JASHPUR PATS

physical region of eastern Madhya Pradesh state, central India, extending over Jashpur Tahsil (northeastern Raigarh district) and forming part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. 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 feet (750 m) to 3,300 feet (1,006 m); to the south, the Lower Pats (known locally as Nichghat) have an elevation of about 900 feet (274 m) to 1,650 feet (503 m). The Jashpur Pats form a divide between the Ganges and the Mahanadi drainage systems. The tops of the pats are generally barren or covered with grasslands, and the slopes are forested with sal (Shorea), ebony, teak, and bamboo. Gash Pahar (3,241 feet ) and Laki Hill (3,323 feet ) 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), rapeseed and mustard seed, 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; iron, brass, and aluminum tools and utensils; and shellac and tussah silk production. The Oraon, Kawar, Gond, and Korwa peoples comprise 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.