Chandan dhara is a waterfall situated at Jharigam block of Chacha Panchayat amidst deep forest. There is a siva temple. During Kartika Purnima, Sivaratri Large numbers of people crowded for holy dip in the waterfall. It is 20 kms. Away from Jharigam and 45 kms. From Umerkote. 101 Kms from district headquarters. One can enjoy the scenic beauty from the watchtower constructed by the district administration.

Kelia The most famous Jhadeswar (Kelia) Mohadev temple situated at the pinnacle of a mountain of Eastern Ghats 3000 feet high from the sea-level Situated at a distance of 42 Kms from the district headquarter Nabarangpur and 12 Kms away from Dabugam Tahasil. The Linga is 5 feet height having its specialty as its base up to 2.5 feet squared then up to 5feet it is cylindrical. Away from Kelia at a distance of 2 kms after tracking two mountains each one of 1000 feet height, famous temple of goddess Parvati is found in the Cave surrounded by hills and dense forest. It is a place full of scenic beauty and ideal picnic spot. Large numbers of devotees gather during Sivaratri, Kartik Purnima.

Deer Park. Located 10 Kms. away from district headquarters, Situated by the side of NH 201 near Papadahandi, in natural surroundings is a special attraction for the tourists. Covering an area of 2 acres reserve forest managed by forest deptt. One can enjoy the beauty from the watchtower constructed by the District Administration.

SAHID SMRUTISTAMBA. Situated 12 Kms. away from Nabarangpur near Papadahandi on the bank of River Turi. During Quit India Movement on August 24 of 1942 under the leadership of tribal leader Madhab Pradhani a procession marched towards Dabugam and fought with British soldier where 19 nos. of freedom fighter died. To keep it in memory of them SAHID STAMBA constructed and every year on 24th August Sahid Divas is observed. The spot till commemorates the freedom loving people of bygone era.

Neelakantheswar Temple of Papadahandi. By: Basant Rath, Editor-In-Chief Indravati Today. Papadahandi, an important seat of culture and citadel of Saivism is totally forgotten from historical studies till the present day. It is located by the side of NH. 201 at the junction where the road to Maidalpur and Bhawanipatna branches off from the main road leading to Umerkote and the Chattisgad. Papadahandi the erstwhile pipplahundi is situated at distance of 12 kms from the district headquarters. The importance of the village lies in its Neelakanthaswar temple. The village may be identified with Pippalahundi mentioned in inscription of medieval period found at Podagada. It is a place of historic antiquity. During Maha Sivasratri, Kartika Mondays, and Purnima large number of devotees gather and pay their homage. A ruined fort and a chain of three long and narrow tanks still exist the latter marking clearly the line of the moat encircling the fort. The Turi River is a tributary of the Indravati River. The ancient and historic Nilakantheswar temple which influenced the cult and culture of Papadahandi. The ancient pippalaundi region is a Somavansi structure of medieval period. The temple has a sanctorum, a jogamohan and a kitchen to its right. It is squre nagara rekha temple, belonging to the style of Kalinga School of Art and architecture. The temple is of Panchantra verity also called Pidhadaula. The temple was built with the same plan and during the same period with the temple of Brahmeswar at Bhubaneswar and the temple of Narasimha Nath at Paikmal. The temple is a proto type of Narasimha Nath Temple. It was built during the time of either Yajati Keshar – II, or during the time of Udyokta Keshari. The period of construction of the temple can be fixed between 1024 to 1085 A.D. The builder of the temple was either one of Somvansi representative of King of South Kosala starting Kumar Abhimanyu to Kumar Dharmaratha and posted during the period from 1024 to 1085 A.D or by Devi Kalavati the mother Udtokata keshari and wife of Yajati- II. The name is mentioned on the Keshari Bedhaa stone inscription of the Nala King Bhava Datta Verman ( 5th Century A.D ).

Tribal Economy: Tribal economy is characterised as subsistence oriented. The subsistence economy is based mainly on collecting, hunting and fishing (e.g., the Birhor, Hill Kharia), or a combination of hunting and collecting with shifting cultivation (e.g., the Juang,, Hill Bhuyan, Lanjia Saora, Kondh etc.) Even the so-called plough using agricultural tribes do often, wherever scope is available, supplement their economy with hunting and collecting. Subsistence economy is characterised by simple technology, simple division of labour, small-scale units of production and no investment of capital. The social unit of production, distribution and consumption is limited to the family and lineage. Subsistence economy is imposed by circumstances which are beyond the control of human beings, poverty of the physical environment, ignorance of efficient technique of exploiting natural resources and lack of capital for investment. It also implies existence of barter and lack of trade. Considering the general features of their (i) eco-system, (ii) traditional economy, (iii) supernatural beliefs and practices, and (iv) recent "impacts of modernization", the tribes of Orissa can be classified into six types, such as: (1) Hunting, collecting and gathering type, (2) Cattle-herder type, (3) Simple artisan type, (4) Hill and shifting cultivation type, (5) Settled agriculture type and (6) Industrial urban worker type. Each type has a distinct style of life which could be best understood in the paradigm of nature, man and spirit complex, that is, on the basis of relationship with nature, fellow men and the supernatural. (1) Tribes of the first type, namely Kharia, Mankidi, Mankidia and Birhor, live in the forests of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts, exclusively depend on forest resources for their livelihood by practising hunting, gathering and collecting. They live in tiny temporary huts made out of the materials found in the forest. Under constraints of their economic pursuit they live in isolated small bands or groups. With their primitive technology, limited skill and unflinching traditional and ritual practices, their entire style of life revolves round forest. Their world view is fully in consonance with the forest eco-system. The population of such tribes in Orissa though is small, yet their impact on the ever-depleting forest resources is very significant. Socio-politically they have remained inarticulate and therefore have remained in a relatively more primitive stage, and neglected too. (2) The Koya which belongs to the Dravidian linguistic group, is the lone pastoral and cattle-breeder tribal community in Orissa. This tribe