Bastar-The Paradise of  Tourists' Bastar , The Land of Tribals and Natural Resources , is also enriched with natural beauty and pleasant atmosphere. It is surrounded  with dense  forests ,hilly mountains , streams, waterfalls , natural caves , natural parks etc. It is firmly a tribal area, where the natural beauty can easily attract the tourists at first sight itself. Here the art & culture is the valuable ancient property of the Bastariyas.  From the view point of tourists and tourism , Bastar is called the 'Kashmir of Chhattisgarh'. If we place Bastar in the map of tourism , no doubt it definitely attracts the foreign tourists.                The deep forest area ,between bushes and bamboos  where one always felt the absence of sunlight , wide and thick forests , costly  woods such as Sal , Teak , Sheesam ,Bija etc., between high mountains  cool flowing stream , mountain valleys , caves , high waterfalls , sky-touching valleys and in the valleys the spread of greenary and in between this , the huts made by bamboo sticks, the fearless life style of the tribals and their culture, our heart and mind can be fill with new  wonders and pleasure.               There are so many places which are worth seeing ,not  only in Bastar district, but also in the neighbouring districts Dantewada and Kanker, which are in Bastar division..   It is being heard that there are many places of worth seeing which are still unexplored .Bastar will  imprint an  unerasable memory   in the mind of a tourist   if once he visit here .               The important tourist places in Bastar district are Chitrakot and Tiratgarh (both are water falls), Kotamsar and Kailash caves, Kanger Valley National Park etc.Indravati National Park, known for tigers and wild buffaloes is situated at a distance of 200 Kms, west of Jagdalpur, is another place of worth seeing. There is another tourist spot virgin Kurschel Valley, with its gigantics trees, situated at 40 Kms. north west of Narainpur. There are two wild life sanctuaries Bhairamgarh and Pamed which are in Dantewada district. The famous historical  temple of  Goddess Danteshwari is situated in Dantewada.Another place of historical interest in Dantewada district is Barsur.               If you want to feel the complete joy of the Tourism , so let come , enter into the beautiful scenes of Bastar . Here you will get the same joy and peace where one gets at the places of tourism.
	About JAGDALPUR Town                        Jagdalpur, the  headquarters of Bastar district and entire Bastar division , is a small and developing town with all facilities. The area of the town is 8.50 sq.km. and the area of the Jagdalpur urban including the jagdalpur town is 23.75 sq.km. The Jagdalpur urban area not only includes Jagdalpur town but also includes the areas Frijarpur,Hotakachor,Sargipal and Dharampura which are  the outgrowth areas of  Jagdalpur town.All the higher education institutions such as Arts & Science Colleges, P.G College, Engineering & Polytechnic Colleges, Hostels etc and Anthropological Museum are located in Dharampura.                             Jagdalpur is one of the small and beautiful towns of not only in Chhatisgarh State , but also in Madhya Pradesh State where it was earlier , before the new state formation.Jagdalpur is rich in greenary, with big trees everywhere, and plantations surrounding the town providing a pleasant and healthy atmosphere and free from pollution.Because of this the temperature even in peak summer is moderate which is a key attraction of Jagdalpur.                           It   has a mixed culture of people pertaining to different states such as  Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Punjab and etc. Most of them are settled as business men and as government servants.Jagdalpur is one of the few towns in India where people of different religion, caste and culture are living  in peace and harmony.                        The total Jagdalpur (urban) population is 84578 in which the male population is 43660 and that of female is 40918. As compared to other parts of Bastar district ,the tribal population is very less at Jagdalpur who are concentrated outside the district capital.The total ST population at Jagdalpur is 11662 (Male-6135, Female-5527) and the total SC population is 8695 (Male-4370, Female-4325). The total literate population is 51528 in which the male literate is 29967 and that of female is 21561.                                        In Jagdalpur town, the main shopping complexes are there   in the main  market areas namely, Gole Bazar and Sanjay Market,where   almost all types of items are available. The main vegetable market is also situated at Sanjay Market area where tribals from near by villages come and sell fresh vegetables. Especially the Gole Bazar is worth seeing during night hours and during Dusshera and Diwali festival seasons.Another place of interest for tourists in Jagdalpur is Kumhara Para area where all types of handicraft items made by the skilled hands of Bastar tribes are available.                    Apart from Government rest houses a number of good Hotels and Lodges are available in Jagdalpur . Three good cinema theatres are also available for the purpose of entertainment.There is a beautiful park which is a good means of amusement .A small but good Stadium , Akashavani(All India Radio ) and  Doordarsan stations  , Anthropological Museum, Forest Training College etc enriches the decency of the town. There are also a number of good schools(both Hindi & English medium)   for primary-middle-high school education.For details refer the District Profile Page.                      A modest MPSRTC bus stand is there in Jagdalpur which provides bus services  to various places connected to Jagdalpur .In addition to this a railway station is also there and a passenger train with sleeper coach is running daily to Vishakhapatnam and vice-versa. The railway station is located in a naturally beautiful area ,where sometimes film shootings are carried out.More over an  Air Strip is also situated in Jagdalpur; but presently no passenger services are rendering from here .

