Dhanbad

Dhanbad is a city in Jharkhand; it is considered the coal capital of India.

The coalfields around Dhanbad are known as the Jharia coalfields. They cover an area of around 448 km², the total reserve of coal is estimated at 5,000 million tonnes. Jharia coalfields are the only major source of coking or metallurgical coal in the country. There are 112 coal mines in the district. Jharia town adjacent to Dhanbad is considered a separate town administratively. Munidih Colliery is the largest colliery in India. ONGC is using CBM (Coal Beded Methane) for producing electricity at many places of Dhanbad. Tata Power along with DVC is setting up a 1050 MW thermal power plant in Dhanbad. It has chemical plants, other industries, and produces mica and many different minerals.

Get in

By plane

The nearest commercial airport is at Ranchi, 170 km from Dhanbad. Kolkata is 250 km away; Patna, 325 km. Gaya is 217 km away. Dhanbad has an airstrip for small planes. MDLR airlines and Air India is also planning to launch domestic services.

By train

Kolkata is 259 km from Dhanbad. Some of the convenient trains connecting Kolkata and Dhanbad are:

• 2019/2020 Howrah–Ranchi Shatabdi Express (no train on Sunday)
• 3317/ 3318 Black Diamond Express
• 3029/3030 Coalfield Express

Some of the long-distance trains passing through Dhanbad are:

• 2301/2302 Howrah Rajdhani Express (no train departing Howrah on Sunday, no train departing New Delhi on Friday)
• 2313/2314 Sealdah Rajdhani Express.
• 2381/2382 Howrah–New Delhi Poorva Express (train departing Howrah on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday; train departing New Delhi on Monday, Tuesday, Friday)
• 2311/2312 Howrah–Kalka Netaji Express
• 2321/2322 Howrah–Mumbai Mail (via Prayagraj)
• 3009/3010 Howrah–Dehradun Doon Express
• 3151/3152 Sealdah–Jammu Tawi Express
• 3025/3026 Howrah Bhopal (departing Howrah on Monday, departing Bhopal on Wednesday)
• 1448/1449 Howrah Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express
• 1159/1160 Howrah Gwalior Chambal Express (departing Howrah on Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday; departing Gwalior on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)
• 9306/9305 Howrah Indore Shipra Express (departing Howrah on Monday, Thursday, Saturday; departing Indore on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)
• 2942/2941 Asansol Ahmedabad Parashnath Express (departing Asansol on Thursday, departing Ahmedabad on Tuesday)
• 3403/3404 and 3405/3406 Ranchi Bhagalpur Vananchal Express
• 8621/8622 Patna Hatia Pataliputra Express
• 8624/8623 Hatia Rajendranagar Express.

For train timings etc. check with Indian Railways.

• 1 Dhanbad Junction railway station. (updated Nov 2021)

By road

Dhanbad is just off the Grand Trunk Road (NH 2). One can drive into Dhanbad from Govindpur or Rajganj. It is connected via Chas and Bokaro Steel City to Ramgarh and via Chas and Muri to Ranchi.

Most of the important cities and towns of Jharkhand, Bengal and Bihar have bus links with Dhanbad. It has a large bus station about 2 km from the railway station. Luxury Volvo buses ply between Dhanbad and Kolkata and between Dhanbad and Ranchi. Auto rickshaws are popular transport links with neighbouring towns and in the coalfields, but these are generally overcrowded. Autos are now used for transportation and as compared to trekkers they are more economical.

Get around

Hired cars and taxis are available at the railway station 24/7. Auto rickshaws are also available till late at night. This is also a cheap mode of transport as rickshaw wallahs demand more.

Talk

Languages spoken in the area are Khortha, Hindi, Bengali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Punjabi and Santhali. Dhanbad is a cosmopolitan city with people from all over the country. English is understood in most of the areas of visitor/business interest.

