Rayagada district

Rayagada is a mineral-rich district in the southern part of the state of Odisha, in India. The city Rayagada is its headquarters. The population of this district consists mainly of tribals. The Kondhas or Kondhs form the majority of population followed by Souras. Apart from Odia which is the official language, several adivasi languages like Kui, Kondha, Soura are spoken by the indigenous population of the district.

The District occupies a total area of 7,584.7 km². Rayagada is divided into eleven blocks.

The district generates income mainly through agriculture based activities. Paddy, wheat, ragi, green gram, black gram, groundnut, sweet potato and maize are the major crops grown in the area.

History

In the third century B.C, during the reign of Ashoka the Great, it was under Kalinga empire (ancient Odisha). The hilly track between Vamsadhara and Nagavali was famous for spices. The Rastriks were defeated by Kharvela, the only Aryan Emperor of Kalinga, during the Chawpagada battle.

Rayagada

Rayagada is a municipality in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the administrative headquarters of Rayagada district.

Geography

Rayagada is a district of meadows, forests, water falls and terraced valleys, peopled by many primitive tribal groups. The scenic beauty and heritage on the land is an unexplored paradise.

The pattern of people living in the district show unity in diversity of races, languages, and culture. The Scheduled Tribes living in the district possess dissimilar economics ranging from food gathering to settled cultivation. Their languages/dialects, societies and culture show inter-societal and -cultural variations because of the ethnic mosaic.

Rayagada is nearly 390 km from Bhubaneswar by road. It is connected by rail with important cities like: Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Visakhapatanam, Koraput, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

The nearby towns are Gunupur, Gudari muniguda and nearby villages are Gumma, Kiyapadu, JayKaypur, Pitamahal etc.