Raipur

Raipur, Chhattisgarh's capital and largest city, sits at the heart of the state's rice-growing plains and functions as its principal commercial and administrative centre. While not a major heritage destination in its own right, the city has a scattering of temples, a small planetarium and museum, and serves as the essential transport hub for reaching Chhattisgarh's wider attractions — the wildlife reserves, waterfalls and tribal regions that form the state's real draw.

In recent years Raipur has grown rapidly as an industrial and steel-trading centre, giving it a more modern, commercially driven character than the state's older heritage towns, and most visitors use it primarily as a starting and connecting point rather than a destination for extended sightseeing.

Raipur's origins trace back centuries as a regional trading centre, but its modern prominence dates specifically to becoming the capital of the newly created state of Chhattisgarh in 2000, when it was separated from Madhya Pradesh.

Raipur has its own airport (Swami Vivekananda Airport) with good domestic connectivity, and is a major railway junction.