Rayagada District
Encyclopedia
Rayagada is a mineral-rich district in the southern part of the state of Orissa
, in India
. The city Rayagada
is its headquarter. The population of this district consists mainly of tribals.
The District occupies a total area of 7,584.7 km2. Rayagada is divided into eleven blocks.
The district generates income mainly through agriculture based activities.
Paddy, wheat, ragi, mung, biri, ground nut, potato and maize are the major crops grown in the area.
(ancient Orissa), during the Chawpagada battle.
During the rule of Gangavansi and Suryavanshi Kings in Orissa
, it was under feudatory chief of Kalinga
-Utkala empire Dadarnab Dev of Gudari Kataka This region went to the Bahamanis when the last Hindu
Gajapati emperor of Orissa
, Mukund Dev was defeated at Gohera Tikiri in 1519. It came under the Nandapur Kingdom for 47 years. Biswambar Dev was defeated and killed by Hasin Khan of Mughal Chicacole
Sarkar rulers of Orissa
,was perhaps the third king installed at Rayagada.
The Sati Kunda Goddess Majhi Ghairani and the mudfort around it speaks much about its evidence. In subsequent years it was under Bobbili
Tahasil of Vijayanagaram. During the English regime, Rayagada came under Jeypore
administration and later was part of Koraput District. As part of the extension plan of districts in Orissa state, On 2 October 1992 Rayagda District was carved out of the erstwhile Koraput district.
The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor
.
Rayagada has a great mineral source, with full of bauxite, silicon. According to a survey India has 56% of total bauxite storage of the world out of which Orissa has 62%. Out of that Rayagada has a 84% share. Depending on this, other industries like Birla, L&T, Sterlite showed an interest in Rayagada.
Rayagada is a destination for hotel industry: Hotels like Sai International, Jyotimahal, Vamsikrishna, Tejaswini, Kapilas, Raj Bhawan are a step ahead in this.
Besides these, small- and mid-scale industries enrich economy of Rayagada.Notable among them are Konark Alum Industries, Satyam Packers and Processors Pvt. Ltd.,etc.
Other industries like Jeypore Sugars Ltd., ferro manganese were supplementing economy of Rayagada, but due to shortage in supply these were closed. The jeypore sugars was established by the British which attracted loads of people from nearby states to Rayagada. The industrial atmosphere, great location and availability of resources around made Rayagada a prominent town in Orissa.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj
named Rayagada one of the country's 250 most backward districts
(out of a total of 640
). It is one of the 19 districts in Orissa currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
had won this seat in 2000.
Presently he is serving as deputy speaker of Orissa assembly.
Rayagada is part of Koraput (Lok Sabha constituency)
.
Shri Jayram Pangi (Biju Janta Dal) won the general election 2009 defeating Dr. Giridhar Gomango (INC) who represented this constituency 9 times.
Besides Rayagada, previously Gunupur was also an important railway station.It has an Narrow Gauge Railway line between Gunupur-Parlakhemundi-Nupada.This line was established by Gajpatirajas of Paralakhemundi.A breaf history about this line is given below.
Paralakhemedi Light Railway (PLR) was two feet six inches gauge railway. It was the brainchild of the erstwhile Raja of Paralakhemedi. The Kimedi country, consisting of Paralakhemedi, Paddakimedi and Chinna Kimedi, was under a single ruler till 1607. Paralakhemedi came under the British influence in 1768.
East Coast Railway came into existence in the year 1893 with the construction of the Cuttack-Khurda Road-Puri line, covering a distance of 96 km and its subsequent link along the East Coast up to Vijayawada — junction point of Southern Maratha Railway and Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway. As a result, a stretch of 1280 km of East Coast Railway, covering the entire coastal stretch of Cuttack, Khurda Road, Puri, Palasa, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, was opened for traffic between 1893 to 1896. East Coast Railway brought rail line to Naupada in 1894. The Raja of Paralakhemedi decided to connect his capital with Naupada, which was only 40 km away. With the government giving sanction in 1898, work began in full earnest. The line was opened to traffic in 1900. This railway line was built at a cost of Rs 7 lakh.
Due to a change in the policy of the British Government, the Bengal Nagpur Railway, popularly known as the B.N.R, took over the northern section of East Coast Railway from Vizianagaram to Cuttack, including the Branch Line of Puri, by 23-01-1902. Accordingly, the working of the PLR was taken over by the Bengal-Nagpur Railway in 1902. In the first few years, the PLR had incurred losses but after 1910, it started making marginal profits and after 1924-25, the profits increased. This motivated the Raja to extend the line to Gunupur in two phases in 1929 and 1931. There were now a total of ten stations between Naupada and Gunupur. Tekkali, Paddasan, Temburu, Ganguvada, Patapatnam, Paralakhemedi, Kashinagar, Lihuri, Bansidhara and Palasingi.
