Paralakhemundi
Encyclopedia
Parlakhemundi is a small town and a municipality
in Gajapati district
in the India
n state
of Orissa
. The major languages spoken in this region are Oriya and Telugu.
, Parlakhemundi had a population of 42,991. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Parlakhemundi has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 61%. In Parlakhemundi, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Paralakhemundi has an estimated population of 44,000 in the year 2007. Majority of the people are Hindu; Christians being the second largest religious community. Muslims are only a handful in number. Most of the people can speak multiple languages Oriya
, Telugu
, Hindi
, English
.
Gajapati kings that ruled Orissa for more than seven centuries. During the regime of these kings, the boundaries of Orissa extended from the Ganges in the north to Udoyagiri in Nellore district in the South. Kolahomee, one of the sons of Gajapati Kapilendra Dev, the Gajapati monarch in the later half of the 15th Century came to this part of Paralakhemundi (then in Ganjam district) and founded the Royal family of Paralakhemundi.
Paralakhemundi is an ancient Zamindari lying in the western corner of the southern portion of the Ganjam district, and it is bounded in the west by the district of Visakhapatnam and on the north by the Jeypore state and the eastern ghats which are called Maliyas or tribal agencies. The town of Paralakhemundi is: “a straggling town in plan much like the letter ‘L’ scattered around the foot of the well wooded hill which is the distinctive feature of the place. The horizontal portion of the ‘L’ faces south, and at the corner where the ‘L’ and the vertical portion join, is situated the palace, a most picturesque group of building”. This group of buildings was designed and built by Mr. Chisholm.
Gajapati district has been named after Maharaja Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev, the Raja Sahib of Paralakhemundi estate (the 1st Chief Minister of Orissa state), who is remembered for his contribution in formation of a separate Orissa state and inclusion of Paralakhemundi estate in Orissa. Gajapati district came into being with effect from 2 October 1992. Prior to this it was a part (Sub-Division) of Ganjam district.
The S.K.C.G college enjoys the reputation of being the second oldest college of the state. It has affiliation in almost all major disciplines in the faculties of Arts, Science and commerce. From the session 1996-97, P.G. Courses in Mathematics has been added to the already existing post-graduate teaching facilities in Economics, Chemistry, Oriya, Commerce and Life Sciences. Besides teaching facilities for Honours courses in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Computer Applications, English, Oriya, Sanskrit, Geography, history, Political Science and Economics, the College also offers teaching in subjects like Telugu, Hindi, Logic, Philosophy and Home Science. The Indira Gandhi National Open University has opened a center in this college.The college has a sanctioned strength of 2016 students and 83 teachers. The students of this College have the distinction of bright academic performance in the University.
The alumni of this College occupied and continue to occupy positions of distinction and pride in public life. The halo of Maharaja still pervades the atmosphere of the College and his noble spirit guides and inspires the students to achieve greater glory.
The college celebrated its centenary from 10 to 12 January 2001
The Women's' College, Paralakhemundi was established in the year 1983 and was initially affiliated to Berhampur University for I.A. course. Later it was affiliated to the Council of Higher secondary Education, Orissa, Bhubaneswar for the +2 Arts Course. The College came under G.I.A. fold since 1988. The College has received Permanent recognition from Government in the year 2003-2004.The College was included u/s @ 2(f) and 12(B) Act of the U.G.C. from 2006-2007.
.
The nearest Airport is the Visakhapatnam Airport, which is at a distance of 180 km.
The O.S.R.T.C. (Orissa State Road Transport Corporation), A.P.S.R.T.C
, and private buses connect the town to other parts of Orissa
and nearby towns of Andhra Pradesh. The town is well connected to Bhubaneswar
, Bramhapur, Rayagada
, Jeypore
Gunupur
, Visakhapatnam
, Srikakulam
, Palasa, Bhawanipatna
, Nabrangpur, Cuttack
, Rourkela
, etc. by road.
and Telugu
. People are highly religious. Dasahara
, [Gamhapurnima|raksha bandhan], Rath yatra
, Holi
, Gajalakshmi Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Kali Puja, Sankranti, and Thakurani Yatra of Oriya Bhandari Street are major Hindu festivals observed in the town.
Apart from these festivals Makara Sankranti and Ugadi of Telugu origin and Christmas is celebrated very beautifully in the town. The town is famous for its Ratha Yatra and also for Gajamunha dance. The legendary mountain Mahendra Mountains
is situated nearby.
