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173-514: Kalahandi district is a district of western Odisha in India . Archaeological evidence of Stone Age and Iron Age human settlement has been recovered from 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
346-634: A Food and Agriculture Organization -recognised rice gene bank and research institute, is situated on the banks of Mahanadi in Cuttack . The stretch between Puri and Bhadrak in Odisha juts out a little into the sea, making it vulnerable to any cyclonic activity. Three-quarters of the state is covered in mountain ranges. Deep and broad valleys have been made in them by rivers. These valleys have fertile soil and are densely populated. Odisha also has plateaus and rolling uplands , which have lower elevation than
519-519: A 10 MT steel plant in Odisha, too. Nippon Steel Corporation has recently announced to set up their own plants, one of which will be the world's largest and most advanced steel plant in Odisha, with a production capacity of 30 MT annually. Bandhabahal is a major area of open cast coal mines in Odisha. The state is attracting an unprecedented amount of investment in aluminium, coal-based power plants, petrochemicals, and information technology as well. In power generation, Reliance Power (Anil Ambani Group)
692-917: 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
865-466: 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
1038-610: A Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC). The position of the RDC in the administrative hierarchy is that between that of the district administration and the state secretariat. The RDCs report to the Board of Revenue, which is headed by a senior officer of the Indian Administrative Service . Each district is governed by a collector and district magistrate, who is appointed from the Indian Administrative Service or
1211-590: A battle axe, along with a number below, which depicts the regnal year(anka year) of the reigning monarch. Some coins also carry the legend śrī rāma on the reverse above the letter sa . An interesting aspect of the Eastern Ganga coin dates is that these coins may be the earliest Hindu coins using decimal numbers for dating. Earlier dated coins, such as those of the Western Satraps, the Guptas etc., used
1384-535: A coastline of 485 kilometres (301 mi). It has one major port at Paradip and few minor ports. some of them are: Major cities of Odisha are well connected to all the major cities of India by direct daily trains and weekly trains. Most of the railway network in Odisha lies under the jurisdiction of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) with headquarters at Bhubaneswar and some parts under South Eastern Railway and South East Central Railway . According to
1557-998: 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
1730-762: 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
1903-485: A fifth of India's coal, a quarter of its iron ore, a third of its bauxite reserves and most of the chromite . Rourkela Steel Plant was the first integrated steel plant in the public sector in India, built with collaboration of Germany . Arcelor-Mittal has also announced plans to invest in another mega steel project amounting to $ 10 billion. Russian major Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Company (MMK) plans to set up
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#17327823491222076-615: 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
2249-433: 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
2422-548: 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
2595-539: A major military power challenging the authority of the Somavanshi Dynasty at their northern frontiers and allying with their arch rivals the Kalchuris . After a series of victories in battle and making land grants to three hundred Brahmin families in his kingdom, Vajrahasta V assumed the titles as Trikalingadhipati (lord of the three Kalingas) and Sakalakalingadhipati (lord of complete Kalinga) challenging
2768-653: A majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the Chief Minister by the governor, and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Council of Ministers reports to the Legislative Assembly. The 147 elected representatives are called Members of the Legislative Assembly , or MLAs. One MLA may be nominated from the Anglo-Indian community by
2941-508: A million animals employed to his command. Due to his maternal relation with the Cholas, a Chola uncle of Chodaganga by the name Virachoda had sided by him as a protective guardian against the invading Cholas since his childhood. Chodaganga was married to the daughter of this uncle and also had Tamil officers serving him during his lifelong affairs of war and administration. Chodaganga Deva not only reunited most of ancient Kalinga stretching from
3114-547: A new Expressway that will connect Biju Patnaik International Airport airport at Bhubaneswar with the proposed Shri Jagannath International Airport at Puri. Odisha has a total of three operational airports, 16 airstrips and 16 helipads. The airport at Jharsuguda was upgraded to a full-fledged domestic airport in May 2018. Rourkela Airport became operational in December 2022.The Dhamra Port Company Limited plans to build Dhamra Airport 20 km from Dhamra Port . Odisha has
3287-478: A new kingdom, reached and ascended the mountain summit of Mahendra, worshipped Shiva as God Gokarnaswamin or Gokarneswara, obtained the bull ( Nandi ) emblem, descended to the eastern side, defeated and killed the local tribal king Sabaraditya (Savaraditya) or Baladitya in battle and acquired the whole of Kalinga with the blessings of Gokarneswara. Historian Bhairabi Prasad Sahu states that the Gangas after conquering
3460-605: A per capita GDP of ₹ 127,383 (US$ 1,500). Odisha ranks 32nd among Indian states in Human Development Index . The terms Odisha and Orissa ( Odia : ଓଡ଼ିଶା , Oṛissa ) derive from the ancient Prakrit word "Odda Visaya" (also " Udra Bibhasha " or " Odra Bibhasha ") as in the Tirumalai inscription of Rajendra Chola I , which is dated to 1025. Sarala Das , who translated the Mahabharata into
3633-628: 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
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#17327823491223806-434: 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
3979-921: A result of the Second Carnatic War by 1760, and incorporated them into the Madras Presidency gradually. In 1803, the British ousted the Marathas from the Puri-Cuttack region of Odisha during the Second Anglo-Maratha War . The northern and western districts of Odisha were incorporated into the Bengal Presidency . The Orissa famine of 1866 caused an estimated 1 million deaths. Following this, large-scale irrigation projects were undertaken. In 1903,
