97-625: Bhawanipatna is a city and the headquarter of Kalahandi district in the state of Odisha , India . Bhawanipatna has numerous Hindu temples dedicated to different deities. It is named after the presiding deity, Bhabani-Sankar , and Patana , which means "place" in Odia . Bhawanipatna municipality is the administrative head of the town, which is divided into twenty wards with different sub-areas called para (pronounced "padaa/ପଡ଼ା"). Bhawanipatna has more than forty padaas . Originally, these padaas were inhabited by people of different communities, but over
194-917: A Central University in Kalahandi has not been accomplished. Another Medical College is being proposed State Government by support from Vedanta Alumina Company, Lanjigarh around 100 crores will be given by this private company by some exchange of allotment for Bauxite Mines to that Company by the State. This Medical College was proposed due to a long-standing agitation by the Students' of Sardar Raja Medical College & Hospital led by M Sameer Krishna Reddy and Local People led by Shri Dr A K Nanda, eminent Botany Scholar and politicians Shri Pradipta Naik, Shri Himansu Meher, Shri Bhakta Charan Das, Dharmendra Pradhan, Vasant Panda, Manmohan Samal and K V Singhdeo. Technical Colleges Non-technical Colleges University The following
291-466: A Government Engineering College or a state University in Kalahandi or Koraput region in the 1980s was later on shifted to some other part in Odisha for political reasons. A team visited by planning commission to Kalahandi Balangir Koraput (KBK) region had suggested to establish an agriculture college in the region. Since 1988 people of Kalahandi are seriously demanding a Central University in Kalahandi as it
388-1005: A decade. Finally, Odisha Government announced to convert Government Autonomous College Bhawanipatna to a university in Feb 2019, just before the assembly election. Few NRI also had demanded to either establish a Central Agriculture University or a state agriculture university in Kalahandi because of its agriculture potential and central location in the KBK region, subsequently then Union minister of Agriculture asked Odisha Govt. to study this referring to letter by Kalahandi MP and before election of 2014 Odisha Govt. had included in its manifesto to establish second Agriculture University in an area under KBK districts. Although academicians, Kalahandi Sikhya Vikas Parishad and people have been demanding to establish Agriculture University in Bhawanipatna, no progress has been made yet. Kalahandi and Nuapada districts have
485-765: A delegation from Kalahandi consisting intellectuals, general people and politicians met Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in May 2008 to establish the Central University in Kalahandi. Naveen Patnaik promised and asked them to find out land details for establishing it in Kalahandi. People of Kalahandi sent the land details through district of Collector of Kalahandi in July 2008. However, without studying it, Odisha's Chief Minister unilaterally announced to establish proposed Central University of Odisha in Koraput, though it
582-617: A higher number of migrant workers than other states. Agriculture alone is not enough for employment generation for this region and needs industrial development. Since 2008, non-resident Indian of Kalahandi origin have initiated and appealed to establish a railway factory in the backward KBK region. In the 2010-11 budget Indian railway has proposed a Wagon factory to be established in Bhubaneswar or Kalahandi. But Odisha Government proposed to establish such Wagon factory in Ganjam district, which
679-434: A host of relief efforts and development projects. This backward phenomena despite richness of Kalahandi was called Kalahandi Syndrome by social workers. Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao announced the famous KBK project for backward undivided Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput districts in 1994. Nonetheless, Kalahandi has not been able to take off despite hosts of programmes, largely because of lacuna at implementation stage. As
776-550: A joint venture led by the Vedanta Group company Sterlite Industries for mining bauxite from Niyamgiri hills making the company to depend on bauxite from outside Odisha . The company's proposal for Expansion of the Refinery to 6 MTPA, which would have made it one of the largest refinery in the world, was halted by India's environment ministry. Utkela Airstrip (VEUK) is present near the city (22 km, 14 mi) which
873-595: A medical college and 500-bed hospital at Bhangabari near Bhawanipatna. Forty acres of land behind Bhawanipatna Ring Road has been handed over to the State Health Department for infrastructure. It is adjacent to SH-16 (Proposed NH). A MoU has been signed by the state government and Vedanta Group and land acquisition is complete. The Police Hospital is situated in Armed Reserve police campus near College Chowk, Bhawanipatna. Utkela Airstrip (VEUK)
970-629: A railway factory and Central University is not yet addressed. In 2008, "India Today" survey put Kalahandi among the bottom five Lok Sabha Constituency in Socio-economic and infrastructure development in India When Kalahandi was a princely state, a major irrigation project was initiated on Indravati River to build Indravati Dam by Maharaja Pratap Keshari Deo around 1939–47, and along with engineer Bhubaneswar Behera and administrator Ram Chandra Patra he visualized and prepared
1067-539: A reflection of the goddess Durga , locally known as Shaki ('Energy') and stemming from tribal traditions. Nuakhai is typically a local festival prevalent in western Odisha, including Kalahandi. It is inspired by the harvesting of new crops and historically came from tribes. There are many kinds of Nuakhai according to tribal culture, out of which Dhan ('rice') Nuakhai is most popularly celebrated. Now, everybody (irrespective of caste, creed, and religion) celebrates it. The Chatar Jatra of Goddess Manikeswari of Bhawanipatna
SECTION 10
