View source for Rayagada district

{{About|the district|its eponymous headquarters|Rayagada}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Rayagada district
| native_name                     = 
| native_name_lang                = 
| other_name                      = 
| nickname                        = 
| settlement_type                 = [[List of districts of Odisha|District]] of [[Odisha]]
| image_skyline                   = {{Photomontage
|size = 250
|photo1a = Jagannath Temple.2, Rayagada.JPG
|photo2a = Gunupur.jpg
}}
| image_alt                       = 
| image_caption                   = Top: [[Jagannath Temple, Rayagada|Jagannath Temple]] at [[Rayagada]]<br>Bottom: Hills near [[Gunupur]]
| image_map                       = Rayagada in Odisha (India).svg
| image_map1                      =
| map_alt                         = 
| map_caption                     = Location in Odisha
| coordinates                     = {{coord|19.166|N|83.416|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1               = [[States and union territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1               = {{flagicon image|Orissa Flag(INDIA).png}} [[Odisha]]
| established_date                = 2 October 1992
| founder                         = 
| named_for                       = 
| seat_type                       = Headquarters
| seat                            = [[Rayagada]]
| government_type                 = 
| governing_body                  = 
| leader_title                    = [[District magistrate (India)|Collector & District Magistrate]]
| leader_name                     = Ashutosh Kulkarni, [[Indian Administrative Service | IAS]]
| leader_title1                   = [[Superintendent of police (India)|Superintendent of Police]]
| leader_name1                    = Swathy S Kumar, [[Indian Police Service|IPS]]
| leader_title2                   = [[Odisha Legislative Assembly|MLA]]
| leader_name2                    = [[Kadraka Appala Swamy]]
| unit_pref                       = Metric
| area_footnotes                  = 
| area_rank                       = 
| area_total_km2                  = 7584.7
| elevation_footnotes             = 
| elevation_m                     = 
| population_total                = 9,67,911
| population_as_of                = 2011
| population_rank                 = 
| population_density_km2          = 116
| population_demonym              = 
| population_footnotes            = 
| demographics_type1              = Languages
| demographics1_title1            = Official
| demographics1_info1             = [[Odia language|Odia]], [[English language|English]]
| demographics1_title2            = Local
| demographics1_info2             = [[Kui language (India)|Kui]], [[Sora language|Sora]], [[Kuvi language|Kuvi]]
| timezone1                       = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1                     = +5:30
| postal_code_type                = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code                     = 765 xxx
| registration_plate              = OD-18
| blank1_name_sec1                = [[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]]
| blank1_info_sec1                = 0.972 [[male|♂]]/[[female|♀]]
| blank2_name_sec1                = Literacy
| blank2_info_sec1                = 49.76%
| blank3_name_sec1                = [[Lok Sabha]] constituency
| blank3_info_sec1                = [[Koraput (Lok Sabha constituency)|Koraput(ST)]]
| blank4_name_sec1                = [[Odisha Legislative Assembly|Vidhan Sabha]] constituency
| blank4_info_sec1                = {{ubl|138 [[Gunupur (Odisha Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Gunupur(ST)]]|139 [[Bissam Cuttack (Odisha Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Bissam Cuttack(ST)]]|140 [[Rayagada (Odisha Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Rayagada (ST)]]}}
| blank5_name_sec1                = [[Nagar Palika|Municipality]]
| blank5_info_sec1                = {{ubl|[[Rayagada]]|[[Gunupur]]}}
| blank6_name_sec1                = [[Nagar panchayat|Notified Area Council (NAC)]]
| blank6_info_sec1                = [[Gudari, Rayagada|Gudari NAC]]
| blank5_name_sec2                = [[Climate of India|Climate]]
| blank1_info_sec2                = [[Climatic regions of India|Aw]] <small>([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]])</small>
| blank2_name_sec2                = 
| blank2_info_sec2                = 
| website                         = {{URL|https://rayagada.odisha.gov.in}}
| footnotes                       = 
| official_name                   = 
}}
{{State of Odisha}}
[[File:Images of Sambalpur Rayagada Railway Line in Orissa 131.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Cultivated fields and trees, with people for scale|Outskirts of [[Sambalpur]] Rayagada Railway line|left]]

