Dantewada (District)

Dantewada District दन्तेवाड़ा जिला
State	Chhattisgarh
Division :	Bastar
Administrative headquarters :	Dantewada
Area :	9,046 * km²
Residents :	532,791 * (2011)
Population density :	59 * Ew./km²
Website :	dantewada.nic.in
*) Figures refer to the Dantewada district before the Sukma district split off in 2012.

The district of Dantewada (also: South Bastar Dantewada , Dakshin Bastar Dantewada ; Hindi : दन्तेवाड़ा जिला ) is a district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh . Administrative center is the place Dantewada . Until 1998 the area belonged to the Bastar district . The Dantewada district is predominantly populated by Adivasi .

geography

The Dantewada district is in the south of Chhattisgarh. Neighboring districts are Bijapur in the west, Narayanpur in the north, Bastar in the northeast and Sukma in the southeast. The area of ​​the Dantewada district has been 3,411 square kilometers since the Sukma district split off. It is divided into the four tehsils Dantewada, Geedam, Kuwakonda and Katekalyan.

The picturesque landscape is characterized by chains of hills, tropical forests and many rivers, waterfalls and lakes. Areas that are still largely untouched allow a rich fauna: tigers, leopards and the rare water buffalo, to name just a few. The region also has interesting mineral resources: iron ore, tin, kimberlite, corundum, granite, silicon and rare minerals. The Dantewada district is home to one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world.

The most important flowing water is the Indravati , other rivers are the Tel and the Dantewada .

history

The area of ​​today's Dantewada district belonged to the princely state of Bastar during the British colonial period . After Indian independence, the former princely state became the Bastar district of the Central Provinces , from which the state of Madhya Pradesh emerged in 1956 . In 1998, the Dantewada district was dissolved as an independent district from the Bastar district. In 2000 Dantewada came to the newly established state of Chhattisgarh from the eastern parts of Madhya Pradesh . In 2007, the western part of the Dantewada district split off as the Bijapur district ; in 2012, the Sukma district was formed from the southern part of the remaining district .

The Dantewada district is partly under the control of Maoist rebels ( Naxalites ). In April 2010, the Naxalites in Dantewada district attacked a military convoy in one of the most violent attacks since the beginning of the uprising, killing 75 soldiers.

population

Based on the results of the 2001 census, the Dantewada district has a population of 247,029 within its current boundaries. This corresponds to a population density of 45 inhabitants per square kilometer, which is well below the average for Chhattisgarh and all of India. In the 2011 census, a population of 532,791 was determined for the former Dantewada district, including today's Sukma district. Compared to the last census in 2001, the population had grown by 11.9% and thus significantly lower than the average in Chhattisgarh (22.6%). 18.0% of the population of the former Dantewada district live in cities. Only 42.7% of the population can read and write. This makes the literacy rate one of the lowest in India.

The majority of the inhabitants of the Dantewada district belong to the indigenous population ( Adivasi ): Around 375,000 inhabitants are counted as members of the tribal population ( scheduled tribes ), they make up 70.3% of the total population. The largest group are the Gond , a smaller minority are the Halba .

The vast majority of the residents of Dantewada District are Hindus . According to the 2001 census, 96.8% of the inhabitants of the Dantewada district in its former borders (including today's Bijapur and Sukma districts) were Hindu, the remainder were made up of small minorities of "other religions" (mainly animist beliefs, 1.2 %) and Christians (0.9%).

Culture and sights

There are many historic temples in the Dantewada district. In the city of Dantewada is the well-known Danteshwari Temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Danteshwari, from whom the name Dantewada is derived. The temple, built in the South Indian architectural style, is one of 52 Shakti Pithas, holy places of Shakti worship.

The different tribal groups ensure a rich cultural life. They maintain old rites, dances and chants, which can be especially admired at the many festivals. There is also the traditional handicrafts of the tribes, for example with metal, bamboo and terracotta.

Cities

city	Population (2011)
Bath Bacheli	21,435
Dantewada	13,633
Geedam	7,440
Kirandul	18,887
Barsur	6,636

literature

• SC Bhatt (Ed.): The Encyclopædic District Gazetteers of India. Volume 5: Central Zone: Madhya Pradesh. Gyan, New Delhi 1997, ISBN 81-212-0551-4 .
• Hira Lal Shukla: History of the People of Bastar. A Study in Tribal Insuregncy. Sharada Publishing House, Delhi 1992, ISBN 81-85616-04-3 .

Web links

• Official website (English)
• Tribes of Dantewada District (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Dantewada District website: District at A Glance . ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ [1]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ BBC News: Scores of Indian soldiers killed in Maoist ambushes , April 6, 2010.
4. ^ Census of India 2011: Provisional Population Totals. Paper 2 of 2011: Chhattisgarh.
5. ↑ Census of India 2001: District Dantewada * (16), Chhattisgarh (22) (PDF; 55 kB)
6. ↑ www.census2011.co.in