Rourkela

Rourkela
Rourkela
Location of Rourkela
in Orissa and India
Coordinates
Country  India
State Orissa
District(s) Sundargarh
Population

• Density

 484,292 (2001)

• 2,500 /km2 (6,475 /sq mi)
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area

• Elevation

 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi)

• 219 metres (719 ft)

Rourkela pronunciation is located in the northwestern tip of the Indian state of Orissa at the heart of a rich mineral belt. It is surrounded by a range of hills and encircled by rivers. One of the largest steel plants of the Steel Authority of India Limited is situated here. It also has one of the National Institutes of Technology of the country.

Contents

Name

The name "Rourkela" means "Our Village" derived from Rour which means "our" and kela means "village" in the local language Sadri spoken by the Rautia tribe living there.[1]

History

The picturesque and modern twin towns of Rourkela and Fertilizer Township as well as their developed periphery are located in areas that were once covered by dense forests. According to the census report of 2001 the population of Rourkela is 4,84,292. As recently as 1921, the population as per the census record was only 382. The then railway station of Rourkela was within the revenue village of Mahulpali. The literal meaning of Rourkela according to the language of Sadri is your home. An alternate story has it that an indigenous community called Raulia was living in the area and the present name is derived from their name for their village.

When India obtained independence, a priority for the government was the industrialization of the country. A basic necessity was the production of iron and steel, and after a search for a suitable location, a steel plant was finally ear-marked for the Rourkela region.

Geography

Hands of Steel

Rourkela is located at 84.54E longitude and 22.12N latitude in Sundergarh district of Orissa at an elevation of about 219 meters above mean sea level. The area of Rourkela is 200 square kilometers approximately. Red and laterite soils are found here which are quite rich in minerals. The area near Rourkela is rich in iron-ore hence a steel plant is situated in Rourkela. Rourkela is situated in a hilly region which adds to the natural beauty of the city. The Koel and Sankha rivers meet at Vedvyas, Rourkela and flow as a single river called Brahmani. Hence Rourkela is the confluence of Koel, Sankha and Brahmani.

"The Hands of Steel" [2], designed by Mr J A Acquila, is one of the well known landmarks of Rourkela.

Layout

The 23 kilometers long Ring Road, connecting 19 sectors and some other parts of the steel city including old Rourkela is perhaps its most important landmark. The important places on the Ring Road are as follows.

Climate

Rourkela has a tropical climate and receives high rainfall during Southwest monsoon (June-September) and retreating Northeast monsoon (December-January). Average annual rainfall ranges between 160-200 cm. The minimum and maximum temperatures are in the range of 11 C to 44 C with a mean minimum and maximum temperature range of 14.3 C to 39.2 C during coldest and hottest months. Thirty six percent of the geographical area of the district has semi-evergreen or tropical dry deciduous forest.[3]

Economy

Industries

Rourkela is the industrial capital of Orissa. It has industries of all sizes. The city is known internationally for iron & steel trades. Recent upspurt in iron & steel pricing has seen a lot of industries of all sizes coming in and around Rourkela. The city is near to the source of Raw Materials. Major Industries

Tourism

Rourkela also acts as a hub for tourism to Orissa.

Hanuman Vatika

The city houses the Hanuman Vatika, which is a major attraction for the locals and visitors to the town. A 75 feet (23 m) tall full-fledged Hanuman statue welcomes the visitors to the steel city. Sri Laxmana Swami was the architect behind the statue. The Hanuman Vatika Trust Board has made a temple complex on 13 acres (53,000 m²) of land. The Bata Mangala Mandira, Binayaka Mandira and Manas Parayana Sharala have been established to the entrance of the Hanuman Vatika. The Koili Baikuntha, the kitchen, the Kalyan Mandap and the Bhajan Mandap lie close to the Jagannath temple.

Vedavyas

A place of natural beauty also considered a 'Tirtha', is situated 9 km away on the confluence of the rivers Shankha, Koel and Saraswati. There is also a Vedic Ashram and a Gurukula system school here. It is at this site that the epic Mahabharata was purported to have been put down on paper by Maharishi Vyas.

Mandira Dam

Mandira Dam is situated about 25 km from the city. The reservoir is almost as old as the Steel Plant in Rourkela. It was built to support the irrigation requirements of about 50 surrounding villages. But as of today, it is the source of water to nearly 250 villages around Rourkela. There is so much water that it is said that at the lowest level, if the dam were breached, the water would drown almost 100 villages.

Khandadhar

The 244 m High Khandadhar is 114 km from Rourkela via Bonaigarh. It is formed by the perennial Korapani Nala which flows here throughout the year. It is the highest waterfall in Orissa and the 4th highest in India.

Darjeeng

Darjeeng is a picnic spot on the river Brahmani. Nearby is Deodhar, a gorge on the river. It is 51 km from Rourkela on National Highway No. 23. About 180 km from Rourkela, Junagarh has a fort of historical and archaeological importance with ancient caves. Another haunt of the tourists is the Mirig Khog Waterfall, a picnic spot, 111 km from Rourkela.

Maa Vaishno Devi Temple

It is situated on the top of the small hill with a beautiful environment of green tree and fresh air through the day. It is also visible from the Railway Station. The images of Maa Kali, Maa Lakshmi and Maa Saraswati were found on the hill in the year 2000. then Maa Vaishnu Devi Temple Trust was formed in the year 2000. The Temple was constructed and completed in the year 2003. Proper stairs were made and water tanks were arranged for drinking water. Maa Durga Temple is another attraction near the cave to be worthy seen.

Laxmi Narayan Mandir

Situated in Sector-14 on a small hillock this is a place to attend complete peace of mind, away from the hustle and bustle of city. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi Mata.

Civic Administration

The steel city is divided mainly into two sections: Old Rourkela (sections of the city near the railway station that were settled prior to RSP coming up) and the much larger Steel township. The Steel township till 1999, was divided into 18 Sectors, Sector 6 being the largest of them.

The Steel township & Fertilizer Township are under the Steel Plant Administration while the other sections of the city are under the Rourkela Municipal Committee. Some rural areas of South Rourkela are managed by the Jalda Panchayat.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[4] Rourkela had a population of 224,601. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Rourkela has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 69%. In Rourkela, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transport

As Rourkela is the commercial and industrial capital of Orissa, it has a developed transportation network.

Rail

Outside of Rourkela railway station

It is situated on the Kolkata-Mumbai South Eastern railway line which is a major route connecting the two metros of India. Rourkela is directly connected to Ahmedabad (www.orissa-ahm.org), Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Cuttack, Delhi, Bilaspur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Puri, Patna, Kolkata, Raipur, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Vishakhapatnam and many more cities of India. Garib Rath Express plies between Ranchi(Hatia) and Bhubaneswar via Rourkela. Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Intercity Express introduced this year has broken all recors of popularity. For railway information and train timing at Rourkela City visit [1]

Road

Rourkela is connected to various towns of the state by State Highway 10 and National Highway 23. National Highway 23 connects it to the nearby city of Ranchi which is the capital of Jharkhand state. Interstate buses ply between Rourkela, Ranchi, Bhilai, Jamshedpur. Several buses ply between the major cities and towns of the state.

Local Transport

The three-wheeler auto taxis are the most important mode of transportation in the city. Taxis also ply on the city's roads. Sampark buses, introduced in September 2006, connect various areas in the city.

Air

After the survey of AAI, air services have again resumed to the city. A private airliner known as Sky Airways has launched services in the city since 1st October, thus connecting the steel city with the capital city of Bhubaneswar via Barbil. Rourkela departure 9:45 a.m. daily (five days a week,except Saturday and Sunday)

Demographics

Culture

Rourkela has two recreation parks: Indira Gandhi Park in front of the Gayatri Mandir hillock, and a smaller Jubilee Park abutting Sector-8.

Social Organisations

Entertainment

Rourkela has limited options for entertainment

Wireless Radio(F.M.)

Rourkela City has a radio station of All India Radio(A.I.R) located at Jagda.This Radio station has limited number of programs,fifty percent of which are transmitted from A.I.R Cuttack or A.I.R Delhi. But the scenario is fast changing as BIG 92.7 F.M. has been launched in the city. Every morning 5am to night 10pm the city rocks with BIG 92.7 which says "SUNO SUNAO LIFE BANAO".

Other radio Channels include Radio Chocolate 104 MHZ

Movie Theatres

Oscar nominated film director Mira Nair was born here.[6]

Education

Rourkela is not only a steel city , but also the educational, technical and research hub of Western Orissa. It houses many English medium schools which provide world class education to their students. The students of these schools represent their schools in various science seminars not only at national level but also at international level. Some students of Rourkela have also got the rare opportunity to visit NASA, the famous space agency of the United States of America. Rourkela also houses one of the premier institutes of the country, NIT Rourkela.

Schools

Engineering & Management Colleges

General Colleges

Medical and Pharmacy Colleges

Universities

Libraries

Rehabilitative Education

Sports

Rourkela has produced some of the best hockey players for India at the international level including present day India team captain Dilip Tirkey and deep defender Lazarus Barla. Orissa's only Arjun Awardee Mrs. Minati Mohapatra is from the city. Olympians of repute like Paralympian Roshan and Rachita Mistry are from this city. Indian national cricketeer Sanjay Raul and the Under-19 world cup representative Atish Jena play from this city. Former National 'B' champion in chess and second only to Viswanathan Anand in national 'A' Mr Pabitra Mohan Mohanty is a proud sporting son of the city.

The Ispat Stadium and a beautiful astro-turf hockey stadium are located in Sector-6. There is a basketball ground, a chess hall, and a well maintained voley-ball ground in the same area. The indoor stadium hosts the badminton players and TT stars.

Stadiums

Rourkela has a hockey stadiums with synthetic astroturf. Ispat Stadium has been host for several Ranji Trophy matches.

See Also

Sambalpuri Cinema Kosal Western Orissa Sitalsasthi Carnival Sambalpuri Language Sambalpuri Saree Gangadhar Meher
Rourkela Rajgangpur Khariar Khariar Road Sambalpur University Veer Surendra Sai Ranipur-Jharial
Titlagarh Sonepur Brajarajnagar Kantabanji Sambalpur District Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla Rajendra College Balangir
Binika Phulabani Sundergarh Boudh Bhima Bhoi Ghess Kochinda
Panposh Padmapur Deogarh G. Udayagiri Satya Mahima Dharma Koshal State Movement
Patnagarh Belpahar Bhawanipatna Tebhapadar Maa Samaleswari Burla, India Saintala
Mukhiguda Kansbahal Rairakhol Subalaya Nuakhai Hirakud Dam Western Orissa Development Council
Kansbahal Tensa Junagarh Kesinga Mahima Hirakud
Hatibandha Tarbha Birmaharajpur Luisinga Samaleswari Temple Sarat Pujari
Bargarh Barapali Khaliapali Biramitrapur Veer Surendra Sai Medical College Farmers Suicide in Western Odisha
Raurkela Industrial Township OCL Industrial Township Bhukha Balangir Town Jharsuguda National Institute of Technology, Rourkela

References

  1. ↑ Rourkela Reader, see "Rourkela from 1921 to 2005"
  2. ↑ Hands of Steel
  3. ↑ National Institute of Malaria Research
  4. ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 
  5. ↑ India City Population
  6. ↑ Mira Nair interview with Indian Express

External links