'''Rayagada district''' is a district in the southern [[Odisha]] [[States and union territories of India|state]] in [[India]]. Rayagada became a separate district in October 1992. Its population consists mainly of [[Adivasi|tribes]], primarily the [[Khonds]] and the [[Sora people|Soras]]. In addition to [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Kui language (India)|Kui]] and [[Sora language|Sora]] are spoken by the district's indigenous population. It was founded by [[Vishwanath Dev Gajapati|Biswanatha Deba Gajapati]] of the [[Suryavansha|Surjyabansha]] dynasty of [[Kingdom of Jeypore|Jeypore]].{{sfn|Schnepel|1995|p=147}}{{sfn|KBS Singh|1939|p=19}}{{sfn|Mohanty|2013|}}<ref name="thehindu.com">{{Cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/shedding-light-on-tribalhistory-and-culture/article18557961.ece | title=Shedding light on tribal history and culture| newspaper=The Hindu| date=24 May 2017| last1=Sarma| first1=G. v Prasada}}</ref>

== About ==
[[Rayagada]] is a District in the southern part of [[Odisha]], [[India]]. The district came into existence on 2nd Oct,1992. 

It is known as the most famous region of the state, because of its longest human history. The region has always been the Centre of attraction because of its rich and glorious historical records which is evident by copper plates, rock inscriptions, as well as the different coins that are found.

The district is well connected by the three main ways of transportation, Roadways, Airways and [[Rail transport|Railways]] making if accessible to the citizens from all around India. 

* Airways- Nearest Airport is at [[Visakhapatnam]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] 
* Railways- Well connected from the other parts of India like [[Delhi]], [[Chennai]], [[Gujarat]], [[Kolkata]], [[Hyderabad]] etc. 
* Roadways- Convenient Road transport options available through the NH-43 Highway 

Rayagada covers an area of {{convert|7584.7|km2}}, and is divided into eleven [[Block (district subdivision)|blocks]]. Agriculture is the chief source of income, and [[Rice#Harvesting, drying and milling|paddy]], wheat, [[Eleusine coracana|ragi]], [[Mung bean|green]] and [[Vigna mungo|black gram]], [[Fabaceae|groundnut]], sweet potato and maize are the district's major crops.

== Administrative setup ==
The 11 Blocks and Tahasils in Rayagada district under two administrative Sub-Divisions are listed in the following table.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ 11 Blocks and Tahasils
! # !! [[Rayagada|Rayagada Sub-Division]] !! [[Gunupur|Gunupur Sub-Division]]
|-
| 1 || [[Rayagada]] || [[Gunupur]]
|-
| 2 || [[Kashipur, Rayagada|Kashipur]] || [[Gudari, Rayagada|Gudari]]
|-
| 3 || Kalyansingpur || Padmapur
|-
| 4 || Kolnara || Ramanaguda
|-
| 5 ||  || [[Bissam Cuttack]]
|-
| 6 ||  || [[Muniguda]]
|-
| 7 ||  || Chandrapur
|}

There are 17 Police Stations under the three Police Sub-Divisions in Rayagada district. They are listed in the following table.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ 17 Police Stations
! # !! [[Rayagada|Rayagada Police Sub-Division]] !! [[Gunupur|Gunupur Police Sub-Division]] !! [[Bissam Cuttack|Bissam Cuttack Police Sub-Division]]
|-
| 1 || [[Rayagada|Rayagada P.S.]] || [[Gunupur|Gunupur P.S.]] || [[Bissam Cuttack|Bissam Cuttack P.S.]]
|-
| 2 || Seskhal P.S. || [[Gudari, Rayagada|Gudari P.S.]] || [[Muniguda|Muniguda P.S.]]
|-
| 3 || [[Tikiri|Tikiri P.S.]] || Padmapur P.S. || Ambadola P.S.
|-
| 4 || Doraguda P.S. || Puttasing P.S. || Chandrapur P.S.
|-
| 5 || Andirakanch P.S. ||  || 
|-
| 6 || [[Kashipur, Rayagada|Kashipur P.S.]] ||  || 
|-
| 7 || [[Jaykaypur|Chandili P.S., Jaykaypur]] ||  || 
|-
| 8 || Kalyansingpur P.S. ||  || 
|-
| 9 || Energy P.S., Rayagada ||  || 
|}

==History==
In the third century BC, during the reign of [[Ashoka]], Odisha was part of the [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]] empire. The hilly track between the [[Vamsadhara River|Vamshadhara]] and [[Nagavali River]]s was known for its spices.<ref>''Andhra Historical Journal'', XXVII edition, p. 46.{{fcn|date=March 2023}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=September 2019}} The Rastriks were defeated by [[Kharvela]], the emperor of Kalinga, during the battle of Chawpagada.<ref>The rock inscription of Allahbad, inscribed by Mahamantri Harisena, provides evidence to this effect.</ref>

