Physical Geography, Forests and Wildlife of Chhattisgarh
2. Geological structure and physical divisions
The state is built on very old rocks, and the rock decides the resource. The Archaean granite-gneiss of the Bastar craton and the Dharwar belts hold the iron ore (Bailadila, Dalli-Rajhara) and tin. The Chhattisgarh Supergroup, a thick Proterozoic sedimentary sequence of sandstone, shale and limestone, floors the central plain and gives its cement-grade limestone and dolomite. Gondwana sediments along the northern Mahanadi valley carry the coal seams. Deccan trap basalt caps the northern plateaus, and its weathered cap is laterite and bauxite (Mainpat, Jashpur, Kabirdham).
The relief falls into three physical divisions, and almost every question on the topic is a variation on this table.
| Division | Where | Character | Features worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern hills (Surguja region) | North and north-east: Surguja, Jashpur and neighbouring districts, up to the Rihand-Kanhar country | Upland of pats (flat-topped basalt plateaus), Maikal and Chota Nagpur edges; drains to the Ganga and the Mahanadi | Mainpat, Jashpur Pat, Samri Pat; bauxite; the coldest winters in the state |
| Chhattisgarh plain | Centre: Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur and Mahanadi-valley districts | Saucer-shaped basin of the upper Mahanadi and Seonath; Chhattisgarh Supergroup rocks; the main rice region | Fertile, densely settled, best irrigated; limestone and the biggest towns |
| Southern plateau (Bastar plateau, Dandakaranya) | South: Bastar and the Dantewada-Bijapur-Sukma-Narayanpur country | Dissected plateau of Archaean rocks and Dharwar ranges; forested; drains to the Godavari | Bailadila range (iron ore), Abujhmad hills; Indravati and its falls |
3. Drainage: three river systems
The state drains three ways, and the Mahanadi basin covers more than half of it. The Mahanadi's headwaters rise near Sihawa in Dhamtari district, the river flows north across the plain, turns east after the Seonath (Shivnath) joins, and leaves for Odisha. The Godavari system drains the south through the Indravati and Sabari. The north-eastern and northern uplands drain to the Ganga system through the Rihand and Kanhar, and a few streams reach the Brahmani.
| System | Main river and tributaries in the state | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mahanadi | Mahanadi; left bank Seonath, Mand, Ib, Hasdeo; right bank Pairi, Sondur, Jonk | Rajim, in Gariaband district (earlier part of Raipur district), is the confluence of the Mahanadi, Pairi and Sondur |
| Godavari | Indravati (rises in Odisha, flows through Bijapur and Bastar), Sabari (Kolab) in the south-east | Chitrakote falls on the Indravati, in Bastar; Tirathgarh on the Kanger stream |
| Ganga (via the Sone) | Rihand, Kanhar and other northern streams | They leave for Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand |
The Seonath (Shivnath) is the largest tributary of the Mahanadi, rising in the Rajnandgaon region, and is fed in turn by the Arpa, Hamp, Kharun and Tandula. The Hasdeo flows from the northern hills through Korba before joining the Mahanadi. A good memory rule: the Mahanadi has left-bank tributaries from the north (hill streams of Surguja, Raigarh and Korba) and right-bank tributaries from the south and south-east (Pairi, Sondur, Jonk).
4. Climate and soils
The climate is tropical monsoon: hot summers, a rainy season from late June to about September-October, and a mild, dry winter. Mean annual rainfall is usually quoted at about 1,300 mm (sources give 1,200 to 1,400 mm depending on the series), most of it from the south-west monsoon, and the hill belts of the north and south receive more than the ringed central plain. The plain heats up fiercely in May-June; the northern hills (Ambikapur-Mainpat-Jashpur) are the coolest part of the state in winter, which is why Mainpat is called the Shimla of Chhattisgarh.
Soils follow the rock and the relief. Red-yellow soils (formed on granite, sandstone and shale) are the most extensive and cover much of the plain and the plateau; laterite occurs on the tops of the pats and uplands; black soils formed on Deccan trap and limestone-shale occur in patches. Farmers of the plain use their own four-fold scheme, which the commission likes to test.
| Local name | Texture | Position and use |
|---|---|---|
| Bhata | Gravelly, lateritic, poor in moisture | Uplands; millets, pulses, upland rice |
| Matasi | Sandy loam | Mid-level fields; rice and pulses |
| Dorsa | Clay loam | Lower slopes; good rice land |
| Kanhar | Heavy clay, dark; retains water | Low-lying; rice, wheat, gram, lathyrus |
5. Forests: types, classification, cover and policy
Sal (the state tree) and teak define the forest. By the Champion and Seth classification the main types are tropical moist deciduous (sal forests, wetter Bastar and Surguja) and tropical dry deciduous (teak, bamboo and mixed forest, drier plain margins), with scrub on the degraded fringes. The state animal is the wild buffalo (van bhainsa) and the state bird the hill myna (pahari maina), best seen in the Kanger valley of Bastar.