The management of BNR was taken over by the Government of India in October 1944. On 14-04-1952, at the time of the re-grouping of the Indian Railways it became part of the Eastern Railway. The merger of B.N.R. into Eastern Railway, however, did not last long and on 01-08-1955 it was merged with newly constituted South Eastern Railway. During the SER centenary celebrations in 1987, set of four postage stamps were released. One of the stamps featured the PL 691 locomotive.
The standard type of locomotive on PLR was the 20 ton 0-6-4 tank locomotive with small (27 inch diameter) coupled wheels and an axle load of only 4.75 tons. …
The foundation-stone was finally laid for the Naupada-Gunupur gauge conversion work at Naupada on September 27, 2002. With effect from April 1, 2003, PLR became a part of the newly formed East Coast Railway. The line was finally closed for gauge conversion on June 9, 2004.
…
The 40 km. stretch between Naupada and Parlakhemundi is part of gauge conversion project between Naupada and Gunupur covering a total distance of about 90 km.
According to authorities concerned, the trial run would be followed by introduction of departmental trains and heavy duty machines. Then the Commissioner of Railway Safety, an independent authority with headquarters at Kolkata, would issue clearance for running regular passenger trains. The total cost of the project was Rs.168 crores and so far Rs.120 crores had been spent. The remaining work between Parlakhemundi and Gunupur is also progressing well and is likely to be completed soon.
Work on major bridges in this stretch had already been completed. According to authorities, linking work is likely to be completed by June. There is some problem in procuring ballasts for this track. However, authorities are confident of overcoming this.
The Indian Railways on Monday finally spelt out its plan of action to bring the Khurda-Bolangir new broad gauge line, which was sanctioned 13 years ago, back on track here.
Addressing a press conference, Chairman of Railway Board Kalyan Coomar Jena said the Orissa government had been approached to provide land required for the 290-kilometre-long stretch Khurda-Bolangir line free of cost.
Moreover, funds available in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) with the State should be diverted to take up earthwork needed for laying the new line, Mr. Jena said.
“If the state government responds positively to our idea, the Khurda-Bolangir project would move much faster,” Mr. Jena said.
… The proposed Khurda-Bolangir line is a vital railway link, which would connect coastal Orissa with the western part. Though people had started demanding the railway link more than two decades ago, it was sanctioned in the year 1994-1995.
The projected cost of the project has now reached Rs. 1,000 crore.
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) said 52 per cent of cumulative physical progress had been achieved while work was in progress up to 36 km distance. Till March 2007, only Rs. 67.83 crore had been spent on the project.
The Indian Railways also sought the State government’s cooperation on land acquisition for the Puri-Konark railway link.
Sharing the progress on the proposed world-class railway station at Bhubaneswar, Mr. Jena said the railway was scouting for suitable land for the project.
He said Chinese expertise had been sought to prepare concept of the station, which would require at least 200 acres of land.
Subsequently, an expression of interest would be floated inviting interested firms to execute the project.
A high-level Chinese railway delegation headed by W.U. Wei, Director of Sino-India Railway Co-operation Working Group along with 12 members had visited the city for conducting a survey for developing a world class station here.
Rayagada district has a population
of 961,959, roughly equal to the nation of Fiji
or the US state of Montana
. This gives it a ranking of 454th in India (out of a total of 640
). The district has a population density of 136 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.74 %. Rayagada has a sex ratio
of 1048 females
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
of 50.88 %.
The district has a predominant tribal population of 57.52%. All the 11 blocks of the district have been covered under tribal sub-plan with three micro projects in operation for the pre-literate indigenous tribal communities.
The topography
of Rayagada gives a prefect platform for the tribals in sustaining their ethno-cultural identity in the district. Forest area covers an extent of 4785.36 km2 out of which 777.27 km² is Reserved forest.
The district has been the homeland of various tribal communities with their sub-tribes, who are found in different levels of development depending upon their assimilation with the mainstream or modern communities. In the ethno-cultural map of Orissa, two tribes stand out quite prominently for their education backwardness and continuing ethnic and cultural identity, the Kondhas and the Souras.
. There are number of cultural magazines continuously published from Ryagada. Prominent writers of this district are sarbo sri Damborudhar Patnaik, Dr Dusmonta kumar Mohanty, Dr Kumudo ch. Mishra, Sibo Prasad Gantayat, Satyanarayan Gantayat, Basudev patro, Susant Nayak, Dwitichandra Sahu, Ram Krushna Pattnik, Kishor Mohapatro, Golok Dolai, Pratibha Dash,Pratibha mishra,Prakesh Mohapatro, Parth Sarathi Barik, etc.
