Established as a national park in 1982, Kanger Valley National Park gets its name from the Kanger Valley that passes through it. The national park is surrounded by several villages that have their own unique culture and keep it intact. The national park is surrounded by lush green forests and a diverse population of fauna. There are also several different kinds of birds that one can spot; this diverse characteristic of the park is what pulls the crowd towards it. When you’re visiting the park, it goes without saying that you would like to explore the areas around it as well. Below is a list of tourist places to visit in Kanger Valley National Park as well as places around the park.

Known as the Joggers Park of Jagdalpur, Shaheed Park also known as Shaheed Park Nehru Bal Udyan is a popular place to go to while in Bastar region. The park open at sharp 5 am and you are able to see people of all ages swinging by and exercising. The best time to go there is in the morning when you can breathe fresh air and enjoy the dew drops on the grass. Even if you don’t want to walk, you can always sit back and relax in the arms of nature as the place has a good diverse collection of trees and plants as well. Spend a relaxing day at Shaheed Park is a must do in Jagdalpur.

Inside the Kanger Valley National Park, there are several limestone deposits and some of them have formed huge caves. The limestone caves are an important attraction inside the park that one must see and you can see the limestone either in caves or in horizontal layers. These layers and caves have formed over millions of years and is a spectacular thing to watch and experience. Although a bit dark and scary inside the cave, it is absolutely safe to explore. So go ahead and give your adventurous self something to do while on this trip.

The best way to know about the history of a place is to go to a museum that keeps artifacts from the previous era. Bastar has a similar museum as well and it is quite close to Kanger Valley National Park. The Zonal Anthropological Museum in Bastar District is a famous one as it houses artifacts and other things dating back to previous eras. The place was established a amuseum in 1972 and has some of the most educational items that tell stories about the past. A lot of those items involve Tribal artifacts that give character to the place. This is a great place to bring children and people interested in history and art.

Kailash Cave is located inside the national park premises and is formed over a million years. Discovered in the year 1993, this cave is 250 m in length and has amazing formations of minerals like stalagmite and stalactite. The formation of these minerals is absolutely stunning and provides a good view for anyone who is visiting. Some people go deep into the cave to explore every bit of it. The reason this cave is named Kailash cave is because at the very end of the cave the minerals have formed in such a way that it resembles a Shiv Ling; it is considered holy by many tourists as well as tourists.

Getting its name from the famous Balaji Temple of Tirupati, the Balaji Temple in Jagdalpur is a famous attraction amongst tourists. Also known by the name of Venkateshwara Swamy Temple, this holy spot is visited by many devotees throughout the year. The temple is an architectural beauty and has vibrant colours. It resembles the temple structure in Tirupati with a conical or triangular head and a thick base. The main shrine here is Lord Balaji who has a lot of ardent devotees throughout the world. When people visit Kanger Valley National Park, they also visit this temple to complete their journey.

One of the most famous falls in the Bastar region is Tirathgarh Falls. Located at a few kilometers from Kanger Valley National Park in Jagdalpur, this waterfall is a marvel of nature. Perched at a height of 299 ft, the Tirathgarh Falls is a must visit! This place is a true treat for all nature lovers and it must be visited. The waterfall is in the midst of green forests and silent hills and the bottom where the water actually falls, has a lot of rocks. This is a perfect place to spend a day and simply stare at the magnificent waterfall. You can go for a swim, sit at the banks and have a picnic or simply just stare at the beauty of nature at this spot; either ways, it’s a lovely experience.

Located at a few kilometers from Jagdalpur is a royal place with a royal palace. The Bastar Palace gets its name from the district is it constructed in and is a popular attraction near Kanger Valley National Park. This palace is very significant historically and is a popular tourist destination in Jagdalpur. The Bastar Palace used to be the administrative headquarters of the city back in the day and served as the place where all government officials would sit to have meetings and take decisions about the district. The architecture of the palace is great and has a very sturdy structure which makes it so unique. Inside the palace you can see artwork, relics and artifacts of the bygone eras, which is pretty interesting to see.

Kotumsar Caves is yet another cave inside Kanger Valley National Park made of limestone and stalagmite. This cave is a little more interesting than the others that are mentioned as it is quite deep with a  length of 1370 m The structure of the cave is such that it goes 35 m deep into the ground, which is actually pretty spectracular. Some parts of the cave are so deep that there is lack of oxygen and cold corners where no sunlight ever reaches. This could be scary, but at the same time it is exciting to explore such caves; give it a go and see what you find deep inside the cave. The caves are closed during monsoons, but open at other times of the year.

We have heard a lot of stories regarding temples, some of which are myths and some of which are real. Here’s another belief in the region of Jagdalpur with the Bharat Milap Temple. Significant to the era of Ramayana, when King Dhashrath died, Bharat who was one of the son’s and also Ram’s brother came to this region to ask Shri Ram to get back to Ayodhya and take the rule of the throne. It is believed that this act was so emotional that the rocks in the area melted and the footprints of Lord Ram, and Bharat were embossed on the ground. This is where the Bharat Milap Temple was erected years later and now is visited by several pilgrims throughout the year.

Located at quite a distance from Kanger Valley National Park, the Kalinjer Fort is a significant tourist attraction in the Bastar region. Built by Chandela Kings who rules the area years ago, this fort is 1200 ft from the ground. Back in the day, the palace was considered very royal and a place of power by several Indian Kings, hence there was always a fight between kingdoms as to who would get to rule that region and have that palace. Inside the fort, there are numerous small temples that make it even more beautiful. The Kalinjer Fort is one of the most revered architectural structures in Chhattisgarh region.