4152-401: 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
4325-577: 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
4498-444: 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
4671-475: 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
4844-541: A very senior officer from Odisha Administrative Service. The collector and district magistrate is responsible for collecting the revenue and maintaining law and order in the district. Each district is separated into sub-divisions, each governed by a sub-collector and sub-divisional magistrate. The sub-divisions are further divided into tahasils. The tahasils are headed by tahasildar. Odisha has 58 sub-divisions, 317 tahasils and 314 blocks. Blocks consists of Panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities. The capital of
5017-525: 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
5190-676: 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
5363-936: Is Odia , which is one of the Classical languages of India . The ancient kingdom of Kalinga , which was invaded by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 261 BCE resulting in the Kalinga War , coincides with the borders of modern-day Odisha. The modern boundaries of Odisha were demarcated by the British Indian government, the Orissa Province was established on 1 April 1936, consisting of the Odia-speaking districts of Bihar and Orissa Province , Madras Presidency and Central Provinces . Utkala Dibasa ( lit. ' Odisha Day ' )
Kalahandi district - Misplaced Pages Continue
5536-471: 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
5709-524: Is a list of the 5 Vidhan sabha constituencies of Kalahandi district and the elected members of that area Odisha Odisha ( English : / ə ˈ d ɪ s ə / ; Odia: [oɽiˈsa] ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011 ), is an Indian state located in Eastern India . It is the eighth-largest state by area , and the eleventh-largest by population , with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has
5882-448: 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
6055-473: Is against his western rivals the Kalachuris where he was unsuccessful. His descendant Anangabhima Deva III gradually completed the task of defeating the Kalachuris completely. In his Korni copper plate grant he mentions himself to be the lord of 99,000 war elephants which while counting military strength according to the ancient Gulma system of military divisions, puts his strength to a million men and half
6228-503: Is also found in this region. Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon on the east coast of Odisha with an area of 1,105 km . It is connected to the Bay of Bengal by a 35-km-long narrow channel and is a part of the Mahanadi delta. In the dry season, the tides bring in salt water. In the rainy season, the rivers falling into the lagoon decrease its salinity. Birds from places as far as
6401-659: Is also home for tiny red crabs. According to a census conducted in 2016, there are around 2000 elephants in the state. All states in India are governed by a parliamentary system of government based on universal adult franchise . The main parties active in the politics of Odisha are the Biju Janata Dal , the Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party . Following the Odisha State Assembly Election in 2019 ,
6574-533: 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
6747-560: 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
6920-480: 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
7093-426: Is celebrated on 1 April. Cuttack was made the capital of the region by Anantavarman Chodaganga in c. 1135 , after which the city was used as the capital by many rulers, through the British era until 1968. Thereafter, Bhubaneswar became the capital of Odisha. The economy of Odisha is the 15th-largest state economy in India with ₹ 5.86 trillion (US$ 70 billion) in gross domestic product and
Kalahandi district - Misplaced Pages Continue
7266-1095: 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"
7439-558: 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
7612-472: Is experiencing a rapid economic growth post-Covid. The impressive growth in gross domestic product of the state has been reported by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Odisha's growth rate is above the national average. The central Government's Urban Development Ministry has recently announced the names of 20 cities selected to be developed as smart cities . The state capital Bhubaneswar
7785-403: Is gradually losing its wilderness areas to timber smuggling , deforestation , destructive mining, and general urban industrialisation, as well as livestock grazing . There have been attempts at conservation and reforestation . Due to the climate and good rainfall, Odisha's evergreen and moist forests are uniquely suitable habitats for wild orchids . Around 130 species have been reported from
7958-520: Is known from the Jirjingi Copper Plate Grant . (Eastern Ganga king, feudal under Vakataka rule) The Anka year ( Odia : ଅଙ୍କ Aṅka ) system is a unique regnal year system instituted by the kings of the Eastern Ganga dynasty for dating their reigns. It has a number of unique features that calculates the regnal year different from that actual duration of the year elapsed during the reign. The system still survives today and
8131-654: 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,
8304-635: 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
8477-638: Is putting up the world's largest power plant with an investment of US$ 13 billion at Hirma in Jharsuguda district . In 2009 Odisha was the second top domestic investment destination with Gujarat first and Andhra Pradesh in third place according to an analysis of ASSOCHAM Investment Meter (AIM) study on corporate investments. Odisha's share was 12.6 per cent in total investment in the country. It received an investment proposal worth ₹ 2.01 trillion (equivalent to ₹ 4.5 trillion or US$ 54 billion in 2023) in 2010. Steel and power were among
8650-509: 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
8823-412: 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
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#17327823491228996-492: 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 ,
9169-467: 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
9342-522: Is the first city in the list of smart Cities released in January 2016, a pet project of the Indian Government. The announcement also marked with sanction of Rs 508.02 billion over the five years for development. Odisha has abundant natural resources and a large coastline. Odisha has emerged as the most preferred destination for overseas investors with investment proposals. It contains
