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Kendujhar District, is an administrative district of
Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...
. The district is one of the fifth Scheduled Areas of Odisha. The town of
Kendujhar Kendujhar is a town with municipality in Kendujhar District in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kendujhar district, and it is one of the fifth scheduled areas of Odisha. Climate Politics Mohan char ...
(or Kendujhargarh) is the district headquarters. The district has 3 Sub-Divisions,
Anandapur Anandapur is a town and a municipality of Kendujhar district in the state of Odisha, India. Toponymy The name Anandapur (called as A+nda+Pur) derives from आनन्द सहर which in Sanskrit means the "city of happiness". Once durin ...
, Champua, and Kendujhar.


Etymology

Origin of the name Keonjhar/Kendujhar is not certain. In the locals pronounce the name as ''Kenjhar''. In medieval Sanskrit inscriptions the name is "Kenjhar" is found. The name has been Sanskritised to Kendujhar by the ex-Durbar government. The name ''Kendujhar'' is derived from ''"Kendu"'' meaning East Indian Ebony (tree which is abundant in the district) and ''"Jhar"'' meaning
water spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...
.


History

Early history of Kendujhar is not certain. Nagas of Vindhyatabi ruled keonjhar during the 2nd century CE to 4th century CE and
Satrubhanja Satrubhanja ( Odia : ଶତ୍ରୁଭଞ୍ଜ) was a warrior and emperor who belonged to the Vindhyatabi branch of Nagavanshi rulers that ruled from Keonjhar district of Odisha in the early 4th century A.D (possibly between 261 A.D to 340 A.D ...
was famous king of the dynasty. In Sitabhinji, fresco paintings were found in the cave shelter of Ravana Chhaya, which date to the 5th century A.D.kendujhar.nic.in
/ref> Written references about Kendujhar come about early 1100s. Some of the documents refer to Upper Kendujhar and Mayurbhanj together forming a state called Hariharpur. A separate existence of Keonjhar came into being at about 1128 C.E. The founding of the kingdom is credited to Jati Bhanj (Jyoti Bhanj). There were several chiefs of this Gadjat State until Raja Janardan Bhanja signed a treaty with East India Company. This recognised the title of Raja by British Government. There was a succession dispute when the then Raja died without a legitimate heir in 1861. This dispute was finally over with a multiparty compromise with Dhanurjaya Bhanja being crowned king in 1868. However, there was a rebellion that broke out soon after led by Ratna Naik and a few other tribals. This rebellion was quelled with the help of British Police. There was another tribal uprising in 1891 under the leadership of Dharanidhar Naik against oppressive practices such as bonded labour. This was known as "Dharani Meli". The Raja had to flee to Cuttack and the rebellion was again quelled by British forces. Post Indian Independence in 1947 the whole of Keonjhar State was integrated into the State of Odisha (then Orissa) by "The Administration of Orissa States Orders, 1948". It became one of the 13 districts of the State.


Geography

Keonjhar is a landlocked district situated in the northern part of Orissa. It is bounded by
Mayurbhanj District Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in Odisha state in eastern India. It is the largest district of Odisha by area. Its headquarters are at Baripada. Other major towns are Rairangpur, Karanjia and Udala. , it is the third-most-popu ...
, Balasore District and
Bhadrak District Bhadrak is a district of Odisha state in eastern India. Bhadrak city is the headquarters and the largest city of the district. Origin of name The district is named after goddess Bhadrakali whose temple is situated in Agarpada which is 8  ...
to the east, Jajpur District to the south,
Dhenkanal District Dhenkanal district is one of the 30 districts of the state of Odisha in Eastern India. Geography Dhenkanal district is one of the centrally located districts in Odisha. It lies between Longitude: 85° 58' to 86° 2' East and Latitude: 20° 29 ...
, Anugul District and
Sundargarh District Sundargarh District is a district in the northwestern part of Odisha state in eastern India. Sundargarh district is bounded by Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh in the west, Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh in the North-West, Simdega district o ...
to the west, and West Singhbhum district to the north. The district of Keonjhar is highly rich in mineral resources and has vast deposits of iron, manganese and
chromium Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...
ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April ...
s. About 30% of the district's total area is covered with tracts of dense forests. Keonjhar also contains one of the oldest rock formations in the world, which covers an area of 100 km2.


