| Balangir | |
| — city — | |
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| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Orissa |
| District(s) | Balangir |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly (India) | Ananga Udaya Singh Deo |
| Member of Parliament | Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo |
| Population | 105,203 (2004[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 383 metres (1,257 ft) |
| Website | Balangir Official site |
For Balangir District See : Balangir District
Balangir', (Oriya: ବଲାଂଗିର) is a city and municipality in Balangir district in the state of Orissa, India. It is also the headquarter of Balangir district.
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Balangir has a rich cultural heritage. Though economically not very well off, it has a great potential for development. There are many important tourist locations in Balangir district. The more famous among them include Harishankar, and the Samaleshwari Temple located in the Balangir town is also very famous.
Population/area/business wise Balangir town is the second largest town in Western Orissa after Sambalpur. It is also known as the cultural hub of Western Orissa.[1][2] Balangir Town has many cultural groups who are trying hard to preserve the dying down Kosali Folk arts & dance. Kosali/Sambalpuri is the language spoken & used by the people of Balangir.Balangir Municipality is divided into twenty one Wards. Each ward consists of two three Units or sub-areas called "Pada" or "Para". Balangir town has nearly forty "Pada's". Some of the largest "Pada's" of Balangir town are Rugudi Pada, Sud Pada, Maal Pada, Tikra Pada, Radharani Pada, Sagar Pada,Pratapsagar pada, Talpali Pada, Jagannath Pada,Thikadar Pada, Palaceline, Gandhinagar Pada, Shantinagar Pada, Barpali Pada, Tulsinagar Pada, Kansari Pada, Teligoth Pada,Radharani rara,Club para,Khadal para,Rameshwar nagar,Ranjendra para, A.B.S.S. road etc..
Balangir is located at .[3] It has an average elevation of 383 metres (800 feet).
As of 2001[update] India census,[4] Balangir had a population of 85,203. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Balangir has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 57% of the males and 43% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
The name Balangir is said to have been derived from Balaram Garh, a fort, built here in the 16th Century by Balram Deo, the 19th Raja of Balangir (Ex-Patna State) and founder of Sambalpur kingdom.
Balangir was an obscure village till 1871 when the Court of Wards administration during the minority of the then ruler Ram Chandra Deo III shifted the capital from Patnagarh. Immediate steps were taken to build a planned township.
Patnagarh, which was the Capital of the Kingdom of Patna for several centuries was considered unsuitable to be the State Headquarters because of its unhealthy climate.The moats and the bamboo thickets which had long protected the place against enemies became breeding ground of mosquitoes causing widespread malaria.The place was also not on the direct road from Bhawanipatna to Sambalpur.So, Balangir was selected to be the Headquarters not only because of its climate but also for its admirable location on the route connecting the Headquarters of Sambalpur with that of Kalahandi.
The plan of Balangir town was prepared by Pandit Chintamani Bidyabhusan for a sqare town with roads crossing one another at right angles was accepted and the new township was constructed to the south of the old village.
Sir Douglas, the then Deputy Commissioner of Sambalpur, got the sanction of the Government and transferred the Headquarters from Patnagarh to the new town of Balangir in 1872.Old Balangir is now known as Junha Dihi meaning the old house site.
Already in the 1871, the dispensary was built and some Government offices moved to Balangir. The Court of Wards Administration lasted for 22 years, from 1871 to 1893 and during that period the jail building , the palace for the Maharaja and many office buildings were constructed. During the Kondh rebellion of Kalahandi in 1882,the importance of Balangir increased as it became the main seat of operation against the rebellious Kondhs.
After the setup of Balangir town, the dowager Rani Amrut Kumari built the temple of Gopalji, the earliest temple of the town and caused to be excavated a large tank which was named Pratap Sagar after her husband Maharaja Surpratap Deo. During the rule of Maharaja Dalganjan Singh another defunct tank was re-excavated and was named as Rani Sagar bearing the memory of Rani Amrut Kumari.
Maharaja Ramachandra Deo III established the first English school in Balangir sometime between 1893 and 1895.Maharaja Dalganjan Singh built the two storyed court building and established the Dalganjan press. He made improvement of a big tank called Karanga Kata in the heart of the town and it was named after him as Dala sagar.
A contactor named Parbat Bira built by the time a beautiful temple of God Narasimha.Balangir grew in size and grandeur during the rule of Maharaja Prithiviraj Singh Deo who established the High English School, which was later known as Prithviraj High School (P R High School), a Sanskrit Tol, the George Literary Club and the fine temple of Samaleswari and Patneswari. The construction of the new palace building then known as Badal Mahal was undertaken by him about two miles to the south of the town by the side of the road leading to Titlagarh.It was later named as Sailashri Palace.Prior to this the royal palace was situated at the heart of the town and was known as Sheesh Mahal (currently known as Old Palace).