#17327904309051164-436: A replacement for the Central University as estimated cost for the proposed Central University is ₹ 8 billion (US$ 96 million) with an area of 500 acres (2.0 km ) of land, whereas both Engineering and Agriculture Colleges are estimated to be 100 million as per Government announcement so far. Subsequently, on 26 Dec 2008 leading academician from abroad demanded to convert Government Autonomous College Bhawanipatna to
1261-401: A rich land in terms of art and craft. Stone from Kalahandi is well known to make jewellery. Habasipuri pattern is well established in handloom Saree. Wood craft from Khaipadar is famous for export and domestic market. Kalahandi has the wide varieties of dance forms comprising tribal and non-tribal dance. Among the districts level in Odisha , it has the maximum dance form. Overall Kalahandi life
1358-577: A separate district and the Nuapada sub-division of Sambalpur was added to the Kalahandi district. In 1967, Kashipur block of Kalahandi district was transferred to Rayagada division for administrative purpose. In 1993, Raja Ravi Gupta along with his siblings and prajaa reinvented Nuapada. Nuapada sub-division was carved out as a separate district, but Kalahandi (Lok Sabha constituency) continues to constitute present Kalahandi district and Nuapada district together. Kalahandi has had several major droughts over
1455-444: A term used in Kalahandi for landless cultivators and labourers. The state's Bureau of Statistics and Economics has analyzed the rainfall of South Western Kalahandi and has reported that "there is a year of drought in every three or four years". Along with the drought the problems such as rural unemployment, non-industrialization, growth of population and rapid deforestation are some of the major problems of Kalahandi. Kalahandi has been in
1552-660: A total working population of 23,705, 84.55% were engaged in main work while 15.45% of total workers were engaged in marginal work. The languages spoken by the people of Kalahandi are the Kalahandia and Sambalpuri dialects of Odia , locally known as Kalahandi. Local weekly newspapers such as Arjji and Kalahandi Express publish articles in standard Odia and Kalahandi languages. Other languages include Kui , Bhatri (another dialect of Odia ), Parji , and Bhunjia , spoken by approximately 7,000 Bhunjia Adibasi s. The current MLA from Bhabanipatna Assembly Constituency
1649-477: A university in the line of university tag given to Ravenshaw College, UCE Burla and Khallikote College. Coincidentally next day on 27 Dec 2008 Odisha chief minister officially announced an Engineering College and an Agriculture College at Bhawanipatna keeping his earlier promise. However, the demand to cnovert Government Autonomous College Bhawanipatna to a university was further taken by students, Kalahandi Sikhya Vikas Parisad, academicians, and local leaders for over
1746-528: A well civilised, urbanised, cultured people inhabited on this land mass around 2000 years ago and Asurgarh was its capital. Kalahandi along with Koraput and Bastar was part of Kantara referred in Ramayana and Mahabharata. In the 4th century BC Kalahandi region was known as Indravana from where precious gemstones and diamonds were collected for the imperial Maurya treasury. During the period of Maurya emperor Ashoka, Kalahandi along with Koraput and Bastar region
1843-538: A wooden guest house. Zilla Sangrahalaya Bhawanipatna (the District Museum) depicts the ancient history of the Kalahandi Region, and has artefacts, manuscripts, paintings, and rare historic items like Asurgarh coins and Gudahandi paintings. Permunji is a nursery situated at the foot of the great mountain, a place for picnics. Elephants are commonly seen near the nursery crossing roads. Hello Point
1940-729: A year. Because of this, blocks like Kalampur, Jaipatna, Dharamgarh, Jungarh, Bhawanipatna etc. are witnessing rapid agricultural growth. This has boasted the highest number of rice mills in Kalahandi among districts in Odisha. The number of rice mills in the district was around 150 in the year 2004–05. More than 70% have been built in the five years after commissioning of the Indravati project. Forest based products like Mahua, Kendu leaf, wood, timber and bamboos contribute local economy largely. Kalahandi supplied substantial raw materials to paper mills in neighbouring Rayagada and Jeypore . Kalahandi
2037-543: Is SAGAR CHARAN DAS of CONGRESS , who won the seat in the State Legislative election of 2024. Bhabanipatna is part of the Kalahandi constituency , currently held by Basanta Kumar Panda , and before that by Arka Keshari Deo , who was the grandson of Maharaj Pratap Kesari Deo of Kalahandi. There are two Manikeshwari Temples located in the Kalahandi district of Odisha: one in the center of Bhawanipatna and
SECTION 20
#17327904309052134-473: Is 262 km (163 mi) away. Biju Patnaik International Airport in the state capital, Bhubaneswar is 427 km away by road and 631 km by rail. Bhawanipatna railway station was inaugurated on 12 August 2012. It is situated on Lanjigarh-Junagarh rail line. Currently there are 3 trains (1 express and 2 passengers) running from Bhawanipatna to Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Sambalpur. Highways connecting Bhawanipatna to various cities: Bhawanipatna Bus Stand
2231-434: Is 85.00%, higher than the state average of 72.87%. In Bhabanipatna, male literacy is 90.95%, while female literacy rate is 78.72%, according to the 2011 census. Out of the total population, 23,705 were engaged in work or business activity; of this, 18,666 were males while 5,039 were females. In the census survey, a worker is defined as a person who engages in business, a job, service, cultivation, or other labour activities. Of
2328-675: Is a 132/33 kV grid station near OMFED diary on SH-16. Power to this grid comes directly from the Therubali grid. Power transmission and maintenance are done by Grid Corporation of Odisha . There is also a sub-station in Naktiguda, Bhawanipatna. It is maintained by Western Electricity Supply Company of Odisha . Kalahandi district Kalahandi district is a district of western Odisha in India . Archaeological evidence of Stone Age and Iron Age human settlement has been recovered from
