Angul District
Encyclopedia
General Information
Subdivisions: 4
Blocks: 8
Municipalities: 2
N.A.C.: 1
Tehsils: 5
Forest Coverage: 2,716.82 km²
Villages: 1,922
Grama panchayat: 180
Towns: 9


Angul is a district of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

 state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The city of Angul
Angul, India
Angul is the headquarters of Angul district in the State of Orissa, India.The district came into existence on April 1, 1993. The district covers a geographical area of 6232 km2 and supports a population of about 11.40 lakhs...

 is the district headquarters.

History

A bridge between western and coastal areas of Orissa where the prehistoric and protohistoric relics are found in village Bhimakund, Kankili, Kulei, Samal, Sanakerjang, Kaliakata, Paranga, Kerjang, Ogi, Tikarapara and Pallahara. The geographical location of Angul made the Bhanjas of Angulaka-pattana, the Sulkis of Kodalaka Mandala, the Nandodbhavas of Airavatta Mandala, the Tungas of Yamagartta Mandala rule over it. But all through the rules of different dynasties, Angul has retained her cultural identity which is much more prominent than its political establishments.

The Bhaumakaras declined by the middle of the 10th Century AD when the eastern part of Orissa including the Dhenkanal region passed to the hands of the Somavamsis of South Kosala. The Somavamsis in their turn, were ousted by the Gangas and Orissa was occupied by Chodagangadedva some time before 1112 AD. The Ganga rule lasted as long as till 1435 AD when a new Solar dynasty founded by Kapilendradeva came to power. About the year 1533-34, Govinda Vidyadhar put an end to the Suryavamsi rule and started the rule of Bhoi dynasty, which lasted up to 1559 when Mukundadeva, belonging to the Chalukya family, forcibly occupied the throne. In 1568, the Afghans of Bengal invaded Orissa, and defeated and killed Mukundadeva after which Orissa came under their occupation. During all this period of dynastic changes, Angul played no remarkable role in history and this territory simply passed from one political authority to the other. During the rule of Suryavamsis and the Bhois & subsequently some new feudal states developed as self-contained political units. These are Angul, Talcher, Pallahara and Athamallik. Somanath Singh was the last king of Angul and he ruled for a long period of 33 years from 1814 to 1847 when he was deposed by Government. He was a spirited and a head-strong ruler and although ruled his territory with considerable efficiency, he incurred displeasure nor only among the neighbouring Feudatory Chiefs of Dhenkanal, Hindol, Daspalla, Baudh, and Athmallik but also among the British Officers by his head-strong dealings and outspoken nature. His State was confiscated by the Government in their Resolution, dated 16 September 1848. Angul thus passed under the direct rule of the British and was administered by the Superintendent of the Tributary Mahals, through the agency of an officer known as Tehsildar, who collected revenue and administered justice, until in 1891 when Angul was constituted a separate district.

This district was formally formed out of the former undivided Dhenkanal district on the date of April 1, 1993 by the late Chief Minister of Orissa, Mr. Biju Patnaik
Biju Patnaik
Biju Patnaik was an Indian politician. Also known as Biju Babu.Son of Lakshminarayan and Ashalata Patnaik, Bijayananda Patnaik was born in Cuttack, Orissa on March 5, 1916..-Role in Indonesian freedom struggle:Biju...

.

Geography

Angul district is located in the center of the state of Orissa and lies between 20° 31 N & 21° 40 N latitude and 84° 15 E & 85° 23 E longitude. The attitude is between 564 and 1187 metres. The district has a total area of 6232 km2. It is bounded by Dhenkanal and Cuttack districts in the east, Deogarh, Kendujhar and Sundargarh in north, Sambalpur and Sonepur in west and Bauda and Nayagarh in the south side. The district is abundant with natural resources, which ultimately help the district to contribute maximum amount of revenues to the state government. Angul, The district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...

 headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...

 is about 150 kilometers from the state capital Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...

.

A recent study jointly conducted by Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reveals that Angul district is among the top 10 most polluted Indian cities where the pollution level reached to a 'very alarmingly' level.

Major Industries

NALCO
NALCO
NALCO may refer to:* National Aluminium Company - India's Govt sector Aluminium manufacturer* Nalco Holding Company - formerly known as Nalco Chemical Company* Nalconagar, Angul - a town in Angul District, Orissa, India...

