Kendujhar district

Kendujhar District, also known as Keonjhar District or Kendujhargarh District, is an administrative district of Orissa state in eastern India. The town of Kendujhar is the district headquarters.

The district has an area of 8,336 km², and lies between 21°1' N and 22°10' N latitude and 85°11' E to 86°22' E longitude, It is bounded by Mayurbhanj District and Bhadrak District to the east, Jajpur District to the south, Dhenkanal District and Sundargarh District to the west, and Surguja District of the state of Chhattisgarh to the north.

The district has a population of 1,561,521 (2001 census), with a population density of 187 persons per km². The district has 3 sub divisions, Anandpur, Champua, and Keonjhar, and eight tehsils.

History

After the integration of the feudatory states with Orissa on 1 January, 1948 the state of Keonjhar emerged as one of its districts of Orissa, with its headquarters at Keonjhar. Since then the name has been changed to Kendujhar District.

Description

The district presents a panorama of many millennia, both from the geographical and anthropological point of view. Spread over an area of 8,240 km², it is as varied as the whole of Orissa with waterfalls of various sizes and roaring gorges with rolling boulders spreading onwards to the plains of Anandapur which are a rare combination to be found elsewhere.

The district bears the oldest stone inscription found in Orissa, paleogeologically belonging to the Gupta period. In Sitabinj, we find the fresco paintings in the cave shelter of Ravana Chhaya dating back to 5th century.

Tribes

The district has two main tribes, the Juangs and the Bhuyans. The Juangs claim to be the most ancient tribe and though they have become more modern in their way of life, there are still noticeable traces of aboriginal practices.

Natural resources

Kendujhar District is highly rich in mineral resources and has vast deposits of iron, manganese and chromium ores. About 30 percent of its total area is covered with dense tracts of forests. But the district in spite of its immense mineral and forest wealth is still economically backward.

External links

* [http://kendujhar.nic.in/ Kendujhar District website]
* Anandapur