Relevance of Name

Chhattisgarh was first used in an official document in 1795, and became popular during the Maratha period. There are three popular stories about the origin of the name.

Perhaps the most popular one is that since Chattisgarh means "36 forts", it denotes the number of forts in the region. Experts do not agree with this explanation as thirty-six forts cannot be identified in the region.

An explanation popular with experts and historians, is that Chhattisgarh is the corrupted form of "Chedisgarh", which means "Stronghold of the Chedis", Chedis being another name for the Kalchuri dynasty.

According to British Chronicler, J.B. Beglar, "the real name is Chhattisghar (36 houses) and not Chhattisgarh. There is a saying that ages ago, about the time of Jarasandha, thirty six families of dalits (leather workers) emigrated southwards from Jarasandha's kingdom and established them in country, called Chhattisghar".