Vishwanath Dev Gajapati (1527 - 1571 CE), the [[Solar dynasty|suryavanshi]] king of Nandapur (later [[Kingdom of Jeypore|Jeypore]]) established his capital on the bank of [[Nagavali River|Nagavali]] and named it Rayagada or Rai-gadh. Under his rule the place flourished economically which proved beneficial to the vast kingdom that stretched from the confines of [[Jharkhand]] and [[West Bengal]] to River [[Godavari River|Godavari]] in south. During his reign he fought a war with [[Quli Qutb Mulk]], the first [[Qutb Shahi dynasty|Qutb Shahi]] [[Sultan]] of [[Golconda]] and successfully stopped his advance towards his kingdom. However, he had to surrender the rich fertile land located in the middle of Godavari-Krishna Delta to execute a peace treaty which made Godavari the border of the two kingdoms. Rayagada remained under the [[Kingdom of Jeypore]] until the dissolution act of 1947.{{sfn|Schnepel|1995|p=147}}{{sfn|KBS Singh|1939|p=19}}{{sfn|Mohanty|2013|}}<ref name="thehindu.com"/>

During the [[British Raj]], Rayagada was under the then-newly demoted [[Kingdom of Jeypore|Jeypore Samasthanam]] and was part of [[Koraput district]]; it was carved from the district on 2 October 1992 as part of Odisha's district-expansion plan.

==Economy==
The district is reportedly rich in [[bauxite]] and [[silicon]].{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} In 2006, the [[Ministry of Panchayati Raj]] named Rayagada one of the country's 250 [[Poverty in India|most backward districts]] (out of a total of [[List of districts in India|640]]).<ref name=brgf/> It is one of the 19 districts in Odisha receiving aid from the [[Backward Regions Grant Fund]] (BRGF).<ref name=brgf>{{cite web|author=Ministry of Panchayati Raj|date=September 8, 2009|title=A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme|publisher=National Institute of Rural Development|url=http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf|access-date=September 27, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405033402/http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf|archive-date=April 5, 2012}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Politics|Vidhan sabha constituencies}}Constituencies==
{{Main|List of constituencies of the Odisha Legislative Assembly}}
The district has three [[Odisha Legislative Assembly]] (Vidhan sabha) constituencies.<ref>[http://eci.nic.in/delim/Final_Publications/Orissa/orissa.pdf Assembly Constituencies and their EXtent]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ws.ori.nic.in/ola/mlaprofile/listofmem1.asp |title=List of Member in Fourteenth Assembly |work=ws.ori.nic.in |quote=MEMBER NAME |access-date=19 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502003512/http://ws.ori.nic.in/ola/mlaprofile/listofmem1.asp |archive-date=2 May 2007 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!No.
!Constituency
!Reservation
!Blocks
!Member
![[Political party|Party]]
|-
!138
|[[Gunupur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Gunupur]]
|[[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|ST]]
|Gunupur, Gudari (NAC), Gunupur, Gudari, Ramanaguda, Padampur 
|Raghunath Gomango
|bgcolor="#006400" | [[ congress|<span style="color:white;">BJD</span>]]
|-
!139
|[[Bissam Cuttack (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Bissam Cuttack]]
|ST
|Bissam Cuttack, Muniguda, Chandrapur
| [[Jagannath Saraka]]
|bgcolor="#006400" | [[Biju Janata Dal|<span style="color:white;">BJD</span>]]
|-
!140
|[[Rayagada (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Rayagada]]
|ST
|Rayagada, [[Kashipur, Rayagada|Kashipur]], Kolnara, Kalyansinghpur
|Makaranda Muduli
|bgcolor=#DDDDDD | Independent
|}

