Kondagaon

Kondagaon
district
Kondagaon
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Chhattisgarh
District	Kondagaon
Government
• Body	municipality
Elevation	593 m (1,946 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	30,921
Languages
• Official	Hindi, Halbi, Chhattisgarhi,
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	494226
Vehicle registration	cg-27

Kondagaon a municipality is the headquarter of Kondagaon district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. 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. It is also known as the Shilp (craft) city of Chhattisgarh owing to the variety of indigenous crafts produced in the area.

Background

Kondagaon is located at . It has an average elevation of 593 metres (1945 feet).

As of 2001 India census, Kondagaon had a population of 26,772. 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 NH 30 and can be reached from 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.

The town is quaint and one of the fastest developing district headquarters in the Chhattisgarh state.

A couple of hillocks that skirts the eastern outskirts of the town is being revamped as a tourist park by the forest department of the town. 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.

Kondgaoan is the hub of various handicrafts, renowned over the world as Bastar handicrafts.

The bell metal craft practiced by most of the craftsmen in the town and the adjacent villages is widely acclaimed form of almost extinct wax form of sculpting art, internationally renowned.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 this art forms and artisans including sponsoring a select few second or third generation artisan 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.

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

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 town operating through post independence era when kondagaon was as much of a small village. Nirala Chaat Bhandaar is a patron pot pouri maker in the town famous for relishing pot pouris.

External links

• Metal Art of Bastar Video (How to make Lost wax sculptures- Video file)
• Metal Art of Bastar Photos