The Chhattisgarhi People of Central India

In the heart of central India, where the fertile rice plains of the Mahanadi meet the deep forests of Bastar, live the Chhattisgarhi people, the population of one of India’s youngest states. Speakers of the Chhattisgarhi language and heirs to a land known as a rice bowl of India, they carry a rich heritage of folk song, dance, and devotion shaped by the meeting of Hindu and tribal cultures.

From the dramatic Pandavani narration of the Mahabharata to the spectacular Bastar Dussehra, from the ancient Dhokra bell-metal craft to the goddess Danteshwari, the Chhattisgarhi people combine the settled world of the rice plains with the forest cultures of central India’s tribal peoples. This article traces their origins, language, homeland, society, religion, and traditions, and the distinctive regional culture that defines them today.