which inhabits the Malkangiri District has been facing crisis for lack of pasture. (3) In Orissa Mahali and Kol-Lohara practise crafts like basketry and black-smithy respectively. The Loharas with their traditional skill and primitive tools manufacture iron and wooden tools for other neighbouring tribes and thereby eke out their existence. Similarly the Mahalis earn their living by making baskets for other communities. Both the tribes are now confronted with the problem of scarcity of raw materials. And further they are not able to compete with others, especially in the tribal markets where goods of other communities come for sale, because of their primitive technology. (4) The tribes that practise hill and shifting cultivation are many. In northern Orissa the Juang and Bhuyan, and in southern Orissa the Kondh, Saora, Koya, Parenga, Didayi, Dharua and Bondo practise shifting cultivation. They supplement their economy by foodgathering and hunting as production in shifting cultivation is low. Shifting cultivation is essentially a regulated sequence of procedure designed to open up and bring under cultivation patches of forest lands, usually on hill slopes. In shifting cultivation the practitioners follow a pattern of cycle of activities which are as follows: (i) Selection of a patch of hill slope or forest land and distribution or allotment of the same to intended practitioners (ii) Worshipping of concerned deities and making of sacrifices, (iii) Cutting of trees, bushes, ferns etc., existing on the land before summer months, (iv) Pilling up of logs, bushes and ferns on the land, (v) Burning of the withered logs, ferns and shrubs etc. to ashes on a suitable day, (vi) Cleaning of the patch of land before the on-set of monsoon and spreading of the ashes evenly on the land after a shower or two, (vii) Hoeing and showing of seeds with regular commencement of monsoon rains, (viii) Crude bunding and weeding activities follow after sprouting of seeds, (ix) Watching and protecting the crops, (x) Harvesting and collecting crops, (xi) Threshing and storing of corns, grains etc., and (xii) Merry-making. In these operations all the members of the family are involved in some way or the other. Work is distributed among the family members according to the ability of individual members. However, the head of the family assumes all the responsibilities in the practice and operation of shifting cultivation. The adult males, between 18 and 60 years of age under-take the strenuous work of cutting tree, ploughing and hoeing, and watching of the crops at night where as cutting the bushes and shrubs, cleaning of seeds for sowing and weeding are done by women. Shifting cultivation is not only an economic pursuit of some tribal communities, but it accounts for their total way of life. Their social structure, economy, political organization and religion are all accountable to the practice of shifting cultivation. In the past, land in the tribal areas had not been surveyed and settled. Therefore, the tribals freely practised shifting cultivation in their respective habitats assuming that land, forest, water and other natural resources belonged to them. The pernicious, yet unavoidable practise of shifting cultivation continues unchecked and all attempts made to wean away the tribals from shifting cultivation have so far failed. The colonization scheme of the State Government has failed in spirit. In certain hilly areas terraces are constructed along the slopes. It is believed to be a step towards settled agriculture. Terrace cultivation is practised by the Saora, Kondh and Gadaba. The terraces are built on the slopes of hill with water streams. (5) Several large tribes, such as, Santal, Munda, Ho, Bhumij, Oraon, Gond, Mirdha, Savara etc. are settled agriculturists, though they supplement their economy with hunting, gathering and collecting. Tribal agriculture in Orissa is characterised by unproductive and uneconomic holdings, land alienation indebtedness, lack of irrigation facilities in the undulating terrains, lack of easy or soft credit facilities as well as use of traditional skill and primitive implements. In general, they raise only one crop during the monsoon, and therefore have to supplement their economy by other types of subsidiary economic activities. Tribal communities practising settled agriculture also suffer from further problems, viz: (i) want of record of right for land under occupation, (ii) land alienation (iii) problems of indebtedness, (iv) lack of power for irrigation (v) absence of adequate roads and transport, (vi) seasonal migration to other places for wage-earning and (vii) lack of education and adequate scope for modernization. (6) Sizable agglomeration of tribal population in Orissa has moved to mining, industrial and urban areas for earning a secured living through wage-labour. During the past three decades the process of industrial urbanization in the tribal belt of Orissa has been accelerated through the operation of mines and establishment of industries. Mostly persons from advanced tribal communities, such as Santal, Munda, Ho, Oraon, Kisan, Gond etc. have taken to this economic pursuit in order to relieve pressure from their limited land and other resources. In some instances industrialization and mining operations have led to uprooting of tribal villages, and the displaced became industrial nomads. They lost their traditional occupation, agricultural land, houses and other immovable assets. They became unemployed and faced unfair competition with others in the labour market, Their aspiration - gradually escalated, although they invariably failed to achieve what they aspired for. Thus the net result was frustration. The overall kinship system of the tribes may be label led as tempered classificatory. In terminology the emphasis lies on the unilinear principle, generation and age. Descent and inheritance are patrilineal and authority is patripotestal among all the tribal communities of Orissa. Among the tribes there is very little specialization of social roles, with the exception of role differentiation in terms of kinship and sex and some specialization in crafts, the only other role specializations are Head-man, Priest, Shaman and the Haruspex. There is very little rigid stratification in society. The tendency towards stratification is gaining momentum among several settled agricultural tribes under the impact of modernisation. The tribes of Orissa are at different levels of socio-economic development. The position of priest, village headman and the inter-village head-man are hereditary. The village headman is invariably from original settlers' clan of the village, which is obviously dominant. Punishments or corrective measures are proportional to the gravity of