SUNDARGARH, Odisha

Main Attraction: Vedavyas (Confluence of rivers Sankha and Koel)

Situated on the confluence of the river Sankha and Koel, which thereafter from the river Brahmani, Vedavyas is not only a place of natural beauty but also is considered a Tritha, a place of religious sanctity. A dip in the confluence is belied to wash away all sins. Tradition has it that Vyasadeva, the reputed sage, lived here and composed the great epic Mahabharat. There are three temples here, two dedicated to Lord Siva and one to Rama. A Vedic Ashram and a school on the lines of Gurukula Ashram are the added attractions of the place. A regular bus service is available from Rourkela.

Brief History

Constituted on 1st January 1948 out of the two ex-states of Gangapur and Bonai which merged with Odisha on that day Sundargarh district has about 43% of the entire landmass under forest. With numerous colorful tribes dotting its landscape and with abundant mining potential sitting pretty over vast tracts of the Chhotanagpur Plateau regions, the district offers great mining potentialities and mosaic of rich cultural heritage. The district is bounded by Ranchi district of Jharkhand on the north, Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh on the west and north-west, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Anugul districts of Odisha on the south and south-east and Singhbhum district of Jharkhand and Kendujhar district of Odisha on the east.

The district is named after its headquarters town “Sundargarh”. The town was formerly known by the name Suadihi until sometime in the first decade of the 19th century. The reasons are obscure perhaps during his reign Maharaja Raghunath Sekhar Deo had passed an unwritten order to rename it as “Sundargarh” which literally means “Beautiful Fort”.

The territory, what is now called Sundargarh was forming a part of Dakshinapatha in ancient times. Kosala was an important Mahajanapada in northern India of which Dakshina Kosala (South Kosala) was a part of it. However, divergent views are available regarding the origin of the ruling family. But these ex-states were once upon under the suzerainty of Sambalpur which formed a part of the dominions of the Marahatta Rajas of Nagpur. They were ceded to the British Government in 1803 by the Marahatta Chief Raghuji Bhonsle of Nagpur under the treaty of Deogaon but they were restored to him by a special agreement in 1806. They were finally ceded in 1826 to the British Empire. In 1905, they were transferred from control of the Commissioner of Chhotanagpur to that of Odisha and a separate political agent was appointed. In the ex-states of Bonai and Kodamba royal family continued for a long time till the merger of the state. The state made considerable improvement from the time of Raja Chandrasekhar Chandra Deo Deb whose son Raja Dayanidhi Indra Deo Deb was a popular ruler and died in 1898. 

He was succeeded by his son Nilambar Chandra Deo Deb who was a contemporary of Maharaja Krishna Chandra Bhanja of Mayurbhanj. After the death of Nilambar in 1902, his son Dharanidhar Indra Deo Deb ruled Bonai from February 1902 till the merger of the state on 1st January 1948 with Odisha. He died in July 1949. Geographically the district is not a compact unit and consists of widely dissimilar tracts of expansive and fairly open, dotted with tree, clad isolated peaks, vast inaccessible forests, extensive river valleys and mountainous terrain. Broadly speaking it is an undulating tableland of different elevations broken up by rugged hill ranges and cut up by torrential hill streams and the rivers Ib and Brahmani. The general slope of the district is from north to south. Because of this undulating, hilly and sloping nature of landscape, the area is subjected to rapid runoff leading not only to soil erosion but also to scarcity of water for both agriculture and drinking purposes.

Sundargarh is recognized as an Industrial district in the map of Odisha. Rourkela Steel Plant, Fertilizer Plant, Cement Factory, Ferro Vanadium Plant are some of the major industries of the district. Sundargarh occupies a prominent position in the mineral map of Odisha. The district is rich in Iron Ore, Lime Stone, Manganese, Dolomite and Fire Clay. The steel plant of Rourkela in the district is the first government sector plant built with foreign collaboration and was the first in the country to use LD Oxygen technology. The climate of this district is characterized by extremely hot summers and cool winters. Climate is hot and moist sub- humid.