Bastar District is a district of the state of Chhattisgarh in central India. Jagdalpur is the district headquarters. The district has an area of 10755.79 km². Bastar District is bounded on the northwest by Narayanpur district, on the north by Kondagaon District, on the east by Nabarangpur and Koraput districts of Odisha state, on the south and southwest by Dantewada District, and on the west by Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra state. It possesses a unique blend of tribal and Odia culture.
Bastar and Dantewada districts were formerly part of the princely state of Bastar. Bastar state was a princely state in India during the British Rule. It was founded in the early 14th century, by Annama Deva, the brother of Kakatiya king Pratapa Rudra Deva of Warangal (Telangana). After Indian independence in 1947, the princely states of Bastar and Kanker acceded to the Government of India, and were merged to form Bastar District of Madhya Pradesh state. The district, which had an area of 39,114 km², was one of the largest in India.
In 1999, the district was divided into the present-day districts of Bastar, Dantewada, and Kanker, and in 2012 it was divided in one more district named as Kondagaon which constitute Bastar Division. In 2000, Bastar was one of the 16 Madhya Pradesh districts that formed a part of the new state of Chhattisgarh.
The Chitrakoot and Teerathgarh waterfalls are situated close to Jagdalpur. Bastar is known for its traditional Dasara (Dussera) festival.
The district is a part of the Red Corridor. Gondi, Halbi, Chhattisgarhi and Hindi are the languages spoken in this region. It has been a tourist attraction for decades for its rich diversity of flora and fauna.