Malkangiri historically known as 'Malikamardhangiri' is a town and a Municipality in

Malkangiri district Malkangiri district is the southwesternmost district in the Indian state of Odisha. It has two Vidhan sabha constituencies. History Local legend claims Valmiki wrote the Ramayana on the banks of the Tamasa river. The region was known as ''Mal ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 ...

. It is the headquarters of the Malkangiri district. Malkangiri is the new home of the East Pakistani refugees (present day Bangladesh), who were rehabilitated since 1965 under the

Dandakaranya Project The Dandakaranya Project, or the DNK Project, was the form of action the Indian government designed in September 1958 for the settlement of displaced persons from Bangladesh (former East Pakistan) and for integrated development of the area with pa ...

. Also some Sri Lankan Tamil refugees were rehabilitated in Malkangiri town, following the armed struggle of LTTE in the early 1990s (most of them have returned, baring a couple of households). Currently it is one of the most naxalite-affected areas of the state and is a part of the

Red Corridor The red corridor, also called the red zone, is the region in the eastern, central and the southern parts of India where the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency has the strongest presence. It has been steadily diminishing in terms of geographical cove ...

History

Malkangiri or Malikamardhangiri as it was historically known was founded by Simhadri Vivek for his queen (1676-1681 CE), ruler of Nandapur-

Jeypore Jeypore is one of the largest towns and a place of historical significance in Koraput district in the Indian state of Odisha. It was established by Vir Vikram Dev in the mid 17th century. The kingdom was defeated by the East India Company in ...

kingdom of Odisha. He was a valorous military genius who defeated the joint forces of the French and the army of Golconda and captured fifteen French canons. He killed the general of the Golconda army called Malik Mohammad and therefore was named 'Malik-mardhan' which means 'destroyer of Malik'. He also constructed a strong fort named Malikamardhangadha and it is surmised that the whole area in which the fort was located came to be known in the course of time as Malikamardhangiri and later the British renamed it as Malkangiri.

Geography

Malkangiri is located at . It has an average elevation of .

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Malkangiri had a population of 31,007. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Malkangiri has an average literacy rate of 57%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 65%, and female literacy is 48%. In Malkangiri, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Politics

After 2019 elections Current MLA from Malkangiri Assembly (ST) Constituency is Shri Aditya Madhi of

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...

. Previous MLA from Malkangiri Assembly (ST) Constituency is Manas Kumar Madkami of BJD, who won the seat in 2014. Previous MLAs from this seat were Arabinda Dhali of

BJP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...

in 2000 and in 1995, Naka Kanaya who won it for JD in 1990 and for JNP in 1977, Nadiabasi Biswas of INC in 1985, Naka Laxmaya of INC(I) in 1980. Malkangiri is part of

Nabarangpur (Lok Sabha constituency) Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency (formerly known as Nowrangpur Lok Sabha constituency) is one of the 21 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Odisha state in eastern India. Assembly segments Before delimitation in 2008, the legislativ ...

References

External links

Official website

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Malkangiri district