The Oriya
magazine The Jyotshna is known as the cultural mouthpiece of Rayagada. The magazine has been published since 1972. At first Jyotshna was published from Sunabeda
of undivided Koraput district. Its founder is shri Basudev Patro and editor is smt Santilata Patro. Patro has written a number of short stories, poems, novels, sonnets, which brought critic's attention. His poem collection Konark has received a great deal of accolade from the Oriya readers. Now Konark is going to be published in English.
There are magazines like Panchaboti, Rayagada Samachar, AKASH, Green Room, etc. which enriched the cultural aspect of Rayagada. One of the editor of the Oriya magazine the SARVADOYO published from Cuttack's Bakhorabad Sri BHAGBAT PRASAD RATH hails from Rayagada Town. Sri B.P.Rath has written a number of novels in Oriya, like LUHORO MOSAL KEBE LIVENA, MONISO TOLE KANONO GOLE and in each and every novel he has emphasized on removal of social disparity. Sri B.P.Rath is facilitated by a number of organigations of India. In 1980s the magazines published by sri B.P. Rath, like Green Room has revousationalised the literary environment. Other notable names in the literary circles is Bh. Nageswara Rao.
Rayagada college imparts education at +2 and +3 levels for Science, Arts and Commerce stream. Women's college imparts education in +2 Science/Arts and Commerce. But at +3 level it imparts education for Arts stream only. State governments' diploma engineering college known as UTKAL GOURAB MADHUSUDAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (UGMIT) is present near by river Nagabali and imparts diploma courses in several branches of engineering.
Also the area has seen a rise in engineering colleges which apart from B.Tech in Engineering also have facilities for MCA, MBA and Bio-Technology courses.
Majhigharaini Institute of Technology and Sciences (MITS)http://www.mitscollege.ac.in
MITS Rayagada (www.mitscollege.ac.in) established in 1997 under the management of Basantadevi Charitable Trust. MITS has developed into a sprawling campus of 50 acres (202,343 m²) in a picturesque location at Bhujbal, adjoining the State Highway No. 4 between Jeypore and Bhubaneswar. It drew its name from the Goddess Maghighariani, the reigning deity of Rayagada. This institute is part of MITS Group (www.mitsgroup.co.in)http://www.mitsgroup.co.in conglomerate of academic institutes, independent research laboratories and companies. The focus of the group is to have a synergy between its education, research and industry sector. Provides degree of M-tech, B-tech, MSc, BSc, BCA, ITI & Diploma courses to students all over the country. This is the first college in India to provide B-Tech in Bio-Technology apart from few IITs. The Bio-Technology Lab of MITS is best in class. MITS School of Bio-Technology (www.msb.ac.in) (http://www.msb.ac.in) is another college at Infosity, Bhubaneswar of the same MITS Group.
IACR: Institute for advanced computer and research another engineering college has given credibility to the education system in more than one ways.IACR has produced young talents for the IT sector of India and world.Mr.P.Dinakar and Mr.P.C Mishra has made it a premier organisation in orissa.It draws the attraction of some global tech. giants like TCS,INFOSYS,WIPRO for their recruitment process.
GIST: A sister organisation of well known "Gandhi group" has successfully completed its one year in the field of engineering teaching.It is also another step taken by the "Gandhi group" for improving the education in Rayagada.
CTTC: Central tool room and training centre, a Govt. of India institute under MSME is forwarding in the field of engineering targeting the weeker section. CTTC with its unique course structure changing the unskilled and semi-skilled persons as skilled one and self reliance as well. At the same time the high end course like MCC is producing perfect designers for future INDIA.
Centre for World Education Service, Rayagada is an Educational registered under Indian Society Act. Serving for diversified field of development in KBK District situated in Rayagada District renders sincere ungrudging service to the people and has made honest effort for academic improvement of different section of society. Though located in a backward district of Orissa there is the dawn of new such of prospectus looming large over its horizon. Rapid industrialization is taking place in the area. But the students and employees are not fit to cope with need challenging jobs causing under industrial sector.
Having establish and supported by high-level learned persons of India and Abroad CWES has its own credential in education sector providing quality service to the un-reached with an expose to international standards. CWES is an affiliate institute as Bharathiar University as Spot Admission and learning Centre for Orissa. CWES offers many professional courses such as MBA, MCA, PGDCA, M.Sc. Physics, M.Sc. Chemistry, M.Sc.Bio information, M.Sc.Environment Sc., B.Sc.IT, B.Sc.Computer. Sc., BCA, BBA, BBM, B.Sc.Maths., M.sc.Maths. CWES is quite popular as a language learning centre for English and German languages.
In addition to these, institutions like DATAPRO, TCIL are well known for their contribution toward computer education.
