Rajnandgaon is home to the Gond, Kanwar, Halba and Baiga tribes, who make up one fourth of the area's population. They live in dense forestsin far-flung areas and their main source of livelihood is tendu leaf collection and cultivation of minor forest products. Rajnandgaon has Asia 's only music university, in the town of Khairagarh.

Dongargarh

This pilgrimage place, 40 km from Rajnandgaon, has the temples of Badi Bambleshwari (on a 1600 ft hilltop) and Choti Bambleshwari (at ground level). Thousands of pilgrims visit it during the navarathris of Kavar (during Dassera) and Chaitra (during Ramnavmi), to worship and enjoy the dya-and-night melas (fairs) organized in the temple premises. Dongargarh also has Chhattisgarh's only passenger ropeway