Sakchi

Sakchi is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India. Situated in the heart of the city, it is surrounded by Bistupur to the west, Swarnarekha River to the north, Kalimati to the south and Bhalubasa to the east. The neighbourhood covers a very large area and is further divided into many neighbourhoods.

Sakchi
Neighbourhood of Jamshedpur
Sakchi
Interactive map of Sakchi
Coordinates: 22.805182°N 86.202282°E / 22.805182; 86.202282
Country	India
City	Jamshedpur
State	Jharkhand
Time zone	GMT + 0530
Postal code	831001

It was a village in north eastern Indian territory of Singhbhum which was selected by Jamsetji Tata to be the location of a planned steel city, which in 1919 became Jamshedpur.^[1] Sakchi is now part of the city between the Tata Steel site and the river Subarnarekha. Then it was known as Kalimati.^[2] Due to the presence of iron ore, river water and sand, Jamsetji Tata decided to establish TISCO (Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited) there. The company is now known as Tata Steel Ltd.^[3] Gradually, the neighborhood became more urbanized and various new projects were developed, such as Jubilee Park, Tata Steel Zoological Park and Water Pumping Station. It has its own police station.^[4]

History

Foundation

2km
1.2miles

F

Sadar Hospital
Khasmahal

N

Parsudih

W

Tata Tinplate works

N

Golmuri

N

Birsanagar

M

Adityapur

M

Mango

T

Kharkhai
River

S

Subarnarekha
River

F

Tata Main
Hospital

F

Civil Courts

F

JRD Tata
Sports Complex

F

Tata Steel
Zoological Park

F

Sonari Airport

F

Jubilee Park

F

Tatanagar
Junction
railway station

C

XLRI

C

National Institute
of Technology

C

National
Metallurgical
Laboratory

W

Adityapur
Industrial Area

W

Tata
Motors
works

W

Tata Steel works

N

Jojobera

N

Kadma

N

Jugsalai

N

Bistupur

N

Sakchi

   

Jamshedpur
M: municipal town, F: facility, N: neighbourhood, W: works, factory, C: educational/ research centre
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
Places marked on this map, which have a separate page, are linked in the larger full scale map.
For map of Jamshedpur Urban Agglomeration see Mango or Adityapur page.

In April 1904, Dorabji Tata, Shapurji Saklatvala and C.M. Weld, went on a journey to locate a site rich in iron, coal, limestone and water.^[5] One day they reached to Sakchi village, situated in the dense forests of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, near the convergence of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers.^[5] It appeared to be an ideal choice for a steel plant and the location was selected.^[6]

Sakchi was a tribal village, mainly inhabited by the Bhumij and Santhal tribes.^[5] Sakchi village was populated by 17 families of Bhumij, and its two hamlets – Kashidih consisted 18 families of Bhumij and 3 families of Santhal; and Mahulbeda consisted 17 families of Santhal.^[7][8]

The construction of the plant began in 1908, the plant rolled its first steel ingot on 16 February 1912. As Tata Steel was established, the first planned urban settlement started in Sakchi area and it included Gujarati, Parsi and Punjabi businessmen and servicemen, particularly Biharis, Bengalis, Oriyas, Telugus, Kannadigas, Marathis, Tamils, and Malayalis. In 1919, Lord Chelmsford renamed Sakchi to Jamshedpur in honour of its founder, Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata.

Contemporary

Many people who then migrated from West Bengal, East Bengal (now Bangladesh), Gujarat and Assam are now permanent residents of Jamshedpur city and their ancestral homes were either lost or sold after the separation of East Pakistan (modern-day Bangladesh) during the 1971 war.

Once, there used to be a single line railway track which would carry sand for the factory in present-day Aambagan Maidan near the mosque, it does not exist anymore. Mode of transport in the Jamshedpur city were buggies and taxis. There were single lane roads with old British style street lamps. Most roads between Sakchi and Bistupur were surrounded by jungles.

