Bastar District is a district located in the state of Chhattisgarh in the central part of India. The district headquarters are in the city of Jagdalpur. The district spreads over an area of 8755.79 square km. Bastar District is surrounded on the northwest by the Rajnandgaon District, on the north by the Kanker District, on the northeast by the Dhamtari District, on the east by the Navarangpur and the Koraput districts of the state of Orissa, on the south and the southeast by the Dantewada District, and on the east by the Gadchiroli District of the state of Maharashtra. The district has a total population of 1,302,253 (as per the 2001 census). 70% of the population of the district is tribals (adivasis). The district is divided into four tehsils, namely Jagdalpur, Kondagaon, Keshkal, and Narainpur. There are two municipalities, Jagdalpur and Kondgaon.

The Bastar District as well as the Dantewada district were in earlier times part of the princely state of Bastar. After India got her independence in 1947, the princely states of Bastar and Kanker were handed over to the Government of India. Then they were fused to form Bastar District of Madhya Pradesh state. In the year 1999, the district was divided into the existing districts of Bastar, Dantewada, and Kanker, which cumulatively make up the Bastar Division. In 2000, Bastar became one of the 16 districts of Madhya Pradesh that constituted the new state of Chhattisgarh.

The Bastar District is home to the Chitrakoot and Teerathgarh waterfalls, which lie close to Jagdalpur. The district is well known for the traditional Dasara (Dussera) festival, which dates back to the 17th century. It is a religious festival of the Madiyas, Manjhis and Mudiya tribes of Bastar. The festival attracts many tourists from all parts of the India.