Jashpur Pats

▪ region, India

      physiographic region of eastern Chhattisgarh state, central India, extending over Jashpur Tahsil and forming part of the Chota Nagpur plateau area. The pats are a complex of small, flat-topped plateaus and hills, separated from each other by fault scarps and river valleys. To the north the Upper Pats (known locally as Uparghat) have an elevation of about 2,500 to 3,300 feet (750 to 1,000 metres). To the south the Lower Pats (known locally as Nichghat) reach elevations of about 900 to 1,650 feet (274 to 500 metres). The Jashpur Pats form a divide between the Ganges (Ganges River) (Ganga) and the Mahanadi (Mahanadi River) drainage systems. The tops of the pats are generally barren or covered with grasslands, and the slopes are forested with sal (Shorea robusta), ebony, teak, and bamboo. Gash Pahar (3,241 feet [988 metres]) and Laki Hill (3,323 feet [1,013 metres]) are two of the higher peaks in the Jashpur Pats. The Maini, Ib, Mand, and Kuskal rivers have cut narrow, rock-strewn valleys.

      Cotton, rice, corn (maize), sugarcane, peanuts (groundnuts), rapeseeds and mustard seeds, millet, and fruits are grown. Bauxite, sandstone, building materials, clay, limestone, and dolomite are worked. Industries include the milling of rice, flour, and oilseeds; sawmills and timber seasoning; the manufacture of iron, brass, and aluminum tools and utensils; and shellac and tussah silk production.

      The Oraon, Kawar, Gond, and Korwa peoples constitute most of the population; in the uplands they are clustered in the few forest clearings. Roads are the primary means of access in the uplands except for a few railway trunk routes. Jashpurnagar is the only important town.

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