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The city Rayagada
Rayagada
Rayagada is a municipality in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Orissa. It is the administrative headquarters of Rayagada district.-Geography:...
is its headquarter. The population of this district consists mainly of tribals.
The District occupies a total area of 7,584.7 km2. Rayagada is divided into eleven blocks.
The district generates income mainly through agriculture based activities.
Paddy, wheat, ragi, mung, biri, ground nut, potato and maize are the major crops grown in the area.
History
In the third century B.C, during the reign of Ashoka the Great, it was under Kalinga empire (ancient Orissa). The hilly track between Bansadhara and Nagabali was famous for spices. The Rastriks were defeated by Kharvela, the only Aryan Emperor of KalingaKalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
(ancient Orissa), during the Chawpagada battle.
During the rule of Gangavansi and Suryavanshi Kings in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, it was under feudatory chief of Kalinga
Kalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
-Utkala empire Dadarnab Dev of Gudari Kataka This region went to the Bahamanis when the last Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Gajapati emperor of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, Mukund Dev was defeated at Gohera Tikiri in 1519. It came under the Nandapur Kingdom for 47 years. Biswambar Dev was defeated and killed by Hasin Khan of Mughal Chicacole
Chicacole
Chicacole, was the former name for the city of Srikakulam that was applied by British colonial rulers. It is said that the word Chicacole came from two Persian words - Chica and Khol. Chica means "a small cloth bag which can be closed by pulling a thread around its neck" and Khol means 'open'...
Sarkar rulers of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
,was perhaps the third king installed at Rayagada.
The Sati Kunda Goddess Majhi Ghairani and the mudfort around it speaks much about its evidence. In subsequent years it was under Bobbili
Bobbili
Bobbili is a town, mandal headquarters and a Municipality in Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Geography:Bobbili is located at . It has an average elevation of 103 metres .-History:...
Tahasil of Vijayanagaram. During the English regime, Rayagada came under Jeypore
Jeypore
Jeypore, is the largest town in the Koraput district of Orissa, India. Along with Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Balasore, Puri and Berhampur, Jeypore is one of the prominent places of Orissa. It is encompassed by hills of the Eastern Ghats and the more famous Araku hills on three...
administration and later was part of Koraput District. As part of the extension plan of districts in Orissa state, On 2 October 1992 Rayagda District was carved out of the erstwhile Koraput district.
The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor
Red corridor
The Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of India that experiences considerable Naxalite communist insurgency...
.
Economy
For the past six decades, Rayagada has seen institutions like IMFA, JKPAPER mills enriching the economy.Rayagada has a great mineral source, with full of bauxite, silicon. According to a survey India has 56% of total bauxite storage of the world out of which Orissa has 62%. Out of that Rayagada has a 84% share. Depending on this, other industries like Birla, L&T, Sterlite showed an interest in Rayagada.
Rayagada is a destination for hotel industry: Hotels like Sai International, Jyotimahal, Vamsikrishna, Tejaswini, Kapilas, Raj Bhawan are a step ahead in this.
Besides these, small- and mid-scale industries enrich economy of Rayagada.Notable among them are Konark Alum Industries, Satyam Packers and Processors Pvt. Ltd.,etc.
Other industries like Jeypore Sugars Ltd., ferro manganese were supplementing economy of Rayagada, but due to shortage in supply these were closed. The jeypore sugars was established by the British which attracted loads of people from nearby states to Rayagada. The industrial atmosphere, great location and availability of resources around made Rayagada a prominent town in Orissa.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Ministry of Panchayati Raj
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India looking after the ongoing process of decentralization and local governance in the States....
named Rayagada one of the country's 250 most backward districts
Poverty in India
Poverty is widespread in India, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of 1.25 a day...
(out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). It is one of the 19 districts in Orissa currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Political divisions
Current MLA from Rayagada (ST) Assembly Constituency is Shri Lal Bihari Himrika of Biju Janta Dal, who won the seat in State elections in 2009 Lalbihari Himirika of BJDBiju Janata Dal
The Biju Janata Dal is a state political party of the Indian state of Orissa led by Naveen Patnaik, son of former state chief minister Biju Patnaik. It was founded on 27 December 1997.-History:...
had won this seat in 2000.
Presently he is serving as deputy speaker of Orissa assembly.
Rayagada is part of Koraput (Lok Sabha constituency)
Koraput (Lok Sabha constituency)
Koraput is a Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency in Orissa. Assembly constituencies which constitute this parliamentary constituency are: Gunupur, Bissam-Cuttack, Rayagada, Lakshmipur, Pottangi, Koraput, Jeypore.-Members of Parliament:...
.
Shri Jayram Pangi (Biju Janta Dal) won the general election 2009 defeating Dr. Giridhar Gomango (INC) who represented this constituency 9 times.
