BASTAR, the largest of the feudatory States of the Central Provinces of India. It has an area of 13,062 square miles and a pop. (1931) of 524,721, and is the southernmost tract of the Province. Its boundaries on the east and south-east are the Jeypore Zamindari of the Vizagatam agency in Madras, on the west and south-west the Chanda district and the Nizam's terri tory, and, on the north, the Kanker State which divides it from the Chhattisgarh plain. Only 7% of the whole area is under culti vation, the villages being divided by large tracts of forest. The in habitants are almost entirely aboriginals, Halbas, Gonds of various sections such as Marias, Murias and Parjas. The State has many potentialities in respect of timber, forest produce, and probably minerals. A large portion on the east is elevated plateau with a fairly temperate climate, and near the Eastern border is the capital, Jagdalpur (pop. 10,128). A good road connects this town with the railway at Dhamtari in the Raipur district. The forests contain both sal and teak according to the nature of the country and climatic conditions. The chief crops are rice and small millets, and there has been much shifting cultivation to the great damage of forest areas, but there are still about 5,00o square miles of good forest.
In the last 6o years there have been two rebellions against the Raja, the last in 1910, but except when excited by some unusual issue, the aboriginals are quiet and peaceful. They resent forest regulations because they regard the forests as God-given to them selves.
The largest river of the State is the Indrawati which entering the Eastern plateau from Jeypore crosses the whole of the State and becomes its western boundary for several miles before it joins the Godavari. There are famous falls at Chitrakat (94 feet high) where the river leaves the plateau, which, if they were not so re mote, would give promise of a fine water-power scheme.
There are roads connecting the plateau with Sironcha in the Chanda district and towards Jeypore on the east. Proposals have frequently been made for opening up the State by light railway, but with so sparse a population as 36 to the square mile, and with so little cultivation, the traffic, with the possible exception of timber, would be very small for many years to come. The State is divided by a high range running north to south known as the Bailadila (bullock's hump), and west of this range the country falls away into the Godavari valley. It is a wonderful country for big game.