Netarhat

Netarhat, often called the “Queen of Chotanagpur,” is a hill station in today’s Latehar district of Jharkhand, with a history shaped by forests, plateau tribes and the British search for cool retreats. Long before it became a town, the surrounding region was home to Adivasi communities such as the Oraon and Asur, who lived in scattered villages, practicing shifting cultivation, small farming and forest-based livelihoods on the Chotanagpur plateau. The high ridge of Netarhat, with its cool climate and thick sal forests, was part of their traditional landscape, used for grazing and forest produce rather than tourism.

During the British colonial period, officials exploring the plateau identified Netarhat’s height and climate as ideal for a sanatorium and summer retreat, similar in concept (though smaller) to other Indian hill stations. Basic roads, bungalows and rest houses were developed, and Netarhat slowly gained a reputation among officers and a limited number of Indian elites as a quiet, healthy escape.

After Independence, Netarhat remained relatively remote but acquired new importance with the establishment of a prestigious residential school on the hill, which drew students from across Bihar and later Jharkhand. Through the late 20th century, as road access improved, it evolved into a modest but beloved regional hill station, known for sunrise and sunset points, Koel View, pine-lined roads and a still-unhurried, old-fashioned atmosphere compared to more commercial Indian hill resorts.