Nabarangapur district General information
Nabarangpur District is situated among lush green forests in the South-West of Orissa, Nabarangpur District is a very picturesque place. Its unique culture and history will fascinate all. Home to more than ten tribes, and with more than half the population being tribal, Nabarangpur has a vibrant life style. Come, let us tell you more about this enchanting District.
History
Nabarangpur District was inaugurated on 2nd October 1992. Prior to that it was a big Sub-Division of the erstwhile Koraput District, considered to be second largest district in the country next to Bastar district in the former state of Madhya Pradesh. Though Koraput was vivisected into four parts, each segment enjoys the status of newly formed district.
The history of Nabarangpur is inextricably interlinked with that of Koraput District. In a sense, its language, style of living, heritage, geographical location flora and fauna and even climate is not distinct from the rest of the component of Koraput district. Its boundary stretches in the north to Kalahandi district west to Jagadalpur district in Chatishgarh, east to Kalahandi and Rayagada and south to Koraput district with the river Indravati separating the two districts. Nabarangpur is located on the 2000 ft Plateau (about 2000 ft above mean sea level) like that of the historically, famous Jeypore town in the Koraput district. In the north, the Panabeda area, recently renamed, as Chandahandi is only 500 ft above the sea level and experience interchange of climate and social life that of the adjacent Kalahandi district. The rest of Nabarangpur district is mainly flat with a few pockets of low hills. The highest peak Podagarh (an historical famous place) is 3050 ft high. There are Patches of thick forests mostly containing sal seeds and those provide sustenance to dependent villages.
People
The inhabitants here are mostly tribals, nomadic and almost aboriginal. Encounter with the civilized population in the township has changed their lifestyle to some extent by a few of them like Paraja, Kondhas, Gadava still live the primitive life style. They mostly depend on cultivation and forest products. Some speak Oriya in a corrupt form, difficult for the chaste Oriya speaking people to understand. They are an admixture of several words and phrases from aboriginal dialects. Boarder areas have a heavy dose of Chattishgarhi language in the west and of Kalahandi dialect in the north.
Religion
The religion of the district is composite. There are Hindus, Christians and Muslims. The tribals worship the Hindu gods. The Mohammadans, though small in population are believed to be the descendents of soldiers from Golkonda who invaded the Jeypore. Some had settled down, married Paraja women and followed the Muslim festivals. The Christians are direct out-come of the Lutheren Mission Conversion. The American and German missionaries had a field day during the British Raj. They set up schools with boarding houses, dispensaries and built Churches. Protestants Catholic and other denomination of Christian are prevalent here. The Christian hospital of Nabarangpur town has been an attraction for patients from far-flung areas. It was a treat to see former Doctors of Germany, who once served here,at its Golden Jublee Celebration held recently.
Tribe
The other tribals living here are namely Bhumias, Dombs. The latter are wide spread through the district and enjoy status next to Kondhas. They are weavers and drummers by profession and enjoy great influence over others. The dombs are engaged in cattle trade. The Mirganis appear to be sub caste of dombs. They differ from the Oriya dombs by not killing cattle for food but theypartake of the beef of the animals that dies naturally. They claim to be superior to Oriya dombs. They earn their livelihood by cultivation and weaving. In the upper rank of the social scale we come across Sankharies , who deal with lac and who make basket , chains and dolls out of it. They are good artists, artisans and traders. Malis originally grow and collect flowers for temple worship. They now switched over to cultivation of Sugarcane, tobacco etc. on the banks of Indravati river. Sundhis are famous for distillation and selling of liquor. Tradition holds that they are the descendants of a Brahmin father and royal mother. They are usually rich and wealthy in status.
Festivals
Chief among the Hindu festivals are Rath Jatra, Dassera(Dasahara). Holi and Mahasivaratri which the town dwellers and hill tribes mingle to mark the occasion. Holi, the riotous festival of spring is a three day long celebration. While the first two days are spent on ceremonies , the third is mostly for the young people that rejoice in sprinkling coloured liquid or smearing coloured power on one another. All difference of birth, caste, sex or even community melt away.
Rath Jatra is still a bigger festival though only confined to a few township or bigger panchayats. The presiding deity Lord Jagannath along with His elder brother and younger sister move away from the temple on a nine-day resort. Devotees drag them along a main route on a wooden chariot ( three chariots is the practice at the heartland-Puri). The Bahuda Jatra or the return car festival marks the end of the annual carnival.
