Jhami Yatra - Lanjigarh

Lanjigarh:-

Lanjigarh is a village situated to south-east direction of Bhawanipatna, near the Kalahandi-Rayagada border.It is 65km from the district head quater Bhawanipatna by road.The 428ft. high summit of the Niyamgiri hlls situated just on the district border,overlooks a narrow valley to its north of which Lanjigarh forms the apex.Lanjigarh was the headquarters of Lanjigarh Zamindari under Kalahandi .

The village is surrounded by heavy forests and hills.The deity "Dokari" is greatly revered in the area.The local Jhami Yatra or Jhamu Yatra in the month Chaitra (March - April) is an occasion when thousands of people gather and witness the walking on burning charcoal by a number of devotees.This Yatra is so famous in that area and also Kalahandi-Rayagara district .Jhami Yatra a major draw attended by thousands of people from far and near. This festival going to 6-7days or around 1 week.

Beautifull Place:- GudaHandi

The Gudahandi hills are situated in the vicinity of Khaligarh, a tiny village close to the Koraput District boarder, about 17.6 km northeast of Ampani. Ampani is 77 K.Ms from Bhawanipatna on the road towards Nawarangpur. In the Gudahandi hills are some ancient caves bearing pictographic paintings of remote antiquity, Khaligarh is a very out of the way place, the 17.6 K.Ms of Ampani being car track parts of which pass through dense forest.

Three small hills, all of curved length, are together known as the Gudahandi hills.The North and the South hills join each other in the East leaving a courtyard like valley in between which is open towards the West. This valley is paved by a huge block of stone slopping down to the East. Just at the foot of these hills facing the valley are rows of caves. Excepting one in the North, all the caves are small in size. Although at places hewed to shape by human hand they generally appear to have been formed by nature itself in red slate stone. Pictographic paintings in Red and Black colours appear at the entrances of some of caves in the Southern row. These have not yet been thoroughly studied but it is generally surmised that they bear approximately to the picture scripts of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Besides Gudahandi in Kalahandi District, Bikramkhol and Ulapgarh in Sambalpur District and Naraj in Cuttack District also possess some writings resembling pictographic paintings.

A fact indicative of pre-historic man's habitation in Orissa. The third hill extending North to South stands like a way to the immediate West of the Valley. But as this hill does not join with the other two, the valley is approachable from the North as well as from the South by a narrow pass. All the three hills taken together have the appearance of a pot with a lid on. The name Gudahandi, meaning a pot, for molasses, may have its origin in the impression its shape apparently conveys. A rivulet named Behera flows past the village. There are remains of a very old dam across this revulet, local people call it the work of Bhima, the second of the Pandavas.

Many visitors are coming here every year to see the living beauty of nature of kalahandi,also it becomes one of the famous picnic spot for school children & also for alder peoples.peoples are glad to see the beauties of hills around this place and also to see the picture scripts of the Indus valley civilisation.The local peoples of this area believes that some years ago,Bhima(One of the brother of Pandavas)was came here & he made a small dam near that village which looking like a pot(Handi),thatswhy that place was named Gudahandi.

Flood On Kalahandi

Many peoples in three south-western districts of Odisha have been affected by flash floods as rivers submerged vast areas following heavy rains, state Revenue and Disaster Management minister S N Patro said .

In 151 villages of the affected blocks, relief camps have been set up and food served to the affected people through community kitchen, Patro told reporters after a visit to the flood-hit districts of Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Koraput.

Patra, who was accompanied by Information Technology Minister Ramesh Majhi and Labour minister Puspendra Singhdeo , said he had asked the district administration to assess the damage as quick as possible he said.

The affected people would be compensated as per the provisions of the state relief code, he assured.

Patra said while 40,000 people of 71 villages in 17 gram panchayats of six blocks were affected in Kalahandi distrct, about 29,000 people of 60 villages in 22 of five blocks were hit in Nabarangapur district.

Similarly, around 15,000 people in 20 villages of Kotapada block in Koraput district were affected.

As many as 12 relief camps were set up in Kalahandi district and 2298 people were provided food through community kitchen in Kalahandi.

In kalahandi district the villages near by the Hati river was being flooding by the overflow water coming from Indravati project.The water of hati river was flowed above the bridge near Junagarh,many villages like Bhejipadar,Junagarh,bagdunguri were sorrounded by the flood water & communication between these villages are stop.Also the bridge joining to the NH-201 thatswhy the communication from Kalahandi district to Koraput district was disconnected.