the breach of set norms or crime, and the punishments range from simple oral admonition to other measures, such as corporal punishments, imposition of fines, payment of compensation, observance of prophylactic rites and excommunication from the community. Truth of an incident is determined by oath, ordeals and occult mechanism. As regards the acquisition of brides for marriage, the most widely prevalent practice among the tribes of Orissa is through "capture", although other practices, such as, elopement, purchase, service and negotiation are also there. With the passage of time negotiated type of marriage, which is considered prestigious, is being preferred more and more. Payment of bride-price is an inseparable part of tribal marriage, but this has changed to the system of dowry among the educated sections. The religion of the Orissan tribes is an admixture of animism, animalism, nature-worship, fetishism, shamanism, anthropomorphism and ancestor worship. Religious beliefs and practices aim at ensuring personal security and happiness as well as community well-being and group solidarity. Their religious performances include life-crisis rites, cyclic community rites, ancestor and totemic rites and observance of taboos. Besides these, the tribals also resort to various types of occult practices. In order to tide over either a personal or a group crisis the tribals begin with occult practices, and if it does not yield any result the next recourse is supplication of the supernatural force. Crisis Rites: As most of the tribes of Orissa, practise agriculture in some form or the other, and as rest others have a vital stake in agriculture, sowing, planting, first-fruit eating and harvest rites are common amongst them. Their common cyclic rites revolve round the pragmatic problems of ensuring a stable economic condition, recuperation of the declining fertility of soil, protection of crops from damage, human and live-stock welfare, safety against predatory animals and venomous reptiles and to insure a good yield of annual and perennial crops. The annual cycle of rituals commence right from the initiation of agricultural operation, for instance, among the Juang, Bhuyan, Kondh, Saora, Gadaba, Jharia, Didayee, Koya and Bondo, who practise shifting cultivation. The annual cycle begins with the first clearing of hill slopes during the Hindu month of Chaitra (March-April) and among others it starts with the first-fruit eating ceremony of mango in the month of Baisakh (April-May). All the rituals centering agricultural operation, first-fruit eating, human, live-stock and crop welfare are observed by the members of a village on a common date which is fixed by the village head-man in consultation with the village priest. Thus the ideological system of all the tribes surrounds supernaturalism. The pantheon in most cases consists of the Sun God, the Mother Earth and a lower hierarchy of Gods. Besides there are village tutelaries, nature spirits, presiding deities and ancestor-spirits, who are also propitiated and offered sacrifices. Gods and spirits are classified into benevolent and malevolent categories. A peculiarity of the tribal mode of worship is the offering of blood of an animal or a bird, because such propitiations and observance of rites are explicitly directed towards happiness and security in this world, abundance of crops, live-stock, plants and progenies. Sickness is not natural to a tribal, it is considered as an out-come of the machination of some evil spirits or indignation of ancestor spirits or gods. Sometimes, sickness is also considered as the consequence of certain lapses on the part of an individual or group. Therefore, riddance must be sought through propitiation and observance of rituals. Among all the tribes conformity to customs and norms and social integration continue to be achieved through their traditional political organizations. The tributary institutions of social control, such as family, kinship and public opinion continue to fulfill central social control functions. The relevance of tribal political organization in the context of economic development and social change continues to be there undiminished. Modern elites in tribal societies elicit scant respect and have very little followings. And as the traditional leaders continue to wield influence over their fellow tribesmen, it is worth-while to take them into confidence in the context of economic development and social change.

Podagada (The ruined fort) Podagada is a historic place situated 52 Kms away from Nabarangpur and 14 kms. from Dhodra where Brami inscriptions can be found. Podagada is rich in lapidary inscription, sculptures, ruined forts temples, coins. Stone inscriptions found here says that Puskari, the capital of Nala remind us of the Nala rulers. From the 4th to 5th century AD, the Nalas rose to prominence with their head quarters at Puskari, modern Umerkote Thasil of Nabarangpur district. Four of their inscriptions two on stones tells a lot about their history. The copper plate inscriptions of Rithapur plates of King Bhavadatta Verman and the Kesari Bedha plates of King Arthapati, which were secured in 1944 from the village Keshasribedha of Umerkote Tashil ( Paleographical they belonged to Gupta Period. The donor of The temporary eclipse of the Nala power has been referred to the Podagada stone inscription of Nabarangpur district, from where it was known that the lost glory and prestige of the Nala dynasty was retrieved by Scandaverman, after defeating the Vakatakas . Soon after the Nala were completely defeated and crushed by chalukya Kirtiverman. About 60 gold coins discovered between 1939 and 1957 speak volume of the then rulers too. In 1939, 32 gold coins belonging to the kings Varaharaja, Arthapati raja, and Bhavadutta Verman were discovered. The coins contained figures of Nala legends on them. The scripts of legends are popularly known as the “box-headed type”. In May 1957, 28 gold coins were discovered from the forest of Kodinga tehsil of Nabarangpur district. History tells us originally the place was under Nalas, and subsequently went to the possession of the Nagas. The gold coins which were discovered has opened a new field of research so far as the Nagas are concerned. Till to-day no archaeological survey has been made in this district and antiquities so far available are rather very low. The ruin queen palace, foot print of goddess Laxmi, Sati stone, Bhairab temple, Madagam Dongri, Bhai Bhauni, Nandagada, Gumphas, Punji, Belghari, Tangapani, are places of historic importance and requires research lying unprotected. The sun and moon statue till to day says about, art, culture, and civilization of the Nalas dynasty. Podagada has immense potential for tourism and history.

