Brajrajnagar is a town and a

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' ...

in Jharsuguda district in the state of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Popular legend says the town was named after Braj Mohan Birla after he set up Orient Paper Mills in 1936. It is a small sleepy town on rocky terrain, built on the banks of IB river, with temples mostly built by the Birlas. Later it became famous for MCL-owned coal mines after Orient Paper Mills of Birlas managed by dulichand Hanuman Prasad shah closed down in 1999. Most of the population in this city were working for Orient Paper Mills, which belonged to Birla Group of industries. Brajrajnagar has in its vicinity numerous open-cast and underground coal mines of IB Valley Coalfield and Orient Colliery Area belonging to government-owned Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL).

History

The Brajrajnagar Police Station was established in 1936, in the same year, when the Orient Paper Mills of Birlas was established here. The mill started functioning in 1939, leading to the growth of township around it, inhabited by the employees. which was managed by dulichand Hanuman Prasad shah. Eventually, Brajrajnagar became a

Nagar Panchayat (Notified Area Council) A nagar panchayat () or town panchayat or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India is a settlement in transition from rural to urban and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 12,00 ...

(NAC) in 1968, and in 1989 it was made a

Nagar Palika (Municipality) In India, a municipal council, also known as municipality, nagar palika, nagar parishad, nagar parisad or nagar sabha, is a self-governing Urban Local Body that administers a smaller urban areas than municipal corporations, with population of 10 ...

, spread over an area of 42.73 km². and includes seven revenue villages, Lamtibahal, Telenpali, Remja, Lajkura, Gandghora, Katabaga and Sanjob. Local leaders like Mrutyunjaya Dash and comrades had put valiant efforts during the freedom struggle of India.

Geography

Brajarajnagar is located at . It has an average elevation of 216 metres (708 feet). Ib River, which is a tributary of

Mahanadi river The Mahanadi River is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India's independence ...

, flows to the east of the town. Brajrajnagar vidhan sabha consists of vast area of Brajrajnagar, Belpahar, Bandhbahal, Gopalpur, Kanaktura border of Chhattisgarh. Moreover, Brajrajnagar forest range also has very large area which includes area in Remenda, Banharpali, Kudopali, Tilya, Sonari, Rajpur, Rampur, Loising, Barakhandia, Pathrapali, etc. Brajrajnagar also has very large area which includes many villages like Remja, Telenpali, Khaliakani, Gandaghora, Khaliamal, Nuadihi, Gandhichowk, Badheikata, Barghat Quarter, Junenmunda, 9number, Lamtibahal, Mandalia, Hilltop colony, BhootBanglouw, GMcomplex, Minesrescue station, Sanjob, Badjob, Kusamunda, ESIchowk, Sargimal, Baghrachaka, Ainlapali, Amdarha, Baghiaberna, Balangibahal, Baliput, Barpali, Beleidhuda, Bhoimunda, Bundia, Chandnimal, Charbhati, Chelkuthi, Chichinda, Deogaon, Ghusuramunda, Gourmal, Kandakuda, Katapali, Kechhobahal, Koilaga, Kudopali, Loising, Madhupur, Naikdihi, Niktimal, Nuamunda, Rajpur, Rankata, Tharkaspur and Tileimal.

Demographics

India census, Brajarajnagar had a population of 80,403. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Brajarajnagar has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 77% and female literacy of 60%. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Place of Interest

Chandi Mandir
Brajrajnagar * Laxmi Narayan Temple, Brajrajnagar * Birla Temple
Shiv Mandir
, near Lamtibahal, Brajrajnagar * IB Bridge * Lal Pathar * Satya Sai Mandir * Barghat Mandir * Underground and Open cast Mines * Cineplex (Vikram Talkies) - Single screen advanced cinema hall * Maa MulaBhudi Mandir (Gandaghora) * Maa Samalei Mandir (Rajpur) * Shiv Mandir (Nuadihi) *Shirdi Sai Mandir (Gandhichowk)

Industry

Brajrajnagar had one large paper mill named Orient Paper Mills of Birlas (managed by dulichand Hanuman Prasad shah )which happens to be the oldest industry in the state of Odisha, having set up in the year 1936 and production being started in 1939. Though since 1999, the O.P.M of Brajrajnagar has been shut down. Since then, thousand of workers have either shifted to the O.P.M. at Amlai,