2425-472: Is a list of the 5 Vidhan sabha constituencies of Kalahandi district and the elected members of that area Phurlijharan Phurlijharan ( /pʰurɵlid͡ʒʱɵrɵɳɵ/ ) is a perennial waterfall in Bhawanipatna , Kalahandi district , Odisha , India. The falls are 16 m high and are known for their multicolored rainbow created on the scattered water because of the reflection of sunlight. It
2522-431: Is a perennial waterfall about 30 ft (9 m) in height. Evergreen forests around the fall provide ample opportunities to group picnickers. Rabandara is another perennial waterfall, about 13 ft (4 m) in height. Other waterfalls within the region include Sospadar Waterfall and Gadagada Twin-Waterfall. Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary ( Odia : କର୍ଲାପାଟ୍ ; Hindi : कर्लापाट् ) is located in Kalahandi district and
2619-504: Is a picnic spot and valley viewpoint at the top of the Eastern Ghats from which half of the Kalahandi district is visible, including Junagarh and Kalampur block. The name comes from the fact that one can receive a signal from all mobile telecom services. Doordarshan Kendra (DD-6) started as Low Power Transmission on 15 February 1987, and was upgraded to High Power Transmission (HPT) on 20 January 1992. This 10 kW-capacity station
2716-590: Is a popular ceremony held in October. Diel (or Deepawali; also popularly known as Diwali ) is celebrated in Kalahandi. It is getting popular due to the immigrant businesses mainly from the Marwadi community. Kalahandi Utsav "Ghumura" is hosted in Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium. There are several market areas in the city. The biggest is Laxmi Bajar (or 'main market') at the core of the city. Most of
2813-546: Is a popular tourist attraction in Odisha. The 255 km (98 sq mi) sanctuary lies within the Eastern Highlands' moist deciduous forests ecoregion; major plant communities include mixed deciduous forests and scrublands. The sanctuary is home to many wildlife species like tiger , leopard , gaur , sambar , nilgai , barking deer , mouse deer , and a wide variety of birds and reptiles. It also has high mineral deposits like bauxite and manganese. Jakham has
2910-505: Is adding an advantage to the transport facility. According to the 2011 census Kalahandi district has a population of 1,576,869, roughly equal to the nation of Gabon or the US state of Idaho . This gives it a ranking of 317th in India (out of a total of 640 ). The district has a population density of 199 inhabitants per square kilometre (520/sq mi). Its population growth rate over
3007-533: Is an example of disparity/contrasts that exist in many parts of the developing/underdeveloped world. On the one side, this district is famous for famine and starvation deaths: this is the same district that is rich with agriculture. Dharamgarh sub-division was historical known for rice production in Odisha . Since the 2000s the Indravati Water Project, second biggest in the state has changed the landscape of southern Kalahandi, leading to two crops in
Bhawanipatna - Misplaced Pages Continue
3104-561: Is associated with music and dance. Some of the dance found in Kalahandi such as Dalkhai, Jaiphula, Rasarkeli, Sajani etc. have similarities with the dance form in Balangir, Sambalpur, etc. regions whereas Sari song, Pholia song, song related to nature etc. has similarities with Koraput region. However, Boria song, Nialimali, Kalakolik etc. mostly found in Kalahandi. On the other hand, Ghumura, Madali, Dandari, Dhab, Bajasalia etc. folk form found in Kalahandi can be composed songs. Ghumura dance
3201-480: Is at Bhawanipatna which stands almost in the central location of the district. Bhawanipatna and Dharamgarh are two sub-divisions of Kalahandi. Junagarh , Jaipatna , Kesinga , Lanjigarh and Mukhiguda are other major towns in Kalahandi. Tel is the main river of Kalahandi. Other notably rivers are Indravati , Udanti , Hati , Utei , Sagada , Rahul , Nagabali , Mudra , etc. The topography of Kalahandi consists of plain land, hills & mountains. Kalahandi
3298-1096: Is central to all KBK districts and has good railway connectivity to major cities in India from Kesinga railway station. In the 1990s when state Government of Odisha proposed to establish a university in northern Odisha, people of Kalahandi repeated their demand for such a university in Kalahandi as well. Then Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik while addressing publicly in Government College Bhawanipatna said Government could not establish University if people want to establish University in their neighbourhood. But Mr Giridhar Gomang, Chief Minister of Odisha later in 1999 agreed to establish two Universities in Baripada and Balasore due to public protest making people of Kalahandi highly disappointed. This otherwise unorganized and weak demand took serious turn when leading academician Prof. Gopa Bandhu Behera established "Kalahandi Sikhya Vikas Parishad' in Bhawanipatna in 1999 through it and "Central University Kriya Committee"
3395-558: Is depicted in Sun Temple of Konark confirming this dance form is since the medieval period. Ghumura dance has evolved from a war dance to a dance form for cultural and social activities. The dance is associated with social entertainment, relaxation, love, devotion and friendly brotherhood among all class, creed and religion in the present days. Traditionally this dance is also associated with Nuakhai and Dasahara celebration in Kalahandi and large parts of south western Odisha . Ghumura dance
3492-583: Is done in Odia, Hindi, and English languages, and covers a population of approximately 18,66,000 Lakh from Kalahandi, Nuapada, and nearby districts. Recently, FM services have been started at AIR station at a frequency of 103 MHz. The station is not only popular in its primary zone (Kalahandi District and Naupada District), but also has audiences from the districts of Bolangir, Sonepur, Phulbani, Bargarh, Nawrangpur, and Rayagara districts of Odisha, and Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh. Moreover, this station serves