Legal classes under the Indian Forest Act, 1927: in a Reserved Forest every activity is prohibited unless permitted; in a Protected Forest activities are permitted unless prohibited; unclassed forests are government lands not constituted as either. This is a legal status of recorded forest area, and it is different from forest cover, which the Forest Survey of India measures from satellite imagery (canopy of at least 10 per cent on at least one hectare, whatever the legal status).
| Item | Value | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Forest cover of the state | About 55,800 sq km, a little over 41 per cent of the state area | India State of Forest Report 2023 (Forest Survey of India, biennial) |
| Rank by forest cover area | Third, after Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh | Same report |
Policy and management. The National Forest Policy 1988 sets the goal of one-third of the land under forest or tree cover, with the hills at two-thirds. The state works through Joint Forest Management committees, and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 recognises individual and community rights over forest land and minor forest produce. Tendu leaf, sal seed, mahua and lac are the core of forest livelihood, and their collection runs through cooperative primary societies. Every new figure here changes with each biennial report, so quote the report year.
6. Wildlife management and protected areas
Protected areas are classified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: national parks (strictest, no human use), wildlife sanctuaries (limited use), and later categories such as conservation and community reserves. Tiger reserves are notified under the same Act on the advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, and biosphere reserves are a separate, non-statutory designation. The state has three national parks (Indravati, Kanger Ghati, Guru Ghasidas) and four tiger reserves (Indravati, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi and, notified in 2024, Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla); the counts rise whenever a new reserve is notified, so quote the year.
| Area | Status | Where | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indravati | National park, tiger reserve (park 1981, reserve 1983) | Bijapur | Wild buffalo; Indravati river |
| Kanger Ghati | National park | Bastar (Jagdalpur) | Limestone caves (Kotumsar), Tirathgarh falls, hill myna |
| Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla | National park and sanctuary, tiger reserve (2024) | Koriya, Surajpur, Balrampur and neighbouring districts | Large northern tract; formerly a Madhya Pradesh park |
| Achanakmar | Sanctuary, tiger reserve, core of biosphere reserve | Bilaspur-Mungeli region (district boundaries have been redrawn), on the Maikal hills | Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, shared with Madhya Pradesh |
| Udanti-Sitanadi | Two sanctuaries forming a tiger reserve | Gariaband (Udanti) and Dhamtari (Sitanadi) | Wild buffalo; Mahanadi headwater forests |
| Barnawapara, Gomarda, Bhoramdeo, Pamed | Wildlife sanctuaries | Balodabazar, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh (formerly Raigarh), Kabirdham, Bijapur | Pamed holds wild buffalo; Bhoramdeo is a corridor towards Kanha |
Human-elephant conflict is the live issue in the north (Surguja, Korba, Raigarh, Jashpur), where elephants move through forests that overlie coal and are crossed by new mines and roads. An elephant reserve covering Jashpur-Surguja (Badalkhol-Tamor Pingla) was notified in 2011, while the proposed Lemru reserve in Korba has been repeatedly revised, so avoid keying on its area or status. In Mains, link forest cover, mining and tribal livelihood, rather than treating them as separate topics.
7. Census and demography (Census 2011)
Until the next Census results are published, every demographic figure rests on Census 2011, and the stem should say so. Population was 25,545,198 (about 2.55 crore), density about 189 per sq km (well below the all-India figure), and sex ratio 991 females per 1,000 males, among the highest in the country and above India's 943. Scheduled Tribes are about 30.6 per cent and Scheduled Castes about 12.8 per cent of the population, so roughly three persons in ten are tribal. The urban share is about 23.2 per cent, so it remains an overwhelmingly rural state.
- Pattern of density: the central plain (Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur) is densest; the hilly, forested south (Bastar, Bijapur, Narayanpur) is sparsest. Settlement follows rice land and water.
- Tribal belts: the south (Bastar region) and the north (Surguja, Jashpur) have the highest ST shares; the central plain has the highest SC shares.
- Occupations: a majority of workers are in agriculture, many as cultivators and agricultural labourers, and migration from the plain to cities and other states for seasonal work is an established pattern.
- Family welfare: birth rate, death rate and infant mortality have all fallen over the decades. Quote the Sample Registration System year when asked for a figure.
