Almost the entire railway network spread over the state of Chhattisgarh comes under the geographical jurisdiction of South East Central Railway. Situated in the heart of India, the State is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity.
The State is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Chhattisgarh offers the tourist a "Destination with a Difference". For those who are tired of the crowds at major destinations, Bastar, with its unique cultural and ecological identity, will come as a breath of fresh air. The Green State of Chhattisgarh has 44% of its area under forests, and is one of the richest bio-diversity areas in the country. With 12% share of India's forests, Chhattisgarh's 3 National Parks and 11 Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks are a major attraction. It has several virgin attractions in protected areas such as Kanger Valley National Park, Barnawapara, Sitanadi, Udanti and Achanakmar Sanctuaries.
BASTAR - THE PARADISE OF TOURISTS.
Baster, 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. The region preserves a distinct tribal culture and heritage, yet unspoilt and refreshing. With its scenic beauty, Bastar may very well be described as the 'Kashmir of Chhattisgarh'.
IN the deep forest area, between bushes and bamboos where one always felt the absence of sunlight, wide and thick forests, costly woods like Sal, Teak, Sheesam, Bija etc., cool and refreshing stream flowing between high mountains, mountain valleys, caves, high waterfalls, spread of greenery and sparsely spread between all these the huts made by bamboo sticks, the fearless life style of the tribal and their culture, fills our heart and mind with a joy yet inexperienced.
THERE are so many places which are worth seeing, not only in Bastar district, but also in the neighbouring districts of Dantewada and Kanker, which are in Bastar division. Its often heard that there are many places worth seeing which are still unexplored. Bastar imprints an inerasable memory in the mind of a tourist. THE important tourist places in Bastar district are Chitrakot and Tiratgarh, Kotamsar and Kailash Caves, Kanger Valley National Park to name a few. Indravati National Park, known for tigers and wild buffaloes is situated at a distance of 200 Kms, west of Jagdalpur, is another place worth seeing. Another virgin tourist spot is Kurschel Valley, with its gigantic trees, situated at 40 Kms. North-west of Narainpur.
CHITRAKOT 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 fall attract the tourists at the first sight itself. This is the prime atttaction for all tourists and worth seeing in rainy season, between July and October. These waterfalls are in a horse-shoe shape and often compared to the great Niagara.
TIRATGARH WATERFALLS
THESE waterfalls are situated at a distance of 35 Km. from Jagdalpur in southwest direction and can be approached 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 spot, especially for large groups looking for a daylong picnic in a forest. The good season for visiting these waterfalls is from October to February.
KUTUMSAR CAVES AND KAILASH GUFA
THESE are the biggest tourist attraction, and are close to Tiratgarh waterfalls. Both Kutumsar Caves and Kailash Gufa are located in Kanger Valley National Park and are situated at a distance of 38 KM and 40 KM, respectively from Jagdalpur. THE Kutumsar Caves are pitch-dark caves, which have Stalactites and Stalagmites in fantastic formations. A forest guard equipped with a torchlight is provided for necessary guidance. Kailash Gufa is also similar to the Kutumsar caves.
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 transition zone 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 Park derives its name from the Kanger River which flows throughout its length. The Park inhabits tigers, panthers, chital, 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, water birds, pheasants etc. The reptiles include snakes, lizards and the insects include butterflies, moths, dragonflies, grasshoppers etc. Lower forms of plants such as fungi, algae, and bryophytes are also quite common. All these put together coupled with the virgin forests make the park a unique ecosystem. THE Kanger Valley is, in fact, 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 KM long with average width of about 6 KM. How to reach Jagdalpur, the district headquarter, is a railhead on the Kottwalsa-Kirandul section. However, it takes around seven hours through road from Raipur (the Divisional Railway Headquarter).
AMRIT DHARA -
KORIYA An extremely beautiful waterfall on river Hasdeo is about seven KM away from Nagpur, a small hamlet, on Manendragarh-Baikunthpur road. Height of the water fall is about 80-90 feet, and width is about 10-15 feet. In 1936, Ramanuj Pratap Singh Judeo, King of Koriya State, started a Mela (fare) on Mahashiv Ratri duration that is follow by people of Koriya to day also. Shiva's Temple is also added the extra beauty of this place. How to reach Nearest Railway Station is Manendragarh. Buses and taxies are available from Manendragarh to reach one Nagpur/Amrit Dhara. From the district headquarters, Baikunthpur, another railhead, one can reach Nagpur/Amrit Dhara by bus or taxi
TATA PANI - SARGUJA This is a natural hot water source. People suffering from skin disease frequent this place, as the natural hot water guzzling out of earth is full of many minerals which is a miraculous remedy for skin diseases. Tatapani is situated in Balrampur block, 95 KM from Surguja district headquarters
DEEPADIH - SARGUJA This is the place of mythology. Depadih is situted in Kusmi block about 70 KM from Ambikapur and 15 KM from Kusmi. The sculptures found at this place belong to 6th Century to 12th Century A.D.