: This is a blue chip company in the Indian Aluminium sector. National Aluminium Company Limited is the largest integrated Bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...

-Alumina-Aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....

 complex in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

. Nalco's 2.18 lac tpa capacity Aluminium Smelter and its 720 MW Captive Power Plant are located in Angul. Nalco's Smelter came up in 1984 and since then the district has developed economically and socially. Nalco's manufacturing plants and township called Nalco Nagar are located at 5 km from Angul town, by the side of National Highway NH-42. Nalco manufactures primary Aluminium metal in the form of Ingots, Wire Rods, Sow moulds, Billets and strips. Nalco's Aluminium is exported to over 30 countries around the world and it also has a share of 30% of the domestic Aluminium market.

NTPC
NTPC
NTPC may refer to:* Nam Theun 2 Power Company* National Thermal Power Corporation, in India* Northwest Territories Power Corporation...

: The National Themal Power Corporation, India's leader in power generation has its 1500 MW super thermal power station at Kanhia, in Angul. The capacity has been planned to be raised to 3000 MW in coming days. The beneficiary states from the power generation are Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

, Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...

, Damodar Valley Corporation
Damodar Valley Corporation
The Damodar Valley Corporation, popularly known as DVC, is the first multipurpose river valley project of independent India. The corporation came into being on July 7, 1948 by an Act of the Constituent Assembly of India . It is modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority of the USA. Jawaharlal...

, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

, Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

 and Southern States. Coal for the power generation is sourced from the Talcher Coal Field and water for the thermal power is taken from Samal Barrage Reservoir. The location of NTPC, Talcher is at Kanhia which is 60 km from Angul. NTPC
NTPC
NTPC may refer to:* Nam Theun 2 Power Company* National Thermal Power Corporation, in India* Northwest Territories Power Corporation...

 Kanhia has its own township for its 1500 employees.

MCL : Mahanadi
Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...

 Coal Field Limited is located in Talcher (20 km from Angul), a well known mining centre of coal. A unit of Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited is an Indian state-controlled coal company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the world's largest coal miner with revenue exceeding 60,245 Crore . It was formerly owned entirely by the Union Government of India, under the administrative control of the Ministry of...

, MCL was previously under SECL (South Eastern Coal Field Ltd.). The major mines under MCL are the Ananta Colliery, Dera colliery & Balanda colliery.

FCI : The Fertilizer Corporation of India has its unit in Talcher, Angul. One of the oldest industries of this area, FCI Talcher has faced problems in its viable operation. Hence, the plant has faced a closure since 1998. The township & plants do exist, waiting for much needed revival. As per a recent report RCF (Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers) plans to revive the FCI plant in Talcher with a capital outlay of about Rs. 3000 crores.

HWP : The Heavy Water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...

 Plant is located in Talcher (20 km from Angul), is a Govt. of India organisation under the aegis of Ministry of Atomic Power & Energy. This plant is involved in production of Organic Solvents like TBP, D2EFHA, TAPO & TOPO etc. and other allied chemicals required as a part of the Nuclear Power Programme of the country.

TTPS : Talcher Thermal Power Station was one of the oldest power generation plant of the Govt. of Orissa. with a capacity of 460 MW power generation and it is located in Talcher. Coal for the power generation is sourced from the Talcher Coal Field and water for the thermal power is taken from nearby Brahmani river. It faced problems in its operations and was in the reds. The company was taken over by NTPC and its operation has once again become economically viable. The power plant is run efficiently by NTPC since 1998.

JSPL : Jindal Steel
Jindal Steel
Jindal Steel and Power Limited is the most valuable private steel producer in India, with an annual turnover of over US $2.1 billion , Jindal Steel & Power Limited is a part of about US$ 12 billion diversified O. P. Jindal Group. JSPL is a leading player in Steel, Power, Mining, Oil & Gas and...

 and Power Ltd is another major industry which has come up in Angul district with a capital investment of Rs. 20,000.00 crores for setting a steel producing facility and a 1500 MW power generation unit. JSPL plans to commission the first phase of its 6 million tonne per annum (MTPA) steel plant in Angul district by October 2010. In the first phase, it will have a capacity of 3 mtpa.