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

or are working at MCL Brajrajnagar. The IB Valley Coal Area is also in Brajrajnagar and nearby areas. Prior to nationalization in the year 1973, three underground mines were operational in Brajrajnagar. Post nationalization, the IB valley Opencast Mines were opened from 1984 onwards. At present IB Valley Area consists of three Opencast Mines namely Lajkura Opencast mine, Samleswari Opencast mine and Lilari Opencast mine. And all the underground mines are operational in Orient Colliery Area. National Aluminium Company Ltd, a government owned company, is planning to set up an

Aluminium smelter Aluminium smelting is the process of extracting aluminium from its oxide, alumina, generally by the Hall-Héroult process. Alumina is extracted from the ore bauxite by means of the Bayer process at an List of alumina refineries, alumina refinery. ...

plant and one of the largest power plant near the town. '
TRL Krosaki Refractories Limited
'' (formerly Tata Refractories Limited, ) is an Indian refractory company. It was established in 1958 in Belpahar, a city in Jharsuguda district of Odisha. It mainly produces basic, dolomite, high alumina, monolithics, silica, flow control products and tap hole clay refractories having a consolidated installed capacity of 304,760 tonnes per annum.

Transport

Road

Brajarajnagar falls on National Highway 49 (NH 49) which connects Bilaspur, of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Kharagpur Kharagpur () is a semi- planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision and the largest city of the district. It is located 1 ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. Many Private buses runs daily service to major cities of Odisha such as

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...

Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka in Odia language, Odia ), is the former capital, deputy capital and the 2nd largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised f ...

Berhampur Berhampur (; also known as Brahmapur) is a city on the eastern coastline of Odisha, India. Known as the "Silk City" it is the headquarter of Ganjam district, Ganjam district and home to Odisha's one of the major and the oldest railway station ...

Rourkela Rourkela () is a planned city located in the northern district Sundargarh of Odisha, India. It is the third-largest Urban Agglomeration in Odisha after Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. It is situated about west of the state capital Bhubaneswar and is ...

and

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 ...

Railways

Brajrajnagar Railways Station (BRJN) is a station on the Tatanagar–Bilaspur section of Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line. It is managed by Bilaspur division of South East Central Railway. It serves as important loading point for various coal-mines located in this area of

. Brajrajnagar railway station is well connected with trains from

Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

and

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

. Jharsuguda which is 11 km away is connected from the rest of the country including Chennai and Bangalore. It has another railway station, IB which is 1.5 km away from Brajrajnagar.

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

The closest airports are the Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda (15 km),Bilasa Devi Kenvat Airport, Bilaspur (219 km),

Swami Vivekananda Airport Swami Vivekananda Airport , formerly known as Mana Airport, is a domestic airport serving Raipur, the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The airport is located at Mana, approximately south-east of Raipur and east of Naya Raipu ...

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 Chh ...

(319 km),

Birsa Munda Airport Birsa Munda Airport is a domestic airport serving Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand, India. It is named after the famous Indian tribal freedom fighter, Birsa Munda, and is currently managed by the Airports Authority of India. The airport ...

Ranchi Ranchi (; ) is the capital city and also the largest district by population of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern ...

(351 km) and Biju Patnaik International Airport,

(360 km). In 2009, the

Airports Authority of India The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India), Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civi ...

decided to set-up the second domestic airport in the state of

at Jharsuguda. After completion in 2012, Jharsuguda Airport became the nearest airport to reach Brajrajnagar (20 km). Air Odisha launched non-scheduled commercial flights between

, Jharsuguda and

on 2 November 2012.

Communication and Internet

2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, Broadband

Brajrajnagar has Reliance Jio, BSNL, Airtel, Idea 4G services for fast Internet services as well as BSNL Broadband Internet services. There are various 3G, 2G service providers in brajrajnagar like Aircel, Airtel, BSNL, Reliance, Vodafone, Docomo, Idea and much more. BSNL landline also provides telephone services.

