Khariar (also called Khadial, Rajkhariar and Rajakhariar) is a town and a

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 ...

Nuapada District Nuapada district is located in the Odisha state in India, with the town of Nuapada serving as the headquarters of the district. It has one subdivision: Nuapada, and five blocks: Khariar, Sinapali, Boden Block, Boden, Komna, Nuapada, Komna, and ...

of the

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 ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 ...

History

The region of Khariar was under the rule of the

Chauhan Chauhan may refer to: * Chauhan (surname), an Indian surname * Chaguanas, a town in Trinidad and Tobago called Chauhan by the early Indian indentured immigrant Clans * Chauhan Dynasty Chauhan, a name derived from the historical Chahamanas o ...

dynasty of

Patna State Patna State was a princely state in the Eastern States Agency of India during the British Raj. It had its capital at Balangir. Its area was . History The foundation of the Patna kingdom was laid by Ramai Deva of the Chauhan dynasty in 1360 CE ...

which was established by

Ramai Deva Ramai Deva or Ramai Deo was a Rajput ruler who founded the Chauhan Dynasty rule in the erstwhile Patna state in today’s Bolangir district of Odisha in the year 1360 A.D. At the young age of twenty he staged a coup with the popular support of t ...

of the Chauhan dynasty in the 14th century CE who were vassals of the

Eastern Ganga dynasty The Eastern Ganga dynasty (also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas) were a large medieval era Indian royal Hindu dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas rul ...

which was declining following invasions from the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Chauhan reign from

Patnagarh Patnagarh is a town and a Notified Area Council in Bolangir district in the Indian state of Odisha. Its original name (with diacritics) is Patnāgarh, and it is pronounced verbally as Patnāgad. The official language is Odia. Patnagarh bears ...

continued over the region and later expanded through the establishment of their cadet branches extending their rule over areas of Western Odisha and eastern

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 ...

. In 1600 CE, Raja Gopal Rai who belonged to the Chauhan family of

Balangir Balangir also known as Bolangir, is a town and a municipality, the headquarters of Balangir district in the state of Odisha, India. Balangir's cultural heritage makes it one of the finest places for tourists in Odisha. Balangir municipality ...

was crowned as the first king of Khariar. This led to the formation of the Khariar

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

i that remained until India's independence in 1947.

Economy

Nuapada district Nuapada district is located in the Odisha state in India, with the town of Nuapada serving as the headquarters of the district. It has one subdivision: Nuapada, and five blocks: Khariar, Sinapali, Boden Block, Boden, Komna, Nuapada, Komna, and ...

is located in western part of

Western Odisha Western Odisha is the western part of the state of Odisha in India, extending from the Kalahandi district in the south to the Sundargarh district in the north. History Historically it has been included within the larger region of Greater Kal ...

and Khariar is located in the middle of the

. Khariar is one of the major towns in Nuapada district and the main business centre in the locality. It has a daily market and a weekly bazaar which takes place every Friday.

Geography

Khariar town is located at . It has an average elevation of . It is located in the western part of Odisha, close to the border of

Raipur District Raipur district is a district in the Chhattisgarh state of India. Its administrative headquarters is the city of Raipur. The district is rich in mineral resources and there are many wildlife sanctuaries. With a population of 2 million, it is the ...

. It comes under a

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

belt. It belongs to the

Mahanadi 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 independenc ...

basin the

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the East Coast of India, eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states and union territories of India, states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Prade ...

where mountains are interspersed with wide valleys. The climate is tropical with the rainfall is due to the South West

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

Demographics

As of the 2011 Indian census, Khariar has a population of 15,087. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Khariar has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. The male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 52%. In Khariar, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Odia is the official language of Khariar. Hindi is also spoken in Khariar. English is widely used for official purposes. And commonly spoken language among people is koshali (sambalpuri). Khariar mahotsav

Transportation

Khariar is a major transportation hub in Nuapada District as people from the three blocks, namely Boden, Sinapali and Khariar. Though Khariar is not connected by rail, it is well connected by roads. The major roads passing through Khariar are NH 353 (Khariar-Raipur), NH 59 (Khariar-Gopalpur), SH 16 (Khariar-Sambalpur), and SH 44 (Khariar-Bhawanipatna). The nearest rail head is

Kantabanji Kantabanji (KBJ) is a Municipality in Balangir district in the Indian state of Odisha. History In 1937, the railway track from Kantabanji to Vishakhapatnam was laid and since then train started running through this route. At that time no one ...