Rayagada district is part of the [[Koraput (Lok Sabha constituency)|Koraput]] [[Lok Sabha]] constituency.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2000/background/S18/Orissa_AC_Dist_PC.pdf
 |title       = Assembly Constituencies - Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies of Orissa
 |publisher   = Election Commission of India
 |access-date  = 2008-09-18
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20051108040424/http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2000/background/S18/Orissa_AC_Dist_PC.pdf
 |archive-date = 2005-11-08
}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Transport|Rail}}Rail transport==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2019}}
[[Rayagada railway station]] has direct service to [[Chennai]], [[Kolkata]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Bhubaneswar railway station|Bhubaneswar]], [[Raipur]], [[Bangalore|Bengaluru]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Mumbai]], [[Jamshedpur]], [[Jodhpur]] and [[New Delhi]]. [[Gunupur railway station|Gunupur]] is also an important railway station; via [[Parlakhemundi railway station|Parlakhemundi]], it is connected to [[Naupada railway station|Naupada]] on the main east-coast railway line from Kolkata to Chennai by a {{convert|90|km|adj=on}} {{Track gauge|1676 mm}} [[Broad-gauge railway|broad-gauge]] line which was converted from {{Track gauge|762 mm}} narrow gauge in 2011. The {{convert|40|km|adj=on}} narrow-gauge line (the Paralakhemedi Light Railway, or PLR) was established by Gajpatirajas of Paralakhemundi, the former [[raja]] of Paralakhemedi, to connect his capital with [[Naupada]]. The government authorized construction in 1898, and the line was opened to traffic two years later at a cost of {{INR|link=yes}}700,000.

The [[East Coast Railway zone|East Coast Railway]] began in 1893 with construction of the {{convert|96|km|adj=on}} Cuttack-Khurda Road-Puri line, and its subsequent {{convert|1280|km|adj=on}} link along the East Coast to [[Vijayawada]] (the junction of [[Southern Maratha Railway]] and [[Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway]]) was opened for traffic between 1893 and 1896. The railway brought service to Naupada in 1894.

Due to a policy change by the British government, the [[Bengal Nagpur Railway]] took over East Coast Railway's northern section from Vizianagaram to Cuttack, including the [[Puri]] branch line, by 23 January 1902. The PLR was also taken over by the Bengal Nagpur Railway that year. In its first few years, the PLR had incurred losses; after 1910 it began making a profit, which increased after 1924–25. This motivated the raja to extend the line to Gunupur in two phases in 1929 and 1931. There were now ten stations between Naupada and Gunupur: Tekkali, Paddasan, Temburu, Ganguvada, Patapatnam, Paralakhemedi, Kashinagar, Lihuri, Bansidhara and Palasingi. The standard PLR locomotive was a 20-ton 0-6-4 tank engine with {{convert|27|in|cm|adj=mid|-diameter}} coupled wheels and a 4.75-ton axle load.

Management of the BNR was taken over by the government of India in October 1944. On 14 April 1952, when Indian Railways was regrouped, it became part of the Eastern Railway. The merger was short-lived, however, and on 1 August 1955 it was merged with the new South Eastern Railway. A set of four postage stamps was released during the 1987 BNR centennial, one stamp featuring the PL 691 locomotive.

The foundation stone was laid for the Naupada-Gunupur gauge conversion at Naupada on 27 September 2002. On 1 April 2003, PLR became a part of the East Coast Railway. The line was closed for gauge conversion on 9 June 2004. Although the {{convert|290|km|adj=on}} Khurda-Bolangir broad-gauge line was approved in 1995, only about half the work has been completed.

==Demographics==
{{historical populations|11=1901|12=1,86,480|13=1911|14=2,24,190|15=1921|16=2,17,200|17=1931|18=2,56,152|19=1941|20=3,03,663|21=1951|22=3,41,241|23=1961|24=4,03,471|25=1971|26=5,11,333|27=1981|28=6,08,751|29=1991|30=7,13,984|31=2001|32=8,31,109|33=2011|34=9,67,911|source=Census of India<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html|title=Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901|access-date=18 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808131957/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html|archive-date=8 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>|align=center}}

{{bar box
|title=Religions in Rayagada district (2011)<ref name="census2011-religion">{{cite web|title=Table C-01 Population by Religious Community: Odisha|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11387/download/14500/DDW21C-01%20MDDS.XLS|website=Census of India, 2011|publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref>
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=left
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism in Odisha|Hinduism]]|darkorange|90.34}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity in Odisha|Christianity]]|dodgerblue|8.77}}
{{bar percent|[[Odia Muslims|Islam]]|green|0.48}}
{{bar percent|Other or not stated|black|0.41}}
}}

