Balangir also known as Bolangir, is a town and a

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

, the headquarters of Balangir district in the state of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, India. Balangir's cultural heritage makes it one of the finest places for tourists in

. Balangir municipality is divided into twenty-one wards. It is spread over an area of .

Geography

Balangir is located at . It has an average elevation of 383 metres (800 feet) above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

People from Balangir

* Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo, former Chief Minister of

Orissa Odisha (), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is a state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the thir ...

* Srinibash Udgata, eminent poet awarded

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

* Nrusingha Mishra, leader of the opposition in Orissa Legislative Assembly (2014–19), senior Congress politician, eminent lawyer in 12th Law Commission of

. * Rasanara Parwin is a cricket player of the

India women's national cricket team The India women's national cricket team, also known as Women in Blue, represents India in international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test ...

. * ''Harinarayan Pujari'', is a member of the ''board of cricket control'' in India and also the President of the Government Press of Bolangir. Also he is the secretary of Gandhi Stadium, Bolangir. He is also a social worker who does charitable works for the welfare of Bolangir and our country.

Transport

Airport

The Jharsuguda Airport at Jharsuguda is the nearest airport to the city while

Swami Vivekananda Airport Swami Vivekananda Airport , formerly known as Mana Airport, is a domestic airport serving Raipur, the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The airport is located at Mana, approximately south-east of Raipur and east of Naya Raipu ...

Raipur Raipur ( ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raipur is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur district and Raipur division, and the largest city of the state. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of Chh ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

is 234 km away. Biju Patnaik International Airport in the state capital,

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...

is 327 km away by road and 397 km by rail.

Railway station

Balangir Junction railway station on the Jharsuguda-

Sambalpur Sambalpur () is the fifth largest city in the Indian State of Odisha. It is located on the banks of river Mahanadi, with a population of 335,761 (as per 2011 census). Prehistoric settlements have been recorded there. It is the home of the Samb ...

- Titlagarh railway line of East Coast Railways is the city's railway link to the national railway network.

Highway

Bolangir is connected by road to the state capital

which is 327 km to the east.

Politics

Current MLA from Bolangir Assembly Constituency is Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo of

Biju Janata Dal The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is an Indian regional political party with significant influence in the state of Odisha. The party was established to uphold the legacy of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik and to address the unique socio-economic ...

, who won the seat in State elections of 2024. Bolangir is part of Bolangir (Lok Sabha constituency).

Culture

The Nuakhai

The "Nuakhai" is a social festival of unity. This festival is observed among kith and kins during the month of Bhadraba. The appropriate date of the Nuakhai is just the day after the Ganesh Puja. It is a festival of harvest of crops. On this occasion, the new grain after harvesting is first offered to the local deity and during this festival, the people get themselves lost in merrymakings. Wearing new clothes, preparing delicious foods the people of this area celebrate this festival with enthusiasm. It is mostly an agricultural festival of Western Odisha. It can also be dubbed as The 'Baisakhi' of Odisha.

Ratha Jatra, The Chariot Festival

In the Ratha Yatra, the three deities are taken from the Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the 'Mausi Mandira' or Gundicha Temple, where they stay for nine days. Thereafter, the deities again ride the chariots back to Shri Mandir in ''bahuda jatra''. On the way back, the three chariots halt at the Mausi Maa Temple and the deities are offered ''Poda Pitha,'' a kind of baked cake which are generally consumed by the people of Odisha. ''Ratha Yatra'' is a journey in a chariot accompanied by the public. It typically refers to a procession (journey) of deities, people dressed like deities, or simply religious saints and political leaders.

Religion

Hinduism

Balangir is a predominantly Hindu-dominated city, with approximately 98% of its population being Hindu. Which makes Balangir one of the highest Hindu populated cities in India.

Tourist attractions

Gandhamardan Hills

Gandhamardan Hills or Gandhamardan Parbat ( Odia: ଗନ୍ଧମାର୍ଦନ ପର୍ବତ) (3296 ft) is a hill located in between Balangir and Bargarh district of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. This hill is well known for medicinal plants. Lord Hanuman is believed to reside here and in the Piduru Mountains in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. The

Botanical Survey of India Botanical Survey of India (BSI) is a governmental research institution in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was founded on 13 February 1890 during British Raj in India and now is under the Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest an ...

has reported the existence of 220 plant species of medicinal value. Local people, however, claim that there are more than 500 species of medicinal plants in this area. The flora of the buffer zone is most vulnerable.

Harishankar Temple

Sri Sri Harisankar Devasthana is a temple on the slopes of Gandhamardhan hills, Bolangir District of

. It is popular for its scenes of nature and connection to two Hindu lords,

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

and

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. As a holy place, along with a stream passing on the granite bed, it has given some visitors a feeling of peace. On the opposite of side of the Gandhamardhan hills is the temple of Nrusinghanath. The plateau between the two temples has been found to have ancient Buddhist ruins, which are considered to be remnants of the ancient Parimalgiri University. The deity of Harisankar was discovered by a Chauhan dynasty king of Patna kingdom of Odisha, during the 14th century. From that time, the deity has been worshipped. A dancing Ganesha image has been found, which can be traced to the early 12th century. The temple was constructed by the order of then queen Durlabha Devi of Maharaja Vaijjal Dev Chauhan. It is located in the district of Balangir, Odisha. The nearest railway station is at Harishankar Road, only 32 km from the temple. Regular taxis are available to the temple from this railway station. The town of Balangir and Balangir Railway Station is around 80 km from harishankar, which is well connected by roadways.

Ranipur Jharial

It is a historical destination, near Titilagarh. An Ancient, roundabout like temple preserves the history of Ranipur-Jharial with its rocky terrain. It also has an attractive pond.

Climate

References

External links

Govt. Of Odisha Website

Odisha Tourism

Official website of Balangir
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Bolangir district Former capital cities in India