driver) to stop and ran towards the lake locally known
as Badka Bandh. We saw some local boys pelting stone at an object, as we approached we were warned
by them to be careful. It’s then we realized that they were trying to chase away a large snake that had
recently ingested some large prey and was busy basking in the evening sun.

Badka Bandh
We were terrified and started walking slowly, its then we realized that the entire lake area is infested
with various types of snakes and that’s the main reason why tourist usually avoid it. However if
possible it’s recommended to stop by this lake even from a distance and appreciate its beauty.

Lower and Upper Ghaghri Waterfall

About 10 km from the region of Netarhat, is the Lower Ghaghri Falls, that has a height of about 320
ft. It is located in a very dense forest region in Latehar district in the state of Jharkhand. It is the 33rd
highest waterfall in India. The forest around the Lower Ghaghri Falls is so dense that even sun rays
find it difficult to pierce through. Driving along, you can hear the roar of the Upper Ghagri Waterfalls
as you approach in the diffused light of the dense forest cover. The water falls from the height of 320
feet from the cascade. The sound of falling water makes the surrounding musical. Its multiple cataracts
drop 320 ft in dramatic display of nature's diversity. A trek around the site, a quick dip and you can
spend hours relaxing or rush out on another mission.

Lower Ghaghri Falls

Upper Ghaghri Falls

Upper Ghaghri Falls is a small waterfall, situated 5 km from Netarhat. It is in the Latehar district of
Jharkhand..There is a rock that divides the cascade into two streams. The falls are surrounded by lush
greenery which makes it a perfect location to have a family picnic on the weekend offering the family a
different screen from the usual. The falls are best during the monsoons when the river is flooded.

Temple of Anjali Devi

Enthusiasts should see the cave temple of

Anjali Devi, situated in Anjan village, the
birth place of Lord Hanuman. Anjan Gram
is village situated from 18 KM away from
Gumla via Toto and 130 KM away from
Ranchi. This place is bounded by the
Netarhat Hills and Khatwa River. This place
is supposed to be birth place of lord
Hanuman. . Goddess Anjani was the mother
of Lord Hanuman on whose name the place
has been named.

Naspati Garden

Going Towards Nashpati Garden Nashpati Garden

The Lake of Netarhat is an additional attraction
of the city. Naspati Garden is behind the lake -
about five minutes walk along the road that leads
to the back of the lake. The garden smelt sweet
and was in full bloom with white flowers and bees
all over them.

Route Map to Pine Forest and Nashpati Garden

Nashpati Garden Flowers of Nashpati

Lodh Falls
Lodh Falls at 469 ft, is Jharkhand's highest and most impressive waterfall. It's over 60 km away and
part of the road is bad, so you may want to check out right after dawn from Netarhat and drive to
Mahuadanr where you must stop for tea and ghugni before turning off on to the diversion road to the
falls. From Mahuadanr the drive is straight, not taking the right detour for Daltonganj. It is a journey
of a lifetime, an exciting battle with time and direction, through zigzag roads and small tribal hamlets
with people drunk heavily on Mahua. No one understands the word fall, it is ghagh or jharna - though
jal prapat is the correct Hindi for a waterfall. The locals call it Budha ghagh.

From a distance the faint sound of gurgling water can be heard, but you can only see a huge cliff
beyond which is the sky and nothing else is visible, till you find a mark indicating the direction to
Budha Ghagh on a concrete rest room of sorts. As you trek the last kilometres on the hill along the
forest trail, the thunder of the falls intensifies. Then suddenly there it is, majestic and powerful,
dispersing in multiple distinct drops as it cascades in silver tiers. Just being there is awesome. Right in
the middle of undisturbed nature, with miles of the same stretching all around. That's what your
typical Jharkhand experience will be about.
 From Mahuadanr to Budha Ghagh lodh falls, first glimpse

Water gushes down snaking across a cliff from an enormous height of greater than 140 m and makes a
huge pool at the rocky base, algae brown in color. Under faint sun rays the rocks glimmer like precious
stones and the water looks like strand of pearls, a Jharkandi version of a silver cascade.

Lodh falls, up and front Beneath the fall

Betla National Park

One of India’s earliest tiger reserves (1974), Betla features luxuriant tropical forest cover and a rich
variety of fauna, waterfalls, natural hot springs on one hand and historical monuments including a 16th
century fort of Chero kings on the other.