Bhandara Gharani: The temple of Maa Bhandara Gharani, the presiding deity of this district situated in the heart of the Nabarangpur town is a renowned Sakti Shrine, of the state. The aboriginal Goddess Bhandara Gharani, which have been Aryanized, were acknowledged as members of the documented theology of the society in whose contact the tribes lived. Thus the goddess who are an excellent example for such an acknowledgement as well as for the link between Aryanization and local tradition have played prominent role in the folk lore and the culture heritage of Nabarangpur. Bhandar Gharani Goddess of Bhandar was originally worshiped by the royal family of Jagannathpur, subsequently installed at Nabarangpur town by the than ruler. Since than Goddess Bhandara Gharani is worshipped as the Sakti, the source of power by the people. According to Narasingh Tripathy, Raja Purahito, the priests of this goddess are of sudra origin, Bhandara Gharani has been transformed from a tribal cult into sakti cult under the process of Aryanization, one of the legends connects the temple with Brahmanical tradition by regarding it as one of the sakta peetha. The priests of the temple are Keuto who have a tribal origin, goats, sheep and cocks are scarified before the goddess. These entire features suggest that the goddess Bhandara Gharani has been transformed from tribal cult into sakti cult under the process of Aryanization. It is a peculiar religious practice that the priests of the temple are both Brahmin and Keuto(fisherman). Worshipped in sanctum sanctorum with Gandha (Sandal paste Puspa, (flower) Dhupa, (Incense) Dipa (lamp) rice, fruits and vegetable are offered. Goat, sheep and cocks are scarified before the Goddess round the year to propitiate the Goddess. Large number of devotees pay their homage on each Tuesday & Saturday, Sankranti also visiting this Sakti Pitha in the month of Aswina and Chaitra for Mahastami Puja. Dussehra at Maa Bhandara Gharani Temple is traditionally celebrated for 10 days from sukla Pratipada to Dasami both during Aswina and Chaitra month of Oriya calander On Dasami day traditional Vijaya Yatra is take out with Large number of Village deities represented by a well decorated bamoo pole (lathi) is carried by devotees accompanied by flags, drummers and tribal priests on their traditional colorful attire. The procession (Vijaya Yatra) proceeds to Dussehra-pada, an open place, where the deity is worshipped again and shooters with their bows and arrows target a brinjal fixed atop a high bamboo pole that is open competition. The fall of the brinjal on the ground marks the end to the ceremony and of the whole festival. Several other festivals are also observed in the temple with high testimony. Most of the devotees are coming from the neighboring districts of Orissa and neighboring states of Chhatisgad, & Andhra Pradesh. The temple committee constructing a new temple which is at completion stage. The Rise Production, Nabarangpur, released audio casset and Video CD. Song & Lyric by Sri Rameswar Pradhan, OAS, in praise of Maa Bhandara Gharani. After release of the same the presiding diety become more popular in Orissa as well as neighboring states. The Casset and CD is available with Rise Production, Nabarangpur. The interested devotees are requested to collect the same. The songs are heart touching and the presentation is marvelous.

The History of Nabarangpur: The district part of the modern undivided Koraput district with its hills and impenetrable fastnesses was a part of the ancient Atavika land referred to in the Special Roak Edicts of Ashok. From these Edicts is know that Atavika people were a great source of strength of Kalinga in the third century B.C. Ashok occupied Kalinga is 261 B.C. but the land of the Atavikas which could not be conquered remained outside his empire. The emperor in his Special Rock Edict, No.2, clearly referred to the Atavika people as his unconquered neighbors. The fierce and war-like people of the territory were a constant source of anxiety for him and he was trying his best to appease them his military prowess and initiated a sublime idea of conquering the hearts of those people by paternalism flavoured with love. Very little is known about the history of this region after Ashok till the rise of the Mahameghavahana dynasty in the first century B.C. when Kalinga regained her political predominance. Under the Kharavala, the third ruler of this dynasty, Kalinga become one of the strongest powers in India and the Atavika land comprised an important part of her growing empire. This territory appears to have been referred to as the “ Invincible Vidyadhara Region” in Hatigumpha Inscription of Kharavela. This inscription reveals that Kharavela in his fourth regnal year pulled the resources of invincible Vidyadhara territory that had been the military recruiting ground for the former kings of Kalinga and marched to the west to subdue the Rathikas and Bhojakas. From this record it is clear that the forest clad territory lying to the west of Kalinga formed a great source of strength for the kingdom in ancient times. Nothing more, however is known about the history of this Atavika during the pre-Christian centuries. The Nasik Inscription of Vasisthiputra Pulumavi dated in his 19th regnal year 149 A.D. indicates that this region formed part of the extensive empire of Gautamiputra Satakarni (106-130 A.D., ref ep. Ind. VIII P.67 ff no. 2). During 3rd century A.D. Koraput region passed from the hands of Satavahanas to those of the Ikhvakus. By the middle of 3rd century A.D. Vakatakas came to prominence Parvarasena I conquered eastern and north -eastern region very likely brought Baster -Koraput area to his dominion. During 4th century A.D. i.e. 350 A.D. this region forming part of the Mahakantara territory was then under king Vyagjararaja to whom sumudra gupta claims to have defeated the territory of Mahakantara is very likely the same as the land of Mahavana referred to in one Nagarjunikonda Inscription and it comprised is the modern Koraput and Kalahandi tracts. The political influence of the Guptas Kings over this region was short lived. In the 4th – 5th Century A.D. the Nalas rose to prominence with their headquarters at Puskari in the modern Umerkote Tahsil of the district, the Nala Kings claimed descent from the famous King Nala of the Nishadas described in the epics. According to historian S.N Rajguru, seal No. 25 found from the excavation of Vita, belonging to a king named Brishadhwaj whose appellation