- By Ridam Sharma
- Thu, 25 Dec 2025 10:11 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
City of Waterfalls: Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, is known as the City of Waterfalls in India due to its nationally famous waterfalls like Hundru, Dassam, and Jonha Falls within the plateau of Chota Nagpur. This tribal heritage is a mix of natural splendour and is also known as a mineral-rich hub, situated at an altitude of 641 meters. It attracts thousands of tourists from every corner of the world, with most of the credit going to its rivers and forested valleys. The waterfalls that make the river banks at Ranchi particularly popular are rivers like the Subarnarekha and the Kanchi that breathtakingly drop over rocky cliffs on the plateau's edge.
However, the city of Ranchi got its name as the ‘city of waterfalls’ due to a dozen other falls, including Hundru at 322 feet height or multi-stream Dassam, which transform rough landscapes into picturesque scenes. Additionally, the local folklore associates the names of these waterfalls with myths. For example, Jonha Falls is also known as Gautamdhara, and it is also popularly believed that Lord Buddha bathed here.
Additionally, not just waterfalls, Ranchi is also a key region where human activities flourish in India, like Iron tools which were introduced in early as 1400 BCE in Chota Nagpur, then later in the Magadha Empire, and the army of Samudra Gupta.
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The Nagvanshi kingdom started in the 4th century CE, and Chutia was one of the earliest states in the capital of Ranchi. Later, Mughals influenced sovereignty, but locals like Thakur Ani Nath Shahdeo constructed temples. During British times, Ranchi was a summer resort; in 1842, Colonel Onsley dug Ranchi Lake, making it all the more interesting during the colonial mineral mining operations.
Major Waterfalls In Ranchi:
1. Hundru Falls: The Subarnarekha River falls 98 meters and gives us an awesome sight; winter picnics are in contrast to monsoonal savagery here.
2. Dassam Falls: Known as Durga Falls from a Mundari legend of ten cursed brothers forming streams; sacred for Munda and Oraon tribes during festivals like Sarhul.
3. Jonha Falls: A 43-meter drop is a 500-step sightseeing point; a nearby Gautam Buddha Temple, which gives it its spiritual flavour.
Above-mentioned, each of the waterfall locations is a connotation of tribal opposition to British rule in the 19th century. Waterfalls are sacred places of ritual for tribes like the Ho and Santhal, which are considered divine locations for festivals and prayers. Rici Buru (Hill of Kites) roots of Ranchi, and its profile as the Manchester of the East industrial location add to this eco-tourism attraction.
The good weather conditions and biodiversity contribute to environmental consciousness, which conserves falls during urbanisation. Finally, Ranchi is the Indian state that is referred to as the city of waterfalls in India, as it still remains a haven of nature that is full of history, myth and adventure to the explorers.