9515-486: 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
9688-792: Is the only Atmalinga of God Shiva in the entire world. The Eastern Kadamba family, feudatories of the Early Gangas in the 10th and early 11th century CE, were ruling a small area in the vicinity of the Mahendra mountain. Historian Dineshwar Singh lists several facts that point to a relationship between the Eastern and the Western Gangas. Just as the Gangas and the Kadambas of Karnataka had marital relationship with each other, so were
9861-562: Is the primary tree species. For fauna, the park is home to around 55 species of mammal , including the Bengal tiger , chital , chousingha , common langur , gaur , Indian elephant , Indian giant squirrel , jungle cat , leopard , muntjac , sambar , small Indian civet and wild boar . There are over 300 species of birds in the park, such as the common hill myna , as well as grey , Indian pied and Malabar pied hornbills . There are also some 60 species of reptiles and amphibians, including
10034-617: Is the world's largest nesting site for olive ridley sea turtles . In 2013, the Indian Coast Guard initiated Operation Oliver to protect the endangered sea turtle population of the region. Other major nesting grounds for the turtle in the state are Rushikulya , in Ganjam district , and the mouth of the Devi river . The Bhitarkanika sanctuary is also noted for its large population of saltwater crocodiles and Asian water monitors ,
10207-533: Is used in the Odia calendar (panjis) and the regnal year is marked by the titular reign of the current Gajapati Maharaja of the House of Gajapati at Puri. The Eastern Ganga coinage consisted of gold fanams. The obverse typically depicts a couchant bull along with other symbols. The reverse features a symbol which represents the letter sa (for samvat, which means year) flanked by elephant goads or an elephant goad with
10380-481: The 2011 Census of India , Odisha accounted for approximately 3% of India's total population. The state had a population of 41,974,218, with 21,212,136 males (50.54%) and 20,762,082 females (49.46%), resulting in a sex ratio of 978 females per 1,000 males. This marked a growth rate of 13.97% during the 2001-2011 period, a decline from 16.25% in the previous decade (1991-2001). The population density stood at 269 people per square kilometer, with Ganjam district having
10553-494: The Badami Chalukya Temple Architecture originating from Karnataka since the 4th century CE and they were followed as a specimen model by the Odia craftsmen in constructing temples in their Trikalinga (Odisha) region during the reign of Eastern Gangas, Gajapati empire and later on. A certain temple tower in Odisha shows a combination of both Rekha and Pidha Deul decoration types which
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#173278234912210726-592: The Caspian Sea , Lake Baikal (and other parts of Russia), Central Asia , Southeast Asia , Ladakh and the Himalayas migrate to the lagoon in winter. Among the waterfowl and wading birds spotted there are Eurasian wigeon , pintail , bar-headed goose , greylag goose , greater flamingo , common mallard and Goliath heron . The lagoon also has a small population of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins . The state's coastal region has also had sightings of
10899-595: The Cholas and Eastern Chalukyas of southern India. As per B. Masthanaiah, the origin of the Eastern Gangas is not clearly established. However, renowned British scholar, artist, art critic, historian, archaeologist, and an authority on Indian art and architecture, Percy Brown , suggested that the temples of Mukhalingam predated the temples of Bhubaneswar (this is unexplained as Bhubaneswar contains several temples predating Mukhalingam) and had been built as per
11072-492: The Cholas , Chalukyas . The early state of the dynasty may have started from the early 5th century. The dynasty, towards the end of eleventh century came to be known as Chodaganga dynasty after its founder Anantavarman Chodaganga . He was the son of Rajaraja Deva, the ruler of Kalinga kingdom centered around the region of Southern Odisha and northern Andhra coast, while his mother was the Chola princess, Rajasundari, daughter of
11245-524: The Constitution (113th Amendment) Bill, 2010 in the Parliament . The Hindi rendering उड़ीसा ( uṛīsā ) was also modified to ओड़िशा ( or̥iśā ). After a brief debate, the lower house, Lok Sabha , passed the bill and amendment on 9 November 2010. On 24 March 2011, Rajya Sabha , the upper house of Parliament , also passed the bill and the amendment. The changes in spelling were made with
11418-691: The Ghurid Empire Muslims of the Khalji dynasty of Bengal , who invaded Orissa in 1206. Rajaraja's son Anangabhima III, however, repulsed the Muslims and built the temple of Megheswara at Bhuvaneshvara. Narasimhadeva I , the son of Anangabhima, invaded southern Bengal in 1243, defeated its Muslim ruler of the Delhi Sultanate , captured the capital ( Gauda ), and built the Sun Temple at Konark to commemorate his victory. Narasimhadeva I
11591-1047: 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
11764-416: The Karranis of Bengal . They agreed to treaty because their leader Qutlu Khan Lohani had recently died. But they then broke the treaty by attacking the temple town of Puri . Man Singh returned in 1592 and pacified the region. In 1751, the Nawab of Bengal Alivardi Khan ceded the region to the Maratha Empire . The British had occupied the Northern Circars , comprising the southern coast of Odisha, as
11937-506: The Konark temple (c. 1250). The Eastern Ganga Dynasty was followed by the Gajapati Kingdom . The region resisted integration into the Mughal empire until 1568, when it was conquered by Sultanate of Bengal . Mukunda Deva, who is considered the last independent king of Kalinga, was defeated and was killed in battle by a rebel Ramachandra Bhanja. Ramachandra Bhanja himself was killed by Bayazid Khan Karrani . In 1591, Man Singh I , then governor of Bihar , led an army to take Odisha from
12110-420: The Madhukeshwara temple of Mukhalingam , Nrusinghanath Temple at Simhachalam in erstwhile Kalinga and present-day Andhra Pradesh and Ananta Vasudeva Temple at Bhubaneswar . The Gangas have constructed several temples besides the ones stated above. The rulers of Eastern Ganga dynasty defended their kingdom from the constant attacks of the Muslim invaders. This kingdom prospered through trade and commerce and
