Jagdalpur

It is the fourth largest city of Chhattisgarh. Bastar district has multiple scenic waterfalls that are popular for tourists throughout India. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has identified Jagdalpur-Teerathgarh-Chitrakoot-Barsur-Dantewada Circuit as one of the 45 Mega Tourist Destinations/Circuits in India on the basis of footfalls and their future tourism potential.

• Name — Jagdalpur • Native Name Lang — Bastaria • Other Name — Jagatuguda • Type — Metro • Nicknames — Gateway to Bastar, Mumbai of Chhattisgarh, City of Crossroads • Pushpin Map — India Chhattisgarh#India • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — India • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Type2 — Division • Subdivision Type3 — District • Subdivision Name1 — Chhattisgarh • Subdivision Name2 — Bastar Division • Subdivision Name3 — Bastar District • Governing Body — Jagdalpur Nagar Nigam • Leader Party — BJP • Leader Title1 — Mayor • Leader Name1 — Sanjay Pandey, (BJP) • Unit Pref — Metric • Area Total Km2 — 193 • Area Rank — 3rd(in chhattisgarh) • Elevation M — 552 • Population Total — 3,25,463 • Population As Of — 2011 • Population Metro — 5,67,478 • Population Density Km2 — auto • Population Rank — 4th in Chhattisgarh & 155th in India • Demographics Type1 — Languages • Demographics1 Title1 — Official • Time Zone1 — IST • Utc Offset1 — +5:30 • Postal Code Type — PIN • Postal Code — 494001, 494005 (Dharampura) • Area Code — 07782-xxxxxx • Area Code Type — Telephone code • Registration Plate — CG-17 • Website — http: www.bastar.gov.in • Leader Title2 — Collector • Leader Name2 — Mr. Aakash Chhikara (IAS) • Leader Title3 — Police commissioner • Demographics1 Info1 — Hindi, Chhattisgarhi • Demographics1 Title2 — Regional • Demographics1 Info2 — Halbi, Bhatri, Gondi • Official Name — Jagdalpur city Jagdalpur is a city located in the southern part of Chhattisgarh state in India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Bastar district and Bastar division. Before the independence of India, it also served as the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Bastar. It is the fourth largest city of Chhattisgarh. Bastar district has multiple scenic waterfalls that are popular for tourists throughout India. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has identified Jagdalpur-Teerathgarh-Chitrakoot-Barsur-Dantewada Circuit as one of the 45 Mega Tourist Destinations/Circuits in India on the basis of footfalls and their future tourism potential.

The road network in and around Jagdalpur can be seen from the road network map of the area. The National Highways passing through Jagdalpur are NH 30 (connecting Raipur to Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh via NH 65), and NH 63 (connecting Jagdalpur to Nizamabad in Telangana) while passing through Maharashtra. NH 30 at Raipur connects Jagdalpur to Asian Highway 46 leading to Nagpur and Kolkata. NH 30 near Vijayawada connects Jagdalpur to NH 65 leading to Hyderabad and Pune.

Jagdalpur is connected by rail to the eastern part of India. There are trains connecting Jagdalpur railway station to Howrah, Bhubaneshwar and Visakhapatnam. The rail connectivity of Jagdalpur to Durg via Rayagada and Raipur is about 658 km long and takes 14.5 hours of travel time as compared to that by road which takes about 6–7 hours (distance 300 km).

In May 2025, the Ministry of Railways officially sanctioned the construction of the Rowghat–Jagdalpur section (140 km) at a revised cost of ₹3,513.11 crore. This project is now being fully funded by the Central Government to expedite connectivity in the Bastar division. As of 2026, groundwork for the project, including site demarcation and forest clearance in the Kondagaon and Narayanpur districts, has been accelerated with a target to commence major construction before the monsoon. The Union Government significantly increased the rail infrastructure outlay for Chhattisgarh to ₹6,925 crore for the 2025–26 fiscal year, part of which is dedicated to the Dallirajhara–Rowghat–Jagdalpur corridor. Once completed, this line will provide a direct rail link between Jagdalpur and Raipur, integrating the region with the Mumbai–Howrah main line and facilitating the transport of iron ore from the Rowghat mines to the Nagarnar Steel Plant.

Maa Danteshwari Airport has started daily flight services between Jagdalpur, Raipur, Hyderabad by Alliance Air under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) of Government of India. Jagdalpur Airport is spread over an area of 132 acres. IndiGo operates flights to Raipur and Hyderabad. Currently it is connected with Delhi via Jabalpur by Alliance Air.

Jagdalpur has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) with three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summers last from March to May and are hot, with the average maximum for May reaching 38.1 °C. The weather cools off somewhat for the monsoon season from June to September, which features very heavy rainfall. Winters are warm and dry.

As of 2016 year 2021, town has a population of 325,463. The Municipal Corporation have a sex ratio of 985 females per 1,000 males and 19.0% of the population were under six years old. Effective literacy was 90.44%; male literacy was 92.51% and female literacy was 88.37%. At the time of the 2011 census, 81.80% of the population were Hindus, 9.44% Christians, 5.32% Muslims, 1.81% Jains, 1.27% Sikhs. Hindi is the largest language, spoken by 54% of the population. Chhattisgarhi, Halbi, Bhatri and Gondi languages/dialects are also widely spoken. Odia is also spoken by the parts close to Odissa with heavy influence of Halbi.

Jagdalpur has a primarily agrarian economy. It is the second biggest market after Raipur in the state. Furniture and rice mills are the largest industry. Nagarnar Steel Plant, set up at its outskirts, was completed in October 2018. • Illustration — NMDC Steel Plant National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) built a steel plant in Nagarnar, located 16 km from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh state with an outlay of Rs 20000 crore.

• Illustration — Mandawa WF, Bastar, CG • Illustration — The Indravati River Important landmarks in Jagdalpur include Chitrakote Falls, Teerathgarh Falls, Kotumsar Cave, Tamda Ghumar waterfalls, Mendri Ghumar waterfalls, Kanger Ghati National Park, Indravati National Park, Danteshwari Temple, the historic temples in Barsoor, Jagannath temple, Mavli temple, Laxmi-Narayan temple, and the Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple.