Koraput
Koraput | |
---|---|
Hill station | |
Nickname(s): Switzerland of Odisha, Emerald Highlands of Odisha,
Aero Engine Capital of India UTC+5:30 (IST) | |
PIN | 764020,764021,764022 |
Telephone code | 06852 |
Vehicle registration | OD 10 |
Website | koraputmunicipality |
Koraput is a town and a Municipality in
History
The district of Koraput derives its name from its headquarters in the present town of Koraput. In ancient times when the Nalas were ruling over this tract, Pushkari near modern Umarkot was the capital city. In the medieval period, Nandapur developed as a little kingdom under the Silavamsi kings that were later expanded by the Suryavanshi kings who arrived in the region in the 13th century from Kashmir. Later, Maharajah Veer Vikram Dev shifted his capital to Jeypore and about the middle of the 17th century, this town prospered under the British Administration. Koraput was chosen by the British in 1870 for better health prospects. The origin of the name Koraput is obscure. There are several theories, none of which are convincing.
According to Mr R.C.S.Bell the name of the town is ‘Kora-Putti’ or "the hamlet of the nux-vomica" and it is derived presumably from a tree or trees that must at one time have been prominent near the site. But today not a single tree of nux-vomica is to be found near about the town of Koraput and so the assumption of Mr Bell is open to question.
According to the second theory, Koraput is a corrupted form of ‘Karaka pentho’ Karaka literally means ‘hail-stone’. It is also believed that one ‘Khora Naiko’ laid the foundation of the village during the time of the Nandapur kings. He hailed probably from
Koraput is also a Tourism Place. The town is surrounded by mountains, thick forests and waterfalls. This town also has many old temples.
Marking a social success for others to emulate, in the past two years, around 220 tribal villagers of the non-descript Bondaguda village under Similiguda block in the district have become totally free of open defecation with each of its 45 families constructing toilets in their homes.
Adivasi communities
Koraput is a part of the
The traditional culture (including languages), knowledge and subsistence of the Adivasis are closely connected with local ecosystems.[3]
Most of the area was covered by thick forest until relatively recently. As a result of
The Dongar Festival (or Parab) is held annually, ostensibly to showcase the way of life of Adivasis, in the first and second weeks of December, organised by the district administration. Many foreign tourists visit the festival.[5] There has been criticism of the festival, with allegations that Adivasis are reluctant participants, who are paraded like "museum specimens" for the benefit of the tourism industry.
Sabara Srikhetra (Jagannath Temple)
Koraput is mostly famous for its
Council of Analytical Tribal Studies (COATS), registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860,[6] is university–like educational institute is a successful attempt to restore and educate tribal way of life, customs, tradition, medicine, language, social structure and history. COATS has been documenting the day-today situation of poor tribals and feeding this information to the local administration in an effort to make it more efficient.
Geography
Koraput is located at 18°49′N 82°43′E / 18.82°N 82.72°E.[7] It has an average elevation of 870 m (2,850 ft).
Some major rivers of
Hill stations
Being at the heart of tribal belt in South
Climate
Climate data for Koraput, Odisha | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.3 (77.5) |
28.4 (83.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
33.6 (92.5) |
34.3 (93.7) |
30.6 (87.1) |
25.9 (78.6) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.0 (80.6) |
25.7 (78.3) |
24.7 (76.5) |
28.3 (82.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) |
6.4 (43.5) |
15.7 (60.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
22.9 (73.2) |
22.5 (72.5) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.4 (68.7) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.7 (65.7) |
14.1 (57.4) |
3.5 (38.3) |
15.8 (60.5) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 8 (0.3) |
3 (0.1) |
19 (0.7) |
53 (2.1) |
84 (3.3) |
213 (8.4) |
437 (17.2) |
391 (15.4) |
247 (9.7) |
116 (4.6) |
27 (1.1) |
8 (0.3) |
1,606 (63.2) |
Source: en.climate-data.org |
Transport
Koraput has good linkage with other parts of the state as well as some major cities of neighbouring states, by means of rail and road. National highway number 26(43) passes through the town which connects it with Raipur and Visakhapatnam. Buses are plenty from Visakhapatnam and Vijayanagaram to Koraput. Buses to Jeypore, Jagdalpur, Umerkote, etc., also pass through Koraput.