12283-404: The Mahendra mountain situated to the east of Gangawadi and then onwards to Kalinga . It also states that Kamarnava I, the eldest son of Virasimha, had left Kolahalapura (Kuvalalapura or Kolar), the capital of Gangawadivisaya (Western Ganga kingdom in southern Karnataka) after giving up his rightful throne to his paternal uncle. He set forth eastwards along with his four brothers to establish
12456-485: The Mauryan dynasty conquered Kalinga in the bloody Kalinga War in 261 BCE, which was the eighth year of his reign. According to his own edicts , in that war about 100,000 people were killed, 150,000 were captured and more were affected. The resulting bloodshed and suffering of the war is said to have deeply affected Ashoka. He turned into a pacifist and converted to Buddhism. By c. 150 BCE, Emperor Kharavela , who
12629-728: 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
12802-504: The Naveen Patnaik -led Biju Janata Dal stayed in power for the sixth consecutive term until 2024. Currently, BJP , who won for the first time, formed the government after winning the majority in 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election . He is the 17th Chief Minister of Odisha. The Odisha state has a unicameral legislature. The Odisha Legislative Assembly consists of 147 elected members, and special office bearers such as
12975-664: The Odia language in the 15th century, calls the region 'Odra Rashtra' as Odisha. The inscriptions of Kapilendra Deva of the Gajapati Kingdom (1435–67) on the walls of temples in Puri call the region Odisha or Odisha Rajya . In 2011, the English rendering of ଓଡ଼ିଶା was changed from "Orissa" to "Odisha", and the name of its language from "Oriya" to "Odia", by the passage of the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2010 and
13148-694: The Pauravas during the closing years of 4th century CE. Nothing was heard from the Pauravas from about the 3rd century CE, because they were annexed by the Yaudheya Republic , who in turn submitted to the Mauryans . It was only at the end of 4th century CE, that they established royalty at Brahmapur, after about 700 years. Later, the kings of the Somavamsi dynasty began to unite the region. By
13321-606: The Utkal Sammilani organisation was founded to demand the unification of Odia -speaking regions into one state. On 1 April 1912, the Bihar and Orissa Province was formed. On 1 April 1936, Bihar and Orissa were split into separate provinces. The new province of Orissa came into existence on a linguistic basis during the British rule in India, with Sir John Austen Hubback as the first governor. Following India's independence , on 15 August 1947, 27 princely states signed
13494-438: 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 ,
13667-665: 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
13840-560: The 4th century CE, Orissa was divided into several small principalities, some of which owed allegiance to the Guptas. Dynasties such as the Pitribhaktas, Matharas, and Vasishthas rose to power in southern Orissa. The 5th century saw the rise of the Eastern Gangas in south Kalinga. These kings were probably a branch of the Western Gangas and were migrants from Karnataka. The Korni and Vishakhapatnam copper plates of 1113 AD and 1118/1119 AD respectively both of Anantavarman Chodaganga ,
14013-700: The Chola emperor Virarajendra Chola . He is believed to have ruled from the Ganges River in the north to the Godavari River in the south, thus laying the foundation of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. Also during his rule, the great Jagannath Temple at Puri was built. He assumed the title of Trikalingadhipathi (ruler of the three Kalingas which comprise Kalinga proper, Utkala north and Koshala west) in 1076 CE, resulting in him being
14186-576: The Dasgoba copper plate of Rajaraja III of 1198/99 AD and the Nagari copperplate of Anangabhima III and other such records trace the ancestry of the Eastern Gangas to Kamarnava I. The Kendupatna copper plate of Narasimhadeva II and the Puri copper plate of Narasimhadeva IV also state that Kamarnava came from Gangawadi province, now in Karnataka. The Korni copper plate mentions that Kamarnava I came to
14359-465: The Eastern Ganga king Indravarma of the 7th century CE, like his predecessors, is the common Kannada-Telugu script used also by the Chalukyas of Badami and their related subordinate Vengi Chalukya branch. All these indicate a strong proof for the Eastern Gangas having originated from the earlier Western Gangas (established c. 350 CE) of Karnataka. According to the historian Upinder Singh , In
14532-821: The Eastern Gangas, the Eastern Kadambas, the Rashtrakuta branch of Odisha which ruled from Vagharakotta fort probably in the Sambalpur region and the Tailapa-Vamsis (ruled around Ganjam and Parlakimidi ) who migrated during or after 973 CE on the establishment of the Kalyani Chalukya empire and were their feudatories. Some suspect them to have come along with Vikramaditya VI 's campaigns across north, central, east and north east India, sometime before 1063–68 CE. Five prominent dominions of
14705-513: The Gangas and the Kadambas of Kalinga. The family God of the Kadambas of Vaijayanti (Banavasi), Palasige and Hangal (all in Karnataka) is described in their inscriptions as Jayanti (Vaijayanti) Madhukeshwara of Banavasi. Historian M. Somasekhara Sarma suggests that the Kadambas brought with them their family God Madhukeshwara into their new home Kalinga. It appears that Kamarnava II built
14878-646: The Hindu populace. The Ganga Empire also harbored the fleeing culture and art from other parts of India. The Eastern Gangas were great patrons of religion and the arts, and the temples of the Ganga period rank among the masterpieces of Kalinga and Hindu architecture . A branch of the Eastern Ganga dynasty survived as the kings of the Paralakhemundi state , currently part of the Gajapati district , Odisha. It
15051-558: 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
15224-703: 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
15397-666: The Kalingan Prachya Ganga family are identified from five different administrative centers namely – Kalinganagara (Srikakulam), Svetaka Mandala (Ganjam), Giri Kalinga (Simhapur), Ambabadi Mandala (Gunupur, Rayagada) and Vartanni Mandala (Hinjilikatu, Ganjam). The heartland of the Prachya Gangas had three parts of Kalinga namely, Daksina Kalinga (Pithapura), Madhya Kalinga (Yellamanchili Kalinga or Visakhapatnam) and Uttara Kalinga (districts of Srikakulam, Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada). The earliest known prominent king
15570-589: 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
