Bargarh District
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bargarh District, also Baragarh District, is an administrative district of Orissa state in eastern India. The city of Bargarh is district headquarters.
The district has an area of 5832 km², and a population of 1,345,601, with a population density of 231 persons per km². The district was carved out of the erstwhile district of Sambalpur. All-season irrigation from Hirakud dam on the Mahanadi River makes the northern half of Bargarh District rich in agriculture, mostly rice.
The district is famous for a 10-day long open-stage drama, Dhanuyatra, based on the life and times of Lord Krishna, culminating in the death of King Kansa. It is also famous for centuries old handloom industry manufacturing a trade-mark textile form called Sambalpuri.
The people speak Sambalpuri, a dialect of Oriya. There is a 13th century temple at Nrusinghnath where, as the only instance of its kind in the world, Lord Vishnu is worshipped in a feline incarnation.