resembles that of the Nala King (Inscrrptions of Orissa, Vol. I part II. Page 109) Brishadhwaj is one of the early Nala kings and Vita seal has been attributed by sir John Marshall to the 3rd or 4th Century A.D. (Archeological survey report, 1911-12 P. 51.) The power of early Nala Kings increased rapidly and by the time of king Varahaja, in the early 5th century A.D. the political supremacy of Nalas extended over Baster-Koraput territories. A coper plate grant discovered from the village Pandiyapathara near Aska in Gajnam district reveals that even as late as 10th century A.D. one Nala King namely Bhimasena, was ruling over the territory known as Khindirasringamandala, comprising parts of modern Ganjam and Koraput district (OHRJ VI P. 97-102), The region was under the rules of different dynasty such as Matharas, Gangas, Somavanshis, Nagas, Matsya, Silavansa, Suryavansha, Vinayakdev founded the rule of a new dynasty which ruled over Nandapur dominion in continuous succession till the end of British period. Vinayakdeo said to have married princess Leelavati, daughter of Pratapa Ganga Raju, the last Silavamsi ruller of Nandapur and ascended the throne of the 32 steps after Pratap Ganga, the rulings of the famous throne of 32 steps found at Nandapur, ascribed to the rulers of this dynasty. The Jeypore ruling family, which bears the surname of Deo and has sun as its emblem descended from VinayakDeo. Chaitanya Deo, was the last ruler of the Solar Dynasty who ruled over the then Nowrangpur taluk and he was issueless the zamindiry again reverted to Jeypore Maharaja family of Jeypore. The thana of Nowrangpur (with that of Gudari in the Gunupur taluka) was granted by Ramchandra Deo-II of Jeypore to his nephews Krishna Deo and Narsimha Deo. With the extinction of the former’s line of succession, the latter’s son Chaitanya Deo, occupied the whole estate. On his death in 1876 his three widows retained possession of the estate, but in 1896 the Maharaja resumed it. In 1900 two of the Ranis(the third had dies) brought a suit in the Agent’s court for recovery of the properties, then the Maharaja appealed to the high court and before any final decision was arrived at a compromise was effected. Accordingly the only surviving Ranee Sulochana Patta Mahadevi got the estate till her death in 1912 after which the estate was incorporated with the estate of Jeypore. During the 20th century Ramchandra Dev-IV (1920-31) was an honorable lieutenant in World War-I, He was issueless and was succeeded by a benevolent, aged scholar King Vikram Dev-IV, the son of Krishna Chandra Dev. During this period the Boundary Commission headed by Sir O’Donnel was entrusted with the task of writing the different Oriya speaking tracts. The Commission went round Jeypore, Paralakhumendi, Ganjam, and Visakhapatnam agency before finalizing. The state After the formation of Orissa province in 1936 Koraput district was created, there were two subdivisions, Rayagada and Koraput. On 1st March 1941 a new subdivision called “the Nowrangpur subdivision” consisting of the talukas of Malkangiri, Jeypore and Nowrangpur, was created. The arrangements of three subdivisions continued till 1962, Nowrangpur subdivision with 5,511.95 square miles was too extensive and was presenting administrative problems, its remote places being as far as 200 miles apart. The former Malkangiri taluk was therefore, declared subdivision. On 1st August 1962. During a recent survey conducted by a research team of Orissa, who visited Nabarangpur and adjacent districts the team is of the opinion that in the ‘Meghaduta’ Kalidas described “Amrakuta’ which is now known as Umerkote, situated in the district of Nabarangpur. Nearly 2000 years ago Umerkote was known as Amarkantak, state the famous poet was born in this region. Besides all the descriptions of natural sites in Meghaduta poem are located in Nabarangpur, Koraput, and Malkangiri districts. The Ramagiri mountain mentioned in the poem is situated in Boipariguda block of Koraput district and geographically Ramagiri is to the south of ‘Amarkantaka, and Savari river, Janaka Tanaya Kunda, Dandakaranya and Maithali of Ramayan era are found in Malkangiri district which was known as Malyabantagiri. During a recent study the local writers and researchers who said that Nalas, who had good rapport with Vikramaditya, ruled Umerkote region. They claimed that Kalidas’s father worshiped the idol of Vishnu, which was found in Kasaribedha village near the ruined fort of Podagada. Four inscriptions of Podagada tell a lot about this history. There has been much debate on the life and times of Kalidas with no definite answer. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal too had claimed Kalidas lineage. While Orissa too had been asserting this for long. However it remains to be seen as to how far the research of the team could give definite shape to the State’s claim. A new chapter in the history of the Jeypore country was begun when the district of Koraput was formed and incorporated in the new Orissa, province on the 1st April 1936.R.C.S. Bell, I.C.S., become the first Collector of Koraput, who was for sometimes Special Assistant Agent for the newly formed district of Koraput.

PART II PROCEEDINGS OTHER THAN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (XIV LOK SABHA) Title: Need to construct a rail line between Khamman in Andhra Pradesh and Dhanantri in Chattisgarh via Malkangiri, Jeypore, Nawarangpur and Umerkot in Orissa. -Laid. SHRI PARSHURAM MAJHI (NOWRANGPUR) : I draw the attention of the Government of India to the inadequate railway facilities in the border areas of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Chhatisgarh. All these areas are mostly inhabited by tribals. The people of these areas are facing a lot of difficulties in the absence of power rail linkage facility. If a railway line is constructed between Khamman in Andhra Pradesh and Dhantari in Chhatisgarh via Malkangiri, Jeypore, Nawarangpur and Umerkot in Orissa, the people living in the border districts of these three States will be greatly benefited. The length of this proposed line will be approximately 500 kms. Since the people of these areas have been deprived of the basic rail transport facility even after 57 years of Independence, I request the Union Government to undertake construction of railway line between Khamman and Dhanatari linking my Parliamentary Constituency, Nawarangpur by making adequate budgetary provision for the project during the financial year 2004-2005.