3589-403: Is located near Ghodaghat bridge, and is where different types of fish and prawns are sold. Naktiguda Haat is a small Bajar located on NH-26, mainly known for grocery and vegetable items. Cinema Parks and gardens Bhawanipatna has a medical college, several hospitals, and ambulance services, all of which provide good health care services in the city. The District Headquarter Hospital
3686-654: Is one of the biggest bus stand in Odisha present on NH-26. Both Private and Govt. buses are available from here. Bhawanipatna is one of the division of Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (O.S.R.T.C.) that runs Govt. Buses from Bhawanipatna to Bhubaneshwar , Vishakhapatnam , Sambalpur , Berhampur , Cuttack , Jeypore . Private Buses (A/C Sleeper Coaches) provide transportation facility to different cities in Odisha and Raipur , Durg etc. in Chhattisgarh. Newly added taxi facility and auto facility including Biju Gaon Gadi throughout Bhawanipatna and villages nearer to it,
3783-603: Is one of the biggest bus stands in Odisha, and is on NH-26. Both private and government buses are available from here. Bhawanipatna is home to a division of Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), which runs government buses from Bhawanipatna to Bhubaneshwar , Vishakhapatnam , Sambalpur , Berhampur , Cuttack , and Jeypore . Private buses (A/C sleeper coaches) provide transportation facilities to nearby cities in Odisha such as Raipur and Durg . Newly added taxi facility and auto facility (including Biju Gaon Gadi) service throughout Bhawanipatna and nearby villages. There
3880-463: Is one of the rich regions in history, agriculture, forest resources, gemstone , bauxite , folk dance , folk music , folklore , handicrafts and arts. In 1993, Nuapada sub-division was carved out as a separate district, but Kalahandi (Lok Sabha constituency) continues to constitute present Kalahandi district and Nuapada district together. The archaeological record of the Tel Valley reveals
3977-594: Is one of the three Doordarshan Kendras in the state of Odisha, the others being Sambalpur and Bhubaneshwar . The studio was started on 3 September 2002. In 2004, the station started broadcasting agriculture-related programmes sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and simultaneously began broadcasting agriculture programmes in different HPT centres of the KBK region. It also has produced entertainment and awareness-building programmes, as well as programmes that promote tribal heritage, culture, and drama. From 2005 to 2009,
Bhawanipatna - Misplaced Pages Continue
4074-643: Is pending for 8 years to get budgetary approval despite appeal from locals and academicians. NRI of Odisha origin initiated demanding to survey for Raipur-Rajim-Gariabandh-Debhog-Dharamagrh-Junagarh since 2008, Lanjigarh road-Phulbani-Angul (Talcher) since 2009 and Bhawanipatna-Kesinga since 2011, and survey by Indian railway was approved for Talcher-Phulbani-Lanjigarh in 2010, Raipur- Rajim-Gariabandh-Debhog-Dharamagrh-Junagarh in 2012, Bhawanipatna-Kesinga in 2017 for but not much progress has been made for these projects. Kalahandi lies in between 19.3 N and 21.5 N latitudes and 82.20 E and 83.47 E longitudes and occupies
4171-660: Is present near the city (22 km, 14 mi) which was scheduled to be operational in August 2023 with daily flights to the state capital Bhubaneshwar by private air service provider Air Odisha under UDAN scheme by Ministry of Civil Aviation . Lanjigarh Airstrip (58 km, 36 mi) is private airstrip conducting VIP and chartered planes. Other nearby airports are Swami Vivekananda Airport at Raipur, Chhattisgarh (262 km (163 mi) away), and Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar (427 km away by road and 631 km by rail). Bhawanipatna railway station
4268-510: Is released from the dam through Hati river without using for irrigation. The Jonk River dam at Patora and Jonk river bridge and canal systems also took decades to complete due to corruption. Similarly water shades in Tel river for irrigation in Kalahandi is one of the basic demands of local farmers which is not getting Government support. Kalahandi was struggling for a higher educational institution since independence. Earlier proposal to establish
4365-413: Is scheduled to be operational with daily flights to state capital Bhubaneshwar and Raipur in the coming month of September by private air service provider Air Odisha under UDAN scheme by Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India. Another one, Lanjigarh Airstrip (FR44733)(58 km, 36 mi) is private airstrip conducting VIP and chartered planes. Swami Vivekananda Airport at Raipur, Chhattisgarh
4462-492: Is still hidden in the village level in south western Odisha and some parts of bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Kalahandi region has taken a leading rule in popularising and retaining its unique identity of Ghumura dance. Ghumura dance has got the opportunity to represent the nation in international events Delhi, Moscow, and other places. Through the Western Odisha Development Council ,
4559-467: Is surrounded by hills. Its border with Nabarangpur, Koraput, Rayagada and Kandhamal districts are hilly and mountainous. The district is primarily agricultural, with over one third of the district area covered with dense jungle forest. Industry is very limited, but bauxite and graphite deposits can be commercially exploited. Kalahandi has been divided into two sub-divisions namely Bhawanipatna subdivision and Dharamgarh subdivision and 13 blocks. In 2006
4656-473: Is the clan deity of Kalahandi may also signify its historical name. It was a princely state in British India and in post-independence period it merged with Odisha state in India as Kalahandi district comprising current Kalahandi district and Nuapada district . In 1967, Kashipur block from Kalahandi district was transferred to Rayagada district for administrative reasons. Despite its backwardness it