The horn works of Paralakhemundi were one of the important products of cottage industry10. The horn works of Paralakhemundi got a special place amongst the works of Calcutta, Punjab, Kakinada
and Trivandrum. The horn works were made chiefly out of the horns of cattles which were supplied from the neighbouring maliahs of the zamindari. The artists of Paralakhemundi first of all used to prepare birds from the horns. Gradually they prepared combs, elephants, horses, prawns, idols of Lord Jagannatha etc. They were send to the places like Vizianagaram
, Rajamundry and Kakinada
. These horn works were also highly popular in the international market.
(BJD) won the seat in State elections in 2009. Trinath Sahu of INC
, who won the seat in State elections in 2004 and also in 2000 and in 1985. He also won this seat as an independent candidate in 1995. Previous MLAs from this seat were Darapu Lachana Naidu who won this seat representing JD
in 1990, and Bijoy Kumar Jena who won this seat as independent candidate in both 1980 and in 1977.
Paralakhemundi is part of Berhampur (Lok Sabha constituency)
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Gajapati district
Gajapati district
Gajapati is a district of Orissa, India. It was created from Ganjam District in October, 1992. Gajapati district was named after Maharaja Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev, the Raja Sahib of the Paralakhemundi estate , who is remembered for his contribution in the formation of a separate...
in the 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...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
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...
. The major languages spoken in this region are Oriya and Telugu.
Demographics
India censusCensus
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...
, Parlakhemundi had a population of 42,991. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Parlakhemundi has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 61%. In Parlakhemundi, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Paralakhemundi has an estimated population of 44,000 in the year 2007. Majority of the people are Hindu; Christians being the second largest religious community. Muslims are only a handful in number. Most of the people can speak multiple languages Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
History
Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo, Maharaja of Paralakhemundi was the direct descendant of the historic dynasty of the Eastern Ganga dynastyEastern Ganga dynasty
The Eastern Ganga dynasty reigned from Kalinga and their rule consisted of the whole of the modern day Indian state of Orissa as well as parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from the 11th century to the early 15th century. Their capital was known by the name Kalinganagar, which is...
Gajapati kings that ruled Orissa for more than seven centuries. During the regime of these kings, the boundaries of Orissa extended from the Ganges in the north to Udoyagiri in Nellore district in the South. Kolahomee, one of the sons of Gajapati Kapilendra Dev, the Gajapati monarch in the later half of the 15th Century came to this part of Paralakhemundi (then in Ganjam district) and founded the Royal family of Paralakhemundi.
Paralakhemundi is an ancient Zamindari lying in the western corner of the southern portion of the Ganjam district, and it is bounded in the west by the district of Visakhapatnam and on the north by the Jeypore state and the eastern ghats which are called Maliyas or tribal agencies. The town of Paralakhemundi is: “a straggling town in plan much like the letter ‘L’ scattered around the foot of the well wooded hill which is the distinctive feature of the place. The horizontal portion of the ‘L’ faces south, and at the corner where the ‘L’ and the vertical portion join, is situated the palace, a most picturesque group of building”. This group of buildings was designed and built by Mr. Chisholm.
Gajapati district has been named after Maharaja Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev, the Raja Sahib of Paralakhemundi estate (the 1st Chief Minister of Orissa state), who is remembered for his contribution in formation of a separate Orissa state and inclusion of Paralakhemundi estate in Orissa. Gajapati district came into being with effect from 2 October 1992. Prior to this it was a part (Sub-Division) of Ganjam district.
Geography and climate
Paralakhemundi lies in the south-east of the east Indian state of Orissa. It is on the banks of Mahendratanaya river. Paralakhemundi boarders with a small town called Pathapatnam of Andhra Pradesh. Google maps shows Paralakhemundi as a part of Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh which needs to be corrected. The town is located on a hilly terrain. The climate is subtropical with high humidity. The temperature varies between 18-48 degree Celsius. Summer is extremely hot with some thunderstorms and minor cyclones, which occasionally cause power outages. Paralakhemundi receives rainfall from the southwest monsoons and the wettest months are July, August and September.Education
Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM) in Gajapati will go a long way in serving the state in general. Jagannath Institute for Technology and Management was established in the year 1997. The institute was set up with the aim to bring technical education to the rural areas and produce highly skilled technical personnel with exceptional calibre for various sectors in the industry.The S.K.C.G college enjoys the reputation of being the second oldest college of the state. It has affiliation in almost all major disciplines in the faculties of Arts, Science and commerce. From the session 1996-97, P.G. Courses in Mathematics has been added to the already existing post-graduate teaching facilities in Economics, Chemistry, Oriya, Commerce and Life Sciences. Besides teaching facilities for Honours courses in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Computer Applications, English, Oriya, Sanskrit, Geography, history, Political Science and Economics, the College also offers teaching in subjects like Telugu, Hindi, Logic, Philosophy and Home Science. The Indira Gandhi National Open University has opened a center in this college.The college has a sanctioned strength of 2016 students and 83 teachers. The students of this College have the distinction of bright academic performance in the University.
The alumni of this College occupied and continue to occupy positions of distinction and pride in public life. The halo of Maharaja still pervades the atmosphere of the College and his noble spirit guides and inspires the students to achieve greater glory.
The college celebrated its centenary from 10 to 12 January 2001
The Women's' College, Paralakhemundi was established in the year 1983 and was initially affiliated to Berhampur University for I.A. course. Later it was affiliated to the Council of Higher secondary Education, Orissa, Bhubaneswar for the +2 Arts Course. The College came under G.I.A. fold since 1988. The College has received Permanent recognition from Government in the year 2003-2004.The College was included u/s @ 2(f) and 12(B) Act of the U.G.C. from 2006-2007.
Civic Administration
The Paralakhemundi Municipality is in charge of the civic administration of the town. As the headquarter of the Gajapati district, it houses several district level headquarters of Govt. and private organizations.Economy
The town is poorly industrialized. Paralakhemundi once housed a large number of handicraft like Horn work, Jaikhadi bag, cane & bamboo work. Now only a few artists are seen to practice the family tradition. The Chitrakar Sahi (Artist's Street) is famous for its clay, stone sculptures and water paintings. However, some medium scale granite factories are housed in the surroundings of the town.Transport
Paralakhemundi is connected to other parts of Orissa by the State Highway No.17 which connects Berhampur at one end and Rayagada on the other. The nearest major town is Palasa 40 km and then Berhampur which is 120 km away. The nearest National Highway (N.H–5) junction is at around 40 km from Paralakhemundi. The nearest operational railway station is Palasa, which is 43 km away. The narrow gauge railway line (called Naupada-Gunupur Rail line) running through this town had been converted to broad gauge and from 20 Dec 2010 a regular train started from Paralakhemundi to PuriPuri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
.
The nearest Airport is the Visakhapatnam Airport, which is at a distance of 180 km.
The O.S.R.T.C. (Orissa State Road Transport Corporation), A.P.S.R.T.C
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation or APSRTC is the state owned road transport corporation in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is acknowledged as the single corporation having the largest fleet in the world...
, and private buses connect the town to other parts 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...
and nearby towns of Andhra Pradesh. The town is well connected to 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...
, Bramhapur, Rayagada
Rayagada
Rayagada is a municipality in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Orissa. It is the administrative headquarters of Rayagada district.-Geography:...
, Jeypore
Jeypore
Jeypore, is the largest town in the Koraput district of Orissa, India. Along with Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Balasore, Puri and Berhampur, Jeypore is one of the prominent places of Orissa. It is encompassed by hills of the Eastern Ghats and the more famous Araku hills on three...
Gunupur
Gunupur
Gunupur is a town and a notified area committee in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Orissa.-Geography:Gunupur is located at . It has an average elevation of . It is located in the lap of the Eastern Ghat and on the banks of river Vamshadhara. It has a mixed climate of mountains & Coastal...
, Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam is a major sea port on the south east coast of India. With a population of approximately 1.7 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India after Kolkata and Chennai. According to the history, the city was...
, Srikakulam
Srikakulam
Srikakulam is a town, municipality and headquarters of Srikakulam district in the north-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India. It is part of Srikakulam Assembly constituency and Srikakulam Parliament Constituency. Srikakulam was formerly called as Gulshanabad during Muslim rule and was headquarter of...
, Palasa, Bhawanipatna
Bhawanipatna
Bhawanipatnais the headquarters of Kalahandi District.Bhawanipatna is a town of numerous temples dedicated to different deities of Hindu pantheon. Named after its presiding deity "Bhawani-Shankar", it is the most convenient base for touring various places of interest in the district and the nearby...
, Nabrangpur, Cuttack
Cuttack
Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...
, Rourkela
Rourkela
Rourkela is located in the northwestern tip of the Indian state of Orissa at the heart of a rich mineral belt. It is situated about north of state capital Bhubaneswar.It is surrounded by a range of hills and encircled by rivers. One of the largest steel plants of the Steel Authority of India...
, etc. by road.
Culture
In Paralakhemundi both Oriya and Telugu culture are prominent. Since AndhraPradesh is very near, one can easily find here the great unification of two cultures - OriyaOriya people
The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...
and Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
. People are highly religious. Dasahara
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in various forms, across India, Nepal and Bangladesh...
, [Gamhapurnima|raksha bandhan], Rath yatra
Rath Yatra
Ratha Yatra is a huge Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Orissa, India during the months of June or July. Most of the city's society is based around the worship of Jagannath with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area...
, Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
, Gajalakshmi Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Kali Puja, Sankranti, and Thakurani Yatra of Oriya Bhandari Street are major Hindu festivals observed in the town.
Apart from these festivals Makara Sankranti and Ugadi of Telugu origin and Christmas is celebrated very beautifully in the town. The town is famous for its Ratha Yatra and also for Gajamunha dance. The legendary mountain Mahendra Mountains
Mahendra Mountains
Mahendra Mountains is a mountain range described in the epic Mahabharata. It is identified to be the part of the mountain ranges in the east coast of India , that falls in Orissa. It is the place where Bhargava Rama or Parashurama spending his days of life, as he is one of the chiranjeevi or having...
is situated nearby.
Art
Hornwork is the oldest craft of Paralakhemundi. The artisans of this art are called Maharanas. These artisans are said to have migrated from a place called Pitala in Ganjam district under the patronage of the Maharajah of Gajapati, Krishna Chandra Deb. The hornwork items include figurines, birds, animals and scenes from Indian mythology. Palace Street is famous for its hornwork showrooms.Sports
Cricket is the major sport of the town. Volleyball, basketball, hockey being the other popular sports in the town. Little boys and girls can still be seen playing silly games on the streets in the evening. The town has a small stadium named Gajapati Stadium. College ground is also a preferable venue for cricket, football matches. There are several other large play grounds that host some district and state level sport events. Cricket being the major game, it is played almost in every street. There are many cricket clubs and small organizers who organize multi team cricket tournaments mainly during winter.The horn works of Paralakhemundi were one of the important products of cottage industry10. The horn works of Paralakhemundi got a special place amongst the works of Calcutta, Punjab, Kakinada
Kakinada
Kakinada is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad. It is also the headquarters of East Godavari district. It is nicknamed "Fertilizer City" , "Pensioner's Paradise" and "Second Madras"...
and Trivandrum. The horn works were made chiefly out of the horns of cattles which were supplied from the neighbouring maliahs of the zamindari. The artists of Paralakhemundi first of all used to prepare birds from the horns. Gradually they prepared combs, elephants, horses, prawns, idols of Lord Jagannatha etc. They were send to the places like Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
, Rajamundry and Kakinada
Kakinada
Kakinada is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad. It is also the headquarters of East Godavari district. It is nicknamed "Fertilizer City" , "Pensioner's Paradise" and "Second Madras"...
. These horn works were also highly popular in the international market.
Ivory and Bone Works
The artists of Paralakhemundi used to carve out beautiful works like throne, khatuli (cot) etc. out of ivory and bone. Forests in which a large number of elephants lived surrounded Paralakhemundi. Hence, ivory was were plentifully available in Paralakhemundi. Sri. Radha Krushna Maharana & his son Sri. Purnachandra Maharana ,Surendra Maharana and Bhaskara Maharana were experts in the field of ivory works during the British period.Politics
Current MLA from Paralakhemundi Assembly Constituency is Sri.Narayan Rao Biju Janata DalBiju Janata Dal
The Biju Janata Dal is a state political party of the Indian state of Orissa led by Naveen Patnaik, son of former state chief minister Biju Patnaik. It was founded on 27 December 1997.-History:...
(BJD) won the seat in State elections in 2009. Trinath Sahu of INC
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
, who won the seat in State elections in 2004 and also in 2000 and in 1985. He also won this seat as an independent candidate in 1995. Previous MLAs from this seat were Darapu Lachana Naidu who won this seat representing JD
Janata Dal
Janata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P...
in 1990, and Bijoy Kumar Jena who won this seat as independent candidate in both 1980 and in 1977.
Paralakhemundi is part of Berhampur (Lok Sabha constituency)
Berhampur (Lok Sabha constituency)
Berhampur is a Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency in Orissa. Assembly constituencies which constitute this parliamentary constituency are: Chatrapur, Gopalpur, Berhampur, Chikati, Mohana, Ramagiri and Parlakhemundi.-Members of Parliament:...
.