The tradition preserved by the ruling family of the erstwhile state of Raigarh maintains that the Raj Gond family migrated to this region from Bairagarh/Wariagarh of Chanda district of Maharashtra state about the beginning of the eighteenth century and first stayed at Phuljhar in Raipur district. From there Madan Singh, head of the family migrated to Banda of the present-day Raigarh. The successor kings of Raigarh state after Maharaja Madan Singh were Maharaja Takhat Singh, Maharaha Beth Singh, Maharaja Dilip Singh, Maharaja Jujhar Singh, Maharaja Devnath Singh, Maharaja Ghansyam Singh, Maharaja Bhupdev Singh, Maharaja Natwar Singh, and Maharaja Chakradhar Singh. Truly speaking music, dance, and literature got fillip during the reign of Maharaja Bhupdev Singh and developed further during the rule of Maharaja Chakradhar Singh.^[1] Prior to Indian Independence, Raigarh was capital of Princely State of Raigarh.^[2] After the independence of the country, the princely state was the first ones to join the Union of India. The Royal family still resides here, but due to Privy Purse and internal conflicts, the royalty seems to have faded away.^{[original research?]} Moreover, the palace - Moti Mahal - is in very bad shape. It has recently been declared a heritage site by the state government.

Raigarh got its name from Garh (गढ) named "Rai" established by Raja Madan Singh at Munga near river Mahanadi.

Raigarh is located at 21°54′N 83°24′E / 21.9°N 83.4°E / 21.9; 83.4.^[3] It has an average elevation of 215 metres (705 feet). The Kelo river flows through the city, which is one of its main water sources.^[4]

The minimum-maximum temperature range is 29.5 - 49 °C in summer, and 8 - 25 °C in winter.

Languages spoken are Chhattisgarhi Hindi, and Odia. The demographics of the city consist mainly of people from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Haryana and Bihar. A sizeable community of Bengali, Telugu and Marathi speaking people also live here.

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[7] Raigarh district had a population of 12,69,925,^[8] and the city of Raigarh a population of 364,287. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Raigarh has an average literacy rate of 71%, male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 62%. About 80% of the population are Hindus, 15% Christians, and the remaining 5% are other religions. In Raigarh, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

New RaigarhEdit

New Raigarh (New Raigarh) involves the transformation of old Raigarh into a better-planned and laid-out town. Located around National Highway 216, it lies 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the south-east of the old town of Raigarh and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the proposed NTPC Lara-Pussore site. Kodatarai Airport (the future domestic airport of Chhattisgarh) separates the old Raigarh, new Raigarh, and the NTPC site. Naya Raigarh will serve as the industrial capital of the state and also cater to the infrastructure needs of industry and trade in the region. Naya Raigarh is spread over an area of about 600 acres (240 ha) and includes a number of villages of which Kodatarai village forms the core of the Naya Raigarh. About half of the total acquired land is being used for afforestation, roads, parks, public conveniences, water facilities-canals, and green belts. 23 percent of the land will be reserved for educational institutions, government offices, and public auditoriums. 30 percent of the land will be designated for residential and economic use.

Raigarh is a cultural city known for its Kathak dance and classical music. Chakradhar Singh of Raigarh made prominent contributions to the development of the Kathak Dance. Every year on Ganesh Chaturthi a festival called 'Chakradhar Samaroh' is organized in which music and dance exponents from all over India visit and display their arts. This event is organized in memory of Raja Chakradhar Singh Porte.

Raigarh is well known for its 'Kosa or tasar, a kind of fine silk created by the silkworm feeding on mulberry fruit. Most of the public buildings in Raigarh were built by Seth Kirodimal^{[clarification needed Who or what is this?]} and afterward made part of a charitable trust. These include the district government hospital, Mahatma Gandhi Eye Hospital, Kirodimal Polytechnic College, Kirodimal Degree College, and many others. Raigarh is home to the world's second-largest and India's largest sponge iron plants and 62 other industries. It has become a growing industrial hub for the steel market. Jindal Steel and Power Limited operate the world's largest sponge iron and steel plant 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Raigarh city while 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the city is Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd. The director of the Jindal Group, Mr. Naveen Jindal provides electricity to a few industries at Punjipathra to encourage entrepreneurship.

Raigarh is an old city and the marketplace is congested with narrow and curving roads. More than 50 sponge iron plants have already been started in the vicinity of Raigarh. The new Raigarh consists of various shopping complexes, broad four-lane roads, 3-star hotels, upcoming malls (Ela Mall, Galaxy Mall, and Grand Mall), and much more.

A rapid change in the demographics has resulted in a number of colonies and apartments.

Dhokra or bell metal casting is the world acclaimed art form of Raigarh. Based in the village of Ektaal, the bell metal structures are noted for their aesthetic value.

Tendu patta^[9] collection is one of the major sources of income for villagers while Raigarh District is a major producer of rice.

Raigarh is known for Kosa silk, rice fields, and indigenous tribes. The nearby places to visit in Raigarh are Pahad Mandir at Gajmar Pahadi, Ram Jharna in Bhupdeopur, Teepa Khol, Maa Chandrasini Devi Temple at Chandrapur, and Banjari Mandir situated in Raigarh-Tamnar road.

RailwaysEdit

Raigarh railway station is a station on the Tatanagar–Bilaspur section of Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line the broad gauge line. It comes under Bilaspur railway division. All express and some superfast trains stop here, while Gondwana express and Janshatabdi express originate at Raigarh. It is well connected with many major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kota, Patna, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur, Vishakhapatnam, etc., while for other destinations it has to depend upon Bilaspur railway station, which is a regional rail hub connected to every part of the country and 132   km from Raigarh district headquarter. The main railway station Raigarh is near the heart of the city. Kirodimal Nagar railway station is another suburb small station of Raigarh city. Raigarh railway station serving to the people of the nearby area lie Ambikapur, Surguja, Dharamjaigarh, Lailunga, Sarangarh. The Raigarh railway station has a good Vehicle parking facility even overnight parking can be done on need.

AirportEdit

By Air

Nearest Airport is Bilasa devi kevat airport(Bilaspur Airport) just 156 km from Raigarh City.

A private airport owned by the Jindal Steel and Power Limited is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of the city. The Chhattisgarh state government and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) may sign an agreement for setting up a full-fledged airport at Raigarh at a cost of Rs 280 crore.

The average literacy rate in Raigarh district as per census 2011 is 85.22 % of which males and females are 92.01 % and 78.09 % literates respectively. As of the 2011 Census of India, Raigarh had 55 primary schools, 37 middle schools, 9 secondary schools and 16 senior-secondary school, along with 2 arts and commerce colleges (including Kirodimal Government Arts and Science College), 1 law college and 1 polytechnic college.^[10] O.P. Jindal University and Kirodimal Institute of Technology are newer institutions in the city.^{[citation needed]}

News channelsEdit

Many local news channels are Broadcast from Raipur in Hindi :

• Official government website