15743-515: The Odishan powers in 1356. Narasimha IV, the last known king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, ruled until 1425. The "mad king," Bhanudeva IV, who succeeded him, left no inscriptions; his minister Kapilendra usurped the throne and founded the Suryavamsha dynasty in 1434–35. The following is the list of Eastern Ganga rulers: Indravarman I is earliest known Independent king of the dynasty. He
15916-718: The Speaker and Deputy Speaker, who are elected by the members. Assembly meetings are presided over by the Speaker, or by the Deputy Speaker in the Speaker's absence. Executive authority is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister , although the titular head of government is the Governor of Odisha . The governor is appointed by the President of India . The leader of the party or coalition with
16089-709: The Tel Valley reveals 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
16262-467: The Vigrahas of South Toshali and Mudgalas. Joining the onslaught like his father, he commanded major battles against the Vigrahas and won territories in the northern parts of ancient Kalinga and declared himself as Sakala-Kalingadhipati (the ruler of whole Kalinga). The dynasty though remaining to be a strong ruling family in ancient Odisha and North Andhra Pradesh continued to remain as vassal rulers under
16435-640: The area south of Mahendragiri mountain around 498–500 CE, acknowledged a deity of the Saora ( Savara or Sabara) tribe on the Mahendragiri mountain with the name of Shiva-Gokarnaswamin as the patron deity of their family. Epigraphist, John Faithfull Fleet has identified Gangawadi and Kolahalapuram with the Ganga Dynasty (founded in 350 CE) and Kolar , ruled by the Western Gangas . Both
16608-503: The average literacy rate is 70.22%, compared to 85.57% in urban areas. Among the Scheduled Tribe population, the literacy rate is 52.24%. Eastern Ganga dynasty The Eastern Ganga dynasty (also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas) were a large medieval era Indian royal Hindu dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas ruled much of
16781-427: 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
16954-409: 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
17127-449: The capital of the early Eastern Gangas. After the decline of the early Eastern Gangas reign, the Chalukyas of Vengi took control of the region. The first monarch of the dynasty Vajrahastha Aniyakabhima I (980-1015 A.D), took advantage of the internal strife and revived the power of the Ganga dynasty. It was during their rule that Shaivism took precedence over Buddhism and Jainism . The magnificent Srimukhalingam Temple at Mukhalingam
17300-463: The central authority of the Bhauma-Kara dynasty which is proven by the fact that a smaller Eastern Ganga king belonging to the clan and named as Jayavarmadeva mentioned himself as the vassal of Sivakara Deva I in his Ganjam grant and by whose permission he gave away the grants. It was during the rule of Anantavarman Vajrahasta V in the mid eleventh century that the clan started emerging as
17473-587: The centralized authority of the Somavanshis and laying the foundation to an imperial era for the Eastern Gangas. In the later years of the century, Devendravarman Rajaraja I defeated the Somavanshi king Mahasivagupta Janmenjaya II completely while challenging the Cholas in battle, along with establishing authority in the Vengi region. The Cholas were defeated by Rajaraja I and Chola princess, Rajasundari,
17646-584: 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
17819-496: 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
17992-610: The document to join Orissa. Most of the Orissa Tributary States , a group of princely states, acceded to Orissa in 1948, after the collapse of the Eastern States Union . Odisha lies between the latitudes 17.780N and 22.730N, and between longitudes 81.37E and 87.53E. The state has an area of 155,707 km , which is 4.87% of total area of India, and a coastline of 450 km. In the eastern part of
18165-541: The early and the later Eastern Ganga kings had close relations with the Eastern Kadambas, who functioned under them as chieftains, heads and provincial governors. Most of the early as well as the later Eastern Ganga kings of Kalinga worshipped the holy feet of Gokarneswara of Mahendragiri. This deity also has a strong Karnataka connection through the Mahabaleshwar Temple situated in Gokarna (Karnataka) which
18338-998: The early and the later Eastern Gangas of Kalinga were. Also, while the bardic traditions of the Western Ganga dynasty claim descent from the Sun through the Ikshavaku dynasty , the Eastern Ganga genealogies ascribe descent from the Moon; the Chandravamsa lineage . Unlike the Western Ganga Dynasty who traced their lineage to the Solar Dynasty , the Later Eastern Gangas claimed a lunar descent from Vishnu through Brahma , Atri and Chandra (moon). Dineshwar Singh concludes that in spite of
18511-410: The evolution of the language from Odra Prakrit. The early rulers of the dynasty ruled from Dantapuram ; the capital was later moved to Kalinganagara (modern Mukhalingam ), and ultimately to Kataka (modern Cuttack ) and then to Paralakhemundi . Today, they are most remembered as the builders of the world renowned Jagannath Temple of Puri and Konark Sun Temple situated in Odisha, as well as
18684-655: The famed king cobra , plus banded krait and tricarinate hill turtle . There is also a mugger crocodile breeding programme in nearby Ramtirtha. The Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary is a 190 km protected area near the capital city, Bhubaneswar. However, urban expansion and over-grazing have reduced the forests, driving the herds of elephants to migrate away, as well as increasing human-elephant conflicts—which sometimes results in injury and death (on both sides). Some elephants have died in conflicts with villagers, while some have died during migration after being accidentally electrocuted by power lines or even hit by trains. Outside
18857-411: The first to rule all three divisions of Kalinga. Anantavarman was a religious person as well as a patron of art and literature. He is credited for having built the famous Jagannath Temple of Puri in Odisha . King Anantavarman Chodagangadeva was succeeded by a long line of illustrious rulers such as Narasingha Deva I (1238–1264). Rajaraja III ascended the throne in 1198 and did nothing to resist