BSSL : Bhushan Steel
Bhushan Steel
Bhushan Steel is the largest manufacturer of auto-grade steel in India and is spending Rs. 260 billion to expand its capacity to 12 million tonnes annually, from the present installed capacity of around one million tonnes.-Financials and management:...

 and Strips Ltd is in the process of setting up a power plant and an advanced hot rolling plant on 1618 acres (6.5 km²) at Angul, at a cost of Rs. 5,200 crores. It is also in talks with the State Government for the allotment of additional 3500 acres (14.2 km²) to enable it to triple the planned capacity of 2.2 million tonnes (mt) in about five years. The Angul plant has already started producing 110 MW, sponge iron and billets production is close to 0.5 million tonnes.

Divisions

Angul district is divided into a number of Blocks, Tehsils and subdivisions to ease in administration. They are:

Blocks
  • Angul Sadar
  • Athamalik Sadar
  • Chhendipada
  • Talcher Sadar
  • Pallahada Sadar
  • Banarpal
  • Kishorenagar
  • Kanhia


Tehsils
  • Angul
  • Athamalik
  • Talcher
  • Pallahada
  • Chendipada


Subdivisions
  • Angul
  • Athamalik
  • Talcher
  • Pallahada

Transport

It is situated on the National Highway No 42, making it well accessible from all parts of the state.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census
2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...

 Angul district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...

 of 1,271,703, roughly equal to the nation of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

 or the US state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

. This gives it a ranking of 380th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...

). The district has a population density of 199 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...

 over the decade 2001-2011 was 11.55 %. Anugul has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....

 of 942 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...

 for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...

 of 78.96 %.

Places of worship

Anugul - Budhi Thakurani Temple built on a small hill. Recently a huge Jagannatha Temple known as Saila Srikhetra has also been built near the Budhi Thakurani temple. This Jagannath Temple is the exact replica of Puri Jagannath Temple
Jagannath Temple
-India:*Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Koraput, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Nayagarh, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India*Jagannath Temple, Delhi, India...

 and has been built over a small hill very popular all over the state.

Tikarapada

Location : It is 60 kilometers from the district headquarters and 200 kilometers from Bhubaneswar. Regular bus services are available from Angul
Angul
Angul may refer to:* Angul, town in India* Angul district, India...

 to Tikarapada, via Badakera and Jaganathpur. Besides one can take a taxi service from Angul to Tikarapada, via village Ogi
Ogi
Ogi may refer to:*Ogi , a fermented cereal porridge*Ogi, Oita, a city in Oita, Japan*Ogi, Saga, a city in Saga, Japan*Ontario Genomics Institute*Oregon Graduate Institute*Ogi Station-People:*Adolf Ogi, Swiss politician*Aritatsu Ogi...

, Tainsi, and Jaganathpur and probably this is a comfortable route. This is probably the most important wildlife tourist attraction of the district. This place is famous for the Gharial Crocodile Sanctuary, which is situated on the bank of River Mahanadi
Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...

. Wildlife lovers can have a chance to watch tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, mouse deer, nilagai, four-horned antelope and sloth bear. Wild dogs used to be sighted often. Many resident birds frequent this place. Reptiles like the gharial, mugger crocodile, fresh water turtle and poisonous and non-poisonous snakes can also be sighted. This site is popular among the tourists as a trekking hotspot. Tikarapada is also famous for the Satakoshia George of river Mahanadi, and its lush green forest. Near Tikarapada there is a village named "GAINDI" which is famous for its River Valley Picnic spot.

Bhimkund

This is another tourist place of Angul district, situated about 28 kilometers from the town of Talcher. One can see the sleeping statue of Lord Vishnu on the river bed of Bramhani.

Khuludi

The Shiva temple under the foothills of Malyagiri (also known as Malayagiri) is a pilgrim place for the people of the district.Lord Shiva abodes here under the name of Girishwara ,meaning the the lord of the mountains.The word Girishwara forms combining Giri(Mountain) and Ishwara (God).The waterfall near the temple is major attraction.
The khuludi village is 25 Kilometers far from pallahara.

