Angul District

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Angul is a district of Orissa state in India. The city of Angul is the district headquarters. Angul is considered the industrial capital of Orissa.

Angul, situated on the heart of the Orissa, is an integral part of the state contributing towards the rich culture, tradition and socio-economic development of the state of Orissa. 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. The district covers a geographical area of about 6232 square kilometers and has a population of about 11.40 lakhs. Although Angul is newly formed district of Orissa, but it is strategically located and one of the most industrialized district in the state of Orissa. The district is abundant with natural resources, which ultimately help the district to contribute maximum amount of revenues to the state government. Two of the biggest rivers of Orissa, Mahanadi and Bramhani, rush through the district of Angul making the adjacent areas most fertile places for agriculture. Besides, the huge deposit of natural resources; there are large number of medium and large scale industries concentrating in the Angul belt, contributing for the rapid transformation and development of Angul. Not only that, from tourism point of view also, this area is full of natural and artificial beauties, where one can have a taste of the original culture of Orissa. Following are some of the basic, but vital information about the district of Angul.

General Information about Angul District

Area 6,232Sq.Kms. Forest Coverage 2716.82Sq.Kms. Population 11,39,341 Literacy Rate 69.40% Head quarter Angul Vidhansabha seat 4 Sub division 4 Villages 1922 Blocks 8 Grama panchayat 180 Municipality 1 Towns 9 N.A.C 1 Temperature 43.9(Max), 14.6 (Min) Tahasils 5 Rainfall 1255.2mm(avg)

The headquarter of the district is situated in Angul town and all the important offices, like the Collector’s Office, D.F.O. Office, Superintendent of Police’s Office and District Court are all situated in Angul. Following are the administrative divisions of Angul district.

Blocks

1. Angul Sadar 2.Athamalik Sadar 3. Chhendipada 4. Talcher Sadar 5. Pallahada Sadar 6. Banarpal 7. Kishorenagar 8. Kanhia

Tahasils

1. Angul 2. Athamalik 3. Talcher 4. Pallahada 5. Chendipada

Subdivisions

1. Angul 2. Athamalik 3. Talcher 4. Pallahada

Places of Interest

Although the district of Angul is full of beautiful places, but here we will present some of the most important places, which are important from tourist and business point of view.

Angul:

Angul is the district headquarters, situated about 150 kilometers from the capital city of Bhubaneswar. It is situated on the National Highway No 42, making it well accessible from all parts of the state. It is the middle point while coming from Cuttack to Sambalpur. Being one of the most industrialized district headquarters, Angul town is growing rapidly day by day. Socio-economic life of people is also changing rapidly, due to the advent of large scale industries. Many large scale steel giants like JINDAL Group, BHUSAN Steel are establishing their respective plants in the vicinity of Angul. Besides many more small and large scale ancillary industries are also coming gradually, making the place one of the business hubs of Orissa. There are few beautiful temples in Angul also. There is the Budhi Thakurani Temple on a small hill and recently a huge Jagannatha Temple has also been built near the Budhi Thakurani Temple making it the most important tourist attraction of the town. Talcher: Talcher is one of the subdivisions of Angul district situated about 30 kilometers from the district headquarters’ and about 120 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. This is well connected via buses and trains from all part of the state. This is one of the most important places of Orissa, from industrial and economic point of view. Many large scale industries are concentrated in this subdivision. National importance Industries like NTPC, FCI, MCL are situated here. Talcher is well known for its huge coal mines and National Thermal Power Plant.For further information please visit the official site of Angul district. www.angul.nic.in/

NALCO Nagar:

This is the place where Asia’s largest aluminum smelter plant is situated. That is why this place is called Nalco Nagar. It is about 12 kilometers from the district headquarter and about 118 kilometers from the Capital city of Bhubaneswar. It is situated on the national highway no 42, and well connected with other parts of the state with bus services. Visitors are also allowed to visit the plant site during the Bishwokarma Festival.

Tikarapada:

This is probably the most important wildlife tourist attraction of the district and one of the bests of the state. This place is famous for the Gharial Crocodile Sanctuary, which is situated on the bank of River Mahanadi. It is about 60 kilometers from the district headquarter and about 200 kilometers from Bhubaneswar. Regular bus services are available from Angul to Tikarapada, via Badakera and Jaganathpur. Besides one can take a taxi service from Angul to Tikarapada, via village Ogi, Tainsi, and Jaganathpur and probably this is a comfortable route, because the road condition is much better than the former one. 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. Besides, this is also very much popular among the tourists as a trekking hotspot. Tikarapada is also famous for the Satakoshia George of river Mahanadi around lush green forest. Started in 1976, Satakosia Gorge is one of the minor sanctuaries of Orissa. The gorge is formed by the river Mahanadi, which cuts across the Eastern Ghats. On the south of the river are hills and on the north are the mountainous parts of Athamallik and Angul sub-divisions. The sanctuary is spread over four districts — Angul, Budh, Cuttack and Nayagarh — and covers an area of 795.52 square kilometers. Throughout the year large number of domestic, as well as foreign tourist crowded this place. Regarding the accommodations, there is only one forest bungalow, so it is better to prearrange the accommodation. You will also find people staying in make shift tents.Please visit the related sites for more information.

www.access-india.com/orissa-wildlife-tikarpadasanctuary.htm travels.talash.com/orissa-travel/orissa-wildlife-satkosia-gorge-wildlife-sanctuary.html

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.

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 degree Celsius to 62 degree Celsius. In some old historical records the temperature was recorded as high as 134 degree Celsius. The scientific survey reveals that the underneath sulphur layer of earth make the water hot. But the wonder of the nature is that at the same spot you can find two springs, one containing the hot and the other the cold water. 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. Myth logically, 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 Amabasya (new moon) and Sankranti (1st day of the month) people from far off villages gather here to offer rituals to Sidheswarbaba, the sylvan deity of the temple. Apart from this a large number of people gather in the temple during the months of Baisakha (summer season), Kartika (dewy season) and Magha (winter season). The important fasts and festivals are Panasankranti, Sitalasasthi, Kartika Purnima, Makaramela, & Sivaratri. The other significant feature of this place is Barunisnahanayoga. The Jagannath Panjika is the prevalent Panjika of the temple. As per this panjika in the year 1971 there was a Barunisnahanyoga at this place. The devotees take holly 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.

angul.nic.in/deulajhari.htm

Ogi-Para:

These are two adjacent villages divided by river Lingara and popular for the Budha Thakura Temple and Agara Jatra or Falguna Jatra in the month of March/April, few days before the Holi festival. People from the nearby villages used to visit these festivals. Besides, there is a small temple in the village of Ogi, where the idol of Goddess Budha Thakura is kept. The Agara Jatra is one of the oldest festivals of its kind in the area. 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. One can also visit these places just to have first hand experiences of village life. Besides, one can try out Taila life in somebody’s Taila (a place having small huts or mud thatched houses, without electricity, drinking water and roads away from the village, generally situated in or near the dense forest, where people have their land and they do agriculture for living and sometimes they stay there in night also), in the middle of the forest, around 5 kilometers from the village. That will be a lifetime experience for everybody.

In short Angul district has a very important place in the map of Orissa. Being the industrial capital of the state, it provides quality life, lot of interesting places to have good timing and the growing center of business activities.

Fairs & Festivals of Angul Orissa being a land of ancient and sacred temples, and a state where three religions flourished, is thronged by pilgrims throughout the year. Angul is no different from rest of the state. There are a large number of fairs and festivals celebrated throughout the district. Along with the common festivals relating to each religion, there are other tribal festivals as well as region specific or seasonal festivals are celebrated throughout the district of Angul. Important festivals like the Rath Yatra, Diwali, Holi, Ganesh Puja, Saraswati Puja, Durga Puja, Laxmi Puja and many more seasonal festivals like the Falguna Yatra, Savitri Brata and Rama Navami etc are also celebrated throughout Angul with equal enthusiasm.

Rath Yatra

The most famous Orissan festival is of course the Ratha Yatra or Car Festival (June-July) which attracts pilgrims and visitors from all over the world. In Angul also there is a huge temple of Lord Jagannath, built newly after many years of construction work and one of the architectural masterpieces in the temple history of modern days Orissa. The Jagannath Temple Committee, Angul organize the Rath Yatra every year and people from all over the district participate in this festival.　Besides one more famous place for the Rath Yatra festival in Angul is at Purunagard situated about 25 kilometers from the district headquarters.

Durga Puja

Durga Puja (September-October) symbolises the commemoration of good over evil. Life comes to a stand-still in the city of Angul as crowds pour over the Puja Mandaps to enjoy the festivities. Now a days lakhs of rupees are spent in decorating number of puja mandaps all over the town and presence of many Jatra parties work as a great crowd puller. On the day succeeding 'Vijaya Dasami', the last day of Dussera, the images are taken in a spectacular procession for immersion in the river Lingara.

Dola Purnima ( Holi ) Dolapurnima or Holi is the most famous spring festival of Orissa. Usually celebrated in March it has special properties in its celebration in Angul where it is a five days affair. The festivities start with the Dolapurnima festivals all over the district and finish with Holi. The Dolapurnima festival of village Ogi, Para and Jerang etc are the most famous one.

[edit] External links

• Angul District Official Website

Districts of Orissa
Angul | Bargarh | Bhadrak | Balasore | Balangir | Boudh | Cuttack | Debagarh | Dhenkanal | Gajapati | Ganjam | Jagatsinghpur | Jajpur | Jharsuguda | Kalahandi | Kandhamal | Kendrapara | Kendujhar | Khordha | Koraput | Malkangiri | Mayurbhanj | Nuapada | Nabarangpur | Nayagarh | Puri | Rayagada | Sambalpur | Sonepur | Sundergarh