Rail
The Rayagada's Railway station is an important station so far as the dependence on this station is concerned.From This station you can hve direct trains to Chenaii,Kolkata,Hyderabad,Bhubaneswar,Raipur,New Delhi,etc.Besides Rayagada, previously Gunupur was also an important railway station.It has an Narrow Gauge Railway line between Gunupur-Parlakhemundi-Nupada.This line was established by Gajpatirajas of Paralakhemundi.A breaf history about this line is given below.
Paralakhemedi Light Railway (PLR) was two feet six inches gauge railway. It was the brainchild of the erstwhile Raja of Paralakhemedi. The Kimedi country, consisting of Paralakhemedi, Paddakimedi and Chinna Kimedi, was under a single ruler till 1607. Paralakhemedi came under the British influence in 1768.
East Coast Railway came into existence in the year 1893 with the construction of the Cuttack-Khurda Road-Puri line, covering a distance of 96 km and its subsequent link along the East Coast up to Vijayawada — junction point of Southern Maratha Railway and Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway. As a result, a stretch of 1280 km of East Coast Railway, covering the entire coastal stretch of Cuttack, Khurda Road, Puri, Palasa, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, was opened for traffic between 1893 to 1896. East Coast Railway brought rail line to Naupada in 1894. The Raja of Paralakhemedi decided to connect his capital with Naupada, which was only 40 km away. With the government giving sanction in 1898, work began in full earnest. The line was opened to traffic in 1900. This railway line was built at a cost of Rs 7 lakh.
Due to a change in the policy of the British Government, the Bengal Nagpur Railway, popularly known as the B.N.R, took over the northern section of East Coast Railway from Vizianagaram to Cuttack, including the Branch Line of Puri, by 23-01-1902. Accordingly, the working of the PLR was taken over by the Bengal-Nagpur Railway in 1902. In the first few years, the PLR had incurred losses but after 1910, it started making marginal profits and after 1924-25, the profits increased. This motivated the Raja to extend the line to Gunupur in two phases in 1929 and 1931. There were now a total of ten stations between Naupada and Gunupur. Tekkali, Paddasan, Temburu, Ganguvada, Patapatnam, Paralakhemedi, Kashinagar, Lihuri, Bansidhara and Palasingi.
The management of BNR was taken over by the Government of India in October 1944. On 14-04-1952, at the time of the re-grouping of the Indian Railways it became part of the Eastern Railway. The merger of B.N.R. into Eastern Railway, however, did not last long and on 01-08-1955 it was merged with newly constituted South Eastern Railway. During the SER centenary celebrations in 1987, set of four postage stamps were released. One of the stamps featured the PL 691 locomotive.
The standard type of locomotive on PLR was the 20 ton 0-6-4 tank locomotive with small (27 inch diameter) coupled wheels and an axle load of only 4.75 tons. …
The foundation-stone was finally laid for the Naupada-Gunupur gauge conversion work at Naupada on September 27, 2002. With effect from April 1, 2003, PLR became a part of the newly formed East Coast Railway. The line was finally closed for gauge conversion on June 9, 2004.
Gauge Conversion
The broad gauge railway line between Naupada and Parlakhemundi, a long-cherished dream of people in parts of Srikakulam and Gajapthi districts, is ready and the mandatory trial run of train on this 40 km new rail track, which was postponed because of election code, will be carried out anytime after April 23.…
The 40 km. stretch between Naupada and Parlakhemundi is part of gauge conversion project between Naupada and Gunupur covering a total distance of about 90 km.
According to authorities concerned, the trial run would be followed by introduction of departmental trains and heavy duty machines. Then the Commissioner of Railway Safety, an independent authority with headquarters at Kolkata, would issue clearance for running regular passenger trains. The total cost of the project was Rs.168 crores and so far Rs.120 crores had been spent. The remaining work between Parlakhemundi and Gunupur is also progressing well and is likely to be completed soon.
Work on major bridges in this stretch had already been completed. According to authorities, linking work is likely to be completed by June. There is some problem in procuring ballasts for this track. However, authorities are confident of overcoming this.
The Indian Railways on Monday finally spelt out its plan of action to bring the Khurda-Bolangir new broad gauge line, which was sanctioned 13 years ago, back on track here.
Addressing a press conference, Chairman of Railway Board Kalyan Coomar Jena said the Orissa government had been approached to provide land required for the 290-kilometre-long stretch Khurda-Bolangir line free of cost.
Moreover, funds available in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) with the State should be diverted to take up earthwork needed for laying the new line, Mr. Jena said.
“If the state government responds positively to our idea, the Khurda-Bolangir project would move much faster,” Mr. Jena said.