The Betla National Park, was first established as a sanctuary and later upgraded to it’s present status.
Average elevation is about 1000 feet and though the park is open throughout the year the best time to
visit is between November to March. Spread over 250 sq. kms., the park is covered with good roads
cris-crossing each other, to enables the motorist to have a closer view of the wild life in dense forests.
Gour, Chital, Elephant, Tiger, Panther, Sloth and Wild Bear, Sambhar, Nilgai, Kakar, Mouse Deer are
permanent residents. Langurs are present in large families.

Entry Gate to Betla National Park

Being a tropic forest Betla is quite dense, changes its color from brownish golden in March to lush
green after the monsoon. While taking a jeep safari, stop the car inside the forest; The Silence is a bliss
in the middle of trees and bushes, only a chirp of a bird would break the monotony.
Some sections of the forest are burnt down, which according to the guide is done to control the
growth of the forest on the marked roads. The burnt out ashes also helps as an organic manure for the
new shrubs and plants that grow during the monsoon season.
Madhuchua Watch Tower
From Madhuchua Watch Tower you can a
good view of the forest, an excellent view of
the equally famous watering hole where
animals usually come for a drink or two;
The Elephant footprints could be clearly
made out. By March most of the watering
holes dry up and the animals usually move
much inside the core forest where some
watering holes still hold water.

Madhuchua Watch Tower

Dried Up Water Hole Elephant Footprints

A Young Bison Bison on the Run

Seedha Pech Watchtower
There is another watchtower called Seedha Pech
Watchtower from here you can get a better view
of the forest but the absence of a watering hole
will have its own disadvantage. On the positive
side from this watchtower you get a much longer
view of the forest around you. If you are serious
about wildlife photography then I would
definitely recommend you to spend a couple of
hours out here, you will definitely see something.

Peacock Langoor Herds of Deer

One thing you will definitely in abundance are the deer population inside the forest, right at the
entrance you will find plenty of them and chances are there for them to come quite close to your
vehicle.

Jeep Taking a Detour around the Fallen Tree

For Elephant Safari you need to arrive at a fixed time else you will surely find all the elephants are
booked. The shed for the elephants is just opposite to the main gate so it’s highly possible to hear a
few trumpets while standing outside the main gate.
Betla Tiger
The tiger population in Betla National Park, which constitutes 1,130 sq km of the Palamau Tiger
Reserve, has declined over the past decades. There were 23 tigers here in 1973, when the park was
declared a tiger reserve. This grew to 42 tigers by 2003, 38 in 2005 The tiger population subsequently
dwindled significantly. In 2006, the number of tigers reduced to 12 and 2010 it was 10, say officials.
In the 2014 tiger census, it dropped to just three tigers.
Feb 22, 2017; TNN reports Tiger spotted at Betla National Park after 2 years - residents of Betla
have got a new neighbour. After a gap of almost two years a big cat has returned to prowl. Forest
department officials have been on the trail of the tiger after it reportedly killed an ox near a village
under Satbarwa police station three months ago. On Tuesday, tourists went into a state of excitement
after the majestic beast was spotted during a jungle trail. Many of them clicked photographs which
went viral on social media. M P Singh, director of the Palamu Tiger Reserve told TOI that the pug
marks of the animal suggested that it was a male tiger and had possibly arrived from Saidup forest. The
last time a tiger was spotted in Betla national park was in October 2015.
“Although there are camera traps installed at places we do not have a proper identification of the
tigers,” a senior forest official said. The prey base of tigers in PTR consists of sambhar deer, cheetal,
wild boar, the Indian gaur and bison. “While the population of sambhar has decreased a little others
have sufficiently increased in recent years,” the official added. A tiger census by the Wildlife Institute
of India (WII) had recorded presence of three tigers in the 1,026 square kilometre PTR area. Not
agreeing completely with the WII study, the state wildlife department had claimed that there may be
more than five tigers in the entire reserve. The forest department, thereafter, mooted its plan of
installing camera traps along the PTR’s core for sighting and documenting of the big cats. Besides
monitoring the camera traps the forest officials have also resorted to scat analysis to ascertain the exact
number of tigers present in the forest.
Kamaldah Talab