During the administration of Maharaja Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo the town was beautified by laying out Rajendra Park and by the Rajendra Experimental Farm and construction of several fine buildings.The X-ray ward, the maternity ward and the Dairy farm were started and a Museum for preservation of antiquities was also organised.The town had its first college, Rajendra College Balangir in 1944. In 1962 the Women's College was started by member of parliament and Rajya Sabha member Sri Krushna Chandra Panda of Rugudi Para, who also established the Govt. Ayurvedic College, Town Boys High school and Town Girls high school amongst many other educational institute.
The town is situated on the right bank of the Lakshmi, a hill-stream which flows in her rocky bed in serpentine course. The stream has been bridged at five places as the town is expanding on the left bank.
Main Article : Kosli Language
The chief communicative language of Balangir District is Kosli or Sambalpuri. Hindi is treated as the second language for communication. English and Oriya are used for official purpose only. Being a part of Orissa, Oriya is used as medium of education in school. English is used for higher education.
For details see the article Kosal.
Balangir has different schools and colleges like, Prithviraj High school (PR Highschool), Patitapaban (PP) Academy. Balangir Girls School, Saraswati Sishu Mandir, Little Flower School, Oriental Public School, Central School, Balangir Public School, Rajendra College, Women's college, Govt. Ayurvedic College,Sushree Institute Of Technical Education,Sadaipali
There are hundred of temples in Balangir town. Each and every Pada has one or more temples. Following are some of the Most Popular and important temples of Balangir Town.
Religious places of other religion/sects
To know about all the tourist places.. read the article Balangir district
Prominent recretion place for Balangiria's are :-
Balangir town is famous for Sambalpuri sarees and dress materials. One can get wide varieties of sambalpuri materials here with best rates, from Sambalpuri bedsheets to Sambalpuri pata sarees which costs in thousands and lakhs.. Balangir Market is also famous throughout India for its cabbage. It is the best breed cabbage with the cheapest rates. Balangir is also famous for Sambalpuri Music albums.. There are numerous production house in Balangir who are engaged in producing Sambalpuri Music albums. Each year on an average 100 Sambalpuri album is getting released in Balangir. Balangir is also famous for its local cuisine or snacks, like Chaul bara, Chaka peeta, gaham bara(Gulgula), labangalata, chena gaaja etc. & Orissa famous Original Peda of Hotel NAROTTAM,Near Vikaram Chowk.
Some of the best Markets in Balangir Town:-
The nearest airport is at the state capital, Bhubaneswar, 327 km away in northwest.
Bolangir railway station on the Jharsuguda-Sambalpur-Titlagarh railway line of South Eastern Railways is the town's railway link to the national railway network.
A new 289 km long railway line from Bolangir to Khurda Road junction was santioned in 1993 and its foundation stone was laid in June 2001 but there has been very little progress in construction of this railway line. Out of 289 km length, 22 km is in Bolangir district. Even all the land required for the railway line has not been acquired until the end of 2011.
Bolangir is connected by road to the state capital, Bhubaneswar, 327 km away in northwest, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, and other important places in Orissa and neighboring states.
Balangir is said to be the political heartland of Western Orissa region. The last ruler of Balangir Sir Rajendra Narayan Singhdeo went on to become the Chief Minister of Orissa state. It is also the birth place of former Minister and leader of opposition of Orissa Narasingha Mishra and Minister Ananga Udaya Singhdeo. Balangir is now at the centre of the "separate Kosal state movement". The chief of "Kosali Ekata Manch" and the chief of "Kosal Kranti Dal" (KKD), a reginal political party are from this town. These two are leading the separate Kosal state movement. "Bolangir Bar Association" is agitating for a branch of the Orissa High Court" at Bolangir.[5][6]
Current MLA from Bolangir Assembly Constituency is Ananga Udaya Singh Deo of BJD, who won the seat in State elections of 2009. He also won in 2004 and 2000 as BJD candidate, and earlier as JD candidate in 1995 and 1990. Mahammad Mujafar Hussain Khan had won this seat as a candidate of INC in 1985, and as INC(I) candidate in 1980. Muralidhar Guru of JNP was MLA from this seat in 1977.[7]
Bolangir is part of Bolangir (Lok Sabha constituency).[8]
Balangir town is also leading the Kosal state movement.
Water crisis in Balangir - Tough Days Ahead http://www.odishanewstoday.com/features/141-water-crisis-in-balangir-tough-days-ahead.html
A Brief History of Sambalpuri Music - http://odishanewstoday.com/entertainment/538-a-brief-history-of-sambalpuri-music.html
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