Topography

On the eastern half of the district are the plains of
Anandapur Anandapur is a town and a municipality of Kendujhar district in the state of Odisha, India. Toponymy The name Anandapur (called as A+nda+Pur) derives from आनन्द सहर which in Sanskrit means the "city of happiness". Once durin ...
. To the west is a range of hills containing peaks such as Gandhamardan (3477 ft), Mankadnacha (3639 ft), Gonasika (3219 ft) and Thakurani (3003 ft) About half of the area of this district is covered by forests of Northern tropical deciduous type trees which include Sal, Asan,
Jamu Jamu ( Van Ophuijsen Spelling: Djamoe; Javanese: ) is a traditional medicine from Indonesia. It is predominantly a herbal medicine made from natural materials, such as roots, bark, flowers, seeds, leaves and fruits. Materials acquired from an ...
,
Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hinduism, Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third a ...
,
Kusum ''Schleichera'' is a monotypic genus of plants in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. There is only one species, ''Schleichera oleosa'', a tree that occurs in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Species ''Schleichera oleosa'', kusum ...
, Kangada,
Mahua Mahua Acharya Mahua or Mahuaa may refer to: Botany * ''Madhuca longifolia'' or mahua, a tree in the family Sapotaceae * ''Mahua'' (moss), a genus of mosses in family Hypnaceae Culture and entertainment * Mahua (snack), a Chinese fried dough twi ...
, Mango, Kendu. The highlands consist of clusters of rugged crags and the mountaintops appear to be sharply ridged or peaked, however they have extensive tablelands on their summits. In some areas, isolated hills rise abruptly from the plains, but most areas have a general elevation of over 600m. The highlands form the watershed for a number of rivers, including the Baitarani River.


Nomira national geological monument

Pillow Lava in lron ore belt at Nomira 2 km east of Nomira 18 km from 18 km south of Joda town, on the Keonjhar-Barbil-Lahunipada state highway, has been declared the
National Geological Monuments of India National Geological Monuments are geographical areas of national importance and heritage, as notified by the Government of India's Geological Survey of India (GSI), for their maintenance, protection, promotion and enhancement of geotourism.
by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), for their protection, maintenance, promotion and enhancement of geotourism.national geo-heritage of India
INTACH The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with Uni ...
Pillow Lava, Iron ore belt of Nomira is an exposure of ellipsoidal
pillow lava Pillow lavas are lavas that contain characteristic pillow-shaped structures that are attributed to the extrusion of the lava underwater, or ''subaqueous extrusion''. Pillow lavas in volcanic rock are characterized by thick sequences of disconti ...
of a maximum thickness of 2m x 0.6m. The fine to medium grained, green to bluish green coloured with abundant Vesicular texture filled with quartz. The lavas and the associated pyroclastic rocks and tuffs are underlain by quartzite and overlain by shale, chart-shale and banded hematite
jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
. The site can be reached from Joda by following Joda Nayagar road up to Bamebari and then following a 2 km unmetalled road leading eastward up to Nomira.


Climate

The temperature in the district begins to rise rapidly in the spring with the highest temperatures recorded in the month of May usually go up to 38 °C. The maximum recorded temperature however is 43.3 °C. The weather cools during the monsoon in June and remains cool until the end of October. The temperature in the month of December can drop down to 7 °C. The minimum temperature recorded was 1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1910.1 mm.


Economy

Keonjhar is part of the Singhbhum-Keonjhar-Banei iron belt. This belt stretches about 50 km and around 14.5 km lie within Kendujhar District. Daitari hills that border Kendujhar and Jajpur district is home to high grade of Iron ore. Odisha Mining Corporation along with TISCO and Bolani Mines Private Ltd run iron ore mines in Kendujhar. In addition there are many medium and small scale mining operations in Barbil/Joda area. Keonjhar also has abundant manganese and Chromite deposits. Kendujhar supplies around 80% of Odisha's manganese production. The manganese mines are at Banspani, Barbil and Barjamda while the Chromite mines are at Baula, Nuasahi and Phulinjhorhuli. 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Kendujhar one of the country's 250 most backward districts. The district is one of the 19 districts in Orissa currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). As per the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act of 2015 the district is set to receive aid from mining companies and lease holders.