.Also, the new proposed Biju Expressway will connect this city with Rourkela.
Administration
Koraput district is divided into 2 sub-divisions and 14 blocks. The 2 sub-divisions are Koraput and Jeypore
Blocks in Koraput sub-division 1. Koraput 2. Semiliguda 3. Nandapur 4. Pottangi 5. Dasmanthpur 6. Lamtaput 7. Laxmipur 8. Narayanapatna 9. Bandugaon
Blocks in Jeypore sub-division 1. Bariguma 2. Jeypore 3. Kotpada 4. Boipariguda 5. Kundura[8]
Education
Educational facilities in Koraput include schools and
Central University of Odisha (CUO), formerly Central University of Orissa, was established by parliament under the Central Universities Act, 2009 (No. 3C of 2009) by Government of India, situated at Sunabeda Town, Koraput District in the Indian state of Odisha. The territorial jurisdiction of the university is whole of the Odisha state.
As far as higher studies are concerned, Koraput has got one Woman's College and a
In 2009, a central university was set up in Koraput namely Central University of Orissa. This started functioning from August 2009 providing courses on English, Oriya, mass communication, journalism, anthropology and sociology. Prof Surabhi Banarjee was appointed as the first vice-chancellor of the university.[9]
On 4 September 2017, the new government medical college was established in Koraput and named after Saheed Laxman Nayak, a great freedom fighter of that region. Classes started in September 2017.[citation needed]
Politics
Current
Festivals
PARAB (ପରବ)
A festival of festivals PARAB [10][11] – an annual tribal festival organized by the District Council of Culture, Koraput is a gala event of the state, organized in the month of November every year all over the district. The whole month of parab witnesses events on sports culture, seminar mountain trekking, boat race and artists camp. On a third day from all over the country are staged on one platform, with crafts mela and exhibitions in the Koraput Parab ground.
See also
- Koraput travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Koraput District
References
- ^ PTI (6 December 2014). "Koraput to be nurtured as Aero Engine Capital of India: Raha". OdishaTV. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ "The Adivasis of India - A History of Discrimination, Conflict, and Resistance". Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Franco F, Merlin; Narasimhan, D (2009). "Plant names and uses as indicators of knowledge patterns" (PDF). Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 8 (4): 645–648.
- ^ Resource: Book on the ethnobotany of the Kondh, Poraja, Gadaba and Bonda of the Koraput region of Odisha, India « Traditional Knowledge Bulletin. Tkbulletin.wordpress.com (2012-01-18). Retrieved on 2013-02-09.
- ^ Parab - About Archived 15 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Koraput.nic.in (2009-11-18). Retrieved on 2013-02-09.
- ^ Tribal Women, a Gendered Utopia?: Women in the Agriculture Sector, p. 25, Asha Hans, South Asian Publishers
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. - Koraput. Fallingrain.com. Retrieved on 2013-02-09.
- ^ "Jeypore subdivision".
- ^ Central University. Cuorissa.org. Retrieved on 2013-02-09.
- ^ http://parab.nic.in/
- ^ "PARAB, KORAPUT | Koraput District, Government of Odisha | India".
- Koraput Parikrama, (Prabandha Samkalan), Published by Banaphula Sahitya Parishad, Sunabeda and edited by Dr. Basanta Kishore Sahoo
- Smaranika-2013 (Koraput Bisesanka), Published by Utkal Sanskrutika Parishad, Sunabeda and also edited by Dr. Basanta Kishore Sahoo