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Population |
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935,613 (2001 census) |
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Sex Ratio |
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969 female in 1000 male |
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Literacy
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67.25% (2001 census) |
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Area |
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6657 km²
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Subdivision |
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03 |
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Tahasil
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10 |
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Blocks |
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10 |
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G Panchayat |
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148 |
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Town |
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06 |
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Muncipality |
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01 |
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NAC |
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04 |
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village |
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1258 |
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Temperature |
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43.2 degree (max), 9.6degree(min) |
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Rainfall |
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1698.0mm(average) |
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Languages spoken |
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Oriya, Hindi and English. |
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Clothing |
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Light cotton in summer and heavy woolen in winter. |
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Regarded as the western most district of Orissa state the headquarter of the sambalpur district is sambalpur. Located in the Mahanadi River basin this district has a total area of 6,657square kilometers, of which almost 60% of the district is covered in dense forest. The district is bounded by Deogarh District to the east, Bargarh and Jharsuguda districts to the west, Sundergarh District to the north and Subarnapur and Angul districts are in the south.
Sambalpur town is the connecting city between Chhattisgarh and Orissa. Nowadays it is mainly known as textile business centre . It's a good place from which to explore the surrounding forests and spot some of the rare species still roaming the area in one of the wild life sanctuaries, such as the well-known Badrama sanctuary.
Sambalpur is mentioned in the book of Ptolemy (2nd century) as Sambalaka on the river Manada (the Mahanadi River). This gateway to the exotic charms of the western region of Orissa was the cradle of an ancient civilization and is an important landmark in India's cultural history.
Sambalpur was a former princely state of British India. When its ruler died without a direct male heir in 1849, the British seized the state under the doctrine of lapse. It was attached to the British Bengal Presidency, but was transferred to the Central Provinces in 1862. The district was transferred back to Bengal in 1905, but the subdivisions of Phuljhar and Chandarpur-Padampur remained with the Central Provinces. Bengal's Orissa division became part of the new province of Bihar and Orissa in 1912 and in 1936 became the separate province of Orissa.
Sambalpur District was subsequently divided into four separate districts. Bargarh was separated in 1993, and the Jharsuguda and Deogarh districts were separated in 1994.
The town of Sambalpur, lying 325 kms from Bhubaneswar, is an ancient centre for the diamond trade is famous for its internationally renowned textiles (ikat), rich tribal heritage and fabulous forestlands. Sambalpur is easily accessible by rail and road.
Samaleswari, the presiding deity of this region is enshrined at 'Samalai Gudi' on the bank of Mahanadi River. The other temple of importance is the Budharaja Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and is perched atop the Budharaja hill. These temples are located at a few kilometres' distance from Sambalpur. The Hirakud Dam, the longest dam of the world, is some 15 kilometres from Sambalpur and can be easily visited on a day trip.
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About 20 km from Sambalpur lies the Huma Temple which is a leaning structure, angling up to almost an astonishing 17 degrees. A mystery of engineers since the past few decades, it was made by the erstwhile ruler of Sambalpur.
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