The temples of Lord Jagannath are scattered throughout the Nabarangpur district. But the ancient one is located at Nabarangpur itself. The temple has no outward trappings and looks like an old private quarter except, of course, for the Garuda stambha (pillar) on its frontal gate. Till the late 80’s only the single deity –Lord Jagannath was stalled on the sanctum sanctorium. According to a legend, two other wooden idols-that of Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra were seized by one ruler of Bastar region and stalled at a temple in Jagadalpur and that of Lord Jagannth meraculously slipped from the elephant back half-way and was retrieved the next day. Now the three deities are worshiped from a huge pedestal, due to the zeal of devotees and officials who carved out two symmetrical wooden idols to replenish the fatal loss. The wooden carvings on the temple roof are a marvel to look at. Various forms of human, and animal find place on the wooden beams. Birds, flowers and other splendour of art and architecture cover every inch of the roof. Even a casual glimpse of erotica adds awe to the raving and scrutinizing eyes. What is displayed exuberantly on the stones elsewhere in the state is figured on wooden surface in this remote region. This treasure is well preserved with a coat of shinning black paint against the ravages of time.
Dussera(Dasahara) is again a ten-day long Hindu festival, a time honored ritual in which Goddess Durga, epitome of power and energy, Motherhood of the whole universe, is worshipped with due fervour and solemnity. The Maharaja of Jeypore used this occasion for the concourse of his subjects. Deities from various areas, towns and villages, are symbolically brought through decorated large bamboo poles to the accompaniment of beating drums and sounds of other musical instruments. The cultivators get a respite as the harvest time is still away by a month or so and they are all in a jubilant mood. On the day of Vijaya Dasami, special elaborate offerings are made to the Deity which includes the age-old practice of animal sacrifice of appeasing the Goddess, the destroyer of demonical forces. People are always in their colorful best costume and rejoice in the grand occasion.
Maa Bhandargharani of Nabarangpur is the presiding deity of the locality. The name signifies the preserver of wealth and protector of lives. She is also worshipped in nearby villages. Tuesday and Saturday are marked for special worship. Devotees throng the temple precincts on every conceivable occasion to seek blessings.
Maa Pendrani of Umerkote is born out of a legend. A small village Pendra(Pendrahandi) near Umerkote worship a pure soul Pendrani, a married girl who was a victim of secret jealousy of her own brothers . As the story goes , her husband was overtly pampered by her parents who made him stay in their household with no work to bother about. The four brothers out of sheer jealousy conspired and succeeded in killing her innocent husband (Pendara) and buried him in their field . Sensing a foul play , Pendrani could unfold the heinous crime and apparently jumped into her husband’s funeral pyre and perished in its flames. Days later her spirit was believed to roam about the villages helping those who trusted her supernatural transformation. People adore her scrifice and worship in a temple erected at Umerkote. That the local degree College is name after her is a tribute to the saga of supreme sacrifice.
Mahasivaratri attracts devotees from all walks of life – urban rich to rural poor. Mahadev- the God of gods is the central figure of worship for saving the whole of creation by drinking the deadly venom spit out by the legendary serpent Vasuki . The legendary serpent was used as a means by gods on one side and demons on the other for churning out the ocean to obtain the elixir of immortality –nectar. The nectar was evolved from the depth of the ocean, but along with it came the poison, vomitted by an exhausted Vasuki. Only the Lord of gods had the power to contain it from spreading and causing universal death. The lord was propitiated to devour it on the day, famed later as Sivaratri and the entire World was saved. Papadahandi temple is a pilgrim centre to celebrate such occasion.
Festivals of other communities too evoke reverence. The Moharam of the Muslims is a day of prayer and remembrance. Huge processions are taken round the township and mass prayers are held at Mosques. Inter community greetings are exchanged in a spirit of brotherhood . The Christmas Day marks the beginning of a long festival running upto the New Year’s Day. Christians of all hues celebrate the traditional at home, churches and open fields . Members of other communities also rejoice in it to mark communal concord. These virtues are ingrained in our composite culture, much above our religious affiliation.
Climate
Most of Koraput District experiences the first arrival of monsoon where as the rest of the state take about ten days more for the same thrill. While the rest of Orissa gets rain due to monsoon from the Bay of Bengal, the whole of Koraput derives it straight from the Arabian Sea through the Southwest direction. The whole of Koraput enjoys a generous rainfall and one hardly comes across a dry spell, acute shortage of food, or drought . Also the whole of Koraput, notably the 2000 and 3000 feet plateaus, remain cool round the year and can be treated as summer resort for those reeling under scorching heat elsewhere.