4753-427: Is the main backbone for the health services in the city and whole district. The hospital has many wards for different kinds of patients, including a radiation therapy and regional diagnostic centre, and a blood bank. Currently, a new 6-storey hospital building is under construction. The Sardar Rajas Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre (SRMCH) is located 17 km (11 mi) away from Bhawanipatna on NH-26,
4850-488: Is the most sought folk dance in Kalahandi. It is classified as folk dance as the dress code of Ghumura resembles more like a tribal dance, but recent researchers argue different mudra and dance form present in Ghumura bear more resemblance with other classical dance form of India. The timeline of Ghumura dance is not clear. Many researchers claim it was a war dance in ancient India and used by Ravana in Ramayana. Ghumura dance
4947-472: The 2011 India census , Bhabanipatna had a population of 69,045. The population of children 6 years old or under was 7,407, which was 10.73% of the total population. In Bhabanipatna Municipality, the female gender ratio is 945 against the state average of 979. Moreover, the child gender ratio in Bhabanipatna is around 911, compared to the Odisha state average of 941. The literacy rate of Bhabanipatna town
SECTION 50
#17327904309055044-1123: The Indian National Congress has been ruling for 20 years at the centre. Despite late prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P.V. Narasimha Rao , and present leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee , Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi etc. Tall claims for developing Kalahandi, little was done for long-term sustainable development in higher education, national highway, railway and industry during those leadership at Delhi. Few initiatives taken in post-independence of India for developing Kalahandi were only during non-congress rule in India such as Upper Indiravati Irrigation Project (during Moraji Desai as Prime Minister of India), Lanjigarh road – Jungarh and possibility of extending to Nabarangpur district (during Chandrasekhar as Prime Minister of India), National Highway 201 & 217 passing through Kalahandi (during Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister of India), all these projects are not yet fully accomplished. The Central government of India has established two public sector factories such as HAL factory and NALCO factory in
5141-730: The Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Kalahandi one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640 ). It is one of the 19 districts in Odisha currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Kalahandi is largely an agriculture-based economy. During the Bengal famine Kalahandi alone had sent 100,000 tons of rice. During the 1930s princely state of Kalahandi had proposed to build upper Indravati project but subsequent merger of princely state with India delayed
5238-438: The 1965–66 drought, three-fourths of the crop production failed due to lack of rain. The effect of the drought continued to be felt in 1967. The District Gazetteers of the time noted that: Again in 1974–75 and in 1985 . After the severe drought of 1956 and 1966, the rich cultivators of this area came down to the status of middle class cultivators and the middle class cultivators into ordinary ones. They all turned into Sukhbasis ,
5335-667: The 2017-18 union budget, an Electric Loco Periodical Overhauling Workshop was announced to be set up in Kalahandi with an investment of Rs 186 crore. Not much progress has been made since then. Lanjigarh–Junagarh section under East Coast Railway Zone was completed in March 2014, which was sanctioned when local MP Bhakta Charan Das was minister of state for railway in 1990–91. The surveyed railway line, Kantabanji (Balangir) -Jeypore (Koraput) via Nuapada, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur districts, needs approval, funding and immediate implementation. Similarly Junagarh Road-Nabarangpur rail line project
5432-559: The Indravati dam for hydroelectricity generation and irrigation purposes. After prime minister Morarji Desai 's approval and foundation stone in 1978, the project took more than two decades to be realised and corruption was alleged with corruption. However, the project is a major boost to agricultural development today known as Upper Indravati Hydroelectric and irrigation project. There are still concerns and lack for government funds to irrigate Koksara, Golamunda and Bhawanipatan blocks in Kalahandi through this projects as every year lots of water
5529-705: The Kalahandi kingdom commanded sovereign power over eighteen garbs . It was occupied by the Bhonslas of Nagpur in the middle of the 18th century but still it was a Gadajat under Nagas rule. In 1853 the Nagpur state lapsed to the British Crown as Raghujee III died without an heir. Then Kalahandi became a princely state under British and known as Karonda Mandal. Maharaja Pratap Keshari Deo, the Ex-Maharaja of Kalahandi, in one of his articles expressed his view that
5626-589: The MLA and MP seats in Kalahandi, in 2009 election people opted for Indian National Congress except Dharamgarh MLA constituency, which is largely seen as ongoing political negligence to this region. Bhakta Charan Das , as third time Indian National Congress MP from the district did not receive any Union Ministry in Manmohan Singh's Ministry. During the Chandrasekhar regime (1990–91), Bhakta Charan Das
5723-427: The basic infrastructure is dismal state, the development progress is very slow. Kalahandi is more often used a symbol of backwardness in popular media and among politicians or social workers. Use of Kalahandi in popular literature has been controversial. In a literary conference, "Rajya Sastriya Lekhaka Sammilani" in 1994 at Bhawanipatna, many invited speakers and local intellectuals pointed out that it's not wise to use