Even today running through Sakchi is the Kalimati Road. During British India, a railway line connecting Jamshedpur to Howrah (Calcutta) was started. Jamshedpur is in the Indian mineral-rich state of Jharkhand which was earlier in South Bihar. Old houses of Bengalis, Parsis, Anglo-Indians and Gujaratis can still be seen in Aambagan, Hill Cart Road, Kalimati Road, Pennar road, Sakchi Bazar areas of Sakchi. A few such houses are also present in Bistupur.

The city is unique because it is a very small town even today with extreme ends being covered within 45 minutes (including traffic). It is not a metro city, yet it has the demography of a metro town as people from all ethnicities live here as permanent residents. Sakchi is located in the centre of the city, with Bistupur, Kadma, and Sonari lying in the West. In the East, lies Baradwari, Kasidih, Bhalubasa, Sitaramdera, Agrico and Sidhgora. In the North, lies Mango which is also one of the busiest locations of the city and down south lies Burmamines, Tatanagar station, Jugsalai and Parsudih.

Sakchi today has numerous cinema halls. Sakchi Market, also known as Sakchi Bazaar is the oldest market in the city. It was used to hold Tuesday Market (Mangla Market) every Tuesday on footpath, till 2010. Today, a large number of modern development such as shopping malls and luxurious hotels, have took place over the Straight Mile Road and Karim City College Road. Sakchi Golchakkar is one of the busiest intersections of the city.

Landmarks

Points of interest

• Jubilee Park is the largest urban park of Jamshedpur. Built in 1950 as a gift by Tata Steel to the residents of Jamshedpur, the park was inaugurated by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. With an area of 500 acres (2.0 km²), it is one of the largest parks in the world. The park consists of a lake called Jayanti Sarovar. It features illuminated fountains, lush greenery, and flowering plants, and is a favorite spot for boating, fishing, and picnicking. The lake also attracts migratory birds, especially during the winter, and has a small island inhabited by bats.
• Tata Steel Zoological Park is a zoo and sanctuary. Situated at the corner of the Jubilee, it is spread over an area of 43.25 hectares interspersed with wooded area and manicured lawns, gardens and lakes. It is specially known as the only zoo in India to have mandrills. The zoo also features African Lions, white tiger, Zebra, and butterfly park. It consists of Butterfly Park and Safari Park. There is an information center, that allows visitors to touch an ostrich eggshell or a deer antler. Recently,^[when?] the park underwent massive renovation.
• Karim City College

Places of worship

• Sakchi Gurudwara is one of the largest Gurudwara in the city of Jamshedpur, located on New Kalimati Road in Sakchi near Kasidih. In the vicinity of gurudwara, consist of Hotel De Harmey, Guru Gobind School and a large ground for festive occasions. Tata Steel can be seen in background of the place while commuting between Sakchi, Kasidih and Golmuri.
• Central Jama Masjid, also known as Sakchi Jama Masjid is one of the largest mosques in Jamshedpur. It was built by Muslim employees of Tata Steel, thus making it as one of the oldest mosques in the city. Located beside Kannelite Hotel and Karim City College, it is easily accessible from Straight Mile Road and Sakchi Golchakkar, through Karim City College Road. The mosque is beautifully featured in Mughal architecture, with white color domes and minarets and markets in the vicinity. The imam of the mosque is the father of director Imtiaz Ali, who is himself alumni of DBMS English School.
• Aambagan Masjid is a large mosque located in Aambagan area of Sakchi. Similar to Jama Masjid, a market is built in the vicinity of the mosque, known as Masjid Complex. There is also a large ground known as Aambagan Maidan, which is used for hosting events, most notably trade fairs and Islamic seminars, attracting various Islamic scholars across the world. A guesthouse is also attached to the mosque, known as Musaafir Khaana.

• 
  Central Jama Masjid
• 
  Inside Sakchi market
• 
  Aaambagan Masjid