Subarnapur District, also called Sonepur District or Sonapur District, is an administrative district in

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 ...

state in eastern

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 ...

. The city of Sonepur is the district headquarters. Sonepur is known as the Mandiramalini town (city of temples) of Odisha with more than hundred temples. The people of the Sonepur region are referred to as Sonepuria. From ancient times, Sonepur is considered as a holy city.

History

In the 8th century CE, the region was known as Swarnapur and was ruled by

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

lords of the Bhaumkaras of Tosali. The region was then ruled by the Somavamsis and eventually became one of two capitals of the Somavamsis. Around the 10th and 11th centuries, the region was called Pashima Lanka or Western Lanka. The evidence for these names comes from a Somavamsi prince of the region called Kumara Someswaradeva who issued a copper plate charter in the late 10th century which identified him as the ruler of Paschima Lanka. Historically, the presiding deity of the region was the goddess Lankeswari. At some point during Somavamsi rule, the region was given its current name, Subarnapur. It was formally established as a district in 1993.

Economy

In 2006 the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj The Ministry of Panchayati Raj () is a branch of the Government of India. The Ministry is in charge of the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The Ministry is headed by a minister of cabinet rank / Min ...

named Subarnapur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of

640 Year 640 ( DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming y ...

). It is one of the 19 districts in Odisha currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Divisions

* Sub-divisions: Sonepur and * Tehsils: Sonepur, Binika, Rampur, Birmaharajpur, Tarbha, and Ullunda * Blocks: Sonepur, Binika, Tarbha, Dunguripali, Birmaharajpur and Ullunda * Municipality: Sonepur * N.A.C.: Tarbha, Binika, Dunguripali, Birmaharajpur

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Subarnapur district has a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 610,183, roughly equal to the nation of

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or the US state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. The district is the 512th most populous in India out of a total of

. The district has a population density of . Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 8.2 billion in 2025. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 70 million annu ...

over the decade of 2001–2011 was 20.35%. Subarnapur has a

sex ratio A sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

of 959

females An organism's sex is female (symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and male ...

for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

of 74.42%. 8.18% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 25.60% and 9.37% of the population respectively.

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

is the predominant religion, practiced by 99.19% of the population. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 59.67% of the population in the district spoke Sambalpuri and 39.30% Odia as their first language.

Culture

Subarnapis home to a wide variety of cultural heritage, arts, and crafts. The Sonepur area specializes in

textiles Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

and

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

, Tarbha and Binka produce

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

metal works, Ullunda is home to a tradition of stone carving, and Dunguripali produces Paddy crafts. Subarnapur is home to the poet and prophet Mahima Dharma. The district is also known for "Danda-nata", a religious folk tradition which is native to the area.

Temple town, Sonepur

* Paschima Lanka * Lanka Podi * Sasisena Kavya * Sasisena Temple * Sureswari Temple * Subarnameru Temple * Lankeswari Temple

Tourist attractions

* Mahima pitha, Khaliapali * Gyaneswar Baba Shiv temple and museum at Kenjhiriapali village * Metakani Temple, Ullunda * Patali Srikhetra, Kotsamlai * Rushyashrunga hill at Goudgad jungle * Papakshya Ghat, Binka * Kapileswar temple, Charda * Nabagrahakunda * Rameswar Shiva Temple * Lord Sri Sri Swapneshwar Temple, Goudgad of BirmaharajPur Block. * Thengo Irrigation Project of Birmaharajpur Block * Maa Umadevi Temple and Siddheswar Temple * Maa Ramachandi & Baba Raneswar Temple, Telanda * Gupteswar Baba Temple, Gailmura * Bhimtangar, Gailmura *Baunsa Bana, Dunguripali *Maa pudapat temple Tulunda,Tarbha *Chudakhai Dangar Tulunda panchayat,Tarbha

Saree

* Sonepuri Pata Saree * Sonepuri Saree * Sambalpuri Saree

Notable people

* Kailash Chandra Meher, painter awarded the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

. * Nila Madhab Panda, film maker and director of I Am Kalam. * Sabyasachi Mohapatra, Odia film director and producer. * Bhagirathi Nepak, Odia Eminent Writer

Education in Subarnapur district

Schools

*Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Tarbha * Sri Aurobindo Shikshyakendra, Goudgad * Ganapati Adarsha Shikshya Niketan, Biramaharaj Pur *Swami Vivekananda Adarsha Vidyalaya, Khandahata *Anchalik Uchha Vidya Pitha, Kenjhiriapali *Centurion Public School, Dunguripali *Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Dunguripali *Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Rampur *Sahara Trust High School, Sonepur *Vishwabharti Chintan Shikshya Niketan, Sonepur *St Anne's Convent School, Sonepur *Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Sonepur *Sri Aurobindo Integral Education & Research Center, Sonepur *Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya, Sonepur *Bhimabhoi Vidyapita, Lachhipur *Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Lachhipur

Colleges

* Sonepur College, Sonepur-Raj *Model Degree College, Subarnapur *Shree Ram College, Rampur *Dunguripali College, Dunguripali *Gram Panchayat College, Lachhipur *Buddhiram College, Menda *Birmaharajpur College Birmaharajpur

Politics

This district is a part of Balangir Lok Sabha co Govt. ITI, Biramaharajpur, Subarnapur Govt. ITI, Sonepur Govt Polytechnic,Sonepur Govt ANM training college, Subarnapur Subarnapur nursing college,Sonepur nstituency. The MP of Balangir is Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo from the BJP.

Vidhan Sabha Constituencies

The following are the two

Vidhan sabha The State Legislative Assembly, also known as the Vidhan Sabha or the Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories of India. Members of the legislative assembly are often directly elected to serve fiv ...

constituencies of Subarnapur district and the elected members of each area.

Villages

* Baghahandi

References

External links

*
Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa

Cultural Profile of South Kosal
* Pasayat, C. (1994), "Myth and Reality in Little Tradition: A Study of Dandanata in Odisha" in ''Man in India'', Vol.74, No.4, December 1994, pp. 413–427. * Pasayat, C. (1998), ''Tribe, Caste and Folkculture'', Jaipur/New Delhi: Rawat Publications. * Pasayat, C. (2003), ''Glimpses of Tribal and Folkculture'', New Delhi: Anmol Pub. Pvt. Ltd. {{DEFAULTSORT:Subarnapur District 1993 establishments in Orissa Districts of Odisha