Belaguntha

Belaguntha
Town
Belaguntha Location in Odisha, India
Coordinates: 19°53′N 84°39′E / 19.88°N 84.65°E / 19.88; 84.65Coordinates: 19°53′N 84°39′E / 19.88°N 84.65°E / 19.88; 84.65
Country	India
State	Odisha
District	Ganjam
Government
• Type	Democratic
• Member of Legislative Assembly	Purna Chandra Swain(BJD)
• Member of Parliament	Nityananda Pradhan(BJD)
Elevation	59 m (194 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	9,961
Languages
• Official	Oriya
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	761119
Telephone code	06821
Vehicle registration	OD-07
Sub-division	Bhanjanagar
Block	Belaguntha
Legislative Assembly Constituency	Surada
Parliament Contituency	Aska

Belaguntha is a town and a Notified Area Council (N.A.C.) in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[1] Belaguntha had a population of 9961. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Belaguntha has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 55% of the males and 45% of females literate. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

History

As per folklore here, Belaguntha was a main market place for grocery and cattle in the Ganjam district. This place is famous for Brass Fish "Pitala Macha" in the world. Nrusinghanatha temple is one of the significant temples in this region that attracts thousands of pilgrims to get a darsan of Lord Lakshmi Nrusingh. One of the Bhanja Kings from Bhanja Dynasty had established the temple during 18th century.

Belaguntha was the business destination for people. All grocery, corns, vegetables, etc. came from Boudh and Phulbani for selling. People purchase and resale/supply to Aska and Berhampur. It was the business hub in the region. Belaguntha itself famous for Art and culture with brass,silver,copper, and woodwork. The world famous Brassfish are still the main attraction of the city. There was a tale about the brass fish. The brass fishes will swim in water for several minutes to entertain the king and queen. Belaguntha is mainly well known for TT&T (Temples,Teachers and Tanks). There are more than twenty temples inside the town and more than twentyfive tanks inside and outskirts of the town. Belaguntha is also the education hub in the region, recognised for more teachers such as mathematics, English, Physics,Chemistry, Biology, Sanskrit etc.

Geography

Belaguntha is located at 19°53′N 84°39′E / 19.88°N 84.65°E / 19.88; 84.65.^[2] It has an average elevation of 59 m (194 ft).

Culture

Among festivals, Thakurani Yatra and Ratha Yatra are two festivals that makes Belaguntha the point of attraction.

Apart from this, DolaPurnima, Durgapuja(Dushahera), Kumarpurnima, Pana sankranti, Nurshingha Chaturthi, Ramnavami, Janmastami, Danda yatra Ganjesh Puja and Saraswati puja are the other important festivals celebrated here with lots of enthusiasm. People with brotherlyhood celebrating all the festivals. The daily prasad bhog to god is very famous here. It is tender and very tasteful with a different devine smell.

Kabichandra Pati was a famous poet, who had written all danda yatra poems for different gods and goddeses.

Food

Bellaguntha is also famous for some special types of sweets and local foods. Some famous sweets are;

• Halua
• Drakhya
• Arissa
• Kakara
• Desi Manda
• Satapuri etc.

Anyone can easily get these sweets in affordable prices from the local market. Some sweets are prepared for special festivals, such as Halua & Drakhya for Ratha Yatra, Satapuri for Satapuri Amabasya, etc.

Transport

Belaguntha belongs to Ganjam district in Odisha. The nearest city is Berhampur (around 160 km from state capital Bhubaneswar). For coming Bellaguntha, from Bhubaneswar following two options are available:

1. Through any bus which goes from Bhubaneswar to Bhanjanagar
2. By bus/train to reach Berhampur and then via bus. From Berhampur direct buses ply to Bellaguntha. Alternatively, from Bhanjanagar buses are available to Bellaguntha.
3. Nearest city is Berhampur which is 80 km away. You can get bus to Berhampur from Bellaguntha or via Bhanjanagar which is just 8 km away from it. Lots of buses travells to Berhampur and Bhubaneswar daily.

Famous places

Bellaguntha has already established identity for its historical heritage, arts, culture and natural beauty. Some famous places are,

• Sri LaxmiNrusingh Temple (An old, famous temple of Odisha)
• Sri Jagannath Temple (Dadhibaman temple)
• Sri Balunkeswara Temple (A beautiful temple made up of red rocks and situated on the bank of a large pond)
• Maa Bramhanadevi Temple (Famous Goddess temple present in between Bamboo Forest)
• Anikata (Water Dam present at the meeting point of Loharakhandi river & Bada river, its main purpose was irrigation and flood protection)
• Sagar (A group of 10 fishery ponds, which were excavated by Bhanja kings)
• Kumarsuni Hills (About 3 km from town )

Education

As it is known as the education hub to its nearer areas, many students come here to study from nearer villages. Some institutions are;

• Belaguntha Science College
• Belaguntha Women's College
• G.T. High School, Estd: 1948
• Girls' High School
• Saraswati Sishu Bidya Bhawan

References