BharatSangraha

Chhattisgarh Plains · Central Highlands & Forest Belt

Terrain and eco-zones

Tropical wet-and-dry, with 1,200–1,400 mm falling almost entirely between the third week of June and late September. Because there is no snowmelt in the system, the whole year's water arrives in about ninety days and then has to be held. April and May reach 44–47 °C in the Raipur and Janjgir belt, and that heat is the direct reason the region drinks its rice rather than eating it hot.

Landforms

A level to gently undulating plain between roughly 250 and 330 m, floored with Chhattisgarh basin sediments and Deccan trap outliersKanhar, matasi, dorsa and bhata — the farmers' own soil classes, from heavy black clay to gravelly upland, each carrying a different set of rice varietiesBunded paddy on every workable surface, and a village tank or bandha beside almost every settlementThe Maikal scarp on the western rim, rising to the Achanakmar forestsLaterite and sal forest on the northern rise into SargujaThe Mahanadi gorge on the eastern side, where the plain drains out towards Odisha

Rivers and waters

Mahanadi — rises at Sihawa in Dhamtari, inside the region, and is the reason the plain has water at allShivnath (Seonath) — the longest tributary, draining the western and central plainKharun — the Raipur riverPairi and Sondur — meeting the Mahanadi at RajimHasdeo and Mand — the northern drainage from the Sarguja riseArpa at Bilaspur, Maniyari at Tala, Kelo at Raigarh, Jonk to the south-east

Through the year

SeasonMonthsTypicalWhat it is like
Summer and the basi seasonMarch–mid June25–47 °CFields empty, wells low, and the household meal reduced to rice held under water overnight with an onion and a chilli. Mahua and tendu collection on the forest fringes, and the tikhur drink in the towns.
MonsoonMid June–September24–34 °CTransplanting, and the year's densest festival run — Hareli at Sawan Amavasya, Pola at Bhadrapada Amavasya, Bhojli and Teeja in Bhadon, Navakhani when the new grain is first eaten.
Harvest and the fair seasonOctober–December14–30 °CDev Uthni Ekadashi brings the Raut Nacha processions and the cattle back into the village; Diwali brings Gaura-Gaura and the Suwa dance; the madai fairs begin.
WinterJanuary–February10–29 °CChherchhera at Pausha Purnima, the Rajim mela from Magh Purnima, the Giroudpuri gathering, and the only comfortable weather for the temple circuit.

Best time to visitOctober to February for the temples, the forests and the festival calendar — Rajim in Magh and Giroudpuri at Magh Purnima are the two largest gatherings. Come in Kartik if the point is Raut Nacha. Avoid April and May unless you want to understand why basi exists.

The climate, landforms, rivers and seasons of Chhattisgarh Plains, and the best time of year to visit. (4)