Balangir district
|
Balangir ବଲାଙ୍ଗିର ଜିଲ୍ଲା Bolangir |
|
|---|---|
| District | |
 Location in Odisha, India |
|
| Coordinates: 20°42′N 83°30′E / 20.7°N 83.5°ECoordinates: 20°42′N 83°30′E / 20.7°N 83.5°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Odisha |
| Headquarters | Balangir |
| Government | |
| • Collector | Shri Ashish Thakare, IAS |
| • Superintendent of police | Dr Deepak Kumar,IPS |
| • Members of Parliament | Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, BJD |
| • Members of Bidhansabha | Narasingha Mishra, INC |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6,575 km2 (2,539 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 115 m (377 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 1,648,574 |
| • Density | 251/km2 (650/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Odia, English, Kosli |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 767001 |
| Telephone code | 06652 |
| Vehicle registration | OR-03/ OD-03 |
| Sex ratio | 0.983 ♂/♀ |
| Literacy | 65.50% |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Balangir |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | 7 |
| Climate | Aw (Köppen) |
| Precipitation | 1,443.5 millimetres (56.83 in) |
| Avg. summer temperature | 48.7 °C (119.7 °F) |
| Avg. winter temperature | 16.6 °C (61.9 °F) |
| Website | www |
Balangir District(Odia: ),also called Bolangir District, is a district situated in the western region of Odisha, in India. The district has an area of 5,165 km², and a population of 1,335,760 (2001 census). The town of Balangir is the district headquarters. The composition of the land is predominantly rural. Other important big & small towns in Balangir district are Titlagarh, Patnagarh, Kantabanji, Loisingha, Saintala, Belpada, Tushra, Agalpur, Deogaon, Chudapali, Biripali.
The district of Balangir is named after the headquarters towns of Balangir. This town was also the headquarters of the feudatory state of Patna since the 1880s. The district of Balangir is flanked in the northwest by the Gandhamardan hills. Many hill streams traverse it. It is the land of Tantrik culture. It is also notable for having experimented in the republican form of Government that was overthrown by Ramai Deo.
Balaram Deo, the 19th Raja of Patna (princely state), founded a town called Balramgarh and shifted the capital of Patna state from Patnagarh to Balramgarh in the early 16th century. Subsequently the town was renamed as Balangir from Balramgarh. After around 8 years of rule in Patna state, he was awarded the land from river Ang till the boundary of Bamra kingdom by his mother. Subsequently he founded a kingdom named Sambalpur, which went on to become a strong kingdom.
The territory comprising the present district of Balangir was in ancient times a part of the South Kosala. According to tradition, the origin of South Kosala dates back to the time of Rama and scholars like Pargiter believe that Rama's long stay in that region gave rise to the name of South Kosala after his original homeland Kosala. According to Padmapurana, the kingdom of Kosala, after Rama, was divided between Lava and Kusa, his two son. Later Kusa founded the city of Kusasthalipura and ruled over the southern half of Kosala (that included modern day Western Odisha and Chhattisgarh State).
...
Wikipedia