… The proposed Khurda-Bolangir line is a vital railway link, which would connect coastal Orissa with the western part. Though people had started demanding the railway link more than two decades ago, it was sanctioned in the year 1994-1995.
The projected cost of the project has now reached Rs. 1,000 crore.
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) said 52 per cent of cumulative physical progress had been achieved while work was in progress up to 36 km distance. Till March 2007, only Rs. 67.83 crore had been spent on the project.
The Indian Railways also sought the State government’s cooperation on land acquisition for the Puri-Konark railway link.
Sharing the progress on the proposed world-class railway station at Bhubaneswar, Mr. Jena said the railway was scouting for suitable land for the project.
He said Chinese expertise had been sought to prepare concept of the station, which would require at least 200 acres of land.
Subsequently, an expression of interest would be floated inviting interested firms to execute the project.
A high-level Chinese railway delegation headed by W.U. Wei, Director of Sino-India Railway Co-operation Working Group along with 12 members had visited the city for conducting a survey for developing a world class station here.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...
Rayagada district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
of 961,959, roughly equal to the nation of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
or the US state of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. This gives it a ranking of 454th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). The district has a population density of 136 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...
over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.74 %. Rayagada has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
of 1048 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...
of 50.88 %.
The district has a predominant tribal population of 57.52%. All the 11 blocks of the district have been covered under tribal sub-plan with three micro projects in operation for the pre-literate indigenous tribal communities.
The topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
of Rayagada gives a prefect platform for the tribals in sustaining their ethno-cultural identity in the district. Forest area covers an extent of 4785.36 km2 out of which 777.27 km² is Reserved forest.
The district has been the homeland of various tribal communities with their sub-tribes, who are found in different levels of development depending upon their assimilation with the mainstream or modern communities. In the ethno-cultural map of Orissa, two tribes stand out quite prominently for their education backwardness and continuing ethnic and cultural identity, the Kondhas and the Souras.
Tourist attractions
Rayagada, the district of many charms, is a thrill to the searching eyes. It has the facilities to serve as a base for visiting the nearby place of interest.- Maa Majhighariani TempleMajhighariani TempleMajhighariani Temple is an important shrine for Devi in the Rayagada township of Orissa. It is a famous shrine where many people come from Chhatisgarh, Andhra Pradesh along with people from Orissa also. The legend says Devi is worshipped from centuries where as the temple is a new one. Every...
is famous in Southern Division of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Most of the devotees come from Madhyapradesh Chhatishgarh, Andhrapradesh including undivided Koraput District. Only the face of the Maa MajhiGhariani is worshiped. During Sunday, Wednesday and Friday a large number of devotees come to worship the Goddess. The temple is famous for Chaitra-Parba, i.e., March–April of every year. - Maa Mangla Maa Temple lies in the Raniguda area of Rayagada.it is near the hathipatter
- Hatipathar is only 3 km from the district headquarters. It is a place of great scenic beauty with two waterfalls on the course of river Nagavali. The scenic beauty is impressive and the boulders here appear like huge elephants. Visitor are not welcome after heavy rains in 2006 changed the course of the Nagabali.
- Gayatri Temple at MITS College: A beautiful temple with Goddess Maa Gayatri, Saraswati and Maa Majhighariani. Engineering students do meditation and pooja after their studies in the temple. Lot of devotees come to the temple regularly. A Spiritual Library is present under the temple ground floor. Lot of books on Indian culture are there.
- Laxminarayan temple is at IMFA Factory, Therubali. The deities Laxminarayan, Hanuman, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra and Lord Siva are worshiped by thousands devotees.
- Paikapada is famous for so many Siva Lingams. The deities like Lord Jagannath, Maa Dhakineswar Kalika, Samudra, etc. are worshiped here. The car festival of Lord Jagannath is also celebrated. During Sivaratri a large number of pilgrims come to observe the function. The place is near Theruballi. It is believed that there are 99,99,999 shivlingams (only one less than 1 crore) in and around Paikapada shrine.
- Chatikona is located about 48 km from Rayagada surrounded by a series of valleys and wooded hills of varying colours and the place is a center of pilgrimage for the temple of Mahadev. It offers picnickers gorgeous view of the waterfall. The Siva temple is the focus of hectic activities on Siva Ratri. The Dongaria Kondha of Chatikona represent the primitive section of the tribe.
- Minajhola is only 134 km from Rayagada. It is a beauty spot of nature, has a siva temple at the confluence of three rivers. It is situated in the heart of dense forest, rich in wildlife. Sivaratri is a popular festival of this place. Though there is no good all-weather road yet, the place is worth visiting. Regular bus service is available from Rayagada and Gunupur up to Gudari. The rest 25 km road is Jeepable.
