Sonepur, also known as Subarnapur, is a town and district headquarters of Subarnapur district 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...

. Sonepur was formerly the capital of a princely state

Princely state

A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...

 of British India. The district spreads over an area of 2284.89 km². It is also known as Second Varanasi of India for its cluster of temples having architectural importance and tantric (sicsic) mystiques. Subarnapur is also famous for silk

Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...

, handloom, prawns, terracotta etc.

Demographics

India census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Sonepur town had a population of 17,535. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Sonepur has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 65%. In Sonepur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Temples of Sonepur

• Sureswari Temple
  Sureswari temple
  Sureswari temple or Sursuri temple is located at the left bank of Tel River towards the south-west of the confluence of Mahanadi and Tel River. This temple is located in the temple town of Sonepur, Subarnapur district, Orissa, India. The presiding deity is maa Sursuri and well known as one of the...
  
  

• Subarnameru Temple
  Subarnameru Temple
  Subarnameru Temple is situated in Sonepur town in Subarnapur district of Orissa.It is a shrine for the worshipping of Shiva-Legend:Popular story of Gold coin Rain is associated with this Place, with this Temple when an ardent devotee asked lord for help,so the name is Sonepur or Subarnapur.The...
  
  

• Kosaleswara Temple
  Kosaleswara temple
  Kosalesvara temple or Kosaleswara temple located at Baidyanatha of Subarnapur district, Orissa, India. In the balcony of the brick-built jagamohana hall of this temple a peculiar Kirtimukha head is carved on brick. From the mouth of this kirtimukha a bunches of leaves are flowing down...
  
  

• Lankeswari Temple
  Lankeswari Temple
  Lankeswari temple is located inside the river Mahanadi at Sonepur town, Subarnapur district, Orissa, India. Once upon a time Sonepur region was known as Paschima Lanka. Goddess Lankeswari was the presiding deity of Paschima Lanka. Now Maa Lankeswari is worshiped by the Kaivarta community of...
  
  

• Rameswar Temple

• Paschima Somanath Temple

• Gokarneswar Temple

• Bhagavati Temple

• Somaleswari Temple

• Budhi Somalai Temple

• Dadhibaban Temple

• Jagannath Temple

• Gundicha / Nrusimhanath Temple

Khambeswari Temple
Dasamati Temple
Narayani Temple
Ramachandi Temple

Politics

Current MLA from Sonepur (SC) Assembly Constituency is Niranjan Pujari of BJD

Biju 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:...

, who won the seat in State elections in 2009. Previous MLAs from this seat were Binod Patra of INC

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

, who won the seat in 2004, Kunduru Kushal who won this seat representing BJD

Biju 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:...

 in 2000, representing JD

Janata Dal

Janata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P...

 in 1995 and in 1990, Achyuta Biswal of INC in 1985, Dhaneswar Kumbhar of INC(I) in 1980, and Debraj Seth of JNP in 1977.

Sonepur is part of Balangir (Lok Sabha constituency).

See also

• Sonepuri
  Sonepuri
  Sonepuri is a term refers to the various things from Sonepur region of Orissa. Sonepuri handloom, Sonepuri saree and Sonepuri Ganga Jamuna Gamuchha are popular among people of Orissa and India. Loosely, the people of Sonepur district are called Sonepuria.-External links:* *...
  
  

• Cultural Profile of South Kosal

• Kosalananda Kavya
  Kosalananda Kavya
  Kosalananda Mahakavya or Kosalananda Kavya is a palmleaf manuscript in Sanskrit written in AD.1664 by Pandit Gangadhar Mishra. Kosalananda Kavya is the first epic of Sanskrit literature in Orissa. Pandit Mishra was the court poet of Sambalpur King Baliar Singh...
  
  

• Western Orissa

• Kosal state movement
  Kosal state movement
  A movement is continuing in the “Kosal region” of India for creation of a separate state from the existing state of Orissa. People of this region are demanding a politically separate Kosal state from Orissa. The demand for ‘Kosal state’ in Orissa is becoming intense day by day. Political parties,...