Deulajhari

One more important place from both religious and natural beauty point of view is Deulajhari, better known as the ancient citadel of Saivism. The legacy of traditions and worships in the temple mirrors a heritage in its past and present flowing in to eternity. The temple has been consecrated amidst lush indigenous-jasmine forest (locally known as Kiabana) that stands as the high walls. To the south of the temple flows the sacred river Chitrotpala, and in the north stands the towering hills of Panchadhara. The uniqueness of the place lies in its hot springs that surround the temple. As per the ancient records, there were eighty-four such hot springs in and around the place. But as of now there are as many as twenty-four springs still active. Among these springs, the most popular are Agnikunda, Taptakunda, Himakunda, Amrutakunda and Labakusakunda. The temperature of water in these springs varies from 40 degrees Celsius to 62 degrees Celsius. In some old historical records the temperature was recorded as high as 134 degrees Celsius (273°F). The scientific survey reveals that the underneath sulphur layer of earth make the water hot. In front of the temple there are two such twin springs containing the hot and cold water. This twin spring is a mystery of the nature. There is constant inter-flow of water between them. But the temperature of both the springs remains constant.

The temple complex covers an area of twenty-four acres of land. The presiding deity Sidheswar Baba adores the main temple. The other important temples in the complex are Kedareswar Baba, Enkari Mata Maa Mahaswari, Sri Maheswar Baba, Sri Jogeswar baba and Maa Khambeswari. Mythlogically, the place is related to the age of Tretaya in which the lord Rama along with Sita Devi and the younger brother Laxman worshiped the Lord Shiva at this place in course of their fourteen years of exile life. In the world of spiritualism the place is also viewed as the Adipitha of Lord Jagannath. But how and when this pitha became the saivic place of worship is yet a topic of research among the spiritual fathers. Historical records show that the presently standing main temple was built by the King Kishore Chandra Deo of Kadamba Dynasty in the year 1936. Subsequently adjacent temples in the premises were built by other benevolent persons and devotees.
Fasts and festivals throughout the year keep the temple and its surroundings lively. The appearance of many saints, sadhus and preceptors at many times fills the atmosphere with divine reverence. In each Amavasya
Amavasya
Amavasya is the Indian name for a New moon. The word Amavasya is common to many Indian languages especially Sanskrit, Hindi, Assamese, Kannada, Bengali, Konkani, Marathi, Oriya, Telugu, and Gujarati...

 (new moon) and Sankranti
Sankranti
Sankranthi means transmigration of Sun from one Rāshi to the other. Hence there are 12 such Sankrantis in all.* Makara Sankaranti: or Sankranti or Sankranthi marks the transition of...

 (1st day of the month, as per Oriya Calendar) people from far off villages gather here to offer rituals to Sidheswarbaba, the sylvan deity of the temple.

The important festivals are Panasankranti, Sitalasasthi, Kartika Purnima, Makaramela, & Sivaratri. The other significant feature of this place is Barunisnahanayoga[1]. The Jagannath Calendar[2] is the prevalent Calendar of the temple. As per this panjika in the year 1971 there was a Barunisnahanyoga at this place. The devotees take holy bath in the Baruni stream that flows near the temple. From the viewpoint of medical science the place bears a great importance. The silent nature with its lackadaisical posters gives a healing touch to the persons suffering from many mental and neurological problems. The water of the hot spring cures skin and nerve diseases. The place also offers many interesting features for Botanical research. The soil and water of the region is not suitable for the growth of normal trees. Yet the place is full of with shrub, greenery and flowers. This geo-climatic condition is a fertile ground for many medical as well as botanical researches.

Ogi-Para

It is situated near National Highway No 42, just 2 kilometers from the highway near village Kanjara. It is 27 kilometers from the district headquarters of Angul. Regular bus services are available for Ogi-Para from Angul. These are two adjacent villages divided by river Lingara and popular for the Budha Thakura Temple and Agara Fair or Phalguna
Phalguna
Phalguna is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Phaalgun is the twelfth month of the year, beginning on 20 February and ending on 21 March .In lunar religious calendars, Phaalgun may begin on either the new moon or the full moon...

 Fair[3]. Besides, there is a small temple in the village of Ogi, where the idol of Goddess Budha Thakura is kept. The Agara Jatra[4] is one of the oldest festivals of its kind in the area.

Kanjara is a big village situated 20 km from Angul. The important festivals are dol yatra
Yatra
' , in Hinduism and other Indian religions, generally means pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Tīrtha-yātrā refers to a pilgrimage to a holy site, and is...

, Rath yatra, Dand yatra, Chandan yatra and Ramnavami.

Saradhapur

It is very near to Angul, just 5 km from district headquarters. Thare is a famous ashram named as Purunapani is located in this village.The Famous Mandaragiri mountain is in this village. Some good farm houses, natural sites you can find in saradhapur. So many picnic spots are in this village. October–December is perfect time for visiting this village.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK