Gunupur | |
---|---|
Town | |
![]() Jagannath Temple at Gunupur | |
Coordinates: 19°05′N83°49′E / 19.08°N 83.82°E | |
Country | India |
State | Odisha |
District | Rayagada |
Government | |
• Type | Municipality |
• Body | Gunupur Municipal Council |
Elevation | 83 m (272 ft) |
Population (2018) | |
• Total | 60,000 |
Language | |
• Official | Odia |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 765022 |
Telephone code | 06857 |
Vehicle registration | OR-18, OD-18 |
Website | odisha |
Gunupur is a Municipality and one of the sub-divisional headquarters of Rayagada district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the second biggest town in Rayagada district.
Gunupur was one of the important centers in the erstwhile Jeypore Kingdom that existed from the mid-15th century until the end of the 18th century. Rajah Narasingh Dev was the third son of Maharajah Vikram Dev I (1758–1781 CE) of Jeypore and was appointed as the ruler of Gunupur and Gudari region. Whereas, his elder brother Maharajah Ramchandra Dev II ascended the royal seat of Jeypore in 1781. Another brother called Rajah Jagganath Dev became the king of Nabarangpur. Rajah Narasingh Dev ruled for a few years and was succeeded by his only son Rajah Krishna Dev who died in a few years with no progeny. Hence, Gunupur-Gudari were remerged to Jeypore kingdom. It was then ruled by the Maharajahs of Jeypore under British Administration. The state of Odisha was formed on 1 April 1936 with Koraput as one of the six districts and Gunupur came under Koraput district as a sub-division.
On 2 October 1992, Gunupur and Rayagada sub-division were carved out of the erstwhile Koraput district and formed a new district as Rayagada.
As of 2011 [update] India census, [1] Gunupur has a population of 62,870. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Gunupur has an average literacy rate of 80.4%, higher than the national average of 74.4%: male literacy is 85.56% and female literacy is 70.40%. In Gunupur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Gunupur is located at 19°05′N83°49′E / 19.08°N 83.82°E . [2] It has an average elevation of 83 metres (272 ft). It is located in the lap of the Eastern Ghat and on the banks of river Bansadhara. It has a mixed climate of mountains and Coastal Plain. Its outer region is completely covered by forests and Hills. Earthquake zones of India places Gunupur inside seismic zone II on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes.
Climate data for Gunupur | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 38.5 (101.3) | 33.2 (91.8) | 39.9 (103.8) | 38.4 (101.1) | 40.5 (104.9) | 40.5 (104.9) | 39.9 (103.8) | 37.2 (99.0) | 37.5 (99.5) | 36 (97) | 34.6 (94.3) | 32 (90) | 40.5 (104.9) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.8 (82.0) | 29.3 (84.7) | 30.9 (87.6) | 31.8 (89.2) | 33 (91) | 32.3 (90.1) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31 (88) | 29.8 (85.6) | 28.2 (82.8) | 33 (91) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.2 (72.0) | 24.5 (76.1) | 26.2 (79.2) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.2 (79.2) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.8 (78.4) | 25 (77) | 23.1 (73.6) | 20.8 (69.4) | 20.8 (69.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | 13.6 (56.5) | 14 (57) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 16.4 (61.5) | 20 (68) | 21.4 (70.5) | 21 (70) | 16.4 (61.5) | 15.6 (60.1) | 14.9 (58.8) | 10.6 (51.1) | 10.6 (51.1) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 12.4 (0.49) | 31.7 (1.25) | 18.6 (0.73) | 18.8 (0.74) | 99.8 (3.93) | 124.7 (4.91) | 133.2 (5.24) | 154.1 (6.07) | 219 (8.6) | 202.4 (7.97) | 99.3 (3.91) | 10.9 (0.43) | 1,124.9 (44.27) |
Average relative humidity (%) | 60 | 61 | 63 | 66 | 66 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 66 | 60 | 70 |
Source: Gunupur Weather |
Courts
There are several Judicial courts at Gunupur under the control of District Court Rayagada. [3] The Court of Senior Civil Judge-cum-Asst. Sessions Judge, the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class and other revenue courts like the Court of Sub Divisional Executive Magistrate cum Sub Collector and the Court of Tahasildar are situated here. As per the demand of the Bar Association, Gunupur and the litigant public, the Court of Additional District & Sessions Judge at Gunupur started functioning from 20 September 2014.
Politics
Current MLA from Gunupur Assembly Constituency is Sri Satyajeet Gomango of Congress, who won the seat in State elections of 2024. Previous MLAs from this seat include Raghunath Gomango & Rammurthy Mutika who won the seat in 2019 (BJD), Ram Murty Gamango who won this seat in 2000 as BJP candidate and as a JD candidate in 1990, Akshaya Kumar Gomango of INC in 1995, and Bhagirathi Gomango who won this seat as INC candidate in 1985 and 1977 and as INC(I) candidate in 1980. [4]
Gunupur is part of Koraput (Lok Sabha constituency). [5]
Gunupur is connected to other parts of Odisha by state highway SH17(Gunupur-Digapahandi-Berhampur) and SH04(Paralakhemundi-Gunupur-Rayagada-Koraput). It is also well connected with major cities of Andhra Pradesh. Odisha State Road Transport Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, and Private buses run frequently between Gunupur to other parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Gunupur is connected by the 90 km long Naupada-Gunupur branch railway line to Naupada railway junction on the Khurda Road-Visakhapatnam section of the Howrah-Chennai route. The nearest airport is the Visakhapatnam Airport at a distance of 200 km towards the south. The other nearest airport is the Bhubaneswar Airport, which is about 360 km.
Gunupur and its vicinity have of many charms, is a thrill to the searching eyes. It has the facilities to serve as a base for visiting the nearby place of interest.
Gunupur, despite being predominantly inhabited by tribal communities, has been deeply committed to education for a long time, resulting in a literacy rate that surpasses the national average. The region's commitment to education is evident in the establishment of its first high school in 1903, prior to India's independence, and its first degree college in 1972. Today, Gunupur is a hub of excellent educational institutions, including the renowned GIET University, Gunupur, which offers education in engineering, management, agriculture, and basic sciences to students from all parts of India and overseas. Additionally, the region is home to the Maharshi Gurukul residential college for students pursuing science streams and the Gayatri College of Science, which was founded in 2017. The Gandhi Public School, which is affiliated with CBSE, is also an esteemed educational institution in Gunupur.
The East Coast Railway is one of the 19 railway zones of Indian Railways. It came into existence on 1 April 2003. It headquarters are located at Bhubaneswar.
Rayagada district is a district in the southern Odisha state in India. Rayagada became a separate district in October 1992. Its population consists mainly of tribes, primarily the Khonds and the Soras. In addition to Odia, Kui and Sora are spoken by the district's indigenous population. It was founded by Biswanatha Deba Gajapati of the Surjyabansha dynasty of Jeypore.
Jeypore is a city in Koraput district in the Indian state of Odisha. It was established by Vir Vikram Dev in the mid 17th century. Dev's kingdom was defeated by the East India Company in 1777 who declared it a Zamindari or Feudatory of the British Crown and much later a Princely state until its dissolution in the Dominion of India in 1947.
Koraput district is a district of India in southern Odisha, with its headquarters at the town of Koraput. The district is located in the Eastern Ghats and is known for its hilly terrain, rich and diverse mineral deposits and its tribal culture. The district headquarters town of Koraput and its largest city, Jeypore are major centres of trade and commerce for South Odisha and located on an important road connecting Visakhapatnam to Raipur.
Gupteswar Cave is a cave shrine dedicated to Shiva, one of the key gods in Hinduism. It is a pilgrim site situated about 55 km (34 mi) away Jeypore, Koraput District in the state of Odisha, India. It is a limestone cave, and its main attraction is the gigantic Shiva Linga which is said to be increasing in size. It is believed that the cave was discovered by Rama and re-discovered in the reign of Maharajah Veer Vikram Dev. In the holy month of Shravan, the cave is visited by devotees who walk to the shrine bare-footed with decorated bamboo palanquins called "Kanwadiya" and bathe in the maha kund before worshipping Lord Gupteshwar. There are 200 steps to reach to the Shiva linga temple. Its entrance is about 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide and 2 metres (6.6 ft) high.
Sunabeda is an industrial town and a municipality in the state of Odisha, India, located in the valleys of the Koraput region. The Engine division and Sukhoi division of the aircraft manufacturing company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a public sector undertaking (PSU) of Ministry of Defence is in Sunabeda.
Damanjodi is a town located in the Koraput district of Odisha, India. As of 2001 census, its population was 8,469. The town was founded as a residential area for employees of the National Aluminium Company (NALCO), a company that was established to harness the bauxite-rich deposits of the Panchpatmali Range. Damanjodi contains the NALCO Township, a residential area for NALCO employees, Mathalput, a semi-urban neighborhood with shops, and Bhejaput, a shopping complex. The population is considered cosmopolitan in nature with employees from all over India and locals from the tribal region.
Koraput is a town and a Municipality in Koraput district in the Indian state of Odisha. Koraput town is the district headquarter of Koraput district.
Paralakhemundi shortly known as Parala is district Headquarter of Gajapati district and one of the oldest Municipality established in 1885, in the Indian state of Odisha. Majority of the people in the town speak Odia. The city and the District share its boundaries with Andhra Pradesh. The adjacent town of Pathpatnam is separated by the River Mahendra Tanaya.In later medieval period it became capital of Paralakhemundi Estate of Eastern Ganga dynasty kings of Khemundi Branch. The town is well known for being an ancient cultural center of Odisha and birthplace of noted personalities including poet Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka, statesman Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo, lexicographer Gopinatha Nanda Sharma and historian Satyanarayana Rajguru. This town is also known for its century old temples, monasteries, palaces and heritage buildings.
Malkangiri, historically known as Malikamardhangiri, is a town and municipality in Malkangiri district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarter of the Malkangiri district. Malkangiri has been the new home of the East Bengali refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan, who have been rehabilitated since 1965 under the Dandakaranya Project. Some Sri Lankan Tamil refugees were also rehabilitated in the town, following the armed struggle of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the early 1990s, although most of them have now returned to their country. Currently, it is one of the most naxalite-affected areas of the state, and is a part of the Red Corridor.
Rayagada is a municipality in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the administrative headquarters of Rayagada district.
Bissam Cuttack is a town and Notified Area Council in the Rayagada district of Odisha, India.
Badagam is a small village in the Rayagada Block and Parlakhemundi municipality in Gajapati district in the Indian state of Odisha. The major languages spoken in this place are Kui and Oriya.
Chatikona is a small village of Rayagada district in the state of Odisha, India. It is one of the identified Tourist Centres of Odisha.
Gunupur is a Vidhan Sabha constituency of Rayagada district, Odisha.
Durgi is a census village & Panchayat Headquarter of Bissam Cuttack Block in Rayagada district of Odisha, India. There are total 439 families residing in this village. The wards/ villages comes under Durgi Panchayat are:- Durgi, Bhaleri, Kundanpadar, Rengabai, Barangpadar, Thambalpadhu, Budhanagar, Kachapai, Kalipadar, Kurankul, Tentili Kalipadar, Mulipada, Dharamguda, Balipadar, Haduguda, Huruguda, Khariguda and IAY Colony.
Parlakhemundi Light Railway (PLR) was the first narrow gauge railway line between Naupada to Paralakhemundi end extended to Gunupur in states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Established by Maharajah of Paralakhemundi in 1899. The line was initially owned by Gajapati Maharaja of Paralakhemundi Estate. This is the first narrow gauge section railway station of Odisha.Founded by Rajah Saheb GCIE Gourachandra Gajapati Narayan Dev ,father of Maharajah Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo.
Jeypore Estate or Jeypore Zamindari was a Zamindari estate of the Madras Presidency and later of Orissa Province in British India. Historically it was a kingdom known as Jeypore Kingdom, located in the highlands of the western interiors of the Kalinga region that existed from the mid-15th century to 1777 CE. It was earlier a tributary state of the Gajapati Empire and following its decline in 1540, it gained sovereignty and later became a tributary state of the Qutb Shahis until 1671. The kingdom regained degrees of semi-independence until it became a vassal state of the British in 1777. It eventually formed a part of the linguistic Orissa Province in 1936 upon transfer from the Madras Province and became a part of the independent Union of India in 1947.
Vishwanath Dev Gajapati was the king of Jeypore who established a kingdom in the region of southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh. The Silavamsa king Pratap Ganga Raja died without any male heir, only leaving behind his wife and daughter Lilavati who married Vinayak Dev, the ruler Gudari and Great Grandfather of Vishwanath Dev Gajapati.