Kamaldah pond is located 6 kilometers from betla National park and 2 km from Palamu Forts in
Latehar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. it is famous for the beautiful lotus flowers that bloom
in it.
Betla Fort of Chero Kings
The Chero Kings ruled Palamau during the beginning of the 16th century. Betla Fort was built by the
Chero Kings and is situated deep within the Betla National Park. Presently a ruined fort, it was once
the seat of power of the Chero Kings. This fort was invaded by four Mughal rulers, starting from
Akbar to Aurangzeb. Later on, in 1779, the Betla Fort was captured by the British colonial rulers. This
fort is around 120 m in height and is also known as the Tribal Fortress.

Betla Fort Gate Palamu Fort (new)

In a nutshell, the story of the twin forts of Palamu is the story of a tribal kingdom that was once
powerful enough to have the Mughal empire and the East India Company threatened by its military
might. It is intertwined with an incredible saga of bravery and sacrifice for the sake of one’s dignity.
But sadly, it is also a pathetic example of how we have failed as a society in protecting our heritage.
Today, these once celebrated forts are in a pitiable state which is in stark contrast with the glorious
chapter of Indian history that they are a part of. The massive structure with a unique design is
gradually being reduced to rubble. And what’s worse is that no serious efforts have been made to
prevent that from happening.