- The Devagiri hill rises to a height of 120.2 meters. Unlike other hills it is not narrower upwards. The top of the hill is a flat platform of rectangular plain, which can be approached only from the northern side. There are 476 steps which are the unique feature of the Devagiri. At the top of the hill, there are perennial poles of water called Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Bhargavi and Indradyumna. There is a cave looking like two jaws. The Siva Lingam is enshrined at the meeting point of the jaws. Sivaratri is its biggest festival, which draws a large crowd every year. It is 50 km from Rayagada. Regular bus services are available from Rayagada to Kalyansingpur and the sacred hill is close to Kalyansingpur.
- Padampur houses the shrine of Manikeswari Siva. It is identified to be the seat of Dharmakirti, the Budhist-Logician-philosopher.It is a 7th century temple. It is 90 km from Rayagada.
- Gayatri Temple at Padampur is a beautiful temple with Goddess Maa PanchMukhi-Gayatri, Maa durga and Maa Mahalakshmi.The temple is famous for Saraswati Puja Sri panchami in January–February. It is 90 km from Rayagada.
- Maa Markama Temple is located at Bissam Cuttack, 40 km from Rayagada. The temple got a new look and surrounded by lush green forest. Many people visit from near and far especially on Tuesdays. The town college has also been named after Goddess Markama.
- GUMA GHATI: it is about 20 km from rayagada it is souranding by dence forest n very good place to see . many citizen come here for picnik . a small water fall also here
- RAYGADA KORAPUT RAILWAY LINE: the distance form rayagada to koraput is about 176 k.m . this route is full of adventure since there 36 turnels and about 250 bridges fall in this route. this route is like konkan railway route and one can see animals while this journey. the koraput distinct is situaded at the hight of 870 meter from the sea level.
Bhimasankar Jyotirlinga
According to Linga Puran, Bhimasankar temple in Bhimpur is around 100 km from Rayagada and around 30 km from Gunupur is one of the Jyotirling, situated at the western part of the holy Mahendragiri mountains and at the river bank of Mahendratanaya (which is also believed as the Daakini area by many historian), was excavated in 1974, having quadrangular Shakti around the Linga and decorated by a Upavita as per the puran.Fairs and festivals
- Chaitra Parba of Maa Maji Ghariani Goddess (mainly at housing board colony attracts all)
- Rath Yatra at Rayagada in July
- Ganesh Puja at Telephone Bhavan Lane
- Kali Puja at Block Colony, Rayagada in November
- Gaja Laxmi Puja at New Colony, Rayagada during kumarpurnima
- Dusshera at J.K. Pur & Brahmin street, Rayagada in October.
- Annual celebration of Gram Devata during March–April (9 days) at Rayagada
- A Ganesh puja at the Kasturi Nagar & Near Rayagada College area
- Christmas in JEL Church.
- subha udbodhan mahostav of Sri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra at Serikona, Rayagada, in January
- sree mahakala temple also situated at nanda pahad near gayatri temple gayatri nagar
Literary contributions
Rayagada is well known for its contribution to Oriya literatureOriya literature
Oriya is an official language of the state of Orissa, India. The region has been known at different stages of history as Kalinga, Udra, Utkala, or Koshala. The language is also spoken by minority populations of the neighboring states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The...
. There are number of cultural magazines continuously published from Ryagada. Prominent writers of this district are sarbo sri Damborudhar Patnaik, Dr Dusmonta kumar Mohanty, Dr Kumudo ch. Mishra, Sibo Prasad Gantayat, Satyanarayan Gantayat, Basudev patro, Susant Nayak, Dwitichandra Sahu, Ram Krushna Pattnik, Kishor Mohapatro, Golok Dolai, Pratibha Dash,Pratibha mishra,Prakesh Mohapatro, Parth Sarathi Barik, etc.
The Oriya
Oriya literature
Oriya is an official language of the state of Orissa, India. The region has been known at different stages of history as Kalinga, Udra, Utkala, or Koshala. The language is also spoken by minority populations of the neighboring states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The...
magazine The Jyotshna is known as the cultural mouthpiece of Rayagada. The magazine has been published since 1972. At first Jyotshna was published from Sunabeda
Sunabeda
Sunabeda is a township in the state of Orissa, India, ensconced in the lush valleys of the Koraput region. It is also home to Engine Division - Koraput of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited , an aircraft manufacturing company...
of undivided Koraput district. Its founder is shri Basudev Patro and editor is smt Santilata Patro. Patro has written a number of short stories, poems, novels, sonnets, which brought critic's attention. His poem collection Konark has received a great deal of accolade from the Oriya readers. Now Konark is going to be published in English.
