Surajkund hot spring (also called Surya Kund) is a natural

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

in Belkapi gram panchayat of Barkatha CD block in Barhi subdivision of

Hazaribagh district Hazaribagh district is one of the oldest districts of Jharkhand state, India and the district headquarter located in Hazaribagh town. It is located in the north east part of North Chotanagpur Division. The boundary of this district consists of dis ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

Geography

Location

Surajkund is located at .

Area overview

Hazaribagh district is a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

area and forests occupy around about 45% of the total area. It is a predominantly rural area with 92.34% of the population living in rural areas against 7.66% in the urban areas. There are many census towns in the district, as can be seen in the map alongside. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people but with the extension of coal mines, particularly in the southern part of the district, employment in coal mines is increasing. However, it has to be borne in mind that modern mining operations are highly mechanised. Four operational areas of Central Coalfields are marked on the map. All these areas are spread across partly this district and partly the neighbouring districts. Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the district. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map. Urbanisation data calculated on the basis of census data for CD blocks and may vary a little against unpublished official data.

Hot spring

Surajkund has a hot water spring containing

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

that allegedly has healing properties. Tourism department of Jharkhand Government has planned to set up spas, saunas, massage parlours, restaurants and convention halls here, Surajkund hot spring is claimed to be the hottest spring in India. Surajkund hot spring has a surface temperature of and an average subsurface temperature of . According to recent assessment, India has a large potential of

geothermal energy Geothermal energy is thermal energy extracted from the crust (geology), crust. It combines energy from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay. Geothermal energy has been exploited as a source of heat and/or electric power for m ...

, which can be gainfully utilized for power generation; Jharkhand possesses a good share of these. Of the total recorded sites numbering 340 in India (assessed by Geothermal Education office - US), around 60 sites are in Jharkhand. Surajkund is among the most prospective sites. Other prospective sites in Jharkhand are: Tantolaya / Tantlol, in Santhal Paragana division, and Thatha / Konraha and Jarom in Palamu district. There are five ''kunds'' or springs, namely Surya Kund, Lakshman Kund, Brahm Kund, Ram Kund, and Sita Kund. These are located in one place with water varying from very hot to cool. A

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

temple has been constructed in more recent years.

Transport

Surajkund is from

Hazaribagh Hazaribagh is a city and a municipal corporation in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarters of Hazaribagh district and divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is known ...

and from Barkatha on NH 19 (old NH 2) ( Grand Trunk Road).

References

External links

{{North Chotanagpur Division topics Hot springs of India Landforms of Jharkhand Tourist attractions in Jharkhand Hazaribagh district