Nabarangpur District, also known as Nabarangapur District and Nawarangpur District, is a district of Orissa, India. The city of Nabarangpur is the district headquarters. Most of its population is tribal, and most of the land is forested. Situated in the southwest corner of Orissa, it borders Koraput District. Nabarangpur district is situated at 19.14’ latitude and 82.32’ longitude at an average elevation of 1,876 feet (572 m). GeographyThe area of the district is 5294.5 km². Its boundary stretches in the north to Kalahandi District, west to Jagdalpur District in Chhatisgarh, east to Kalahandi and Rayagada District and south to Koraput District. The river Indravati forms the border between Nabarangpur and Koraput districts. The district capital Nabarangpur is located on the plateau about 2,000 ft (610 m) above sea level. In the north, the Panabeda area, recently renamed as Chandahandi is only 500 ft (150 m) above sea level and experiences similar climate and social life to that of the adjacent Kalahandi District. The rest of Nabarangpur district is mainly flat with a few pockets of low hills. The highest peak Podagarh, which has historical significance, reaches 3,050 ft (930 m). There are patches of thick forest mostly containing sal seeds and those provide sustenance to dependent villages. Climate. Nabarangpur District (like neighbouring Koraput) experiences the first arrival of monsoon about ten days before the rest of Orissa. Unlike the rest of the state, where the monsoon arrives from the Bay of Bengal, Nabarangpur district receives the monsoon from the southwest, off the Arabian Sea. Nabarangpur District enjoys generous rainfall and droughts are extremely rare. The plateaus in particular remain cool throughout the year. Rivers The River Tel which rises in the north of Nabarangpur District forms its geographical boundary with Kalahandi District and finally unites with a bigger Mahanadi River in Sonepur town. It is not perennial and dries up during the summer. The important river Indravati flows through Nabarangpur District and beyond until it mergers with the mighty Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. It runs through a total distance of about 530 km of which the Nabarangpur and Koraput district sections make up about 130 km. At Nabarangpur town the old girder bridge has been replaced by a new span. Before reaching Jagadalpur town in Chhatisgarh state, it is joined by another river Bhaskal that drains the north of Nabarangpur. During its flood the Indravati swells up to 450 ft (140 m) wide and 24 ft (7.3 m) deep. However, a dam built for hydroelectric power has considerably reduced its flow. Miniral Nabarangpur District contains many ores including iron, chlorite, mica, quartz and so on. The Heeraput village near Umerkote contains a fair deposit of haematite and limonite, each of which is composed of about 60% iron. Similarly the Tentulikhunti area has a fairly large deposit of granites. The north of the district up to the border with Kalahandi District has rock beds covering layers of coarse white quartz. Flora and fauna The flora of Nabarangpur District is northern in character but has some affinity with southern India. Sal and bamboo are the two species commonly seen in the whole region. Paddy cultivation has systematically depleted the green patches and upset the scenic beauty of the district. Still the reserved forests and the protected hills, afford some pleasure of living close to nature. Among the wild animals there were the panther, leopard, tiger, hyena, jackal and wild dogs. Even the latter are now scarce due to human intrusion into their habitat. Wild Asian Water buffalo, black bear, even gaur were found in the Umerkote region. The black bucks which were common in the Chandahandi area are nowhere seen now. Spotted deer, sambar and barking deer were a common sight in the district before Independence. Common crocodile are occasionally spotted in the Indravati River. Peafowl, red junglefowl and grey junglefowl are fairly often found, as are also the green pigeon and duck. However, there has been much extinction in recent years. History Nabarangpur district was created on 2 October 1992 out of a previous subdivision of Koraput District. Until then Koraput District had been the second largest district in India. The history of Nabarangpur is inextricably interlinked with that of Koraput District, with which it shares its language, lifestyle, heritage, flora and fauna and climate. Koraput belonged to the Atavikas, a feudatory of the powerful Kalinga Empire (Ancient Orissa) who valiantly fought the Kalinga War in the 3rd century BCE. Kalinga regained its former glory during the Mahameghabahan Dynasty in the first century BCE. The third king of this dynasty Kharavela made the Kalinga empire and the Atavika land was very strong under his rule. The successive dynasties – the Satavahanas (2nd century CE), Ikshvakus (3rd century CE) had headquarters at Pushkari, near the modern town of Umerkote. The Kesaribeda excavations bear testimony to the rule of King Bhabadatta Varma and King Arathapati. The inscriptions of Podagarh refer to King Skanda Varma. The overlord Nala kings are traced to the kings who ruled from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. Their rapid growth landed them in the Oriya regions of Bastar and Koraput. Around the 10th century CE a Nala king Bhimesen was ruling over a region now located in Koraput and Ganjam District. The Koraput area including present-day Narabangpur District was a small principality of Tri Kalinga under the Ganga era of the 5th century CE. The patches of Utkala, Kalinga and Kosala were brought under the control of the Ganga kings of Orissa. This dynasty became prominent during the 11th century CE with the rise of Somanakshi. Their suzerainty extended from the modern Sambalpur, Sonepur to the Bastar and Koraput regions and they enjoyed control until the beginning of the 14th century CE. The Matsya family ruling over the Oddadi region of modern Jeypore dominated the next generation. The best known kings included Bhanudeva and Narasingha Dev, as is known from the Oriya inscription of Simhachalam in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. The next dynasty belonged to the Sailavansis, who ruled over Vindhya during the 14th century CE. The earliest king Ganga Raju was ruling over Nandapur, a former capital of the Maharaja of Jeypore. Nandapur is famous for the throne of 32 steps erected in the line of king Vikramaditya of Ujjain. Jainism and Shaktism grew side by side in the kingdom of Nandapur. The last king of Sailavansa, Pratap Ganga Raju was succeeded by Vinayak Dev of Surya Vansa which lasted until the time of the British Empire. Vinayak Dev was said to be married to the daughter of the last ruler of Silavansi Paratap Ganga Raju. He and his six succeeding generation of kings had only one son each and on advice from astrologers the headquarters of the kingdom was switched from Nandapur to Jeypore. During the Anglo-French conflict, Vikram Dev I (1758–1781 CE) was successful in driving out the French from Malkangiri area and the Marathas from the Umerkote belt. They were succeeded by the brave Oriya king Ramachandra Dev II (1781–1825) while his other two sons Jagannath and Narasingh Dev were placed in charge of Nabarangpur and Gudari regions. Jagannath Dev’s son Arjun Dev and Narasingha Dev’s son Chaitanya Dev were issueless. Hence, Nabarangpur and Gudari were remerged to Jeypore kingdom. During the 20th century Ramachandra Dev IV (1920-31) was an honourable lieutenant in World War I.He was issueless and was succeeded by a benevolent, aged, scholar king Vikram Dev IV, the son of Krishna Chandra Dev. During this period the Boundary Commission headed by Sir O’Donnel was entrusted with the task of writing the different Oriya speaking tracts. The Commission went round Jeypore, Paralakhumendi, Ganjam, and Visakhapatnam before finalizing its decision. The state of Orissa was formed on 1 April 1936 with Koraput as one of the six districts. In 1951 Vikram Dev IV died at 82 and the Estate Abolition Act was passed the next year. The Estate of Jeypore was taken over by the Government of Orissa. National movement In the 1940s opposition to colonial rule gained momentum. Under the direction of local Indian National Congress leaders, the adivasis of what was then the undivided Koraput district rallied to the movement and suffered imprisonment. Mahatma Gandhi called the Quit India Movement in August, 1942 which found its echo in Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri. Tribal-dominated Nabarangpur District played an important role in this nation-wide movement. A tribal leader of Tentuligumma in Malkangiri subdivision was falsely implicated in a murder case when he was leading a non-violent procession. He was Laxman Nayak, a feared revolutionary of the time. Without a fair trial, he was hanged in Berhampur central jail on 29 August, 1943. On August 24. 1942, a gathering of about 6,000 people mostly adivasis under the leadership of Madhav Pradhani, of village Gummaguda, were proceeding to Dabugam to decide their future course of action following the arrest of the leaders of the district. The crowd was intercepted at a river bridge near Papadahandi. Unable to escape the unprovoked lathi charge and firing by the police, many jumped into the flooded river. Nineteen people were killed and many arrested. The Koraput jail was occupied at three to four times its capacity. The unhygienic condition of the jail and other harassment by officials took a toll of many activists. During the Quit India Movement many woman freedom fighters were raped by the police and forest personnel in the district. Some of them were murdered by the police, while others committed suicide. The days of the independence struggle saw the new emergence of leaders: R.K. Biswasray, R.K. Sahu and Sadasiv Tripathy. Tripathy, from Nabarangpur town, went on to become the Chief Minister of Orissa. The People The major language spoken in this region is Oriya. The inhabitants are mostly tribals. Rural people are now exposed to education and modern amenities. Encounter with the settled and urban population has changed their lifestyle to some extent but a few peoples including the Paraja, Kondhas and Gadava still live the indigenous lifestyle, relying on cultivation and forest products. These tribes speaks dialects of [[Oriya language|Oriya] The religion of the district is composite. There are Hindus, Christians and Muslims. The tribals worship the Hindu gods. The Muslims, a small proportion of the population, are believed to be the descendants of soldiers from Golkonda who settled in the area and married Paraja women. The Christians are the outcome of missionary activity. During the British Raj, British and American missionaries established boarding schools, dispensaries and churches. Adherents of various Protestant denominations and Catholics live in the area. The Christian hospital of Nabarangpur town has been an attraction for patients from far-flung areas. The other tribals living here are Bhumias and Dombs. The Dombs are widespread through the district and enjoy status next to Kondhas. They are weavers and drummers by profession and enjoy great influence over others. They are also engaged in cattle trade. The Mirganis appear to be a subcaste of the Dombs. They differ from the Oriya Dombs by not killing cattle for food but they partake of the beef of animals that die naturally. They claim to be superior to Oriya Dombs. They earn their livelihood by cultivation and weaving. In the upper rank of the social scale the Sankharies who work with lac, making baskets, chains and dolls from it. Malis originally grew and collected flowers for temple worship but have switched over to the cultivation of sugarcane, tobacco etc. on the banks of the Indravati River. Sundhis, an Oriya Baishya community are known for the distillation and selling of liquor. Tradition holds that they are the descendants of a Brahmin father and royal mother. They are usually rich and wealthy in status. Festivals Chief among the Oriya Hindu festivals are Rath Jatra, Dassera (Dasahara) Holi and Mahasivaratri, which bring together town dwellers and hill tribes in celebration. Holi, the riotous festival of spring is celebrated over three days. While the first two days are spent on ceremonies, the third is mostly for young people that rejoice in sprinkling coloured liquid or smearing coloured power on one another. All differences of birth, caste, sex or even religious community melt away. Rath Jatra is still a bigger festival though confined to a few townships or bigger panchayats. Effigies of the presiding deity Jagannath along with His elder brother and younger sister are moved away from the temple on a nine-day resort. Devotees pull them along a main route on a wooden chariot (or sometimes three chariots). The Bahuda Jatra or the return car festival marks the end of the annual carnival. The temples of Jagannath are scattered throughout the district, the oldest being in Nabarangpur town. The temple has no outward trappings and looks like an old private quarter except for the Garuda stambha (pillar) on