	Main Attractions The key attractions in Jagdalpur town are Danteshwari Temple, Bastar Palace, Handicraft shopping complexes, ,Anthropological Museum and a couple of beautiful lakes.		1				1
						Danteshwari Temple It is an ancient temple built by the kings of Bastar for inhabiting there family Goddess ,Devi Danteshwari. Devi Danteshwari  is the Goddess of entire Bastar division, equally worshipped by Hindus as well as tribals.This temple is located beside Bastar palace and near to  Gole Bazar.It is   worth seeing and pleasant  to watch the temple during the famous Bustar Dusshera festival season, decorated in color lights and lambs, where the main traditional functions of the festivals are being  carried out.	1
	Bastar Palace     It is another historical remain that is seen in Jagdalpur.It was  the head quarters of  Bastar Kigdom. It was built by the rulers of Bastar State when the capital of Bastar kingdom had been shifted from Barsur to Jagdalpur.At present   this is keeping as a monument by the government.	1

	Anthropological Museum    This Museum is located in the office of the Anthropological Survey of India situated at Dharampura.It provides a perfect window-view of the life-styles of various adivasi tribes in Bastar to a tourist hard-pressed for time.	1		Lakes     The prominent river of Bastar district- Indravati, passes through Jagdalpur.There are two lakes namely Ganga Munda and Dalpat Sagar with in the boundary of Jagdalpur town.These lakes will be a great attraction for tourists coming to Bastar in the future.		1
	Handicrafts   Various kinds of exotic handicrafts made by the skilled hands of Bastar tribals are available in shops which are concentrated at Kumharapara, Jagdalpur. These include  wooden crafts, bamboo crafts, terracota, bell metal items,wrought iron items and cotton fabrics(Kosa sari etc).	1					1

	MAIN TOURIST SPOTS  Chitrakot Waterfalls                 Chitrakot, the gorgeous waterfall is on the river Indravati, situated at a distance of 38 Km. in the west of Jagdalpur. Height of  this waterfall  is approximately 100ft.The Chitrakot waterfalls can be called as the smaller form of the world famous Nayagra waterfalls.The rainbow colors of the falls attracts the tourists at the first sight itself. This is the prime atttaction for all tourists and worth seeing in rainly season, between July and October. These waterfalls are in a horse-shoe shape and often compared to the great Niagara. A government rest house is available.
			Tiratgarh Waterfalls     These waterfalls are  situated at a distance of 35 Km. from Jagdalpur in south west direction and can be approached these waterfalls through the state highway of Jagdalpur to Sukma. The waterfall is actually situated in Kanger Valley National Park and the height is approximately 300 ft. This place is a favorite picnic resort, especially for large groups looking for a day-long picnic in a forest. The good season for visiting these waterfalls is from October to February. A Government rest house is also available.
	Kutumsar Caves and Kailash Gufa               This is a biggest tourist attraction, and are close to Tiratgarh waterfalls. Both Kutumsar Caves and Kailash Gufa are located in Kanger Valley National Park and situated at a distances of 38 Km. and 40 Km. from Jagdalpur respectively. The kutumsar caves are pitch-dark caves, which has Stalactites and Stalagmites in fantastic formations. A forest guard equipped with a torchlight  will be provided for necessary guidance. Kailash gufa is also similar to the Kutumsar caves.		Click on the Photo for full Picture
			Click on the Photo for full Picture
	KANGER VALLEY NATIONAL PARK             The park is Paradise for the nature lovers. The Moist Peninsular valley Sal forests and the South Indian Tropical Moist Deciduous forests are seen in their finest form here.The park is situated in a transitionzone where southern limit of sal forests and northern limit of teak forests overlap.Hence both sal and teak are seen together in this valley.            The valley is infact one of the last pockets of almost virgin forests still left in the Peninsular region.To protect this unique eco-system ,it has been proposed as a Biosphere Reserve under the MAB Programme.The valley is nearly 34 kms. long with average width of about 6 kms.The terrain is hilly mostly. The Park fauna consists of  tiger ,panther wildcat, cheetal,samber,barking deer,wild pig,jackal,langur,rhesus macaque,sloth bear,flying squirrel, python,hyena,rabbit,crocodile,otter,and civet.The avian fauna includes birds of prey ,scavenging birds, waterbirds, pheasants etc.The reptiles include snakes, lizards and the insects include butterflies,moths.dragonflies,grasshoppers etc.Lower forms of plants such as fungi,algae,bryophytes and pteridophytes are also quite common.All these put together with the virgin forests make the park a unique ecosystem. The Park derives its name from the Kanger river which flows throughout its length .There are many scenic spots along this perennial stream.Rather bigger tourist attraction are the Kotamsar Caves, Kailash Caves, limestone Caves etc.The gorgeous waterfall Tirthgarh is also here. Kanger Dhara and Bhaimsa Dharha are two good picnic resorts  and especially Bhaimsa Dharha is a crocodile park.

			Other Places Of Attraction There are a chain of waterfalls and many other tourist places in Bastar.The MANDAWA waterfalls is located 12 kms away from Tokapal of Jagdalpur Tehsil. It is also a natural place of tourism. Another waterfall in Bastar district is CHITRADHARA ,which is just 19 kms away from Jagdalpur and is in Potanar village of Lohandiguda block of Jagdalpur Tehsil. THAMADA GHUMAR water fall is another recently discovered waterfall which is also in Lohandiguda block.Its height is more than 100 feet and is generally formed from the water in rainy season.There are green fields on both sides of this waterfall . Indravati National Park situated in Narainpur Tehsil is famous for tigers and wild buffaloes.It is situated 200 kms. west of Jagdalpur.Also about 40 kms. north west of Narainpur is the virgin Kurschel Valley, with its gigantic trees.
	Tourist Spots in Dantewada      Dantewada , the neighbour district of Bastar is about 82 kms away from the district headquarters Jagdalpur whcih is also a hot cake for tourists. The ancient and historical temple of Goddess Danteshwari is situated at   Dantewada .Barsur is another historical place in Dantewada distict where many archaeological remains of the past can be seen.This place is famous for its natural beauty also.There are two wildlife sanctuaries Bhairamgarh and Pamed in Dantewada district.