Key takeaways
- The state was formed on 1 November 2000 from Madhya Pradesh, is landlocked, covers 135,192 sq km, and is crossed by the Tropic of Cancer and the 82°30′ E meridian. Never key on the number of neighbours or on the highest peak.
- Rock explains resources: Archaean-Dharwar for iron and tin, the Chhattisgarh Supergroup for limestone, Gondwana for coal, Deccan trap for laterite and bauxite. Three divisions: northern hills, central plain, southern plateau.
- Three drainage systems: Mahanadi (more than half the state; Seonath, Mand, Ib, Hasdeo from the left, Pairi, Sondur, Jonk from the right), Godavari (Indravati, Sabari) and Ganga (Rihand, Kanhar).
- Tropical monsoon climate with about 1,300 mm rain, mostly June to September; red-yellow soils dominate, and the plain farmers' Bhata, Matasi, Dorsa and Kanhar classes run from gravelly upland to heavy clay lowland.
- Forest cover was about 55,800 sq km (India State of Forest Report 2023), third after Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh. Sal is the state tree, wild buffalo the state animal, hill myna the state bird; know reserved, protected and unclassed forests apart from forest cover.
- Protected areas: three national parks and four tiger reserves as at 2024 (Indravati, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi, Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla), always dated. Census 2011: 25,545,198 persons, density 189, sex ratio 991, ST about 30.6 and SC about 12.8 per cent.
Practice questions (18)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
The farthest headwaters of the Mahanadi lie near Sihawa. In which present-day district of Chhattisgarh is Sihawa?
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Answer: C — Dhamtari
The Mahanadi rises near Sihawa in Dhamtari district and flows north across the plain before turning east. Kanker is a neighbouring Bastar-side district and the tempting choice because the hills nearby are called the Dandakaranya, but the source is not there.Consider the following statements about the location of Chhattisgarh. P: The state is landlocked. Q: The Tropic of Cancer crosses its northern part. R: It shares a boundary with Karnataka. S: It borders Odisha on the east. Which of these are correct?
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Answer: B — P, Q and S only
P, Q and S are correct. R is false: Karnataka does not touch Chhattisgarh (its southern neighbour is Telangana). The tempting choice is the pair P and Q, which is true but leaves out S, and S is correct because Odisha lies to the east.Which one of the following is NOT a tributary of the Mahanadi within Chhattisgarh?
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Answer: D — Indravati
The Indravati rises in Odisha, flows through Bijapur and Bastar and joins the Godavari system, so it is not a Mahanadi tributary. Hasdeo and Seonath are left-bank and Jonk a right-bank tributary of the Mahanadi; Hasdeo is the one learners often misplace because it flows through the coal belt.The Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh corresponds to which physical division?
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Answer: D — The southern Bastar plateau
Dandakaranya is the forested southern plateau drained by the Indravati and Sabari towards the Godavari, and includes the Bailadila range. The northern hills are the tempting wrong choice because they are also forested, but they drain to the Mahanadi and Ganga systems.Match the farmers' soil class of the Chhattisgarh plain with its description.
(i) Bhata
(ii) Matasi
(iii) Dorsa
(iv) Kanhar. Descriptions: a. heavy clay, water-retentive; b. gravelly lateritic upland; c. clay loam; d. sandy loam.
Choose the correct pairing.Show answer
Answer: A — (i)-b, (ii)-d, (iii)-c, (iv)-a
Bhata is gravelly lateritic upland, Matasi sandy loam, Dorsa clay loam and Kanhar heavy clay. The commonest slip swaps Dorsa and Matasi, or gives Dorsa the heavy clay that belongs to Kanhar.Rajim, a well-known sangam in present-day Gariaband district, is the confluence of the Mahanadi with which pair of rivers?
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Answer: C — Pairi and Sondur
Rajim is the meeting of the Mahanadi, Pairi and Sondur. Seonath is a separate large tributary that joins far downstream, and Hasdeo and Mand join in the north-east, so those pairs are wrong; Jonk joins lower down and Telen is mainly an Odisha stream.Which geological formation explains why the coal seams of Chhattisgarh lie mainly along the northern part of the Mahanadi valley?
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Answer: D — Gondwana sediments deposited in river basins
Coal is found in the Gondwana sediments, laid down in down-faulted river basins. Dharwar banded formations carry iron ore, not coal, and are the tempting alternative because they are also a major mineral belt of the state, but in the south and Dalli-Rajhara.Consider the following statements about the climate of Chhattisgarh. P: The rainy season runs mainly from late June to September-October. Q: Rainfall is spread evenly through all months. R: The northern hills around Ambikapur and Mainpat are among the coolest parts in winter. S: The climate is of the tropical monsoon type. Which are correct?