There are magazines like Panchaboti, Rayagada Samachar, AKASH, Green Room, etc. which enriched the cultural aspect of Rayagada. One of the editor of the Oriya magazine the SARVADOYO published from Cuttack's Bakhorabad Sri BHAGBAT PRASAD RATH hails from Rayagada Town. Sri B.P.Rath has written a number of novels in Oriya, like LUHORO MOSAL KEBE LIVENA, MONISO TOLE KANONO GOLE and in each and every novel he has emphasized on removal of social disparity. Sri B.P.Rath is facilitated by a number of organigations of India. In 1980s the magazines published by sri B.P. Rath, like Green Room has revousationalised the literary environment. Other notable names in the literary circles is Bh. Nageswara Rao.
Education
Though a tribal dominated area, the focus on education has been there since long. GCD high school holds a prominent place being the oldest in the region. Gopabandhu Municipal High School another educational institution has been critical in educating children of this town. The other schools in the region are Sacred Heart School, Maharshi Vidya Mandir,St. Xavier's High School (CBSE), L.P.S. Public School and L.P.S School (JAYKAYPUR). They are English medium school and affiliated to CBSE and ICSE Delhi. There is another school in Therubali - Chinmaya Vidyalaya affiliated to CBSE for studies up to 10 + 2.Rayagada college imparts education at +2 and +3 levels for Science, Arts and Commerce stream. Women's college imparts education in +2 Science/Arts and Commerce. But at +3 level it imparts education for Arts stream only. State governments' diploma engineering college known as UTKAL GOURAB MADHUSUDAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (UGMIT) is present near by river Nagabali and imparts diploma courses in several branches of engineering.
Also the area has seen a rise in engineering colleges which apart from B.Tech in Engineering also have facilities for MCA, MBA and Bio-Technology courses.
Majhigharaini Institute of Technology and Sciences (MITS)http://www.mitscollege.ac.in
MITS Rayagada (www.mitscollege.ac.in) established in 1997 under the management of Basantadevi Charitable Trust. MITS has developed into a sprawling campus of 50 acres (202,343 m²) in a picturesque location at Bhujbal, adjoining the State Highway No. 4 between Jeypore and Bhubaneswar. It drew its name from the Goddess Maghighariani, the reigning deity of Rayagada. This institute is part of MITS Group (www.mitsgroup.co.in)http://www.mitsgroup.co.in conglomerate of academic institutes, independent research laboratories and companies. The focus of the group is to have a synergy between its education, research and industry sector. Provides degree of M-tech, B-tech, MSc, BSc, BCA, ITI & Diploma courses to students all over the country. This is the first college in India to provide B-Tech in Bio-Technology apart from few IITs. The Bio-Technology Lab of MITS is best in class. MITS School of Bio-Technology (www.msb.ac.in) (http://www.msb.ac.in) is another college at Infosity, Bhubaneswar of the same MITS Group.
IACR: Institute for advanced computer and research another engineering college has given credibility to the education system in more than one ways.IACR has produced young talents for the IT sector of India and world.Mr.P.Dinakar and Mr.P.C Mishra has made it a premier organisation in orissa.It draws the attraction of some global tech. giants like TCS,INFOSYS,WIPRO for their recruitment process.
GIST: A sister organisation of well known "Gandhi group" has successfully completed its one year in the field of engineering teaching.It is also another step taken by the "Gandhi group" for improving the education in Rayagada.
CTTC: Central tool room and training centre, a Govt. of India institute under MSME is forwarding in the field of engineering targeting the weeker section. CTTC with its unique course structure changing the unskilled and semi-skilled persons as skilled one and self reliance as well. At the same time the high end course like MCC is producing perfect designers for future INDIA.
Centre for World Education Service, Rayagada is an Educational registered under Indian Society Act. Serving for diversified field of development in KBK District situated in Rayagada District renders sincere ungrudging service to the people and has made honest effort for academic improvement of different section of society. Though located in a backward district of Orissa there is the dawn of new such of prospectus looming large over its horizon. Rapid industrialization is taking place in the area. But the students and employees are not fit to cope with need challenging jobs causing under industrial sector.
Having establish and supported by high-level learned persons of India and Abroad CWES has its own credential in education sector providing quality service to the un-reached with an expose to international standards. CWES is an affiliate institute as Bharathiar University as Spot Admission and learning Centre for Orissa. CWES offers many professional courses such as MBA, MCA, PGDCA, M.Sc. Physics, M.Sc. Chemistry, M.Sc.Bio information, M.Sc.Environment Sc., B.Sc.IT, B.Sc.Computer. Sc., BCA, BBA, BBM, B.Sc.Maths., M.sc.Maths. CWES is quite popular as a language learning centre for English and German languages.
In addition to these, institutions like DATAPRO, TCIL are well known for their contribution toward computer education.