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Ranchi राँची
—  capital  —
View of Ranchi View of Ranchi
Ranchi Location of Ranchi in Jharkhand and India
Coordinates	23°21′N 85°20′E / 23.35°N 85.33°E / 23.35; 85.33Coordinates: 23°21′N 85°20′E / 23.35°N 85.33°E / 23.35; 85.33
Country	India
State	Jharkhand
Population	2,912,022 (2011[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 729 metres (2,392 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 834001,834002,834003,834004,834005,834006,834007,834008,834009,834010,834011,834012 • Telephone • +0651

Ranchi  pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi: राँची, Urdu: رانچی, Bengali: রাঁচি) is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Jharkhand accounts for 40% of the mineral resources of India. Ranchi accounts for 50% mineral production of the state, nearing about 18% of nation's mineral production. For this reason Ranchi is also called the Manchester of the East. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Orissa, Western West Bengal and the present eastern Chhattisgarh. Jharkhand State was formed on 15 November 2000 by carving the Bihar divisions of Chota Nagpur and Santhal Parganas.

The name Ranchi comes from the original Oraon village Archi at the site. Archi derives from the Oraon word for bamboo grove or stave. According to legend, after an altercation with a spirit, a farmer beat the spirit with his bamboo stave or archi. The spirit shouted archi, archi, archi and vanished; Archi became Rachi, and Rachi became Ranchi. Up to 1927, the place was known as Rachi. One historically significant neighborhood is Doranda ('duran' 'दुरङ' means song and 'daah' 'दअः' means water in the Mundari language), between the Hinoo (Bhusur) & Harmoo Rivers, where the civil station, treasury and church established by the British Raj were destroyed by rebel forces during the Sepoy Mutiny. The present Purani (old) Ranchi marks the site of the old village of Archi.

History

Ranchi is the headquarters of Ranchi district. Earlier the name of the district was Lohardaga. The old district had come into existence after the creation of the non-regulation South – West frontier as a result of the Kol uprising in 1831-32. The name of the district was changed in 1899 from Lohardaga to Ranchi after the name of a small village now comprised within the headquarters station.

Geography

Ranchi is located at 23°21′N 85°20′E / 23.35°N 85.33°E / 23.35; 85.33. The total area covered by the Ranchi municipal area is 175.12 square kilometres and the average elevation of the city is 629 m above sea level.

Ranchi is located on the southern part of the Chota Nagpur plateau which forms the eastern edge of the Deccan plateau. Ranchi is referred to as the "City of Waterfalls", due to the presence of numerous large and small falls of around the close vicinity of the city. The most popular ones are Dasham, Hundru, Jonha Falls, Hirni and Panchghat.

The Subarnarekha river and its tributaries constitute the local river system. Dams in Kanke, Rukka and Hatia have been built over these channels to cater to the water requirements of majority the population.

Ranchi has a hilly topography and its combination with dense tropical forests ensures that it enjoys a comparatively moderate climate compared to the rest of the state. Previously, it was accorded a 'hill station' status during the British rule. Rapid population growth and industrialization have caused considerable change in the weather pattern and rise in average temperatures. This has resulted in gradual loss of this "Hill Station" like status.

	Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, New Delhi	Gaya, Patna, Gorakhpur, Kathmandu	Bokaro, Dhanbad, Siliguri, Guwahati
	Bhopal, Indore, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad		Kolkata, Dhaka, Aizawl
		Ranchi
	Raipur, Hyderabad, Solapur, Goa	Rourkela, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Bengaluru, Chennai	Jamshedpur, Kharagpur, Bay of Bengal

Climate

Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar. Temperature ranges from maximum 42 to 20°C during summer, and from 25 to 0°C during winter.December and January are the coolest months with temperature getting to freezing point in some places of the city.The annual rainfall is about 1430 mm (56.34 inches). From June to September the rainfall is about 1,100 mm.

Demographics

In the 2001 India census, Ranchi had a population of 846,454. As per the Ranchi Municipal Corporation the current population figure stands approximately at 12.5 Lakhs (1.25 Million). Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Ranchi has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 68%. In Ranchi, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Interestingly, as per the last Census it was found that the cases of Divorce in this State has increased manyfold. The city witnessed a sudden surge in population after the declaration of the new state of Jharkhand in 2000. Owing to the rising employment opportunities and opening of numerous regional and state level offices, banks, and FMCG companies, the city witnessed a rapid influx of employment seeking migrants. As per a study done by ASSOCHAM in late 2010, Ranchi was the highest employment generating Tier-III city in India with a share of 16.8%, followed by Managlore and Mysore.

Transport

Ranchi is well connected via Rail, Air and Road routes.

Railways

Ranchi is well connected with major cities of India via Rail routes and most profitable station in South Eastern Railways. It is well connected with metro and major cities of India like New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Bangalore, Vishakhapatnam, Vijaywada, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Patna, Amritsar, Lucknow, Gorakhpur etc.

Airways

Birsa Munda Airport of Ranchi has direct flights from Patna, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Few major airlines like Kingfisher Airlines, Air India, Jet Lite, GO, serves this purpose.

Roadways

NH 31 passes through Ranchi. Roads connecting to major cities are there providing movement for passenger and freight traffic.
Buses of the Jharkhand State Road Transport Corporation and private buses ply regularly to connect Ranchi to the other parts of Jharkhand. Regular bus services are there to Calcutta and other towns of neighboring states. Private buses also ply regularly to Jamshedpur, Patna and Calcutta.

Education

Primary and Secondary Schools Ranchi is a regional hub for leading Pre-schools, Primary and Secondary schools. Major schools include:

• Vivekananda Vidya Mandir
• Army School Ranchi
• D.A.V Public School, Dhurwa
• St.Francis School, Harmu
• Surendranath Centenary School
• St. Anthony's School, Doranda
• St. Thomas School, Dhurwa
• Taurian World School
• Sapphire International School
• Sarala Birla Public School
• St. Johns High School
• St. Aloysius High School
• St. Anne's Girls High School
• Ursuline Convent Girls High School
• Bishop Westcott Girls' School
• Bishop Westcott Boys' School
• Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali
• Delhi Public School, Ranchi
• Sacred Heart Convent
• Loreto Convent Doranda

1. ^ "Jharkhand Movement". Country Studies. http://country-studies.com/india/jharkhand-movement.htmll. Retrieved 2009-05-07. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Cultural Configuration of Ranchi, Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi, Rajendra Behari Lal, India. Planning Commission. Research Programmes Committee, 1969, pg 306.
3. ^ Journal and Proceedings of the Asiatic Society Of Bengal, Volume 4, No. 11, 1927, "The Etymology of Ranchi, pg 601.
4. ^ Kaye's and Malleson's history of the Indian mutiny of 1857-8, Volume 4, By Sir John William Kaye, George Bruce Malleson, W.H. Allen, 1889, pg 95.
5. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Ranchi
6. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.