19030-710: The governor. The term of the office is for five years, unless the Assembly is dissolved prior to the completion of the term. The judiciary is composed of the Odisha High Court , located at Cuttack, and a system of lower courts. Odisha has been divided into 30 districts. These 30 districts have been placed under three different revenue divisions to streamline their governance. The divisions are North, Central and South, with their headquarters at Sambalpur , Cuttack and Berhampur respectively. Each division consists of ten districts and has as its administrative head
19203-475: The highest population among all districts in Odisha. In contrast, Debagarh district has the lowest population. The population in the age group of 0–6 years comprised 12% of the total population, with a child sex ratio of 934 females for every 1,000 males in this age group. Additionally, Scheduled Castes (SC) constituted a population of 7.2 million, making up 16.5% of the total population, while Scheduled Tribes (ST) accounted for 9.6 million, representing 22.1% of
19376-485: 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
19549-607: The inscriptions found in that temple. Somasekhara Sarma states that the Eastern Kadambas probably came to Kalinga from the districts of Dharwad , Belagavi and Ratnagiri . He substantiates it by showing the presence of a village named as a crude distortion of the Kannada place name Palasige ( Halasi or Palasi in Old Kannada), as Palasa (Palasika) in the Kalinga region. Most of the early Western Gangas were Shaivas , just like
19722-542: The intention of having the English and Hindi renditions conform to the Odia transliteration. However, the underlying Odia texts were nevertheless transliterated incorrectly as per the Hunterian system , the official national transliteration standard, in which the transliterations would be Orisha and Oria instead. Prehistoric Acheulian tools dating to Lower Paleolithic era have been discovered in various places in
19895-702: 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
20068-460: The limits of former Vengi kingdom, this large extent of his empire from Bengal to Vengi is clearly stated in his Korni grant inscriptions. In the Sri Kurmam temple grant of Chodaganga, it is clearly stated that he has extended his territory from Bhagirathi Ganga to Gautami Ganga rivers which is literally the region between river Ganga and Godavari . The only front where he faced setbacks
20241-411: The many parts of his ancestral kingdom to the Cholas who were now in an advantageous position. However, Ananatavarman Chodaganga Deva not only lived a young life of prolonged struggles and setbacks but finally managed to completely remove the Chola presence from the region and finally securing Utkala , Kalinga, Gauda , Radha and Vengi as one kingdom. While many of his inscriptions are found inside
20414-590: The modern region of Odisha in three different phases by the passage of time, known as Early Eastern Gangas (493–1077), Imperial Eastern Gangas (1077–1436) and Khemundi Gangas (1436–1947). They are known as "Eastern Gangas" to distinguish them from the Western Gangas who ruled over Karnataka . The territory ruled by the dynasty consisted of the whole of the modern-day Indian state of Odisha , as well as major parts of north Andhra Pradesh , parts of Chhattisgarh and some southern districts of West Bengal . Odia language got official status in their regime following
20587-432: 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
20760-506: 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
20933-409: 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
21106-416: 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
21279-403: The old Brahmic numbering system with separate symbols representing each of the single digits, separate symbols representing two-digit multiples of ten, such as 20, 30, 40, and so on, and further separate symbols representing three-digit numbers such as 100, 200, etc. Thus a number like 123 was written as 100-20-3. But the Eastern Ganga coins were written using the symbols for the single digits, with
21452-609: 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
21625-501: The plateaus. The highest point in the state is Deomali at 1,672 metres in Koraput district . Some other high peaks are: Sinkaram (1,620 m), Golikoda (1,617 m), and Yendrika (1,582 metres). The state experiences four meteorological seasons : winter (January to February), pre-monsoon season (March to May), south-west monsoon season (June to September) and north east monsoon season (October–December). However, locally
21798-401: 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
21971-410: The population. According to the 2011 Census, Odisha's overall literacy rate is 72.87%. Male literacy stands at 81.59%, while female literacy is recorded at 64.01%. Odisha's literacy rate is slightly below the national average of 74.04%. Literacy rates vary within the state, with Khordha district having the highest literacy rate at 86.88%, while Nabarangpur has the lowest at 46.43%. In rural areas,
22144-643: The position of the number indicating the value such as tens or hundreds, thus effectively using the Zero-place holder system. By successfully defeating the invasion attempts of Muslim invaders, the Eastern Ganga Empire is attributed to have served as the conservatory of the Hindu religion, art and culture at a time when India's indigenous civilization was endangered through the large scale massacre of Hindus , plundering of cities , desecration and destruction of temples and forcible conversions of
22317-460: The potential to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2030. Odisha has a network of roads, railways, airports and seaports. Bhubaneswar is well connected by air, rail and road with the rest of India. Some highways are getting expanded to four lanes. Odisha Government Plans Mega Metro Rail Project to Connect Puri and Bhubaneswar The metro rail proposal was given to connect trains between Puri- Bhubaneswar – Cuttack. The Odisha government has planned
22490-508: The powerful Vishnukundina king Indrabhattaraka, defeated and killed him. The Vishnukundins returned with a vengeance, defeated the Vakataka King and members of the alliance while Indravarman declared himself as Tri-Kalingadhipati (the lord of the three Kalingas) rising from obscurity and moving his capital northwards away from the attacking Vishnukundins. His son Hastivarman found himself stuck between two Gupta feudal dynasties of Odisha,
22663-583: 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
22836-688: The protected area, they are killed by ivory poachers . In 2002, there were about 80 elephants, but by 2012, their numbers had been reduced to 20. Many of the animals have migrated toward the Barbara Reserve forest, Chilika, Nayagarh district , and Athagad . Besides elephants, the sanctuary also has leopards, jungle cats and herds of chital. The Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district covers 650 km , of which 150 km are mangroves. Gahirmatha Beach , in Bhitarkanika,
