Rayagada is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Rayagada district Rayagada district is a district in southern Odisha, a state in India, which became a separate district in October 1992. Its population consists mainly of tribes, primarily the Khonds and the Soras. In addition to Odia, Kui and Sora are s ...

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 administrative headquarters of Rayagada district.

History

The city of Rayagada was founded by King

Vishwanath Dev Gajapati Vishvanatha Deva Gajapati was the king of Kalinga who established a kingdom in the region of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, historically known as Kalinga. He belonged to the Suryavansha dynasty that was installed in the region by his grandfather Vin ...

(1527-1531 CE) of the Suryavansh dynasty of Nandapur Kingdom. It served as the capital of an extensive dominion that stretched from the confines of Bengal to Telangana in the south and was a great center of trade and commerce in the coastal regions of the country. There was also a fort constructed by the king and a row of shrines built along the river Nagavali including the temple of

Majhighariani Temple Majhighariani Temple is a shrine to a goddess in the Rayagada township of Odisha. It was built by King Vishwanath Dev Gajapati of the Suryavansh dynasty of Nandapur - Jeypore kingdom. It is believed that he made Rayagada his capital and after the ...

who was considered the guardian deity of the place. Until 1947, the city was in the domains of the Jeypore Maharajahs.

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 ...

, Rayagada had a population of 57,732. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. In Rayagada, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The population of Rayagada town as per 2011 census is 71,208 out of which male population is 36,036 and female population is 35,172.Rayagada has an average literacy rate of 64%, lower than the national average of 74.4%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 56%

Notable people

* Purnachandra Bidika, the gold medalist in Asian Power lifting Championship *

Varun Sandesh Jeedigunta Varun Sandesh (born 21 July 1989) is an Indian American actor known primarily for his works in Telugu cinema. He made his debut with Sekhar Kammula's coming-of-age drama ''Happy Days'' (2007), and went on to appear in films such as ...

, an actor in Tollywood films *

Ritesh Agarwal Ritesh Agarwal is an Indian former billionaire entrepreneur who is a founder and CEO of OYO Rooms. Early years Ritesh Agarwal was born in a Marwari family in Bissam Cuttack, Odisha, India and brought up in Titilagarh. Ritesh comes from a ...

, the current CEO and the founder of Oyo rooms

Politics

Current MLA from Rayagada(ST) assembly constituency is Shri Makaranda Muduli(Independent). Previous MLA from Rayagada (ST) Assembly Constituency is Shri Lal Bihari Himrika of

Biju Janata Dal The Biju Janata Dal (; BJD) is a regional political party in the Indian state of Odisha founded and led by Naveen Patnaik, the current Chief Minister of Odisha and the son of former Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik, after whom the party i ...

, who won the seat in State elections in 2009 Lalbihari Himirika of BJD had won this seat in 2000. After serving as deputy speaker of Odisha assembly, he was serving as a cabinet minister for SC and ST development minister. Rayagada is part of

Koraput (Lok Sabha constituency) Koraput is a Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency in 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 larges ...

. Shri Jayram Pangi (Biju Janta Dal) won the general election 2009 defeating Dr. Giridhar Gomango (INC) who represented this constituency 9 times.

Jhina Hikaka Jhina Hikaka is a member of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) political party. He is elected to the 16th Lok Sabha in 2014 from Koraput constituency in Odisha. He was a MLA from Laxmipur assembly constituency of Koraput district in Odisha. He was ki ...

who won in 2014 elections. Current MP is Shri

Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka is a tribal Indian politician hailing from Rayagada, Koraput. He was elected to the 17th Lok Sabha, lower house of the Parliament of India from Koraput, Odisha in the 2019 Indian general election as a member of the Indian ...

from

INC Inc. or inc may refer to: * Incorporation (business), as a suffix indicating a corporation * ''Inc.'' (magazine), an American business magazine * Inc. No World, a Los Angeles-based band * Indian National Congress, a political party in India * I ...

Currently N. Bhaskar Rao has been elected to

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

from Rayagada.

References

External links

Official website of Rayagada district
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Rayagada district