Dantewada (also known as Dantewara) is a town and a municipality, (nagar palika) in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dantewada District, and the fourth largest city of Bastar division. The town is named after the goddess Danteshwari, whose temple is located there.
Dantewada is located at . It has an average elevation of 351 meters (1154 feet). The town is situated on the banks of the Shakini and Dakini rivers.
Dantewada is well-connected by a broad-gauge railway line from Visakhapatnam. The nearest major city to Dantewada is Jagdalpur. The two are connected with bus services.
One of the Shakti Peethas of India, Maa Danteshwari temple is in Dantewada. The presiding deity of Dantewada is goddess Danteshwari. The festival of Bastar Dussehra starts from Dantewada Shaktipeeth.
Known as "the city of temples and lakes", Barsoor contains many shrines and temples. Twin Ganesha idol, Mama Bhancha temple, Chandraditya temple, and Battisha temple are some of them.
6 kilometers from Barsoor, there is a bridge which connects Abujhmarh with Barsoor. It is on the Indravati river and before it, there is a trek of around two kilometers to reach the Saathdhara waterfall.
Dantewada Tehsil is divided into thirty eight gram panchayats, each one of which has jurisdiction over one or more villages.
As of the 2011 census, Dantewada had a population of 13,633. 53% of the population was male and 47% female. Dantewada had a literacy rate of 70%, compared to the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 78% and, female literacy was 61%.
Dantewada contains six schools: