Chirmiri

Chirmiri is a hill town in northern Chhattisgarh's Koriya district, historically built around coal mining, set among forested hills at a cooler elevation than the plains below. While primarily an industrial town rather than a conventional tourist destination, its elevated setting and surrounding forest give it a pleasant, quieter character compared to the state's larger industrial cities.

For travellers exploring northern Chhattisgarh, Chirmiri can serve as a base for reaching nearby forest areas and waterfalls in Koriya district, though its main significance remains tied to the coal industry that shaped its development. The town's mixed workforce, drawn from across the region over decades of mining activity, has also given it a somewhat more cosmopolitan character than many small towns in the state.

Developed through the 20th century around coal extraction, Chirmiri grew from a scattering of mining settlements into a proper town, its economy and identity still closely tied to the coal industry today, even as some operations have scaled back in recent years.

About 265km from Raipur, roughly 6 hours by road; Chirmiri has its own railway station.