Sambalpur district

Sambalpur district () is a district in the western part of state of Odisha, India. The historic city of Sambalpur is the district headquarters.

The district is located in the Mahanadi River basin. It has a total area of , of which almost 60% is covered in dense forest. The district is bounded by Deogarh District to the east, Bargarh and Jharsuguda districts to the west, Sundergarh District to the north, and Subarnapur and Angul districts in the south.

Sambalpur City is the connecting city between Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Whereas it used to be known for its importance as a diamond trading centre, nowadays it is mainly known for its textiles, especially the Sambalpuri Saree.

History

In Lasa near Kuchinda, a stone celt was found dating back to the Paleolithic period. Proto-historic writing was found in a cave in nearby Jharsuguda district.

The region was most likely in the pre-Maghadan empire of Mahapadmananda. However there is no mention of the territory in Mauryan inscriptions, so it is unknown whether the Mauryans controlled this region or not. After the collapse of the Mauryan empire, This region was ruled by the Chedis. It was most likely part of Kharavela's empire. Sambalpur is mentioned in the book of Ptolemy (2nd century) as Sambalaka on the river Manada (the Mahanadi River), and by the Romans for their export of numerous diamonds, which were mined in the Mahanadi until the early 17th century. After Kharevala, the Megha dynasty ruled the region. Then became part of Dakhina Koshala In the 4th century CE, the Allahabad inscription records Samudra Gupta defeated Mahendra of Kosala, corresponding roughly to present-day Chhattisgarh plains and western Odisha. Although not annexed to the Gupta empire, Kosala remained within Gupta spheres of influence evidenced by presence of Gupta coins in the region.

Padmasambhava, one of the main early scholars of Tibetan Buddhism, was said to be the son of the king of Sambhal of Oddiyana. Almost all historians see this area as the Swat Valley; some cite literary and archaeological evidence to associate Oddiyana with modern-day Odisha. There is evidence to suggest Sambalpur was a centre of Tantric philosophy.

Asta Sambhus

In the district of Sambalpur, a large number of Shiva temples were built during the Chauhan period.

Economy

The economy of Sambalpur District is basically dependent on agriculture and secondly on forests. Forests play an important role in the economy in terms of contribution to revenue, Domestic Product as well as dependence of people for livelihood. The people living adjacent to the reserved forests of Sambalpur Forest Division are heavily dependent on these forests. In the past Sambalpur has been a great centre of diamond trade. Kendu leaf (Diospyros Melanoxylon) is also produced in Sambalpur. Kendu leaf is one of the most important non-wood forest products of Sambalpur and is also called as green gold of Odisha. Lately industrialisation has started in the district and the prime industries of power, alumina and steel have been established. The place is famous for its globally renowned textile bounded patterns and fabrics locally known as Baandha. Sambalpur is famous for its Hand loom textile works. Popularly known as Sambalpuri Textile. It has earned international fame for its unique pattern, design and texture. Apart from textiles, Samabalpur has a rich tribal heritage and fabulous forestlands.

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Sambalpur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Sambalpur district has a population of 1,041,099, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus or the US state of Rhode Island. This gives it a ranking of 433rd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 11.63%. Sambalpur has a sex ratio of 973 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 76.91%. 29.59% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 18.43% and 34.12% of the population respectively.

Culture

Tourism

Samaleswari, the presiding deity in Hinduism in this region is enshrined at Samlei Gudi on the bank of Mahanadi River. The other temple of importance is the Budharaja Temple, dedicated to Shiva and is perched atop the Budharaja hill. These temples are located at a few kilometres' distance from Sambalpur. The Hirakud Dam, the longest earthen dam of the world, is some 15 kilometres from Sambalpur.

Notable people

Veer Surendra Sai: First Freedom fighter of Odisha, Sambalpur royal family member
Gangadhar Meher: Famous poet of Odisha
Shradhakar Supakar: Social Activist, Politician and Writer, MLA of Sambalpur, Member Of Rajya sabha
Bhima Bhoi: Famous blind Poet, Santha Kabi and Reformer
Pramod Kumar Mishra: Principal Secretary to P.M, one of the Strongest IAS Officers in India
Krupasindhu Bhoi: Member Of Parliament, Sambalpur Constituency
Sarat Pujari: Veteran Actor in Odia Film Industry
Suresh Pujari: Member Of Parliament, Bargarh Constituency
Shriyanka Sadangi: Indian sports shooter
Lochana Munda: India international footballer

Politics

Vidhan sabha constituencies

The following is the 4 Vidhan sabha constituencies of Sambalpur district and the elected members of that area

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!No.

!Constituency

!Reservation

!Extent of the Assembly Constituency (Blocks)

!Member

!Party

!15

|Kuchinda

|ST

|Kuchinda (NAC), Kuchinda, Bamra, Jamankira

|Kishore Chandra Naik

|bgcolor="#004225" | <span style="color:white;">BJD</span>

!16

|Rengali

|SC

|Rengali, Dhankauda, Maneswar (part)

|Nauri Nayak

| bgcolor="#FF9933" | BJP

!17

|Sambalpur

|None

|Sambalpur (M), Burla (NAC), Hirakud (NAC)

| Jaynarayan Mishra