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.

Recent Devlopments

Kalahandi also is an example of disparity /contrasts that exist in many part of developing/underdeveloped world. On the one side, this district is famous for famine and starvation deaths: this is the same district that boasts of among the Highest Number of Rice Mills in Orissa. The number of rice mills in the district was around 150 in the year 2004-05. More than 70% have been built in the five years after commissioning of the Indravati project. The rice mill business is so lucrative that businessman from adjoining districts and states have invested directly or indirectly. Most of the rice mills purchase paddy from the government allotted villages through panchayat and sell the rice to Food Corporation of India. As many rice mills are competing for paddy, the price paid the farmers has increased in the recent past. But much needs to be done as the Rice mill Owners are primarily profit-oriented. No remarkable Farmers' Movement is seen in the areas so far. To articulate the voice & rights of the Kalahandia, people have waited for a 'mahatma'to descend amidst them.

some development in the recent past has shown some sign of progress. The Indravati Water Project, second biggest in the state has changed the landscape of southern Kalahandi, leading to two-three crops in a year. Because of this, blocks like Bhawanipatna, Jayapatna, Dharamgarh, Junagarh are witnessing rapid agriculural growth. Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL), a subsidiary of Sterlite Industries, a major aluminium processor has made major investments in the Kalahandi-Koraput range to establish an alumina refinery at Lanjigarh. This project has been controversial since its announcement and has received criticism from environmentalists. Once this project is completed, it could be a big catalyst for industrial development in the region.


Orissa government has also set up a private medical college with a tie up with one South India based organisation in on Jaring near Junagarh block of Kalahandi. This has the potential of changing the health infrastructure of the adjoining blocks in the locality. Recently Orissa state Government has announced to establish a Government Engineering College and an Agriculture College at Bhawanipatna but local demand for a Central University in Kalahandi has not been accomplished.All this new steps for kalahandi are bring the bright future for the local peoples of this district.

Junagarh - City Of Temples & Natural Beauties

Junagarh is a town and a notified area committee in Kalahandi district in the Indian state of Orissa. It was the capital of the former state of Kalahandi. Junagarh is 26 km from Bhawanipatna, connecting National Highway 201.

Junagarh was a well-built fort. The fortified area has a number of temples with Oriya inscriptions. This is a place which has sculptural evidence of the sati rite, which was prevalent in medieval India, and was stopped during the British Raj by Lord William Bentinck. The sculptures are identified as sati pillars Junagarh was famous for its lakes and fruit garden"'cha kodi bandha naa kodi tota'", means 120 ponds and 180 orchard. Junagarh is also famous for its temples.it is also known as temple city of Kalahandi.


Festivals:-

Maa Lankeshwari is the principal deity of the Naga clan at Junagarh. The deity is still reverred by the king and his descendants.. The descendants of the king perform puja in the temple of Lankeshwari on the auspicious day of Mulashtami as KHANDABASA

‘Khandabasa’ festival was observed at Goddess Lankeswari temple at Junagarh with the congregation of a large numbers of devotees.After performing the traditional rituals, the swords of Goddess Lankeswari and Bhairav were placed on the two sides of the Goddess Lankeswari altar by a representative of the royal family in standing position over a heap of rice.Goddess Lankeswari is treated as a war Goddess as thus the significance of the practice of ‘Khandabasa’. Tradition has it that during the rule of Chindakanaga, Ganga, Kalachuri and Naga dynasties the traditional sword of Goddess Lankeswari was worshipped to seek her blessings before going to a war.

Durga Puja and gajalaxmi puja are also important festival. Various pandals are constructed throughout the town.From few years Kalahandi Utsav is held in junagarh block.This utsav is also one type of festival for peoples of junagarh block.


Lakes:-

* Lakshmi Sagar
* Siba Sagar
* Kastura Sagar
* Dhoba Sagar
* Rani Bandh

Temples:-

* Lankeswari Temple
* Dadhi baman Temple
* Jagannath Temple
* Trinath Temple
* Gayatri Temple
* Kanak Durga Temple
* Poda Mahadev Temple
* Sriram Temple

Temples

Lankeswari Temple Junagarh			dadhi baman templeJunagarh	kanak durga Temple Junagarh
sri ram Temple Junagarh