Divisions

*Subdivisions- 03, 1.
Anandapur Anandapur is a town and a municipality of Kendujhar district in the state of Odisha, India. Toponymy The name Anandapur (called as A+nda+Pur) derives from आनन्द सहर which in Sanskrit means the "city of happiness". Once durin ...
, 2. Champua, 3. Kendujhar (sadar) * Tehsils- 13 *Blocks- 13:
Anandapur Anandapur is a town and a municipality of Kendujhar district in the state of Odisha, India. Toponymy The name Anandapur (called as A+nda+Pur) derives from आनन्द सहर which in Sanskrit means the "city of happiness". Once durin ...
, Banspal, Champua, Ghasipura, Ghatgaon, Harichandanpur, Hatadihi, Jhumpura, Joda, Keonjhar, Patna, Saharpada,
Telkoi Telkoi is a town and community development block in the Kendujhar district of Odisha state in India. Telkoi has a Community Health Centre (CHC). Telkoi (Vidhan Sabha constituency) (Sl. No.: 20) is an Odisha Legislative Assembly constituenc ...
* Revenue
Circles A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is cons ...
- 50 * Gram Panchayats- 287 *Sub-Registrar Office- 06 *Police Stations- 25 *Towns(Urban Areas)- 09 *Municipalities- 04: 1.
Anandapur Anandapur is a town and a municipality of Kendujhar district in the state of Odisha, India. Toponymy The name Anandapur (called as A+nda+Pur) derives from आनन्द सहर which in Sanskrit means the "city of happiness". Once durin ...
, 2.
Barbil Barbil is a city and a Municipal Council in the Kendujhar district (also known as Iron City) of the state of Odisha, India. The region around Barbil has one of the largest deposits of iron ore and manganese ore in the world. It is a major sour ...
, 3.
Kendujhar Kendujhar is a town with municipality in Kendujhar District in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kendujhar district, and it is one of the fifth scheduled areas of Odisha. Climate Politics Mohan char ...
, 4. Joda * NAC- 01 Champua *Census Town- 04: 1.
Bolani Bolani (Dari: بولانی), also called Periki ( Pashto: پارکی) is a stuffed flat-bread from Afghanistan, fried with a filling. It has a thin crust and can be stuffed with a variety of ingredients, such as potatoes or leeks but also graced ...
, 2.Jajanga, 3. Jhumpura, 4. Daitari *Inhabited Villages- 2135 *Fire Stations- 13 * District Jail/ Special Jail- 01 *Sub-Jails- 02 *Agricultural Districts- 03 *ICDS Projects- 14 *Treasury/SubTreasury- 07 *HQ.Hospital/Hospitals- 04 *Community Health Centre/UGPHC- 17 * Public Health Centre- 81 *Sub Centre (Health)- 351


Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Kendujhar district has a population of 1,801,733. It is the 264th most populous district in India. The district has a population density of . The district's population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 15.42%. Kendujhar has a sex ratio of 987 females for every 1000 males, and a
literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...
of 69%. The
Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are design ...
of the district constitute 45.45% of the total population whereas the Scheduled Castes constitute 11.62%. The concentration of Scheduled Tribes is the highest in the Keonjhar subdivision and lowest in the Anandapur subdivision. The majority of Scheduled Tribes members are employed in agriculture, mining, or quarrying. The literacy among the Scheduled Tribes was 15.25% in the 1981 census but it has increased to 24.89% in the 1991 census. This percentage is higher than the State average of 22.31%.


Major Tribes

There are approximately 55 tribal communities in the district. The largest group are the Hos. The other major tribes are the Munda,
Bhuiya The Bhuiyan or Bhuiya are an indigenous community found in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They are not only geographically disparate but also have many cultural variations and subgro ...
, Gond, Bathudi, Sounti, Santal, Juang, Shabar and
Bhumij Bhumij may refer to: *Bhumij people, tribal ethnic group of India *Bhumij language, the language of Bhumij people *Bhumija Bhumija is a variety of north Indian temple architecture marked by how the rotating square-circle principle is applied to c ...
. These nine tribes constituted almost 95% of the total tribal population of the district.


Languages

At the time of the
2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, 78.88% of the population in the district spoke
Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
, 8.09% Ho, 3.77% Munda, 2.66% Hindi, 1.69% Juang and 0.47% Santali as their first language. Aroudn 30% of the tribals belong to the Ho people and they speak the Ho language. Other languages include Bhunjia, which is spoken by approximately 7000
Bhunjia Bhunjias, are an ethnic group found in India mainly reside in Sunabeda plateau in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. They are mostly found in Nuapada district, which is roughly between 22° 55′ N and 21° 30′ N latitude and 82° 35′ E longitude. ...
Adivasi The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The ter ...
s. Only Bhunija Tribal communities also speak Odia as a secondary language and other tribal communities uses their own mother tongues.


Culture and Heritage of Keonjhar

The culture of Keonjhar district is mainly tribal culture of different tribes residing in this district. The district administration recognised important tribal festivals among which are the festivals of Sohrai, Gaumara Parab, Sarhul, Mage Parab, Baa Parab, Hermuutu, Heroh Parab, Karam Parab, Jomnama Parab,Jomsuim, Uda Parab, and Baruni Jatra.Culture & Heritage
Retrieved 3 July 2018.


Folk Dance of Keonjhar

The district has large sections of tribal communities. So, there are many folk dances such as Ho, Juang and Changu dances which are popular and recognised by the district administration.


Ho Dance

This dance is performed by the Ho speaking tribe mainly during Mage Porob in the month of November–January.


Juang Dance

Juang dance is performed by the Juang tribe of this district.


Politics


Vidhan sabha constituencies

The following is the 6 Vidhan sabha constituencies of Kendujhar district and the elected members of that area.


Gallery


References


External links

*
indiatravelite.comgis.ori.nic.in
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kendujhar District 1948 establishments in India Districts of Odisha