Subarnapur District, also called Sonepur District or Sonapur District, is an administrative district in western

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 ...

state in eastern

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 ...

. The town of Sonepur is the district headquarters. Sonepur has a rich cultural heritage and is known as the Mandiramalini town (city of temples) of Odisha with more than hundred temples. The people of the Sonepur region are referred to as Sonepuria.

History

In the 8th century CE, the region was known as Swarnapur and was rules by

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

lords of the Bhaumkaras of

Tosali Tosali or Toshali was an ancient city in the present day Odisha state in eastern India. It was the capital of the eastern province of the Kalinga Kingdom. While some scholars tried to identify this ancient city with Dhauli, 7 km away from ...

. The region was then ruled by the Somavamsis and eventually became one of two capitals of the Somavamsis. Around the 10th and 11th centuries, the region was called Pashima Lanka or Western Lanka. The evidence for these names comes from a Somavamsi prince of the region called Kumara Someswaradeva who issued a copper plate charter in the late 10th century which identified him as the ruler of Paschima Lanka. Historically, the presiding deity of the region was the goddess Lankeswari. At some point during Somavamsi rule, the region was given its current name, Subarnapur. It was formally established as a district in 1993.

Economy

In 2006 the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj looks into all matters relating to the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The ministry is headed by a ...

named Subarnapur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 19 districts in Odisha currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Divisions

* Sub-divisions: Sonepur and Birmaharajpur * Tehsils: Sonepur, Binika, Rampur, Birmaharajpur, Tarbha, and Ullunda * Blocks: Sonepur, Binika, Tarbha, Dunguripali, Birmaharajpur and Ullunda * Municipality: Sonepur * N.A.C.: Tarbha and Binika

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Subarnapur district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 610,183, roughly equal to the nation of

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

or the US state of

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. The district is the 512th most populous in India out of a total of 640. The district has a population density of . Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

over the decade of 2001–2011 was 20.35%. Subarnapur has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species d ...

of 959

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. 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 74.42%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 25.60% and 9.37% of the population respectively.

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

are the predominant religion, with 99.19% of the population. 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 ...

, 59.67% of the population in the district spoke Sambalpuri and 39.30% Odia as their first language.

Culture

Subarnapur is home to a wide variety of cultural heritage, arts, and crafts. The Sonepur area specializes in textiles and

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

, Tarbha and Binka produce

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

metal works, Ullunda is home to a tradition of stone carving, and Dunguripali produces Paddy crafts. Subarnapur is home to the poet and prophet

Mahima Dharma Mahima Dharma, also known as Mahima Panth, is a Hindu sect practiced primarily in Odisha and nearby states. The religious movement was based on the worship of God, known as Alekh Niranjan, as attributeless. as condemnation of all religious custo ...

. The district is also known for "Danda-nata", a religious folk tradition which is native to the area.

Temple town, Sonepur

* Paschima Lanka * Lanka Podi * Sasisena Kavya * Sasisena Temple * Sureswari Temple * Subarnameru Temple *

Lankeswari Temple Lankeswari temple is located inside the river Mahanadi at Sonepur town, Subarnapur district, Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th l ...

Tourist attractions

* Mahima pitha, Khaliapali * Gyaneswar Baba Shiv temple and museum at Kenjhiriapali village * Metakani Temple, Ullunda * Patali Srikhetra, Kotsamlai * Rushyashrunga hill at Goudgad jungle * Papakshya Ghat, Binka * Kapileswar temple, Charda * Nabagrahakunda * Rameswar Shiva Temple * Lord Sri Sri Swapneshwar Temple, Goudgad of BirmaharajPur Block. * Thengo Irrigation Project of Birmaharajpur Block * Maa Umadevi Temple and Siddheswar Temple * Maa Ramachandi & Baba Raneswar Temple, Telanda * Gupteswar Baba Temple, Gailmura * Bhimtangar, Gailmura *Baunsa Bana, Dunguripali

Saree

* Sambalpuri Pata Saree * Sonepuri Saree

Notable people

Kailash Chandra Meher Kailash Chandra Meher (born 22 January 1954) is an Indian artist, inventor, and social activist. He is a painter of contemporary modern art paintings and traditional Tussar Pattachitra paintings of Odisha. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri ...

, painter awarded the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

. *

Nila Madhab Panda Nila Madhab Panda (born 18 October 1973) is an Indian film producer and director. Panda has produced and directed over 70 films, documentaries and shorts based on social issues such as climate change, child labor, education, water issues, s ...

, film maker and director of I Am Kalam. *

Sabyasachi Mohapatra Sabyasachi Mohapatra (born 27 August 1950 in Subarnapur district, Lehedi, India) is an Indian film director, writer, and producer in Odia cinema. He owns a production house named ''Mohapatra Movie Magic''. Career Mohapatra made his directorial ...

, Odia film director and producer. * Jitamitra Prasad Singh Deo

Education in Subarnapur district

Schools

*Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Tarbha * Sri Aurobindo Shikshyakendra, Goudgad * Ganapati Adarsha Shikshya Niketan, Biramaharaj Pur *Swami Vivekananda Adarsha Vidyalaya, Khandahata *Anchalik Uchha Vidya Pitha, Kenjhiriapali *Centurion Public School, Dunguripali *Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Dunguripali *Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Rampur *Sahara Trust High School, Sonepur *Vishwabharti Chintan Shikshya Niketan, Sonepur

Colleges

* Sonepur College, Sonepur-Raj *Model Degree College, Subarnapur *Shree Ram College, Rampur *Maharaja High School, Sonepur *Dunguripali College, Dunguripali *Gram Panchayat College, Lachhipur *Buddhiram College, Menda *Birmaharajpur College Birmaharajpur

Politics

This district is a part of Balangir Lok Sabha constituency. The MP of Balangir is Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo from the

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 Mo ...

Vidhan Sabha Constituencies

The following are the two

Vidhan sabha The State Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha, or also Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in the states and union territories of India. In the 28 states and 3 union territories with a unicameral state legislature, it is the sole legislati ...

constituencies of Subarnapur district and the elected members of each area.

References

External links

*
Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa

Cultural Profile of South Kosal
* Pasayat, C. (1994), "Myth and Reality in Little Tradition: A Study of Dandanata in Odisha" in ''Man in India'', Vol.74, No.4, December 1994, pp. 413–427. * Pasayat, C. (1998), ''Tribe, Caste and Folkculture'', Jaipur/New Delhi: Rawat Publications. * Pasayat, C. (2003), ''Glimpses of Tribal and Folkculture'', New Delhi: Anmol Pub. Pvt. Ltd. {{DEFAULTSORT:Subarnapur District 1993 establishments in Orissa Districts of Odisha