Hazaribagh

Hazaribag (हज़ारीबाग), meaning "a place of thousand gardens", is a city on the Chota Nagpur Plateau, in the state of Jharkhand.

Understand

• Temperature (max./min. °C): Summer- 41.1°/19.4° Winter- 25.5°/7°
• Best season: October to April
• Best tour time: Early Spring
• Clothing: Summer - cotton/tropical; winter - light/heavy woolens

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport is Ranchi, 100 km away, which is well connected with rest of the country.

By rail

Hazaribag is connected by rail to Koderma and Barkakana. However, other nearby stations such as Dhanbad, Ranchi, Ramgarh and Hazaribagh Road can also be used.

• 1 Hazaribagh Town railway station. (updated Nov 2020)

By car

Hazaribag is well connected by road to Ranchi (93 km), Patna (250 km), Bodh Gaya (117 km), Dhanbad (125 km), and Jamshedpur.

By bus

Regular bus services are available from Patna and Ranchi. Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation also runs luxury coach services on the Patna-Ranchi route, via Hazaribagh, twice a day. Chartered buses or taxis are also available from Ranchi and Patna by the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation.

Get around

Auto and cycle rickshaws are available. Nowadays, e-rickshaws are also available, and are the cheapest among them all.

See

• Canary Hills. Close to the town lies the Canary Hill which has a well laid out park and is studded with three small lakes and an observation tower. From the top of the hill, in the north-east, one can admire the beauty of the forest whereas the south direction gives the full landscape of the town. 
• Chandwa Dam. An area for picnics and other fun activities. 
• 1 Hazaribagh Lake (Hazaribagh Jheel). The Hazaribagh lake in the town also attracts tourists and visitors. It is a popular picnic spot and place for water sports. 

• 2 Hazaribagh National Park. Wildlife enthusiasts would love to visit the national park. 
• 3 Narsingh Sthan Temple. Temple dedicated to incarnation of Lord Vishnu. 

Do

It's a peaceful place where you can enjoy the nature.

Eat

Hazaribagh is popular for its street food. You can start your day with local breakfast with kachari sabji and jalebi. Try the locally famous bagheri (a small bird) jhor at Alka Hotel with rice at lunch. This dish often sells out by 12:30. Try out street food of Hazaribagh in the evening. Most famous is the chotangapuri snacks like bada, dhuska, aaloo chop, kachri at the famous local shop at the end of the Guru Teghbahadur Road. Samosa locally called Singhara and rasgulla of Vivekannd Hotel (near Congress Office) is famous for its simple and tasty preparation. Enjoy matka kulfi in summer at Jhanda Chowk. There are plenty of chat serving carts on and around Jhanda Chowk that are famous for samosa and tikki chat. Tikki chat of Hazaribagh is very different from the tikki chat that you get in Delhi. Golgappa is famous in suresh colony of Hazaribahg also tastes differently than what you get in Delhi. Food carts near meetha talab serves hot maal pua and don't forget to drink tea sold in small kiosks all over town.

If you are a non-vegetarian, try out Jama Masjid road and Sujait Chowk area. You can try delicious kabab paratha evening and mouth watering nehari and paya in the morning at Kolkata Hotel (Jama Masjid Chowk). The kabab you find in this area has a distinct taste not what you find in the northern Delhi region. Moreover, you can find tikia (minced meat pressed together and fried), it's an absolute delight and a must if you happen to be in the region.

One more must do is the kabab at Sujait Chowk area, the place is small but the popularity of the place can be easily seen. The shop opens at 3–4 in the evening and is out of stock within 2-3 hr. So if you are one of those who cannot resist the taste of good meat, this is a must visit place. And if you are interested in biryani go to Zakir Hussain road at Iqbal Hotel.

Sleep

• Hotel A.K. International, Matwari, Gandhi Maidan.. 
• Hazaribagh Circuit House. 
• Hotel Canary Inn, NH33 Near Old Bus Stand. 
• Hotel Sky Lok. Air Conditoned. 
• Prince Hotel. 

• Tourist Lodge. 

• Upkaar Hotel. 

Go next

• Harihar Dham — Interested tourists can follow the main GT road and drive to Hari Har Dham at Bagodhar, famous for the 52 ft (16 m) high Shiv Ling, which took 30 years to complete, and is believed to be the tallest in the world.
• Narsingh sthan (around 10 km) — While going barkagaon around 10 km from main city. There is a temple. You can enjoy beanfeast in guru purnima.
• Parasnath Temple (90 km) — At the of the highest hill in Bihar in Giridih district, it's a famous abode for Jain tourists. Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation runs a hotel Paras Vihar for the comfortable stay of the devotees and visitors.
• Rajrappa — Rajrappa is famous for Ma Chhina Mastika temple, where river Bhera joins the Damodar river from a height of 20 feet. The little waterfall offers boating facilities which introduce some very spectacular rock formations in this area.
• Surajkund (65 km) — Situated close to the GT Road. You have to get off GT Road at Belkapi near Barkatta, it is quite popular for its steaming-hot hot water springs.
• Tilaiya Dam (52 km) — It is the first dam and hydroelectric power station constructed by Damodar Valley Corporation across Barakar river in Hazaribag district. It is 1,200 ft (370 m) long and 99 ft (30 m) high, in an ideal surrounding with a reservoir stretching for 36 km². The main objective is to control floods. The hydroelectric station produces 4,000 kwh of power. The beautiful natural surroundings, the drive from Barhi on GT road to the dam site through reservoir, and the picturesque hillocks are themselves attractions. There is another dam at Konar, 51 km from Hazaribagh.
• Urwan Tourist Complex (62 km) — Few km from the Tilaiya Dam, there's a tourist complex at Urwan, run by Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation. It is an ideal site to relax, spend time by the side of the dam, enjoy boating and other water sports.