Maithon
Maithon is a census town in Nirsa CD Block in Dhanbad Sadar subdivision of Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is situated on the banks of river Barakar Etymology. The name has been derived from Maithan or Mai-Ka-Than (Hindi). The place of Mai or mother, refers to Goddess Durga or Ma Kalyaneswari of the famous Kalyaneshwari temple nearby. Geography. Maithon is located at . The region shown in the map is a part of the undulating uplands bustling with coalmines. While the Damodar flows along the southern boundary, the Barakar flows along the eastern boundary . Both the rivers form the boundary with West Bengal. Panchet Dam and Maithon Dam, along with their reservoirs, are prominently visible in the map. The entire area is covered in Nirsa (community development block). In Nirsa CD block 69% of the population live in rural areas and 31% live in urban areas. The official website of the district has announced the formation of two new CD blocks – Egarkund and Kaliasole, possibly carved out of Nirsa CD block. As of July 2019, there is no further information about the new CD blocks. BCCL operates Chanch/ Victoria Area partially within the region  shown in the map. ECL operates Mugma Area fully within the region shown in the map. Maithon Dam. Maithon Dam, of the Damodar Valley Corporation, constitutes one of the most accomplished and successful river valley projects of India, which was a part of the First Five Year Plan after India's independence. The Damodar Valley region, which Maithon forms a part of, is often hailed as the Ruhr Valley of India. Demographics. As per the 2011 Census of India, Maithon had a total population of 18,830 of which 9,942 (53%) were males and 8,888 (47%) were females. Population below 6  years was 1,822. The total number of literates in Maithon was 15,611 (91.79% of the population over 6 years). Infrastructure. Maithon has an area of 2.951 km. It is 42 km from the district headquarters Dhanbad. There is a railway station at Kumardubi 6 km away. Buses are available in the town. It has 25 km roads and both covered and open drains. The two major sources of protected water supply are tap water from treated sources and hand pumps. There are 3,506 domestic electric connections and 400 road light points. Amongst the medical facilities, it has 1 hospital with  150 beds and 10 medicine shops. Amongst the educational facilities, it has 5 primary schools, 5 middle schools, 3 secondary schools, 2 senior secondary schools and 1 general degree college. Amongst the recreational facilities, there is a stadium, an auditorium/ community hall, a library and a reading room. It has branch offices of 3 nationalised banks, 12 agricultural credit societies and 1 non-agricultural credit society. Culture. The Kalyaneshwari temple 6 km away from the Maithon dam is considered to be the seat to a very powerful deity, Ma Kalyaneshwari. The temple was erected in the early 1900s . Education. Civil  Services Institute Maithon