Balangir also known as Bolangir, is a city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

, the headquarters of

Balangir district Balangir District, also called Bolangir District, is a district situated in western Odisha state of India. The district has an area of , and a population of 1,648,997 (2011 census). The town of Balangir is the district headquarters. The composit ...

in the state of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

, India. Balangir has one of the best cultural heritage in India. It is also known as one of the finest places for tourists in

. Balangir municipality is divided into twenty-one wards. It is spread over an area of .

Geography

Balangir is located at . It has an average elevation of 383 metres (800 feet) above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

People from Balangir

Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo Maharaja Sir Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo KCIE (31 March 1912 – 23 February 1975) was an Indian politician and the last ruler of the princely state of Patna in Odisha before Indian independence in 1947. He was the President of the Ganatantra ...

, Former Chief Minister of

* Srinibash Udgata, Eminent Poet awarded

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

* Kailash Chandra Meher, Eminent Artist awarded

* Narasingha Mishra, Eminent Lawyer Twelfth Law Commission of

Government Of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

Rasanara Parwin Rasanara Kephatulla Parwin (born 4 May 1992) is an Indian cricketer who plays as a right-arm off break bowler for the India national women's cricket team, making her debut in the 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup The 2013 Women's Cricket Worl ...

is a cricket player of

India women's national cricket team The India women's national cricket team, also known as Team India or Women in Blue, represents India in women's international cricket. It is governed by Board of Control for Cricket in India India made its Test debut in 1976, against the Wes ...

. *

Sam Pitroda Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda also known as Sam Pitrod) is an Indian inventor, telecommunication engineer and entrepreneur. He was born in Titlagarh in the eastern Indian state of Odisha to a Gujarati people, Gujarati family. He is popularly ...

, telecom engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker.

Transport

Airport

The Jharsuguda Airport at

Jharsuguda Jharsuguda is a city and district headquarters of Jharsuguda district of Odisha, India. It is an industrial hub, consisting mainly of metallurgical industries. It is well connected to major cities of India through the rail network, and a rece ...

is the nearest airport to the city while Swami Vivekananda Airport at

Raipur Raipur ( ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raipur is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur district and Raipur division, and the largest city of the state. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of C ...

, Chhattisgarh is 234 km away.

Biju Patnaik International Airport Biju Patnaik International Airport is an international airport serving Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. It is situated around south-west from Bhubaneswar Railway Station and from the city center. Named after the former chief min ...

in the state capital,

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango tr ...

is 327 km away by road and 397 km by rail.

Railway Station

Balangir Junction railway station Balangir Junction railway station is a railway station which serves Balangir district in the Indian state of Odisha. History The Vizianagaram–Parvatipuram line was opened in 1908–09. The Parvatipuram–Raipur line was completed in 1931. I ...

on the

Sambalpur Sambalpur () is the fifth largest city in the Indian State of Odisha. It is located on the banks of river Mahanadi, with a population of 335,761 (as per 2011 census). Prehistoric settlements have been recorded there. It is the home of the Samb ...

Titlagarh Titilagarh is a town and Municipality in Balangir district in the Indian state of Odisha. Geography and Climate Titilagarh is located at . It has an average elevation of 215 metres (705 feet). Demographics India census, Titilagarh ...

railway line of East Coast Railways is the city's railway link to the national railway network.

Highway

Bolangir is connected by road to the state capital

which is 327 km to the east.

Politics

Current MLA from Bolangir Assembly Constituency is Narasingha Mishra of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...

, who won the seat in State elections of 2014 by defeating BJD stalwart Ananga Udaya Singh Deo. Bolangir is part of Bolangir (Lok Sabha constituency).

Culture

The Nuakhai

The "Nuakhai" is a social festival of unity. This festival is observed among kith and kins during the month of Bhadraba. The appropriate date of the Nuakhai is just the day after the Ganesh Puja. It is a festival of harvest of crops. On this occasion, the new grain after harvesting is first offered to the local deity and during this festival, the people get themselves lost in merrymakings. Wearing new clothes, preparing delicious foods the people of this area celebrate this festival with enthusiasm. It is mostly an agricultural festival of Western Odisha. It can also be dubbed as The 'Baisakhi' of Odisha.

Ratha Jatra, The Chariot Festival

In the Ratha Yatra, the three deities are taken from the Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the 'Mausi Mandira' or Gundicha Temple, where they stay for nine days. Thereafter, the deities again ride the chariots back to Shri Mandir in ''bahuda jatra''. On the way back, the three chariots halt at the Mausi Maa Temple and the deities are offered ''Poda Pitha,'' a kind of baked cake which are generally consumed by the people of Odisha. ''Ratha Yatra'' is a journey in a chariot accompanied by the public. It typically refers to a procession (journey) of deities, people dressed like deities, or simply religious saints and political leaders.

Religion

Hinduism

Pataneswari Pataneswari is the tutelary deity of the city of Patna of Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar P ...

Tourist Attractions

Gandhamardan Hills

Gandhamardan Hills or Gandhamardan Parbat ( Odia: ଗନ୍ଧମାର୍ଦନ ପର୍ବତ) is a hill located in between Balangir and Bargarh district of

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. This hill is well known for medicinal plants. Lord Hanuman is believed to reside here and in the Piduru Mountains in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The

Botanical Survey of India Botanical Survey of India (BSI) located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was founded on 13 February 1890, is Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's organization for survey, research and conservation of pl ...

has reported the existence of 220 plant species of medicinal value. Local people, however, claim that there are more than 500 species of medicinal plants in this area. The flora of the buffer zone is most vulnerable.

Harishankar Temple

Sri Sri Harisankar Devasthana is a temple on the slopes of Gandhamardhan hills, Bolangir District of

. It is popular for its scenes of nature and connection to two Hindu lords,

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...

and

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...

. As a holy place, along with a stream passing on the granite bed, it has given some visitors a feeling of peace. On the opposite of side of the Gandhamardhan hills is the temple of Nrusinghanath. The plateau between the two temples has been found to have ancient Buddhist ruins, which are considered to be remnants of the ancient Parimalgiri University.

Ranipur Jharial

It is a historical destination, near Titilagarh. An Ancient, roundabout like temple preserves the history of

Ranipur-Jharial This article lists monuments and sites of historic importance in Odisha, India. Prehistoric Ancient Singhapura (In Jajpur Dist): Some historians said that it was the capital of Singha Bahu, a Kalinga King who was contemporary of Lord Buddh a ...

with its rocky terrain, It also has an attractive pond.

Climate

References

External links

Govt. Of Odisha Website

Odisha Tourism

Official website of Balangir
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Bolangir district Former capital cities in India