Aura of India: Cities in Chhattisgarh: Raipur, Bilaspur, Jagdalpur and More

The new Vidhan Sabha building in Nava Raipur under a blue sky

Photo: Wikiuser829, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Raipur on a clear winter morning, by the old lake of Budha Talab in the middle of the city.

Chhattisgarh's cities are working towns first: you come for the forests, falls and temples, and the cities are where the trains stop.

Raipur and Nava Raipur, the old capital and the new

Raipur is the capital, the largest city and the usual way in. It is a flat, fast-growing trading city on the main railway between Howrah and Mumbai, with the state's main airport south-east of the centre. Its best sight is the Mahant Ghasidas Memorial Museum in Civil Lines, founded in 1875 as one of the first ten museums in India, with sculpture from Sirpur, inscriptions, coins and a gallery of tribal life.

Nava Raipur, also called Atal Nagar, is the planned capital about 20 kilometres south-east of the old city, beyond the airport. The state secretariat has worked there since 2012. Its roads are broad and quiet, and two places are worth an afternoon: Purkhauti Muktangan, an open-air museum of village houses and crafts from across the state, and the Nandanvan Jungle Safari, with drives past tigers, lions, bears and deer, booked online. The museum, Muktangan and the safari are all closed on Mondays.

Along the main line: Bhilai, Durg, Bilaspur and Raigarh

Bhilai and Durg, about 37 kilometres west of Raipur, are twin cities that make one urban area. Bhilai is the steel town, laid out in sectors around the Bhilai Steel Plant, built with Soviet help. Its gift to visitors is Maitri Bagh, the "friendship garden", a zoo and park opened in 1972 and known for its white tigers. Durg is the older district town and a busy junction. Further west, Rajnandgaon is the station for the hill temple at Dongargarh; read Chhattisgarh's temples for that and Sirpur.

Bilaspur, about 111 kilometres north-east of Raipur and under two hours by train, is the headquarters of the South East Central Railway. The city is plain. Its reason to stop is Ratanpur, 25 kilometres up the Korba road, once the capital of the Kalachuri kings and home of the Mahamaya temple, crowded in the two Navratri festivals. Bilaspur's small airport has a few flights a week to Delhi, Kolkata and Prayagraj. Raigarh, further east, is an industrial town that becomes a stage each year, during the Ganesh festival, for the Chakradhar Samaroh of classical dance and music.

Jagdalpur, the way into Bastar

Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar, is the city most visitors actually come for. It sits on a low plateau among forest, with the Danteshwari temple, the old palace and the lake of Dalpat Sagar in the centre, and the Anthropological Museum at Dharampura. Chitrakote Falls is about 40 kilometres away and Tirathgarh about 35, so the town is a base rather than a sight.

There is no direct train from Raipur. Jagdalpur's railway runs east through Odisha towards Visakhapatnam, and a new line from the north is not expected before about 2030. Most people take the road, about 300 kilometres, or one of the few flights a week from Raipur and Hyderabad.

Korba and Ambikapur, the north

North of Bilaspur the land rises into forest and coalfields. Korba is a town of mines and power stations with little for a visitor. Ambikapur, the headquarters of Surguja, is a market town and the gateway to the Mainpat plateau, about 50 kilometres away, where Tibetan settlers have lived since the early 1960s. Its airport at Darima has Alliance Air flights to Delhi.

Which city for which trip

The main railway is the spine of the state. From Raipur the fastest trains reach Durg in about forty minutes and Bilaspur in about an hour and a half, and the Vande Bharat to Nagpur stops at Durg, Rajnandgaon and Dongargarh. Away from the line, the road takes over, and a car with a driver is the easiest way to see the sights around each city.

For Sirpur and Rajim, stay in Raipur. For Ratanpur and the Achanakmar forest, stay in Bilaspur. For Bastar's waterfalls, caves and weekly markets, stay two or three nights in Jagdalpur. For Mainpat, spend a night in Ambikapur. Bhilai, Korba and Raigarh are places to pass through unless you come for the Chakradhar Samaroh.

Cities to know

Raipur (Raipur): the capital and airport; 1,123,558 people in the urban area at the 2011 Census.
Nava Raipur (Raipur): the planned capital, Muktangan and the safari.
Bhilai and Durg (Durg): steel city and junction; 1,064,222 in the urban area at the 2011 Census.
Rajnandgaon (Rajnandgaon): the stop for Dongargarh.
Bilaspur (Bilaspur): railway headquarters and the base for Ratanpur.
Raigarh (Raigarh): the Chakradhar Samaroh of dance and music.
Jagdalpur (Bastar): the base for Bastar's falls, caves and markets.
Ambikapur (Surguja): the gateway to Mainpat.

Most journeys in Chhattisgarh begin on a platform in Raipur or Bilaspur and end somewhere the trains do not reach.

Plan your visit

Best season	October to February. March to June is very hot. The monsoon fills the falls near Jagdalpur but closes Kanger Valley National Park until about 1 October.
How to reach	Raipur airport has domestic flights only; Bilaspur, Jagdalpur and Ambikapur have a few flights a week. Raipur, Durg and Bilaspur are on the Howrah to Mumbai railway.
Getting around	Trains on the main line; buses and hired cars elsewhere. Autos and app cabs in Raipur, which has no metro.
Where to stay	Raipur near the station or Civil Lines, or Nava Raipur for quiet; Bilaspur near the junction; central Jagdalpur near Dalpat Sagar; Ambikapur town.
How long to spend	A day for Raipur and Nava Raipur, a day for Bilaspur and Ratanpur, three in Jagdalpur. More in the Chhattisgarh guide.
Permits and safety	No permits. In Bastar, keep to the main routes, travel by day and ask locally before going further south.

Open Raipur, Chhattisgarh in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Which is the most developed city in Chhattisgarh?

There is no official ranking of developed cities, so this guide does not make one. Raipur is the capital and, at the 2011 Census, the largest urban area, just ahead of Bhilai and Durg together.

Is Nava Raipur worth visiting?

For half a day. The new city is mostly quiet, but Purkhauti Muktangan and the jungle safari are good outings; safari tickets are booked on the state's official site.

Does Raipur airport have international flights?

Not as of October 2026. It handles domestic flights only, so international travellers change at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad or Kolkata.

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Cities in Chhattisgarh: Raipur, Bilaspur, Jagdalpur and More