23009-407: The rare finless porpoise , as well as the more common bottlenose dolphin , humpback dolphin and spinner dolphins in its waters. Satapada is situated close to the northeast cape of Chilika Lake and Bay of Bengal. It is famous for dolphin watching in their natural habitat. There is a tiny island en route for watching dolphins, where tourists often take a short stop. Apart from that, this island
23182-592: The region, implying an early settlement by humans. Kalinga has been mentioned in ancient texts like Mahabharata , Vayu Purana and Mahagovinda Suttanta . According to political scientist Sudama Misra, the Kalinga janapada originally comprised the area covered by the Puri and Ganjam districts. The Sabar people of Odisha have also been mentioned in the Mahabharata. Baudhayana mentions Kalinga as not yet being influenced by Vedic traditions, implying it followed mostly tribal traditions. Ashoka of
23355-407: The reign of Yayati II, c. 1025 CE, they had integrated the region into a single kingdom. Yayati II is supposed to have built the Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneswar . They were replaced by the Eastern Ganga dynasty . Notable rulers of the dynasty were Anantavarman Chodaganga , who began reconstruction on the present-day Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri (c. 1135), and Narasimhadeva I , who constructed
23528-412: The rivers Ganga to Godavari but led the foundation to the imperial hegemony of the Eastern Gangas in the Eastern coast of India. Chodaganga Deva was a strong king and was the son of Rajaraja Devendravarman and grandson of Vajrahasta Anantavarman of the Imperial Gangas of Kalinganagara . His mother was princess Rajasundari of the Chola dynasty . After the fall of Mahameghavahana dynasty , Kalinga
23701-739: The second-largest lizard species on earth, in addition to axis deer and rhesus macaques . The coastal mangrove environments are home to several types of mudskippers , including the barred , Boddart's blue-spotted and great blue-spotted mudskippers . In winter, Bhitarkanika is also visited by migratory birds . Among the many species, both resident and migratory, are kingfishers (including black-capped , collared and common kingfishers ), herons (such as black-crowned night , grey , purple and striated herons ), Indian cormorants , openbill storks , Oriental white ibis , pheasant-tailed jacana , sarus cranes , spotted owlets and white-bellied sea-eagles . The possibly endangered horseshoe crab
23874-571: The sectors which attracted maximum investments in the state. The recently concluded Make in Odisha Conclave 2022 saw the state generate investment proposals worth ₹10.5 trillion with an employment potential for 10,37,701 people. Out of the total investment proposals received, the metals, ancillary and downstream sectors fetched ₹5.50 lakhs crore (trillion), power, green energy, and renewable energy sector fetched ₹2.38 trillion, and chemicals-petrochemicals and logistics-infrastructure sector attracted ₹76,000 crores and ₹1.20 trillion, respectively. Odisha has
24047-413: 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
24220-426: 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
24393-1150: The state is Bhubaneswar and the largest city is Cuttack , which also functions as the deputy capital of the state . The other major cities are, Rourkela , Berhampur and Sambalpur . Municipal Corporations in Odisha include Bhubaneswar , Cuttack , Berhampur , Sambalpur and Rourkela . Other municipalities of Odisha include Angul , Asika , Balangir , Balasore , Barbil , Bargarh , Baripada , Basudevpur , Belpahar , Bhadrak , Bhanjanagar , Bhawanipatna , Biramitrapur , Boudh , Brajarajnagar , Byasanagar , Chhatrapur , Deogarh , Dhamra , Dhenkanal , Gopalpur , Gunupur , Hinjilicut , Jagatsinghpur , Jajpur , Jeypore , Jharsuguda , Joda , Kendrapara , Kendujhar , Khordha , Konark , Koraput , Malkangiri , Nabarangpur , Nayagarh , Nuapada , Paradeep , Paralakhemundi , Phulbani , Puri , Rajgangpur , Rayagada , Sonepur , Sundargarh , Talcher , Titilagarh , Karanjia , Chatrapur , Asika , Kantabanji , Nimapada , Baudhgarh , and Umerkote . Auxiliary authorities known as panchayats , for which local body elections are regularly held, govern local affairs in rural areas. Odisha
24566-417: The state lies the coastal plain. It extends from the Subarnarekha River in the north to the Rushikulya River in the south. The lake Chilika is part of the coastal plains. The plains are rich in fertile silt deposited by the six major rivers flowing into the Bay of Bengal : Subarnarekha , Budhabalanga , Baitarani , Brahmani , Mahanadi , and Rushikulya . The Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI),
24739-413: The state. Around 97 of them are found in Mayurbhanj district alone. The Orchid House of the Nandankanan Zoological Park maintains some of these species. Simlipal National Park is a protected wildlife area and Bengal tiger reserve spread over 2,750 km of the northern part of Mayurbhanj district . The park has around 1,078 species of plants, including 94 of the aforementioned orchids. The sal
24912-598: 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,
25085-487: The temple of Madhukeshwara in Nagara at the instance of one of his feudatories and relatives, the Eastern Kadambas. Historian G. R. Varma further suggests that the Eastern Ganga king Kamarnava II renovated the existing temple of Gokarneshwara before renaming it as Madhukeshwara. Historian R. Subba Rao states that the God Madhukeswara of Kalinganagara was also called Jayanteswara (based on Vaijayanti or Banavasi town) or Gokarneshwara ( Gokarna's Mahabaleshwar deity ) in some of
25258-404: 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
25431-444: The third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India . It neighbours the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south. Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres (301 mi) along the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean . The region is also known as Utkaḷa and is mentioned by this name in India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana . The language of Odisha
25604-399: 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
25777-441: The views and arguments against a relationship between the two Ganga dynasties - the Western and the Eastern Gangas, the similarities listed out between them strongly indicate that the founder of the Eastern Ganga dynasty travelled from the Gangawadi province of Karnataka and arrived in Trikalinga . Historians R. S. Sharma and K. M. Shrimali state that several ruling families of Kannada origin flourished and ruled Odisha like