River
River Tel which rises in the north of Nabarangpur district forms a sort of its geographical boundary with Kalahandi district and finally unites with a bigger Mahanadi river in Sonepur town. It is not perennial and dries up during the summer. The important river Indravati flows through Nabarangpur and beyond till it mergers with the mighty Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. It runs through a total distance of about 530 km out of which the Nabarangpur and Koraput districts contain about 130 km of its length. At Nabarangpur town the old girder bridge is replaced by a new span. Before reaching the Jagadalpur town in Chatishgarh state, it is joined by another river Bhaskal that drains the north of Nabarangpur. During the flood Indravati swells up to 450 ft wide and 24 ft deep. But a dam built for Hydro Electric Power circumscribes its flow and fury and at present it bears the vestige of its formal glory.
Mineral
Nabarangpur District has a treasure of many ores like iron, chlorite, mica quartz and so on. The Heeraput village near Umerkote contains a fair deposit of haematite and limonite, each of which possesses about 60% iron. Similarly the Tentulikhunti area of Nabarangpur has fairly large deposit of granites. The north of Nabarangpur district up to the boarder of Kalahandi has rock beds covering layered of coarse white quartz.
Craft
A large number of artisans mostly residing in a street of Nabarangpur town carry on the age-old handicraft in Lac and the manufacturing of boxes,toys,sticks,chains, pedestals of Hindu Gods and Godesses, idols of Gods and Godesses, pooja articles and other decorative master pieces are unique in the area and testify exemplary craftsmanship.
Also "Dhanya Laxmi " (Goddess Laxmi with Pedestal ) is a Unique craft in paddy carried on by the artisans of Dabugam area in the District .
Earthen works of Tonda near Papadahandi also testify exquisite craftsmanship.
Tourist Place
MAA PENDRANI, UMERKOTE
Maa Pendrani of Umerkote is born out of a legend. A small village Pendra (Pendrahandi) near Umerkote worship a pure soul Pendrani, a married girl who was a victim of secret jealousy of her own brothers . As the story goes , her husband was overtly pampered by her parents who made him stay in their household with no work to bother about. The four brothers out of sheer jealousy conspired and succeeded in killing her innocent husband ( Pendara ) and buried him in their field . Sensing a foul play , Pendrani could unfold the heinous crime and apparently jumped into her husband’s funeral pyre and perished in its flames. Days
later her spirit was believed to roam about the villages helping those who trusted her supernatural transformation. People adore her scrifice and worship in a temple erected at Umerkote. That the local degree College is name after her is a tribute to the saga of supreme sacrifice.
SAHID MINAR, PAPADAHANDI
After independence a monument called “SAHID MINAR” was raised to mark the sacrifice of these innocent and long-forgotton patriots on the same river bank.Every year people gather at the Minar to pay floral tributes to those brave souls On 24th August. The Minar is located in the Papadahandi block of Nabarangpur. Papadahandi is famous for its Saiva Shrine of Nilakantheswara, 12 KM away from the District Head Quarter . A Temple with ancient stone carving of 8th century AD is situated here. Papadahandi is also known for its “ Champak Vana”. Now ITDA has its own honey processing unit here producing honey of.superior quality. On the bank of river Toori here is situated the "Shahid Smruti Stambha," a monument in commemoration of the 1942 Quit India Movement, coined as the second Jalliwanawalabagh incident. Every year State Level Saheed Smruti Day is celebrated here on 24th of August paying tribute to 19 known and many other unknown Martyrs who died in Police firing during “Satyagraha”. The Deer Park here also attracts a large crowd .Watching Nature's bounties from the watch Tower in this park is a rare experience.
KHATIGUDA DAM
Four dams were constructed for the purpose of blocking the flow of River water . The highest dam is located at Khatiguda while the other Two are constructed at Muran and Kapur. The last two envelope Small streams which merge into river Indravati through the dam water.
Indravati Dam is constructed over the River Indravati, renowned for Hydro-electric Project. The water reservoir created out of the dam is another attraction for its scenic beauty. Podagad and Deopali Dams are locations of tourist interests and picnic spots.It has a catchment area of 2630 kms.
MAA BHANDAR GHARANI: Maa Bhandargharani of Nabarangpur is the presiding deity of the locality. The name signifies the preserver of wealth and protector of lives. She is also worshipped in nearby villages. Tuesday and Saturday are marked for special worship. Devotees throng the temple precincts on every conceivable occasion to seek blessings.
The temple, Situated in the heart of Nabarangpur in front of old palace beside NH 201. Bhandar gharani is an ancient deity worshipped as per non vedic rituals. The Ghata Yatra, one of her main festivals,is observed every year in the month of April with great enthusiasm among people of the whole District. Large crowds also gather on Tuesdays, Saturdays, Sankranti Days, Basanti Dashahara and Sharadiya Dashahara.She is adored all through as the protector of the houses and harbinger of prosperity.
LORD JAGANNATH TEMPLE
The temples of Lord Jagannath are scattered throughout the Nabarangpur district. But the ancient one is located at Nabarangpur itself. The temple has no outward trappings and looks like an old private quarter except, of course, for the Garuda stambha (pillar) on its frontal gate. Till the late 80’s only the single deity –Lord Jagannath was stalled on the sanctum sanctorium. According to a legend, two other wooden idols-that of Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra were seized by one ruler of Bastar region and stalled at a temple in Jagadalpur and that of Lord Jagannth slipped from the elephant back half-way and was retrieved the next day. Now the three deities are worshiped from a huge pedestal, due to the zeal of devotees and officials who carved out two symmetrical wooden idols to replenish the fatal loss. The wooden carvings on the temple roof are a marvel to look at. Various forms of human, and animal find place on the wooden beams. Birds, flowers and other splendour of art and architecture cover every inch of the roof. Even a casual glimpse of erotica adds awe to the raving and scrutinizing eyes. What is displayed exuberantly on the stones elsewhere in the state is figured on wooden surface in this remote region. This treasure is well preserved with a coat of shinning black paint against the ravages of Time .
Gosein Dorah: Gosein Dorah is a natural water fall situated in Jhorigam Block 82 KM away from Nabarangpur . This waterfall, situated in the virgin forest, attracts tourists from far off places. There is a scope for mountain trekking at this spot.
Kelia Temple: Kelia Shiva Temple is a very old Temple famous for both its location and spirituality . Situated in Dabugam Block, 42 KM away from District Head Quarter with Parvati Cave one kilometre across the mountain and beckoned with mysterious legends it attracts large crowd of people every now and then . Also large number of gathering witnessed every year during Shiva Ratri.
Podagada(The Ruined Fort): A historical place situated 52KMsaway from Nabarangpur and 24 KM from Umerkote. Large number of archeological heritages and also Brahmi inscriptions of Nala Dynasty of 4th to 5th century A.D are worth viewing. Remins of forts, soldier camps , military establishments etc.are found here Covered with dense forest having vast rocks and so many rare historical remains. and ruins of Padagada (The Burnt Fort)still awaits exploration by the researchers and academicians. Alekh Temple , Sati Stones, Bhairabi Temple , foot print of Laxmi are objects of astonishment here.This place is also renowned for the mysterious legends of King Bhavadatta Verman ,King Artha pati ,Vakataka dynasty ,Chalukya Kirtee Verman and many others.60 Gold coins discovered from this place has thrown an opening for the researchers. The ruined Queen Palace ,the statues of the Sun God and the Moon God and the mysterious Caves (Gumphas) add to its immense potentiality for Tourism.
Chandan Dhara : Chandan Dhara is a natural water fall situated in Jhorigam Block 90 KM away from Nabarangpur ,also remarkable for a natural Shiva Lingam . An ideal location for outings and picnic.
Bhaskel Reservoir: Bhaskel Reservoir constructed over river Bhaskel in Umerkote Block,. Basically used for irrigation and pisciculture. The waterbody creates a view of artificial lake with natural surroundings multiplying a visitor's delight . This is an ideal place for picnic and tourist interest.
Hirli Dangar : Just beside Nabarangpur town is a hillock with profuse scenic beauty and full serenity loved by visitors to retire far from the madding crowd though so close to the town. The park and curvy hill driving add to any visitor's joy.
Gorvarai Temple : Situated at Pujariguda 25 kms from Nabarangpur and 3kms from Maidalpur with Shiva Shrine amid a picturesque waterfall is a lovable picnic spot.
Mandadangri: 11 kms from Nabarangpur, near Chatahandi,is famous for the Shiva Shrine with caves.
Jagannathpur Temple : 23 kms from Nabarangpur, origin place of Godess Maa Bhandrgharani previously worshipped by the royal family. Tiger palm situated on a rock is a subject of observation.