the front gate. Until the late 1980s only the single deity Jagannath was installed in the sanctuary. According to a legend, two other wooden idols of Balabhadra and the goddess Subhadra were seized by one ruler of Bastar region and installed at a temple in Jagadalpur while the idol of Jagannath miraculously slipped from the elephant's back along the way and was retrieved the next day. Now all three deities are worshipped from a huge pedestal. Fine wooden carvings cover every inch of the temple roof, depicting humans, animals, birds and flowers. Even a casual glimpse of erotica is considered to add awe to the spectable. What would elsewhere in the state be carved in stone is figured on a wooden surface in this remote region and well preserved with a coat of shining black paint. Dussera (Dasahara) is a ten-day Hindu festival, in which the goddess Durga, epitome of power and energy, motherhood of the whole universe, is worshipped. The Maharaja of Jeypore used this occasion for the concourse of his subjects. Deities from various areas, towns and villages, are symbolically brought through decorated large bamboo poles to the accompaniment of beating drums and sounds of other musical instruments. The cultivators, for whom the harvest time is still a month or so away, are all in jubilant mood. On the day of Vijaya Dasami, special elaborate offerings are made to the Deity which includes the age-old practice of animal sacrifice of appeasing the Goddess, the destroyer of demonical forces. People are always in their colorful best costume and rejoice in the grand occasion. Maa Bhandargharani of Nabarangpur is the presiding deity of the locality. The name signifies the preserver of wealth and protector of lives. She is also worshipped in nearby villages. Tuesday and Saturday are marked for special worship. Devotees throng the temple precincts on every conceivable occasion to seek blessings. Maa Pendrani of Umerkote is born out of a legend. A small village Pendra(Pendrahandi) near Umerkote worshipped a pure soul Pendrani, a young married woman who was a victim of the secret jealousy of her own brothers. As the story goes, her husband was overtly pampered by her parents who made him stay in their household with no work to bother about. The four brothers out of sheer jealousy conspired and succeeded in killing her innocent husband (Pendara) and buried him in their field. When Pendrani became aware of what had happened she jumped into her husband’s funeral pyre and died in its flames. Days later her spirit was believed to roam about the villages helping those who trusted her supernatural transformation. The local college is named after her. Maha Shivaratri attracts devotees of all social classes. Mahadev, the God of gods, is the central figure of worship. It is believed that he saved the whole of creation by drinking the deadly venom spat out by the legendary serpent Vasuki. The legendary serpent was used by gods on one side and demons on the other for churning out the ocean to obtain the elixir of immortality. The nectar was brought from the depth of the ocean, but along with it came the poison, vomited by an exhausted Vasuki. Only the God of gods had the power to contain it from spreading and causing universal death. The lord was propitiated to devour it on the day, famed later as Maha Shivaratri, and the entire world was saved. Papadahandi temple is a pilgrim centre to celebrate such occasion. Festivals of other communities are also celebrated. The Moharram of the Muslims is a day of prayer and remembrance. Huge processions are taken round the township and mass prayers are held at mosques. Intercommunity greetings are exchanged. Christmas Day marks the beginning of a long festival running up to New Years Day. Christians of all hues celebrate the day at home, churches and outdoors. Members of other communities also join in to mark communal concord. one of the recent emerging festival which started in nabarangpur is mondei.its the tribal festival in which a large numbers of people visit the festival,which is generally held in the month of november october.a saga of people visit the district to see the creativity and recent developments and handicrafts and culture of the district on display.it lasts for three days .

Nabarangpur at a Glance:Situated among lush green forests in the South-West of Orissa, Nabarangpur District is a very picturesque place. With her golden autumn and misty mornings of the monsoon months, her painted spring, and slumbering summer and her winter ranging from fierce to mild provides verities of living in different seasons, which is very rare elsewhere. Nabarangpur is unique in many respects, notable among them are rolling mountains, undulating meadows rearing rapids, enchanting water falls and terraced valley leading up to verdant hills, and feasts the eye. The landscape is beautified doted with numerous small and high hills densely covered with plants. The highest peak Podagada is 3050 ft high. More than fifteen tribes, and nearly sixty five percent of the population being tribal, Nabarangpur has a vibrant life style of its own. Located between 82 to 83 East Longitude and 19 to 20 North Latitude was carved out of the erstwhile Koraput district on 02.10.1992. It is bounded by the state of Chhatisgad to the west, and north districts of Kalahandi and Rayagada to the east and Koraput to the south. The district has a total geographical area of 5294 Sq kms, being 3.4 % area of the state. Nabarangpur being a district under Southern Revenue Division consisting of one Subdivision, four Tahasils and ten blocks covering 169 Gram Panchayats, and 897 villages out of which 880 villages are inhabited and the remaining 17 villages are uninhabited. There are one Municipality, one NAC, and four Assembly Constituency. Nabarangpur district is feast for the eyes and cradled in nature’s bounty. The awe-inspiring sights make Nabarangpur a traveler’s delight, Here Nature speaks a Varity of languages, which the lover of nature translates into joy. The breath taking scenery brings heaven to earth. The virgin nature untouched and unexplored, Tribals and their rich culture and heritage provide tourists a lot to enjoy. The broad panorama of enchanting hills, the rippling streams spectacular water-falls, the wonderful caves, lush green valleys, the salubrious climate with fresh air on one hand, and simplicity, traditional hospitality of the tribes, their colorful and natural world that beckons one to come again and again to get peace, tranquility and joy for ever, and make people feel places to visit again and again.