25950-410: The wealth was mostly used in the construction of temples. The rule of the dynasty came to an end under the reign of King Bhanudeva IV (c. 1414–34), in the early 15th century and then Khemundi Ganga started ruling up to abolition of zamindari in modern India. The Eastern Ganga dynasty is said to be the longest reigning dynasty in Odisha. Their currency was called Ganga Fanams and was similar to that of
26123-688: The year is divided into six traditional seasons (or rutus ): Grishma (summer), Barsha (rainy season), Sharata (autumn), Hemanta (dewy), Sheeta (winter season) and Basanta (spring). According to a Forest Survey of India report released in 2012, Odisha has 48,903 km of wild forest, covering 31.41% of the state's total area. The forests are classified into areas of dense forest (7,060 km ), medium dense forest (21,366 km ), open forest (forest without closed canopy ; 20,477 km ) and scrub forest or scrubland (4,734 km ). The state also has bamboo forests (10,518 km ) and tidal areas of mangrove swamp (221 km ). The state
26296-403: The zamindari into two branches- Badakhemundi and Sanakhemundi. The Hindol princely state was established in 1554 by two brothers, Chandradeva Jenamani and Udhavadeva Jenamani belonging to the family of the Badakhemundi Raja of Ganjam . The kingdom acceded to India and merged into the state of Odisha following independence in 1947. The Bamra kingdom was established by Saraju Gangadeb who
26469-406: Was Indravarman who is known from his Jirjingi copper plate grant. The Godavari grant of Raja Prthivimalla and the Ramatirtham grant of Vishnukundina king Indrbhattaraka refer to a war of four tusked elephants or Chaturdanta Samara in which Indravarman I the son of Mitavarman, a Ganga general of Vakataka king and a local ruler of Dantapura commanded an alliance of small South Kalingan kingdoms against
26642-445: 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
26815-423: Was also the first king to use the title of "Gajapati" or "Lord of war elephants" or "King with an army of elephants" among the Odishan kings in the 1246 CE inscription at the Kapilash Temple . With the death of Narasimha in 1264, the Eastern Gangas began to decline; the sultan of Delhi, Firuz Shah Tughlaq , invaded Odisha between 1353 and 1358, and levied tribute on the Ganga king. The Musunuri Nayaks defeated
26988-482: Was built during this period. In the 11th century, the Cholas brought the Ganga Kingdom under their rule with the sudden death of Devendravarman Rajraja I. His son Chodaganga Deva who ascended the throne at the age of five under the protection provide by one of his maternal uncles from the Chola family had to overcome multiple obstacles before securing Kalinga, Vengi, Utkala, Odra and parts of Bengal as one kingdom. The Eastern Gangas were known to have intermarried with
27161-444: 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,
27334-728: Was divided into different kingdoms under feudatory chiefs. Each of these chiefs bore the title Kalingadhipathi (Lord of Kalinga). The beginnings of what became the Eastern Ganga dynasty came about when Indravarma I defeated the Vishnukundin king, Indrabhattaraka and established his rule over the region with Kalinganagara (or Mukhalingam ) as his capital, and Dantapuram as a secondary capital. The Ganga kings assumed various titles viz. Trikalingadhipathi or Sakala Kalingadhipathi (Lord of three Kalinga or all three Kalingas namely Kalinga proper (South), Utkala (North), and Dakshina Kosala (West)). Mukhalingam near Srikakulam of Andhra Pradesh bordering Odisha has been identified as Kalinganagara,
27507-406: Was established in 14th century when Narashingha Deba, a son of the Eastern Ganga monarch Bhanudeva II established the Khemudi kingdom. Scions of this line include, This line descends from the Paralakhemundi Ganga branch. In 16th century, the Raja of Parlakhemundi, Subarnalinga Bhanu Deba granted parts of the Khimedi areas to his son Ananga Kesari Ramachandra Deba, whose descendants in turn divided
27680-432: 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
27853-685: 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
28026-421: 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
28199-467: 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
28372-428: 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
28545-602: 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) 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
28718-512: 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
28891-406: Was married off to the Eastern Ganga king as a goodwill gesture for settlement of affairs between the Cholas and the Gangas. The identification of the father of Rajasundari is a matter of great controversy and some scholars like K. A. Nilakanta Sastri identify the king as Virarajendra Chola . After the sudden death of Rajaraja I, his underage sons Chodaganga Deva ascended the throne, losing
29064-562: 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
29237-405: Was possibly a contemporary of Demetrius I of Bactria , conquered a major part of the Indian sub-continent. Kharavela was a Jain ruler. He also built the monastery atop the Udayagiri hill. Subsequently, the region was ruled by monarchs, such as Samudragupta and Shashanka . It was also a part of Harsha 's empire. The city of Brahmapur in Odisha is also known to have been the capital of
29410-414: 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,
29583-417: Was taken from the Kadamba temples of Karnataka where it first appeared. The Mukhalingam ( Kalinganagara ) Madhukeswara (Mukhalingeswara) temple too resembles the Kadamba temples of Karnataka. The towns of Aihole , Badami and Pattadakal had emerged as 'The Cradle of Indian Temple Architecture and Hindu Rock Architecture, Stone Artwork and Construction Techniques' since the 4th century CE. The script used by
29756-467: Was the son of the local Eastern Ganga administrator of Patna region Hattahamir Deb, who was the son of Eastern Ganga ruler Bhanudeva II. Hattahamir Deb was overthrown in 1360 CE by Ramai Deva of the Chauhan dynasty who led the foundation of Patna state, while the tribal chieftains installed Saraju Gangadeb as the ruler of Bamanda region. This laid the foundation of the Bamanda branch of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. The kingdom acceded to India and merged into
29929-476: Was transferred to Rayagada district for administrative reasons. Despite its backwardness it 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
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