5820-409: The blue print. However, in 1948 princely state of Kalahandi was merged as part of Odisha state and this could not be materialized. In post independence period as member of parliament Pratap Keshari Deo fought from 1950 to 1979 but was not able succeed as he was in the opposition of congress party until new Govt. formed by late prime minister Maraji Desai in 1978, who accepted Deo's proposal to construct
5917-625: The centre earned ten national awards and five nominee prizes for the programmes it produced. All India Radio (Akashwani Bhawanipatna) started on 30 December 1993 near Naktiguda, on outskirts of the city. It has two 100 kW transmitters in Belamal near Pastikudi. Its transmission frequency is 1206 kHz (248 MTs). It has two studios. The station has produced original programmes on topics targeted to various audiences, including rural, women and children, youth and senior citizens, light and classical music, and film music. The broadcasting of programmes
SECTION 60
#17327904309056014-584: The course of the 19th and 20th centuries. Drought had occurred in Kalahandi in 1868, 1884 and 1897. The famine of 1899 is otherwise known as "Chhapan Salar Durbhikshya". The effect of the famine, according to the District Gazetteers, were of a magnitude unprecedented in any previous famine. In 1919–1920, another drought occurred followed by cholera, influenza and malnutrition due to lack of foodstuff. A series of droughts in 1922–1923, 1925–1926, 1929–1930, 1954–1955 and 1965–66 occurred in Kalahandi. In
6111-501: The decade 2001–2011 was 17.79%. Kalahandi has a sex ratio of 1003 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 59.22%. 7.74% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 18.17% and 28.50% of the population respectively. Languages of Kalahandi district (2011) At the time of the 2011 Census of India , 95.22% of the population in the district spoke Odia , 3.40% Kui and 0.85% Hindi as their first language. The language spoken by
6208-538: The districts coming under the capital KBK scheme of the Government of India. The Hindu festival of Durga Puja (or Dasara) is celebrated all over India, but is very popular in eastern India, including in Odisha, West Bengal , and Assam . Most of the major festivals like Chhatar Jatra, Kkandabasha, and Budharaja Jatra, are celebrated during Dasara. The major goddesses of Kalahandi—including Manikeswari, Lankeswari, Denteswari, Khameswari, and Bhandargharen—are seen as
6305-506: The garment showrooms, costumes, jewelry, grocery, and fancy shops are found here. Fruits and vegetables are sold in the inner area of the market mainly near Laxmi Mandir . Hatpada (or 'weekly market') is a bi-weekly market that takes place on Tuesday and Saturday near Gandhi Pramod Udyaan (park). Traders from different areas come to sell their goods including vegetables and grocery items; masala and spices; metal products, tools, and utensils; and animals, milk products, and meat. Mach Bazaar
6402-485: The historical significance of naming Kalahandi as Karunda Mandala is based on the availability of Corundum in this region. Manikeswari (the goddess of Manikya), the clan deity of the Naga kings of Kalahandi may have also necessitated the adoption of the name. After Indian independence in 1947 , Kalahandi joined India on 1 January 1948. On 1 November 1949, Patna Balangir district and Subarnapur district together constituted
6499-651: The largest ruby deposits of Asia as per Geological Survey of India. Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL), a subsidiary of Sterlite Industries, a major aluminium processor has made major investments by establishing a 1 MTPA Alumina Refinery and 75 MW Captive Power Plant at Lanjigarh. Though this project has received criticism from environmentalists, especially from tribals of Niyamgiri; supporters of VAL claims it has brought significant changes in Socio-Economic scenario of Lanjigarh and Kalahandi. The Union Environment Ministry in August 2010, rejected earlier clearances granted to
6596-449: The last few decades, they have become homogeneous. Bhawanipatna is located at 19°54′N 83°10′E / 19.9°N 83.17°E / 19.9; 83.17 . It has an average elevation of 248 m (814 ft). It is located in the center of large mountains and plateaus, with the mountainous Eastern Ghats in its eastern frontier. Bhawanipatna has a tropical wet and dry climate, and temperatures remain moderate throughout
6693-432: The name "Kalahandi" as synonym for starvation death. Starvation death does not imply image of Kalahandi completely and by using it for starvation death other rich aspects of life in Kalahandi are being ignored. Starvation death was just one side of a coin, like poverty in Odisha or India. However, there are many writers, philosophers, social workers, journalists, politicians etc., particularly in India who are continue to use
6790-508: The name in literature, articles and reviews. According to Tapan Kumar Pradhan although the drought situation in Kalahandi was a moderate natural disaster, the starvation deaths were a completely avoidable manmade disaster. The Kalahandi film made by Indian film director Gautam Ghose received critical notice. Politically, the district does not have much importance in state or national politics. Though in 2000 and 2004 elections Biju Janata Dal - Bharatiya Janata Party combined had won all
6887-409: The neighbouring Koraput district (part of KBK), a Lok Sabha constituency held by congress party since independence, and an ordnance factory in Balangir district (part of KBK) leaving only Kalahhani among KBK for such development in the region. No public sector industrial investment has been taken place in Kalahandi since past 62 years. Local need in major infrastructure in railway, highways and demand for
6984-417: The news since the middle of the 1980s when India Today reported sale of a child by its parents due to financial crisis. That article led the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to pay a visit to the district and brought the district to the attention of the national stage for its acute poverty and famine. Subsequently, similar reported cases of starvation deaths and sale of children have led to the announcement of
