President Smt. Droupadi Murmu to honour Bastar Pandum 2026 winners at Rashtrapati Bhavan
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai to lead 209-member delegation to Rashtrapati Bhavan
Raipur, July 27, 2026/ Chhattisgarh’s rich tribal culture, folk traditions and cultural heritage are set to receive another significant national recognition. A 209-member delegation led by Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai will pay a courtesy visit to President Smt. Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on July 30. The delegation will comprise Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay Sharma, Culture Minister Shri Rajesh Agrawal, winners of Bastar Pandum 2026, representatives of Bastar’s traditional tribal leadership institutions, Padma Shri awardees and public representatives.
President Smt. Murmu has also hosted a special banquet in honour of the festival’s winning participants, Paragana Manjhis, Manjhis, Chalkis and Padma Shri awardees. The delegation will tour Rashtrapati Bhavan and visit prominent national landmarks in New Delhi. The occasion marks a significant national recognition of Bastar’s tribal culture, traditional governance institutions and Chhattisgarh’s cultural heritage.
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai said the state government is committed to preserving and promoting the rich heritage of tribal communities while giving it national and international recognition. He described the presence of Bastar’s artists and traditional community leaders at Rashtrapati Bhavan as a matter of pride for the entire state and said the honour reflects the country’s respect for Bastar’s culture, traditions and tribal communities.
Culture Minister Shri Rajesh Agrawal said Bastar Pandum 2026 has demonstrated that Chhattisgarh’s tribal culture and folk traditions have the potential to earn recognition not only nationally but also globally. He said the festival has emerged as a strong platform for preserving tribal knowledge systems, folk traditions, traditional leadership institutions and cultural identity. The recognition being extended to the festival’s winners and tribal representatives at Rashtrapati Bhavan, he added, is an honour for the cultural pride of the entire state.
Meanwhile, Culture Department, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai and the guidance of Culture Minister Shri Rajesh Agrawal, has been undertaking sustained efforts to preserve and promote the state’s tribal heritage. As a result, Bastar Pandum has evolved into one of the country’s leading tribal cultural festivals, providing a platform for folk artists, recognising traditional talent, documenting tribal knowledge systems and connecting younger generations with their cultural roots.
First organised in 2025, Bastar Pandum entered the Golden Book of World Records as the world’s largest tribal cultural festival. Building on that success, the 2026 edition expanded its competitions from seven to 12 categories. Held from January 10 to February 9, 2026, the festival drew 54,750 participants from 32 development blocks across Bastar division’s seven districts. Competitions were organised at the block, district and divisional levels, showcasing tribal dance, folk music, theatre, traditional musical instruments, costumes, jewellery, crafts, paintings, traditional beverages, cuisine, regional literature and forest-based medicinal knowledge.
President Smt. Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the divisional-level celebrations in Jagdalpur, while Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah attended the closing ceremony, highlighting the festival’s national significance. Exhibitions featuring tribal crafts, handicrafts, forest-based medicinal products, traditional jewellery and local cuisine attracted large numbers of visitors, creating economic opportunities for local artisans, self-help groups and rural entrepreneurs. Participation by artists from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh also gave the festival the character of a national cultural confluence.
