Mainpat, often called the 'Shimla of Chhattisgarh', is a cool plateau hill station in Surguja district, notable for an unusual demographic feature — a significant Tibetan refugee settlement established here in the 1960s, complete with its own monastery and community. The combination of rolling green hills, waterfalls and this distinctive Tibetan cultural presence gives Mainpat a character unlike anywhere else in the state.
Scattered natural attractions around the plateau, including Tiger Point waterfall and a small crater lake locally believed to be linked to a meteorite impact, make Mainpat rewarding for a day or two of unhurried exploration, well away from Chhattisgarh's more visited circuits.
Tibetan refugees were resettled in Mainpat by the Indian government in the 1960s following the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet, establishing a farming community and monastery that remains a distinctive feature of the plateau today.
October to March, and April to June for a cooler escape from the plains' summer heat.
About 55km from Ambikapur, roughly 1.5 hours by road.
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