7081-568: The other in Thuamal Rampur . The main deity at this temple is Goddess Manikeshwari . The main devotees are from the fisherman community. During the Dussehra festival, an animal sacrifice is offered at this temple during Chatar Jatra , a festival where thousands of people gather in the city to get blessings from their beloved goddess. A film is also documented showing the ritual of animal sacrifice before Goddess Manikeshwari. Phurlijharan
7178-610: The people of Kalahandi is Kalahandia , a dialect of Odia . Minor languages of the district after Odia are Hindi and Kui. Kalahandi is a rich land in culture and festivals. Since it is a melting point of southern Odisha and Western Odisha with a substantial tribal population, those living in hills as well as plain land, their culture, tradition, languages and belief along with mainstream Hindu culture have made Kalahandi region rich with culture and festivals. The mixture of Aryan and tribal culture makes Kalahandi region rich in its culture and festivals. In pre-independence period Kalahandi
7275-401: The population are Hindu , a small minority being Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain. 28% of the population are tribal people which has the majority of the impact on the local customaries and influenced the dialect. Literally 'Kalahandi' means 'pot of arts'. This name has been possibly derived from "Gudahandi Caves" containing pre-historic paintings in red and black colours. Kalahandi is
7372-574: The presence of the primates in its zones during the Pleistocenephase. Paleolithic is being documented in Kalahandi, like Moter river basin in Dharamgarh region. One of the largest size axe of late Stone Age culture has been recovered from Kalahandi. Tel river civilisation put light towards a great civilisation existing in Kalahandi in the past that is recently getting explored. The discovered archaeological wealth of Tel Valley suggest
7469-585: The project. It was approved in 1978 and is yet to be fully completed. In the meantime drought occurred in the 1960s and lately in the 1980s. In the 1980s Kalahandi become infamous for drought, child selling , malnutrition and starvation death and social worker referred it as 'Kalahandi Syndrome'. Though KBK project was announced in the 1990s by central Government specially for undivided Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput districts primarily keeping poverty, backwardness and starvation death in mind, undivided Kalahandi district continued to remain politically ignored. Kalahandi
7566-592: The region. Asurgarh offered an advanced, well civilised, cultured and urban human settlement about 2000 years ago in the region. In South Asia it is believed that the lands of Kalahandi district and Koraput district were the ancient places where people started cultivation of paddy. In ancient time it was known as Mahakantara (meaning great forest) and Karunda Mandal , which means treasure of precious stones like karandam ( corundum /manik), garnet (red stone), beruz, neelam ( sapphire /blue stone), and alexandrite , etc. Maa Manikeswari (the goddess of Manikya or Karandam)
7663-582: The south western portion of Odisha , bordered to the north by the Balangir district and Nuapada district , to the south by the Nabarangpur district , Koraput district and Rayagada district , and to the east by the Rayagada district , Kandhamal district and Boudh district . It has an area of 8,364.89 square kilometres and ranks 7th in area among the 30 districts of Odisha. The district headquarters
7760-482: The state government has been initiated a private medical college with a tie up with one South India based organisation in Junagarh block of Kalahandi since 2004, admissions took place in 2013 September later which was closed in 2015 due to inefficiency of proper management. Odisha state Government has announced Government College of Engineering Kalahandi and Agriculture College at Bhawanipatna in 2009 but local demand for
7857-599: The struggle for a Central University in Kalahandi continued seriously. Many memoranda were submitted to both state and central Government in this regard since then. In the meantime, in 2006–07, non-resident Indians of Odisha origin and activists in Bhubaneswar started campaigning for central universities in every state and that of one in KBK districts of Odisha. Few NRI advocated for such higher educational institutions in Kalahandi. When Government of India announced to establish 12 Central Universities in various states not having any Central University across India which included Odisha,
7954-406: The territory was known as Nalavadi-visaya and rest of Mahakantara, lower part of Tel river valley was ruled by king Tastikara and his scions, the kingdom was known as Parvatad-waraka , whose headquarters was Talabhamraka near Belkhandi. In the 6th century a new kingdom developed in the Kalahandi tract under King Tustikara , but very little is known about other kings of his family. Maraguda valley
8051-401: The title Trikalingadhipati. Trikalinga was short lived and Chindakangas carved out a new kingdom called Chakrakota Mandala or Bramarakota Mandala, which later one expanded to whole Kalahandi and Koraput. The Naga dynasty started ruling Kalahandi in 1006. The Nagas of Kalahandi are the only dynasty in Odisha having a record of thousand years (1050–1948). During the 12th century Chkrakota Mandal
8148-524: The year, except March–June, which can be extremely hot. The temperature in April–May sometimes rises above 48 °C (118 °F). The summer months have dry and hot winds, and the temperature can go up to 50 °C (122 °F). The city receives about 1,300 millimetres (51 in) of rain, mostly in the monsoon season from late June to early October. Winters last from November to January and are mild, although lows can fall to 5 °C (41 °F). As of
8245-523: Was a state and later on cabinet minister and currently Dibya Shankar Mishra is a state minister in Naveen Patnaik Government in Odisha since 2000. Political disappointment in the region is raising. Kalahandi highlighted for starvation and poverty is often marginalised in Odisha state and Indian national politics. This discrimination is thought to be due to national politics. Immediately after independence Kalahandi Lok Sabha Constituency
8342-556: Was called Atavi Land. This land was unconquered as per Ashokan record. In the beginning of the Christian era probably it was known as Mahavana. In the 4th century AD Vyaghraraja was ruling over Mahakantara comprising Kalahandi, undivided Koraput and Bastar region. Asurgarh was capital of Mahakantara. After Vyaghraraja, the Nala kings like Bhavadatta Varman, Arthapati and Skanda Varman ruled over south part of this region up to about 500,
8439-546: Was established in 2004 in Bhawanipatna near Ghodaghat Chowk (SH-16). It was previously a branch of the Life Worth Super Specialty Hospital in Raipur . It has all the necessary facilities required during an emergency. Recently, the state government announced a government medical college in Kalahandi. The state government signed with Vedanta Group to build Kalahandi Medical College & Hospital,
8536-434: Was expected to come up in Bhawanipatna. Again a team from Kalahandi visited Chief minister immediately after the announcement and Chief minister of Odisha promised visiting delegation of Kalahandi to establish a Government Engineering and Agriculture Colleges in Bhawanipatna. People of Kalahandi though welcome establishment of such the colleges, Kalahandi Sikhya Vikas Parisad and Central University Kriya Committee said it's not
8633-744: Was famous for gemstone (Karonda Mandal) in ancient times. Its rich gemstone deposit included cat's eye, sapphire, ruby, garnet, crystal, topaz, moonstone, diamond, tourmaline, acquamarine, beryle, alexandrite, etc. The distribution and occurrence of precious and semi-precious gemstones and other commercial commodities of the region have found place in the accounts of Panini (5th century BC), Kautilya (3rd century BC), Ptolemy (2nd century AD), Wuang Chuang (7th century AD) and Travenier (19th century AD). Until recently, Kalahandi, along with Balangir, supplied gem stones for handicraft work that can be found in Delhi Haat. Jiligndara, near Junagarh of Kalahandi, has one of
8730-423: Was highly criticized by intellectuals, non-resident Indians, local people and politicians. Protest continued in Kalahandi region by local leaders, people and NRI for two years. Due to public pressure in the 2013-2014 railway budget announcement was made for setting up a Wagon Periodical Overhauling Workshop in Kalahandi, and again this was shifted to Vishakapatnam (Vadlapudi) because of technical reason. Moreover, in
8827-470: Was identified as the capital of Sarabapuriyas. During Sarabapuriyas in the 6th century, Kalahandi lost its political entities and merged with eastern part of South Kosal or Kosal. But this was also for a short period as in succeeding phase it assumed a distinct name Trikalinga. By the 9th–10th centuries the region including Western Odisha , Kalahandi, Koraput and Bastar was known as Trikalinga. The Somavamsi king Mahabhavagupta I Janmejaya (925 – 960) assumed
8924-463: Was inaugurated on 12 August 2012. It is situated on the Lanjigarh–Junagarh rail line. Currently there are 3 trains (1 express and 2 passenger) running from Bhawanipatna to Bhubanneshwar, Raipur, and Sambalpur. Kesinga Railway station is connected to many major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Surat. Highways connecting Bhawanipatna to various cities include: Bhawanipatna Bus Stand
9021-672: Was incorporated with the Ganga realm of Kalinga, and renamed "Kamala Mandala", thus Kalahandi region became part of Kalinga as a feudatory of the Eastern Gangas under Nagas rules and continued till the 14th century. After 14th century Nagas owed allegiance from Eastern Gangas to the Suryavamsi Gajapatis. This territory assumed independence after the downfall of the Gajapatis of Odisha in 1568. According to tradition
9118-512: Was largely inspired to Saivaism, Vaishanivism and Shakti puja. Shakti Puja is largely accepted among tribal, perhaps due to which Kalahandi was well known for celebrating Shati Puja. However, affect induction of Kalahandi as part of Odisha state, dominance of coastal Oriya culture in the state is increasingly influencing the local culture. Celebration of Rathajatra and construction of Jaggannath temple in Kalahandi has been increasingly realised unlike in old days of Radha Krishna temple. The majority of
9215-617: Was part of the union ministry in the Railway and Sports department. No other MPs in last three decades have made it to any important post of national or state level. Pradeep Naik the seating MLA from Bhawanipatna Constituency is leader of opposition of Odisha assembly. Bhupinder Singh, Jagannath Pattnaik and Rasa Bihari Behera had been among the opposition leader, senior leaders, ministers in Odisha. Despite trio of them being in an important ministry like Revenue and Tourism, Agriculture they failed to make it to limelight. Earlier Pushpendra Singh Deo
9312-470: Was represented by non-congress candidate for 30 years, the period India was ruled by Congress Party. Thus, Kalahandi Lok Sabha Constituency was neglected and left out of development initiatives when the Congress ruled at the centre. Indira Gandhi visited Kalahandi in the early 1980s; Rajiv Gandhi visited in 1984; Sonia Gandhi visited in 2004, and Rahul Gandhi visited in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Since 1980,
9409-438: Was the only medical college in KBK region. It was established in 2009 with support from WODC and the government of Odisha for conducting undergraduate medical courses. It was a self-financing medical institution with 100 seats, but is now abandoned. The case is currently going on by the medical students against Sylvian Trust at Odisha High Court. The Maa Manikeswari Multispeciality Hospital (previously known as Life Worth Hospital)
#904095