Rayagada district had a [[Demographics of India|population]] of 967,911 in the [[2011 Census of India]], roughly equal to that of [[Fiji]] or the US state of [[Montana]]. The district ranked 454th of India's [[List of districts in India|640 districts]], and had a population density of {{convert|136|PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}}.<ref name="districtcensus">{{Cite web |title=District Census Handbook 2011 - Rayagada|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/966/download/36732/DH_2011_2127_PART_A_DCHB_RAYAGADA.pdf|website=[[Census of India]]|publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref> Its [[Family planning in India|population growth rate]] from 2001 to2011 was 15.74 percent.<ref name=districtcensus/> Rayagada has a [[sex ratio]] of 1,048 [[Women in India|females]] to 1,000 males,<ref name=districtcensus/> and a [[Literacy in India|literacy rate]] of 50.88 percent. 15.18% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 14.41% and 55.99% of the population respectively.<ref name=Orissareview>{{cite book|title=Rayagada District|date=December 2010|publisher=Orissa Review(Census Special)|pages=175–178|url=http://odisha.gov.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/2010/December/engpdf/176-179.pdf|access-date=24 June 2015}}</ref>

{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Languages of Rayagada district (2011)<ref name="census2011-langreport"/>
|label1 = [[Odia language|Odia]] |value1 = 41.64 |color1 = saddlebrown
|label2 = [[Kui language (India)|Kui]] |value2 = 33.36 |color2 = indigo
|label3 = [[Telugu language|Telugu]] |value3 = 10.43 |color3 = steelblue
|label4 = [[Sora language|Sora]] |value4 = 8.37 |color4 = mediumvioletred
|label5 = [[Kuvi language|Kuvi]] |value5 = 3.27 |color5 = darkslateblue
|label6 = Others |value6 = 2.93 |color6 = Grey
}}

At the time of the [[2011 Census of India]], 41.64% of the population in the district spoke [[Odia language|Odia]], 33.36% [[Kui language (India)|Kui]], 10.43% [[Telugu language|Telugu]], 8.37% [[Sora language|Sora]], 3.27% [[Kuvi language|Kuvi]] and 0.66% [[Hindi]] as their first language.<ref name="census2011-langreport">{{cite web |title=Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Odisha|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10217/download/13329/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-2100.XLSX|website=Census of India 2011 |publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref>

The district's tribal population is 57.52 percent of the total. Its 11 blocks have been covered by a tribal sub-plan, with three micro-projects in operation for pre-literate indigenous tribal communities. Rayagada's topography helps the tribal communities maintain their cultural identity; {{convert|4785.36|km2}} is forested, {{convert|777.27|km2}} of which is [[Reserved forests and protected forests of India|reserved forest]]. Its predominant tribes are the [[Khonds]] and the [[Sora people|Soras]].

=={{anchor|Culture|Tourist attractions|Literary contributions|Fairs and festivals}}Points of interest==
[[File:Bhimshankar Jyotirlinga(Dakinyam) temple at Bhimpur.JPG|thumb|alt=Large, grey temple surrounded by people, palm trees and other vegetation|Bhimashankara temple in Bhimapura]]
* [[Majhighariani Temple]] in Rayagada
* [[Jagannath Temple, Rayagada|Jagannath Temple]], at the market on the south side of Rayagada, is near Majhighariani Temple.
* [[Laxminarayan temple, Therubali|Laxminarayan temple]] was built by Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys in [[Therubali]].
* [[Paikapada, Rayagada|Paikapada]], near Therubali, is known for its Pataleshwar [[Shiva]] temple.
* [[Chatikona]], a small village {{convert|48|km}} from Rayagada, is known for its Shiva temple and waterfalls.
*[[Maa Markama Temple]] at Bissamcuttack is the only shrine ([[Shakti Peethas]]) of Devi Maa Markama and Maa karkama in the Indian state of Odisha and known for its history and also mentioned in Saraladas's ''Chandi Purana''.
* [[Minajhola]], a village near [[Gudari, Rayagada|Gudari]], is known for its Shiva temple at the confluence of three rivers: the [[Vamsadhara River|Vamsadhara]], the Chauladhua and the Phalaphalia.
* The [[Devagiri hill]], {{convert|50|km}} from Rayagada, near Kalyan Singhpur, is {{convert|120|m|ft}} and has 476 steps.
* [[Kumudabali]], a small village, is known for its Balunkeswar Shiva temple on the Vamsadhara River. The nearest railway station is in [[Muniguda]], {{convert|60|km}} from Rayagada. 
*[[Padmapur, Rayagada|Padmapur]], {{convert|90|km}} from Rayagada, is known for the [[Nilakantheswar Temple]]. According to historian [[Satyanarayana Rajguru]], the temple housed the 6th- or 7th-century Buddhist philosopher [[Dharmakirti]].
* The [[Hanging Bridge at Chekaguda, Rayagada|Hanging Bridge at Chekaguda]], over the Nagavali River, is Odisha's second [[simple suspension bridge]].
*The [[Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga (Dakinyam), Bhimpur|Bhimasankar temple in Bhimpur]], {{convert|100|km}} from Rayagada and {{convert|30|km}} from Gunupur, is one of India's 12 [[Jyotirlinga]]s.
* The three-day [[Chaiti Festival, Rayagada|Chaiti Festival]], from 27 to 29 December in Rayagada, celebrates tribal art and culture.
* Parsali, a habitat of Dangariya Kandha, a PVTG tribe. One has to take a diversion from Chatikona, before Bissam Cuttack. For serene and picturesque greenery Niyamagiri Hills.