See

• 1 Bhatinda Fall (14 km from Dhanbad railway station). 
• Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Digwadih, Dhanbad, ☏ +91-326-2296004, director@cimfr.nic.in. CIMFR, Dhanbad is one of the national laboratories of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India. This laboratory was established in 1956 for carrying out research and development work in the field of mining and related subjects to make mining safe, productive, reduce its environmental impact and economical as well as reduce health hazards to miners and environmental pollution and degradation created due to mining and associated industrial activities. 
• 2 Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines). An institute of national importance. It was established in 1926, and has one of the most beautiful engineering campuses in the country. 
• Chark Khurd. The village, which is about 10 km from Tundi on the Dhanbad-Govindpur -Giridih Road, is noted for its hot spring. 
• 3 Chati Gobindpur. The village is in Govindpur development block, contains two ancient pillars which are locally associated with Emperor Asoka and the Afghan Chief Sher Shah. 
• Two types of Coal Mines – the open cast and underground. Advance permission has to be procured from Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. for visiting any of their mines. Sudamdih is worth a visit.
• Gopalpur. The village lies in Nirsa-cum-Chirkunda development block. It contains an ancient pillar said to date back to the time of Emperor Asoka. There is also a large stone image said to be of Asoka. 
• Jhinjhipahari. The village is in Baghmara development block. It is said that an ancient temple of Lord Shiva was found when the mines here were being worked. 
• 4 Lilori Sthan (near Katras, about 22 km from Dhanbad railway station). It is famous for Goddess Kali temple, it is also one of the devipeth. 
• 5 Maithon Dam (about 52 km from Dhanbad). Maithon Dam is the biggest Dam of Damodar Valley Corporation. This dam has been built to control flood in the Barakar River. The reservoir of Maithon Dam is spread across 65 km². In the mid of this reservoir, there is an island. A rest house has been built on this island. Boating & fishing facilities are also available in this reservoir. There is a Deer park and Birds garden near this Dam these are also of a tourists importance. 
• Meva. The village is in Nirsa-cum-Chirkunda Block. It contains ancient pillars said to date back to the time of Emperor Ashoka. There is also a large stone image said to be of Ashoka. 
• 6 Panchet Dam (About 54 km from Dhanbad). This is the longest dam of Damodar Valley Corporation. Garh Panchakot beside the lake has lodging facilities. 
• Panrra. The village, which also lies in Nirsa-cum-Chirkunda Block, it said to have derived its name from the Pandavas. According to local legend the Pandavas spent some period of their exile in hiding at this place. The village contains an ancient temple of Lord Shiva known as Pandeweshar Mahadev. The temple is believed to have been constructed by Hindu King at a much later day. 
• 7 Sudamdih Colliery. 
• Tetulia. Just near the Damodar River in the Dhanbad district, there is a spring of hot water. 
• 8 Topchanchi (Located 37 km from Dhanbad). In Topchanchi, tourists can see an artificial lake that was excavated along the base of the slant of the Parasnath Hill in 1915. This lake was created to supply water to Jharia. Visitors can also go to Gomoh, which is 6 km from the Topchanchi Lake. Gomoh is the place where on 18th January 1941 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose embarked on the train for his departure from India. To honour this event, a statue of Netaji has been set up in the Topchanchi market. 

Do

Carnivals are arranged by Lions Club, Rotary Club and other clubs, mostly in winter and these are open to visitors also.

Dhanbad is surrounded by beautiful picnic spots. People are very helpful and friendly and love visitors.

• Charak Pathar is a popular picnic spot. This is a village, which falls under the development block of Govindpur in the district of Dhanbad. The place gets its name from an old white stone boulder called Charak Pathar.

Buy

Large malls include Central Mall and Ozone Galleria at Saraidhela. Smaller Markets in Purana Bazzar, Bank More, Steel Gate are also present.

Eat

• Hotel Skylark - Flavours Restaurant, Bank More, Dhanbad (near Railway Station), ☏ +91 326 305284. 09:00-23:00. Multicuisine restaurant, vegetarian food, non-vegetarian food, Jain food 
• Madhulika, Bank More, 9-Shanti Bhawan, Bank More, Dhanbad, ☏ +91 326-2305656. 
• Take Home, Saraidhela (1.5 km from Indian school of mines main gate). till 23:00. Veg and non-veg. Try Hyderabad Chicken Biryani(₹80). *

Mani's Food Court, city centre (near combined building). The central food court of the city centre has vegetarian food and a separate section for non-vegetarians. 

Drink

• Hotel Skylark, Bank More, Dhanbad, ☏ +91 326 305284. 
• Aroti, Hirapur Dhanbad. 

Sleep

• Hotel Hindustan International, 0.5 km from Bank More. Comfortable and reasonably priced A/C and Non A\C rooms. 
• Hotel Madhulika, Bank More, ☏ +91 9431121452, madhulikahotel@gmail.com. Comfortable and A/C rooms. 
• Hotel Rock, Bank More, ☏ +91 326 307644. 
• Hotel Sky Lark, Bank More, ☏ +91 326 305284. 
• Hotel Susant International (near puja Cinema Hall), ☏ +91 3262220200. 
• Hotel Vashundhara, Hirapur, ☏ +91 326 202215. 

Go next

• Asansol - 60 km from Dhanbad.
• Bokaro Steel City - 50 km from Dhanbad.
• Parasnath Hills – highest peak in the state at 1,350 metres, is a Jain pilgrimage centre, around 50 km from Dhanbad.
• Sindri – is about 25 km from Dhanbad. It was home to one of the early fertliser plants set up in the country but since closed. Bihar Institute of Technology-now Birsa Institute of Technology is here.