Politics

The current MLA from Brajarajnagar Assembly Constituency is Mr. Suresh pujari of BJP, who won the seat in State general elections of 2024. he defeating Mrs Alka who won the seat in State by-elections of 2022(which was held after sudden demise of her husband) M
Anup Kumar Sai
is three times MLA in Brajraj Nagar assembly constituency from 2001to2014 Mr. Keshba Chandra Sahu had won this seat in 1999 for 17 months and before him, Mr. Prasanna Kumar Panda of CPI had won this seat in 1995, 1990 and in 1985. Mr. Upendra Dikshit had won this seat as INC(I) candidate in 1980 and as INC candidate in 1977. It was a part of Deogarh (Lok Sabha constituency), though now it is a part of Bargarh (Lok Sabha constituency), after a new

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

constituency was created after 2008

delimitation Electoral boundary delimitation (or simply boundary delimitation or delimitation) is the drawing of boundaries of electoral precincts and related divisions involved in elections, such as Federated state, states, counties or other municipalities ...

of parliamentary constituencies based on the recommendations of the

Delimitation Commission of India The Delimitation Commission of India is a commission established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act, tasked with redrawing the boundaries of legislative assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies bas ...

in 2002. Mr.Suresh Pujari of BJP is currently the M.P. from Bargarh (Lok Sabha constituency).

Education

# Believers Church Residential School # Gandghora High School # Neheru Memorial M.E. School, Rajpur # Rampur Colliery High School # Bundia High School # Kudopali High School # O.P.M Boys High School # O.P.M Girls High School # H Line Girls High School # Lamtibahal High School # Siksha Niketan # DAV public school # Daniel Public School # Little Angels' SR. Sec School # Srima Arabina High School # Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir There are also other secondary schools.

Festivals observed

Major festivals celebrated in the Brajrajnagar are: * Nuakhai: This is an important festival for the people of Western Odisha. An agricultural festival celebrated to welcome the new rice of the season. Families gather during this period and eat together. After that, the younger take the blessings of elders and dance with friends. * Bhai Jiyuntia: A festival observed by the women of this region where a sister prays for the betterment of her brother. * Rath Yatra: Rath Yatra is celebrated in the town & near by villages of Brajarajnagar. *

Durga Puja Durga Puja (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which pays homage to the Hinduism, Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victo ...

: Durga Puja has been celebrated in public pandals in the town for more than half a century. Specially Durga pandals of Gandhi Chowk, Black Diamond (Mandalia), Hill Top Colony and ESI Chowk is very devotional. The puja pandal of OPM (Golchakkar) is one of the oldest celebrated Durga puja of town. Besides these it is also celebrated in various temples of town. * Ganesh Puja: Ganesh Puja is celebrated all over the town including various schools and colleges. * Diwali and Chath: It is celebrated with great pomp and show. *

Makar Sankranti Makar(a) Sankrānti (), () also referred to as Uttarāyana, Makara, or simply Sankrānti, is a Hinduism, Hindu observance and a mid-winter harvest festival in India and Nepal. It is typically celebrated on 14 January annually (15 January on a ...

: It is celebrated with great pomp and show in Khaliakani of the town. * Gokulashtami (Prathamastami) Yatra is one of the oldest celebrated festival observed in Rajpur village. * Nagachaturthi Yatra is one of the oldest celebrated in Nuadihi village. * Shirdi Sai Palki Yatra is a festival observed on the day of Makar Sankranti.

Places of interest

# Chandi Mandir, Brajrajnagar # Laxmi Narayan Temple, Brajrajnagar # Birla Temple (Shiv Mandir), near Lamtibahal, Brajrajnagar # IB Bridge # Lal Pathar # Satya Sai Mandir # Barghat Mandir # Underground and Open cast Mines # Cineplex (Vikram Talkies) - Single screen advanced cinema hall # Maa MulaBhudi Mandir (Gandaghora)

References

External links

*Orient Paper Mill to reopen ( http://jsglive.in/2017/05/11/orient-paper-mill-brajrajnagar-is-likely-to-be-re-open/)
Jharsuguda district, Official website

Brajarajnagar
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Jharsuguda district Mining communities in India