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Kendujhar District

Kendujhar
କେନ୍ଦୁଝର ଜିଲ୍ଲା
Keonjhar
District
Location in Odisha, India
Location in Odisha, India
Coordinates: 21°37′59″N 85°36′00″E / 21.633°N 85.6°E / 21.633; 85.6Coordinates: 21°37′59″N 85°36′00″E / 21.633°N 85.6°E / 21.633; 85.6
Country  India
State Odisha
Headquarters Kendujhar
Government
 • Collector Dr.N.Thirumala Naik, IAS
 • Member of Parliament Sakuntala Laguri, BJD
Area
 • Total 8,240 km2 (3,180 sq mi)
Elevation 480 m (1,570 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 1,802,777
 • Rank 8
 • Density 217/km2 (560/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official Odia, English
 • Other local language Ho
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 758 xxx
Vehicle registration OD-09
Sex ratio 0.987 /
Literacy 69%
Lok Sabha constituency Keonjhar (ST)
Vidhan Sabha constituency 6
Climate Aw (Köppen)
Precipitation 1,535.5 millimetres (60.45 in)
Website www.kendujhar.nic.in

Kendujhar District, also known as Keonjhar District(Odia: )is an administrative district of Odisha state and one of the 5th Scheduled areas in Eastern India. The town of Kendujhar or Kendujhargarh is the district headquarters.

The district has an area of 8240 km², and lies between 21°1' N and 22°10' N latitude and 85°11' E to 86°22' E longitude. It is bounded by Mayurbhanj District, Balasore District and Bhadrak District to the east, Jajpur District to the south, Dhenkanal District, Anugul District and Sundargarh District to the west, and West Singhbhum district of the state of Jharkhand to the north.

The district of Keonjhar presents a panorama of millennia, both from the geographical and anthropological point of view. It is as varied as the whole of Orissa with water-falls roaring gorges, mountains and minerals. The manifold expressions of nature in this district are unique in Orissa.

Anthropologically, its two main tribes, namely the Juangs and the Bhuyans carry a distinct and primitive past. The Juang claims themselves to be the most ancient tribe of the world. In spite of their modern ways of living, many aboriginal practices are still prevalent among them.

After the integration of the feudatory states with Orissa on 1 January 1948 the state of Keonjhar emerged as one of its districts of Orissa, with its headquarters at Keonjhar. Since then the name has been changed to Kendujhar District.

The whole district of Keonjhar was a princely state before its merger with Orissa. The early history of the State is not adequately known. It was most probably a part of the old Khijjinga territory with headquarters at Khijjinga Kota, identified with modern Khiching. It became a separate state with Jyoti Bhanja as its ruling chief sometime during the first half of the 12th century A.D. The then State of Keonjhar State comprised only the northern half of the modern district for a long time prior to the installation of Jyoti Bhanja as King. During the latter part of the 15th century the southern half was occupied by King Govinda Bhanja under whose rule Keonjhar was extended from Singhbhum in the north to Sukinda (a Zamindari in Cuttack district) in the South and from Mayurbhanj State in the East to the borders of the States of Bonai, Pal Lahara and Anugul in the West. During the rule of Pratap Balabhadra Bhanja (1764–1792 A.D.) two small areas of Tillo and Jujhpada were purchased from the Zamindar of Kantajhari and were added to the State. These were recognised as parts of Keonjhar in the Sanad granted by the East India Company to Raja Janardan Bhanj in 1804. Since then there had been no territorial changes of the State till its merger with the Province of Orissa. But after merger largely for the reasons of administrative expediency the areas of Tillo (7.51 km2) and Jujhpada (9.06sq.km.) were transferred to the districts of Baleshwar and Cuttack respectively, while a number of villages called Ambo group (14.84 km2.) of Balasore district were added to Keonjhar district.


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