, which is situated 35 km from Khariar. Another nearby railway station is Titlagarh (which is also the hottest place in India). The nearest airport is

Raipur 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 Raipur ...

, situated from Khariar. Khariar is connected by bus via the NH 353 & NH 59. , railway line survey work is in progress for the Kantabanji-Rajkhariar-Ammapani-Nawarangpur-Jeypore route.

Nearby towns

* Chalanpada, 5 km * Duajhar, 8 km * Boden, 28 km *

Komna Komna is a mountain karst plateau in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. It has an elevation from to . It has a triangular shape and rises above the Bohinj Basin. To the east, it continues into the Triglav Lakes Valley. The lowest measured ...

, 25 km *

Sinapali Sinapali is the main town in Sinapali Tehsil in the south of Nuapada District in Odisha, India. It is located on the bank of Udanti River, south of the district headquarters of Nuapada (via road NH59) and from Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar. ...

, 30 km * Gandabahali, 21 km *

Kantabanjhi Kantabanji (KBJ) is a Municipality in Balangir district in the Indian state of Odisha. History In 1937, the railway track from Kantabanji to Vishakhapatnam was laid and since then train started running through this route. At that time no one ...

, 35 km *

Titlagarh Titlagarh is a Municipality in Balangir district of the Indian state of Odisha. It is a known summer hotspot in India due its extreme heatwaves and was among the top 10 Indian cities with maximum temperature in 2022. Geography and Climate Titil ...

, 50 km *

Nuapada Nuapada is a town in western region of Odisha state of eastern India. It is the headquarter of Nuapada district. Nuapada district was carved out of the undivided Kalahandi district on 27 March 1993. It is on the western border of Odisha with C ...

, 70 km *

, 112 km *

Bhawanipatna Bhawanipatna is a city and the headquarter of Kalahandi district in the state of Odisha, India. Bhawanipatna has numerous temples dedicated to different deities of the Hindu pantheon. Geography and climate Bhawanipatna is located at . It h ...

, 70 km *

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 ...

, 190 km *

New Raipur Nava Raipur, officially known as Atal Nagar-Nava Raipur, is a planned city and fully Greenfield city in Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is planned to replace Raipur as the capital city of Chhattisgarh. The Government of Chhattisgarh, the stat ...

, 140 km *

Khariar Road Khariar Road is a town in India's Odisha state. It is located at the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. It is from Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh and is one of the fastest growing economic centers of India. It is also one of the key railway stations ...

, 78 km *

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 ...

, 240 km *

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 ...

, 430 km *

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, 838 km * Brahampur, 338 km * Tukla, 9km by nh353

Religious places

There are several religious places of different religions in Khariar. Some of the temples located in Khariar are: * Maa Dukuribudhi Gudi, Duajhar * Maa Samaleswari Temple, near Azad Chowk * Raktambari Mandir, near Azad Chowk * Hanuman Mandir, near Azad Chowk * Hanuman Mandir, Puruna Bustand * Dadhibamana Mandir, Badgudipada * Jagannath Temple * Ram Mandir * Hanuman Mandir, irrigation colony * Koshaleswar Temple, irrigation colony * Ganesh Mandir, irrigation colony * Bhubaneswari Mandir, irrigation colony * Shiva Temple, Duajhar * Maa Santoshi Mandir, Junen *Radha Krishna Mandir, Junen * Siva Mandir, Tirbandh * Siva Mandir, Muktasagar * Gayatri Mandir, Chalanpada * Radhakrushna Madir, Damapala * Shri Rameswara Siva Mandir, Bhaludungari * Shiv Temple, Dalpada Some of the other religious places of other communities are: * Mukti Marg Church, Khariar * Sunni Hanfi Jama Masjid, Khariar * Sunni Jamat Eidgah, Khariar

