Raj-Ranpur (Odisha)

Raj-Ranpur is a small town in the district of Nayagarh in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. The town is also known as Ranpurgarh or simply Ranpur as per the modern usage. The town is historically significant especially during the British Raj when it was the capital of the princely state of Ranpur. The martyrs Shaheed Raghu-Dibakar (Raghunath Mohanty and Dibakar Parida) who were hanged for their resistance to British rule belong to this place.

The Raj-Ranpur town is situated at the foothills of Maninag Hills which is a hill-system covering the whole of Ranpur and much of the surrounding areas. It is one of the most important towns in the Nayagarh district and also one of the important places in Odisha. New Jagannath Sadak passes through Raj-Ranpur and it connects Raj-Ranpur with Puri. It is situated at a distance of 63 kilometres south-west of the state capital Bhubaneswar. The area covering the town and the surrounding areas experiences a tropical climate as is experienced in most parts of the state. There are numerous fountains and water streams originating and running through the Maninag Hills. Mandakini (also known as Malaguni) is the traditional river associated with the place. Presently this river is in a very bad condition and has almost dried up. It is said that one of the poets of Odisha, Kabibara Radhanath Ray (Poet Radhanath Ray) composed many of his poems sitting beside the Malaguni river while enjoying its beauty.

The area is home to one of the biggest biodiversities in the state of Odisha. The varied vegetation includes Coconut trees, Mango trees, teakwood among others. There is also a protected rubber plantation in the area. Apart from these, the place is also important in the agriculture map. Crops like paddy, sugarcane, moong (green gram) are grown in the area making the people of Ranpur self-sufficient in terms of foodgrains available to the people. The crops in this area have faced drought many times because of many factors including the changing climate and the absence of a proper farm irrigation system in the area. This place is famous for its cashew plantation. The king's palace is one of the oldest palaces of Odisha.

The area which is now part of the Ranpur town and the surrounding villages have continuously been inhabited by humans since the ancient times. The Maninag Hills has many rocks and geological features which indicate the continuous inhabitation of the area by humans and other animals. As per the traditional legend associated with the place, there used to be an Asura (Demon) named Ranasura who was creating trouble for the population and making their life miserable. The king of Ranpur was able to defeat the demon and kill him. The place has taken its name from the demon and was known as Ranasurapura during the ancient times. The name had changed to Ranpur with due course of time.

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