Kondagaon

Kondagaon a municipality about 70 kilometers from Jagdalpur city is the headquarter of Kondagaon district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the third largest city of Bastar division. Kondagaon separated from Bastar district on 24 January 2012 and formed as 27th district of the Chhattisgarh state. It is mostly renowned for its bell metal craft and other art forms native to the tribal of Bastar. Also known as the Shilp sheher (lit. craft city) of Chhattisgarh owing to the variety of indigenous crafts produced in the area.

MLA- Ms Lata Usendi(BJP)

Collector-Mr Kunal Dudawat

SP-Sh Sujit Kumar (IPS)

CEO-Nupur Rashi Panna (IAS)

Background
Kondagaon is located at 19.6°N, 81.67°W. It has an average elevation of 593 metres (1945 feet).

India census, Kondagaon had a population of 40,921. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Kondagaon has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 55%. In Kondagaon, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Kondagaon lies on the NH 30 highway and can be reached from either Raipur or Jagdalpur. Frequent bus services are available to Kondagaon from Raipur and Jagdalpur. The nearest railway station is Jagdalpur. A Helicopter strip was temporarily constructed in the playground adjacent to the government college campus, which is occasionally used in Kondagaon.

The town is known for the foodies, being migrants and settlers from various parts of India including the south and the north. Lala hotel is the oldest hotel in the city operating through post independence era when kondagaon was as much of a small city. Kondagaon is situated on banks of river Narangi.

Art and Craft
The Bell Metal Craft practiced by most of the craftsmen in the town and the adjacent villages is a form of almost extinct wax sculpting art. Some of the celebrated craftsmen of the bell-metal art forms are late Dr. Jaidev Baghel (a national awardee), Sushil Sakhuja, Sukchand, Suresh Baghmare etc.

The government endow various schemes and policies to promote these art forms and artisans including sponsoring a select few second or third generation artisans for training in the national institute of design, enabling them to keep abreast with the trends and also widening the scope of their art forms.

Timber
Kondagaon is famous for timber mills too, as the division hosts one of the largest forest division in the Indian subcontinent.

Tourism
A couple of hillocks that skirts the eastern outskirts of the town (Kondagaon) have been revamped as a tourist park by the forest department. The park would host relocated common wild animals and fowls of the Bastar region. The major part of the hill is turned into recreational zone.

The Coconut development board located in southern frills of the town is a central government coconut development farm, sprawling across acres of coconut and assorted plantation.

In the Keshkal block of district Kondagaon, more a dozen of waterfalls and few caves have been found out a couple of years ago. Some of the known waterfalls, caves, valleys and archeological sites are:

Waterfalls

 * Katulkasa Waterfall, Honhed
 * Bijkudum Waterfall, Uper-murvend
 * Umradah Waterfall
 * Ling-Darha Waterfall
 * Amadarha-1 Waterfall
 * Amadarha-2 Waterfall
 * Hankhi-kudum Waterfall
 * Ghumur Waterfall
 * Kudarwahi Waterfall
 * |thumb|Satnam dham hathi pahad]] Uperbedi Waterfall
 * Mirde Waterfall
 * Mutte-Khadka Waterfall
 * Cherbeda Waterfall

Caves

 * Alor cave
 * Bijkudum cave
 * Katthan-gundi cave
 * Satnam dham hathi pahad

Valleys

 * Keshkal Valley

Archeological sites

 * Gobrahin
 * Garh-dhanora
 * Amrawati
 * Manjhingarh



Megalithic sites

 * Umradah (Here rock paintings have been found)
 * Hata Pathra (Here rock paintings have been found)
 * Lingo-Dhara Waterfall (Here rock paintings have been found)