Places of interest

Tourist destinations

There are several tourist spots around Khariar, including: * Mini Water Dam Project, Duajhar (Salepada) , this is a mini water dam or reservoir located approximately 9 km from khariar * Patalganga: A

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

located approximately 30 km from Khariar which attracts pilgrims from different parts of Nuapada district as well as from neighbouring districts. *

Tikhali Dam Tikhali Dam is a major irrigation project of the Government of Odisha, and part of the Lower Indra Irrigation Project. The dam is located on the Indra River, a tributary of the Tel River, near the village of Dargoan, in Khariar block of Nua ...

: Officially known as the Lower Indra Irrigation Project, this dam is situated 17 km from Khariar. * Rusi Pitha: Rusipitha (Risipiti) is located in Tukla. * Jogimatha-Tukla is a old sites for the monks near these areas. Here we can find the ancient inscriptions of religious monks * Ramgarh Hill: A place of worship of Maa Gadiaan, Goddess of Gandabahali village. A large

elephant stone "Elephant Stone" is a song by the English rock band the Stone Roses. It was the third single released by the group and their first release on Silvertone Records. Originally released in October 1988, it showcases the group's growing confidence ...

is located at this place, and it is considered to be the oldest such stone in the undivided

Kalahandi district Kalahandi district (Pron: Kaḷāhāṇḍi) is a district of Odisha in India. It was a princely state in British India and in post-independence period it merged with Odisha state in India as Kalahandi district comprising current Kalahandi d ...

. According to an ancient belief,

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

's brother

Lakshman Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and is ...

and wife

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

resided here in their period of exile.

Markets

* Daily Market (fresh market) * Goru/Sukrabar Bazar (weekly) * New Daily Market (near old bus stand) * Machh Bazaar (old daily market) * New Machh/Mansh Bazaar (Boden Chowk-Gadramunda area)

Culture

Khariar's culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, dance etc. Khariar has a cultural heritage that arose due to intermingling of different religions. The major language used is Sambalpuri/ Kosli, which is widely used in each and every part of Khariar region. Nuakhai is the major festival celebrated in this region. The other festivals like

Rathayatra Ratha Yatra (), or chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. They are held annually during festivals in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The term also refers to the popular annual Ratha Yatra of Puri that involves a public processi ...

Dusshera Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed on ...

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Chindaguda ( Dhanujatra, Anchalika Sanskrutik Utsav) are also celebrated in Khariar. Khariar organises Khariar Mahotsav every year, which attracts a large number of people from different places. The activities of this town include running of schools, shops or very small industries and bus communications. Other than these activities, political activities across the town are also common.

Notable persons

* Jitamitra Singh Deo, present titular Raja of Khariar. He is also a poet and historian * Manish Bansal, founder of news portal Newstrend.news. In 2018, it was the 10th most popular websites of India. * Prayag Dutta Joshi, writer and activist * Adhiraj Mohan Panigrahi, member of the

Odisha Legislative Assembly The Odisha Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Odisha state in India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. The Legislative Assembly comprises List of constituencies of Odisha ...

Khariar (Odisha Vidhan Sabha constituency) Khariar is a Vidhan Sabha constituency of Nuapada district, Odisha. This constituency includes Khariar NAC, Khariar block, Boden block and Sinapali Block. Elected Members Since its formation in 1961, 14 elections were held till date. Li ...

. * Kapil Narayan Tiwari (1929–2022), member of the

* Babu Gupta Chairperson Notified Area Council - Khariar

References

* {{cite book , author=Dr Tara Dutt, title= Odisha District Gazetteers: Nabarangapur, url=http://www.gopabandhuacademy.gov.in/sites/default/files/gazetter/Nabarangapur_Gazetteer.pdf, year=2015 , publisher=Government of Odisha , isbn=978-81-86772-17-1 Odisha Nuapada district Cities and towns in Nuapada district