Balangir, is a city and municipality in Balangir district in the state of Orissa, India. It is also the headquarter of Balangir district.
Overview:
Balangir has a rich cultural heritage. Though economically not very well off, it has a great potential for development. There are many important tourist locations in Balangir district. The more famous among them include Harishankar, and the Samaleshwari Temple located in the Balangir town is also very famous.
Population /area / business wise Balangir town is the second largest town in Western Orissa after Sambalpur. It is also known as the cultural hub of Western Orissa. Balangir Town has many cultural groups who are trying hard to preserve the dying down Kosali Folk arts & dance. Kosali/Sambalpuri is the language spoken & used by the people of Balangir.Balangir Municipality is divided into twenty one Wards. Each ward consists of two three Units or sub-areas called "Pada" or "Para". Balangir town has nearly forty "Pada's". Some of the largest "Pada's" of Balangir town are Rugudi Pada, Sud Pada, Maal Pada, Tikra Pada, Radharani Pada, Sagar Pada,Pratapsagar pada, Talpali Pada, Jagannath Pada,Thikadar Pada, Palaceline, Gandhinagar Pada, Shantinagar Pada, Barpali Pada, Tulsinagar Pada, Kansari Pada, Teligoth Pada,Radharani rara,Club para,Khadal para,Rameshwar nagar,Ranjendra para, A.B.S.S. road etc..
Geography: Balangir is located at 20.72°N 83.48°E. It has an average elevation of 383 metres (800 feet).
Demographics: As of 2001 India census, Balangir had a population of 85,203. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Balangir has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 57% of the males and 43% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
History: The name Balangir is said to have been derived from Balaram Garh, a fort, built here in the 16th Century by Balram Deo, the 19th Raja of Balangir (Ex-Patna State) and founder of Sambalpur kingdom.
Balangir was an obscure village till 1871 when the Court of Wards administration during the minority of the then ruler Ram Chandra Deo III shifted the capital from Patnagarh. Immediate steps were taken to build a planned township.
Patnagarh, which was the Capital of the Kingdom of Patna for several centuries was considered unsuitable to be the State Headquarters because of its unhealthy climate.The moats and the bamboo thickets which had long protected the place against enemies became breeding ground of mosquitoes causing widespread malaria. The place was also not on the direct road from Bhawanipatna to Sambalpur. So, Balangir was selected to be the Headquarters not only because of its climate but also for its admirable location on the route connecting the Headquarters of Sambalpur with that of Kalahandi.
Language: The chief communicative language of Balangir District is Kosli or Sambalpuri. Hindi is treated as the second language for communication. English and Oriya are used for official purpose only. Being a part of Orissa, Oriya is used as medium of education in school. English is used for higher education.
Religious Places:
There are hundred of temples in Balangir town. Each and every Pada has one or more temples.
Following are some of the Most Popular and important temples of Balangir Town.
- Maa Pataneswari Temple (Pataneswari Gudi)
- Maa Samaleswari Temple (Samalei Gudi)
- Goplajee Temple
- Nursingha Temple
- Santoshi Temple
- Lokanath Baba Temple
- Sheetala Mata Temple
- Bhagwat Temple
- Jagannath Temple
- Mausi Maa Teple
- Durga Temple
- Ramji Mandir
- Ram Temple
- Shyama Kali Temple
- Saibaba Temple
- Sathya Sai Baba temle
- Laxmi Narayan Temple
Prominent recretion place for Balangiria's are :
Rajendra Park - Built by last king of Patna (princely state) HH. Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo is a 100 year old park. Recently renovated by Balangir Municipality with active help from Balangir MLA A.U Singhdeo. This park is situated in the heart of Balangir town. It is a lush green park with hundred varieties of Roses and other flowers. The park has three beautiful water fountains which light up at evenings. Rajendra Park also have children playing areas and various amusements. It has got a cafeteria also. Besides that the park is equipped with Dolby Digital Sound system which plays old Hindi songs throughout the evening. In the middle of the park there is a statue of its founder HH Rajendra Narayan Singhdeo. The timing of the park is from afternoon 2 pm to evening 10 pm. Entry fee for this park is Rs.1, which is used for the maintenance. Rajendra Park is situated in front of the Balangir Municipality Office.Karanga Kata - One of the oldest lake of Western Orissa. Recently Balangir Municipality has renovated it and started Boating. Lush green garden has been built around the lake to make it beautiful. It is located behind the Durga Mandir.
Anand Niketan, Khujenpali Ashram –there is a beautiful Ashram on 40 Acrs of land surrounded by School ( ViswatmaVidyamandir), Yoga Centre, Puja Mandapa, Sadhana Kehtra, Ashutosh Peeth, Green Jungle, Garden, Prajna Kutir, Santh Nivas etc. every year nearly hundreds of thousands visitor coming from around the world to this place on various occasion like Sivaratri, Navaratri, Guru Purinima and for many Yoga and spiritual practice. The Asharma is established from 1985 by Pramahansa Swami Sree Satyaprajananda Saraswati.
Divine Life Society - Conducting Yoga classes from the last four decade. Location Gaura Mutt, Nalkhandi (Rugudi Pada).
Khujenpali Ashram - If you are in search of real spirituality then this is a must visit place. Five kilometres from Balangir town.
Jalia - It's a popular picnic spot for the youths. It is located in the middle of dense forest. one small river also passed through the spot. Located around 20 km from Balangir.
Ramai Talkies - It's a historical single screen movie theater. It is around 70 years old.
Priyadarshini Talkies - A air-cooling single sceen movie theater
Sailashree Palace - A huge palace belonging to the Royal Family of Balangir. Considered the best Palace ever build in Orissa state.
Lower Sukhtel Project - A popular picnic spot on the bank of river Sukhtel. Current construction work is underway for a proposed dam here. Located around 15 kilomenters from Balangir.
Transport
Air:
The nearest airport is at the state capital, Bhubaneswar, 327 km away in northwest.
Rail:
Bolangir railway station on the Jharsuguda-Sambalpur-Titlagarh railway line of South Eastern Railways is the town's railway link to the national railway network.
A new 289 km long railway line from Bolangir to Khurda Road junction was santioned in 1993 and its foundation stone was laid in June 2001 but there has been very little progress in construction of this railway line. Out of 289 km length, 22 km is in Bolangir district. Even all the land required for the railway line has not been acquired until the end of 2011.
Road:
Bolangir is connected by road to the state capital, Bhubaneswar, 327 km away in northwest, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, and other important places in Orissa and neighboring states.