Even the very name Palamu comes with a whole bag full of
complex theories and ideas. According to one school of thinkers, it
is a distortion of the Dravidian word ‘pall-aam-u’ which means
‘tooth of water’. The fact that the forts are close to Auranga River
goes in favour of this theory. Moreover, when flooded, the rocky
surface of river bed looks like jagged teeth. According to another
group of people, the name of these forts has been derived from the
Hindi word ‘Palana’ which can refer to either the act of fleeing or a
place of refuge. Yet another group argues that Palamu comes from
combining the words ‘Pala’ which means frost and ‘Mu’ which
means death. So, Palamu stands for death by frost.
Today, Palamu is known for two things. One is its famous tiger
reserve and the other is that the twin forts are 500 years old. Out of
the two forts, the older one is situated in plains while the newer one
is situated on a hill stop. Though there is no reliable evidence to know with certainty when the old
forts were established, it is believed that they were built by Rajput king Raksel in 1562 and were
invaded by the Mughals in the year 1574.
But when Akbar died, Mughals started to lose their grip over the area. In the year 1613, Anata Rai,
who was a tribal chief of the Chero community, conquered the fort. That was the beginning of a new
era. Around the year 1619, the kingdom came under Medini Rai, who was considered as the greatest
Chero ruler. At this time, the fortification got several additional feature and was under military
vigilance.
The old fort was built over an area of three square kilometres. It has three gates, each of them seven
feet in width. The fort has been constructed with lime and surkhi mortar. The external boundary walls
of the fort have been built with flat and long bricks. The central gate is the largest of three gates and is
known as Singh Dwar.
On the south-western part of the fort, which is surrounded by hills on three sides, there is a small
stream called the Kamadah Jheel which was used by the women of the royal family for their daily
ablutions. Between this stream and the fort there are two watch towers (dom kilas) located on the hill
top which were used to track any enemy intrusions. Of these two towers, one tower houses a small
temple of a goddess called Devi Mandir.
It is believed that even after getting defeated by the Mughals, Chero king Medini Rai did not give up
in spirit. This is evident from the fact that in 1673, just two years before his death, he had started
building an even bigger fort for his son Pratap Rai. The new fort was built at an enviable location
which covered all aspects of a well protected citadel inside a jungle. It was an ideal hub for a tribal
kingdom. However, the fort, popularly known as the new fort of Palamu, is believed to have been left
incomplete.
The greatest attraction of this fort is that its massive royal gate, known as Nagpuri Darwaza, has been
built in white and yellow sand stones. This special door was meant for the entry of royals into the fort.
It has been built in typical Mughal style. The gates, in particular, remind one of the designs popular in
the period of Jahangir. There is an ‘Islamic arch’ at this fort which boasts of various kinds of floral
designs. The craftsmanship of those designs is so perfect and well executed that its measurement and
presentation seems fabulous. The upper and middle surface of the arch and the borders running all
across the gate have also been decorated with floral designs. The crown of the gate depicts two
elephant figures which hangs like an extended part of the gate. These figures have been embellished
with exotic floral design. The gate is a unique blend of Indo-Islamic architecture.
The next gate is made of stone and is smaller in size. This gate has been partly destroyed over time. On
the slate-coloured pillars, one can find writings in Persian and Sanskrit. While some of these are still
legible, some have been badly defaced in some places. The edict clearly mentions name of one Banamali
Mishra, the court poet of Raja Medini Rai. It also declares that this fort was built by Medini Rai in
1673.The Persian inscription was recently damaged by some vandals. This gate is the biggest
archaeological attraction of this fort.
The fort is believed to have had several other stone gates and inscriptions. Today, all that remains is a
plethora of broken pieces. The fort also has remains of what must have been several big and small
chambers. It gives some idea about how soldiers must have been placed in each chamber to protect the
fort. In the South-West side of the of the fort lies a bathing place named Kamal Jheel. The area also
houses the remains of a small temple. This fort has several open and secret exits. Many of those are
still accessible but are in bad shape. A shadow of human negligence prevails in all parts of this massive
structure
Coming back to the history of Palamu, its story did not end in the Mughal era. It remained a
significant point of conflict even when the East India Company was trying to gain control over India.
The glory of the Chero kingdom started fading with the death of Medini Rai. Pratap Rai did not
enjoy the old Chero dominance. After Pratap Rai, kings like Rudra Rai, Dikpal Rai, Shaeb Rai, Ranjit
Rai, Devi Bateh and Jai Kisan Rai attempted to regain complete control, but sadly, they failed. In year
1770, king Chiranjit Rai tried to make the situation better. But his cousin Gopal Rai tried to negotiate
with the East India Company and overtake Palamu fort. In 1771, the Patna Council of the British East
India company issued a summon to the Chero king to handover the forts on account of misrule.
A 10-day ultimatum was issued to them. When that was not honoured, a gory war took place on
January 28, 1771. Under the leadership of Colonel Camac, a member of British council of the East
India Company of Patna, the fort was attacked. The Chero put a brave fight before the East India
Company. Due to water scarcity at the new fort, all of them had moved to old fort. This gave Captain
Camac a chance to capture the new fort almost unopposed and its geographical positioning gave the
British an edge against the tribals.
Realising the degree of efficiency of the common Chero warriors and the superb fortification of the
structure, Captain Camac was forced to call for more support from Patna. It was answered with supply
of more powerful canons like 12 pound canons and ammunition. Powered by such additional
infrastructure and equipment, the East India Company finally vanquished the Chero king and
conquered both the forts on March 19, 1771. On March 21, 1771 after destroying all circles of
resistance, the East India Company finally entered the old fort and with that an era came to an end in
that part of the country. In April 1772, during the time of great mutiny in 1857, these forts were
captured by local rebellions and it became a centre of strategy. However, as soon as colonial rulers took
over charge and ruthlessly crushed every single man who had participated in the mutiny, these two
forts were also targeted and vandalised.
Today a big signboard of Jharkhand Tourism is planted near the entry gate of the Betla National Park.
It directs the visitors towards Palamu Fort. However, reaching the fort is nothing less than a challenge.
Although the roads are wide and well maintained, a zigzag stream running inside the forest is both
tempting and dangerous. In several places, the signboards planted by forest department remind you
that you are navigating in an elephant corridor and an encounter with a herd of wild elephants is likely.
This is not a notice to ignore while going to Palamu Fort. After all, the dilapidated fort inside a jungle
is often frequented by wild animals.
But if one manages to brave through all of these hurdles and reach the fort, even the remains of what
Palamu once must have been are enough to leave one mesmerised. It shows what modern-day
Jharkhand has been through in our glorious, collective past.

Suga Bandh Waterfall

Suga Bandh Waterfalls near Baresand is located in Latehar District of Jharkhand. It is close to the
Palamu Tiger Reserve and situated about 60 km from Betla.

Kechki Sangam
Kechki Sangam is the confluence of North Koel and Auranga rivers. The place is about 4 - 5 kms Betla
Forest and on the way to Daltonganj, about 20 minutes drive from Betla.