==Education==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2019}}
[[G.C.D. High School, Rayagada|Govind Chandra Dev (Zilla) High School]], founded in 1938, is one of the district's oldest high schools. [[Govt. Girls' High School, Rayagada|Government Girls' High School]], in Rayagada, was founded in 1964. A primary school was founded at the [[Thakkar Bapa Ashram, Rayagada|Thakkar Bapa Ashram]] in 1958 for tribal students. The [[Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Rayagada|Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya of Rayagada]] and [[Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rayagada|Kendriya Vidyalaya Rayagada]] are two central government boarding school in Rayagada. There are many Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) and welfare high schools and a EMRS strengthening district's eduacation system.

[[Rayagada Autonomous College, Rayagada|Rayagada Autonomous College]], Model Degree College, Rayagada and Gunupur College, Gunupur are the main degree colleges in the district. The [[Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Institute of Technology, Rayagada|Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Institute of Technology]] is an engineering school. The [[GIET University, Gunupur|Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology]] is in [[Gunupur]]. College of Nursing [https://chbmck.org/ www.chbmck.org] affiliated with [[Berhampur University]], managed by the Christian Hospital, [[Bissam Cuttack]] offers B.Sc. Nursing program.

== Notable people ==

# [[Ritesh Agarwal]] - Indian billionaire entrepreneur
# [[Purnachandra Bidika]] - Indian powerlifter( born 1957)
# [[Harish Chandra Buxipatra]] - former Odisha State Cabinet Minister & Indian politician
# [[Giridhar Gamang]] - Indian politician & former Chief Minister of Odisha
# [[Mangei Gomango]] - Tribal activist, linguist & inventor of the Saura Sorang Sompeng Script 
# [[Magai Majhi]] - Indian Kho Kho player
# [[Tapan Misra]] - Indian Scientist at ISRO
# [[Raghunath Panigrahi]] - Odissi music Guru, musical artist
# [[Nagbhushan Patnaik]] - Communist Revolutionary & Indian politician
# [[N. Bhaskar Rao]] - Indian politician & industrialist
# [[Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka]] - Indian tribal leader & Member of Lok Sabha
# [[Rama Yedavalli]] - American engineering professor

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* {{cite book |last=Schnepel |first=Burkhard |title=Durga and the King: Ethno-historical Aspects of Politico-Ritual Life in a South Orissan Kingdom |year=1995 |publisher=Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland |jstor=3034233}}
* {{cite book |last=Mohanty |first=Indrajit |title=Jeypore - A Historical Perspective |year=2013 |url=http://magazines.odisha.gov.in/Orissareview/2013/jun/engpdf/70-72.pdf |publisher=Government of Odisha State |archive-date=30 March 2024 |access-date=30 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330225751/https://magazines.odisha.gov.in/Orissareview/2013/jun/engpdf/70-72.pdf |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |author-first1=KBS |author-last1=Singh |title=Nandapur A Forsaken Kingdom |year=1939 |publisher=Utkal Sahitya Press |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.209240}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://rayagada.nic.in/}}
* [http://gopabandhuacademy.gov.in/sites/default/files/gazetter/Rayagada_Gazetteer.pdf Rayagada Gazetteer]
{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Rayagada district
|North     =
|Northeast = [[Kandhamal district]]
|East      = [[Gajapati district]]
|Southeast = [[Srikakulam district]], [[Andhra Pradesh]]
|South     = [[Vizianagaram district]], [[Andhra Pradesh]]
|Southwest = [[Koraput district]]
|West      = [[Kalahandi district]]
|Northwest = [[Kalahandi district]]
}}

{{Rayagada district}}
{{Hindu temples in Odisha|rayagada}}
{{Odisha}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rayagada district| ]]
[[Category:1992 establishments in Orissa]]
[[Category:Districts of Odisha]]