Banpur is a town and a notified area council in Khordha district

Khordha district

Khordha is an administrative division of the state of Orissa, India. It was formed on April 1, 1993 by the division of former Puri District into Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh districts. In the year 2000 the district name was changed to Khordha. The district headquarters is Khordha Town, formerly...

  in the state 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...

, 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 town is named after the King Banasura of Lord Krishna age.Banasura, a demon-king who is said to have ruled over this place. The place was under the control of a line of feudal lords, the ancestors of the Rajas of Parikud, till 18th century. Major point of attraction here is the temple dedicated to Goddess Bhagabati, the presiding deity of Banpur. It is one of the famous Shaktipithas of Orissa.

Geography

Banpur is located at 19.78°N 85.18°E. It has an average elevation of 1 metres (3 feet).

Demographics

India census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Banpur had a population of 16,437. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Banpur has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 56% of the males and 44% of females literate. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Climate

As the town is situated in the coastal area there you cannot feel too hot in summer or too cold in winter. The rail fall is sound and suitable for agriculture.

Art and Culture

The town is enriched with cultural heritage and is famous for its unique cane made art-crafts such as sofa set,hanging chair, TV stand etc. The ancient Daksheswar or Dakshya Prajapati Temple situated at the entrance of town features fine specimens of Oriya architecture and sculpture. As in Oriya proverb bara masa tera parva i.e., in 12 months 13 festivals,the people of Orissa celebrate
13 festival in 12 months. Here in Banpur you can find such culture also.Among all the festivals the most famous one is panchudola-the 5th day after holi/dola purnima, where you can find the gathering of 72 god and goddess in a large ground. This festival is carried out for 2–3 days.

Nehru Sewa Sangh

The Nehru Sewa Sangh came into existence in 1946 when India was on the threshold of independence. It is situated on the banks of Chilka lake, about 100 km south of Bhubaneshwar, the state capital of Orissa. The Sangh has many activities like- orphanages, schools and training centres for blind, deaf and mentally retarded, eye care, welfare of scheduled castes and tribes etc. It has schools for both blind and deaf.

Sense International (India) is supporting Nehru Sewa Sangh in implementing a Home based programme for deafblind children in Banpur and its surrounding villages.

Contact Address:
Nehru Seva Sangh
P.O. Banpur
Dist Khurda 752 031
Orissa.

Education

More than 60% of the town population are educated(male-55% and female-45%). There are more than 15 primary schools and 10 high schools in the town. Some of the best high schools are as follows-

• Boys' High School(govt), Banpur(NAC).
• Godavarish Bidyapitha(govt), Banpur.
• Balugaon High School(govt), Balugaon(NAC).
• Girls' High School (govt), Banpur(NAC).
• Banambar Academy (semi govt),Bhimpur.
• Saraswati Sisumandir, Bhagabati Vihar, Bisarpatana, Banpur(NAC)
• Nilakantheswar Vidyapitha,Kumaranga,Banpur(NAC)
• Gayatri Vidya Mandir,Bhimpur,Banpur.

There is also the scope of higher education in general studies like Bachelor and Master in Humanities as well as in Science and only Bachelor in Commerce.

The town has two colleges and they are:

~Godavarish Mahavidyalaya, Banpur

~Balugaon college, Balugaon.

Eminent Personalities

• Godavaris Mishra-freedom fighter, writer, teacher.
• Godavarish Mohapatra-editor, writer.
• Krusna Chandra Tripathy- poet
• HariHar Ram- Founder Nehru Sewa Sangh
• Late Loknath mishra-Former governor of Assam(1991–1997)

Tourism

Famous for the time honoured temple of Goddess Bhagabati, Banpur has earned celebrity as a center of religious activities. Once it was the capital of Sailodvaba dynasty, responsible for the construction of the early group of temples in Bhubaneswar. The large number of Buddhist images discovered at Banpur relate the place to the Vajrayan cult of Buddhism. The temple of "Dakshya Prajapati" is a fine specimen of extraordinary artistic excellence of Orissan art.

Chilika, the largest brackish water lake in Asia covering an area of over 1100 square kilometre is a great attraction for the tourists for fishing, bird watching and boating. In winter, Chilika attracts thousands of indigenous and migratory birds.