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Answer: B — P, R and S only
P, R and S are correct. Q is false because most rain falls in the monsoon months. The pair P and S is true but incomplete and tempting because it omits R, which is also correct: the northern hills are the coolest part of the state in winter.Which of the following is the state tree of Chhattisgarh?
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Answer: A — Sal
Sal (Shorea robusta) is the state tree. Teak is the tempting distractor because it is the other defining tree of the state's forests and the dominant timber of its dry deciduous forests, but it is not the official state tree.As reported in the India State of Forest Report 2023, which two states had a larger forest cover (in sq km) than Chhattisgarh?
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Answer: D — Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh
In that report Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh led, and Chhattisgarh was third. Odisha is the tempting distractor because it follows Chhattisgarh closely, but its cover was smaller.Consider the following statements about forest classification under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. P: In a Reserved Forest, activities are prohibited unless permitted. Q: In a Protected Forest, activities are permitted unless prohibited. R: Unclassed forests are government forest lands not constituted as reserved or protected. S: Wildlife sanctuaries are a forest class created by this Act. Which are correct?
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Answer: C — P, Q and R only
P, Q and R correctly describe the three legal classes. S is false because sanctuaries and national parks are created under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The pair P and Q is tempting but incomplete, as R is also correct.Which of the following is NOT a tiger reserve of Chhattisgarh, among those notified up to 2024?
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Answer: B — Barnawapara
Barnawapara is a wildlife sanctuary only. Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi and Indravati are tiger reserves (Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla was added in 2024). Achanakmar is the tempting distractor since many learners recall it only as a sanctuary, but it is also a tiger reserve.Match the protected area with its present-day district.
(i) Indravati National Park
(ii) Kanger Ghati National Park
(iii) Udanti Sanctuary
(iv) Bhoramdeo Sanctuary. Districts: a. Gariaband; b. Kabirdham; c. Bijapur; d. Bastar.
Choose the correct pairing.Show answer
Answer: C — (i)-c, (ii)-d, (iii)-a, (iv)-b
Indravati is in Bijapur, Kanger Ghati in Bastar (Jagdalpur), Udanti in Gariaband and Bhoramdeo in Kabirdham. Swapping Indravati and Kanger Ghati is the common error because both are southern Bastar-region parks.The Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve is shared by Chhattisgarh with which state?
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Answer: D — Madhya Pradesh
Amarkantak lies in Madhya Pradesh, on the Maikal hills next to the Achanakmar sanctuary of the Bilaspur-Mungeli region, so the reserve straddles the two states. Odisha and Jharkhand lie to the east and do not touch the Maikal range there.Which of the following sanctuaries of Chhattisgarh is known for the wild buffalo, the state animal?
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Answer: B — Pamed
Pamed, in the south, is a wild-buffalo sanctuary, as are Indravati and Udanti-Sitanadi. Bhoramdeo is better known as a tiger corridor in the Maikal hills, which makes it the tempting but wrong choice.Consider the following statements about Chhattisgarh as per Census 2011. P: The sex ratio was above 990 females per 1,000 males. Q: Scheduled Tribes formed a larger share of the population than Scheduled Castes. R: Less than a quarter of the population lived in urban areas. S: Population density was higher than the all-India average. Which are correct?
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Answer: D — P, Q and R only
The sex ratio was 991, ST (about 30.6 per cent) exceeded SC (about 12.8 per cent), and the urban share was about 23.2 per cent, so P, Q and R hold. S is false because the density of 189 per sq km is well below India's. The pair P and R is tempting but leaves out Q.Census of India recorded Chhattisgarh's population as 20,833,803 in 2001 and 25,545,198 in 2011. The decadal growth rate between the two Censuses was nearest to which value?
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Answer: A — 22.6 per cent
The increase is 4,711,395, and dividing by the 2001 base of 20,833,803 gives about 22.6 per cent. Dividing by the 2011 figure instead gives about 18.4 per cent, which is the tempting error, and 25.5 comes from reading the 2011 population in millions as if it were a rate.A student writes that Chhattisgarh's density is highest in the hilly south and lowest in the central plain. Which is the best correction, using the physical logic of the state?
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Answer: A — Density is highest in the fertile central plain and lowest in the forested southern hills
Settlement follows rice land, canal water and towns, so the central plain is the densest and the forested southern plateau the sparsest. The mining-only explanation is tempting but wrong, because mining towns are pockets, not the state pattern.