About Jagatsinghpur district-odikala

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Jagatsinghpur is a town and a municipality in Jagatsinghpur district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of Jagatsinghpur district. It got the recognition as a new district on 1 April 1993. Paradip Port, Oil refinery and fertiliser factory are located in Jagatsinghpur district. Devi, Alaka, Biluakhai, Kusumi, Hansua, Kuanria and Lunijhara rivers belong to this district.

History:-

History of Jagatsinghpur comprises the conglomeration of Hindu, Muslim, Maratha and British realms. The Maratha administration kept the place under their jurisdiction and appointed Jagat Singh in 1748 to collect revenue. He collected the peshkush and Nazrana and remained an unchallenged and uninterrupted administrator for a pretty long period. The place was converted from Hariharpur to Jagatsinghpur after the name of Jagat Singh since 1786. Consequent to the bifurcation of old Cuttack District into four new districts, the Jagatsinghpur District was created on 1 April 1993. The new district was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Biju Patnaik in an auspicious ceremony. The foundation stone to the District Collectorate was laid in November 1995 by the then Deputy Chief Minister Basant Kumar Biswal and it was inaugurated in November 1997.

ROAD AND TRANSPORT:-

The nearest railway station from Jagatsinghpur town is Gorakhnath Station which is about 10 km from Jagatsinghpur. Train service is not frequent; it is better to go by road. The nearest airport is Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar. Charter air service from Biju Patnaik International Airport to Paradip is provided by Pawan Hans. Jagatsinghpur is well connected with other cities via road. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India has decided to link Jagatsinghpur with a new national highway.OSRTC operated bus services to all the major Cities and Towns in Odisha.

CULTURE AND TRADITION:-

Jagatsinghpur is also famous for the Sarala Temple and is well known as the cultural heart of Odisha. Sarala Das was a 15th-century poet and scholar of Odia literature, best known for three Odia books — Mahabharata, Vilanka Ramayana and Chandi Purana was born at Kanakavati Patana, known as Kanakapura, one of the Sidhikshetras in Jagatsinghpur district. As an originator of Odia literature, his work has formed an enduring source of information for succeeding generations. The district, smallest in size among the 30 districts in Odisha, has produced some of the most famous names in Oriya. Notable among them are listed below.

Academicians and Scientists: Prana Krushna Parija, Sriram Chandra Dash, Manoranjan Mohanty, Abani Kumar Baral, Amitav Acharya
Writers and poets: Birakisore Das, Gopal Chhotray, Pratibha Ray, Bibhuti Patnaik, Hrudananda Ray, Chittaranjan Das, Devdas Chhotray
Freedom fighters, Politicians and Leaders: Nabakrushna Choudhuri, Malati Choudhury, Nityanand Kanungo, Sarala Devi

The District is also famous for having theatre groups which keep the old tradition of live acting before a crowd. The groups have become the part of the mainstream entertainment for people all over Odisha. Parbati Gannatya, Benirampur opera, Gouri Gananatya, Tulasi Gananatya, Durgashree Gananatya, Tarapur Opera and Trinath Gananatya are some of the famous theatre groups of Jagatsinghpur district.

Tourism:-

Kunja Behari:
Famous for its presiding deity Kunja Behari, Garh Kujanga is also known as Subhadra Kshetra, The Raghunath Jew Matha located near the temple of Kunja Behari is an added attraction of this place. The tourists can avail accommodation facilities at Forest Rest House, Kujanga, RD Bungalow, Kujanga.The nearest banks are Allahabad Bank and SBI available at Kujanga.The nearest Hospital is P.H.C, Kujanga, which tourists can use for medical facilities.

Lord Raghunath Jew:
At end of the Village Mahilo in a typical rural atmosphere, the famous temple complex of Lord Raghunath Jew and Lord Chandrasekhar stands around 30 years back. One can find a rare combination of Sri Ram known as Raghunath Jew and Lord Siva known as Chandrasekhar in a single compound. An old temple of Lord Chandrasekhar was destroyed by the effect of time and new temple complex as taken its place by adding various new temple be the effort of the villagers.

Sarala Temple:
Sarala Temple is a Hindu temple in the district of Jagatsinghpur. Maa Sarala patronizes the cultures of Vaishanivism and Shaivaism. Rarely one finds the use of Bella Patra and Tulasi patra in any temple, as they are symbols of two distinct Hindu culture.

Paradeep and its beach:
The importance of Paradeep and its beach is manifold. Besides being an attractive tourist spot, the Paradeep beach in Orissa is also one of the most important commercial seaports of the country. Pradeep which is actually an estuary of the Mahanadi River is one of the most popular beaches of Orissa. Covered by green forests and adorned with natural creeks and island, the Paradeep beach is a paradise for all marine lovers.

Sarala Pitha (Jhankad):Jhankad is the sanctum sanctorum of Goddess Sarala, regarded as one of the most spiritually elevated expressions of Shaktism. Believed as a synthesis of divine figure of Durga and Saraswati, the culture of Sarala is an amalgamation of three principal Hindu cults namely Vedic, Tantrik and Vaishnavite. It is one of the eight most famous Shakta shrines of Odisha. It is also associated with the first epic poet of Odisha, Adikavi Sarala Dasa of 15th Century AD.
Gorakhnath Temple: Gorakhnath Temple is of among the famous Lord Shiva Shrines in Odisha.
Paradip: It is a major sea port of India for trade activities. The enchanting beauty of the sea, a wonderful sea beach & marine drive, beautiful creeks, estuaries and evergreen forests of estuarine islands of the river Mahanadi, make the place a major tourist attraction.
Gada Kujanga: Famous for its presiding deity Kunja Behari, Garh Kujanga is also known as Subhadra Kshetra, The Raghunath Jew Matha located near the temple of Kunja Behari is an added attraction of this place.
Chandapur: At the end of the Village Mahilo in a typical rural atmosphere, the famous temple complex of Lord Raghunath Jew and Lord Chandrasekhar stands around 30 years back. One can find a rare combination of Sri Ram known as Raghunath Jew and Lord Siva known as Chandrasekhar in a single compound.
Jagatsinghpur: Alaka Ashram, better known as the Shabarmati of Odisha is located here. Temples, beaches and sculptures of historic importance are the major drivers behind tourist influx to Jagatsinghpur. The Somanath temple is famous for the Shiva Shrine. The Shiva Linga was placed by Sri Muchukunda Swami and hence the image is popularly called as Muchukunda Somanath.
Salajanga Ashram, which is nearly 7 km from Naugaon hat.
Siali beach is about 20 km from Balikuda block is the most attracting beach of Jagatsinghpur district. It is a very good spot for the picnic and can be visited during any seasons of a year.
Tulasi gadi temple which is at Diasahi, approx 6 km from Jagatsinghpur towards Balikuda is another place of attraction for public or family parties.
Jagannath temple in Ambasal (approximately 2 km from Balikuda Block) is considered as one of the oldest temples.
Kunja Bihari Temple in Sadeipur which is about 9 km from Jagatsinghpur.
Sidha Baranga Pitha is located at Punanga, just 2 km from Jagatsinghpur town. It is famous for temples of Lord Jagannath and Lord Hanuman. It is a good picnic spot.

Economy:-

The economy of the Jagatsinghpur district is dependent on agriculture. Agriculture is the main occupation of bulk of the population. The key crops of the district are paddy, sugarcane, turmeric, cotton and jute. Processing, manufacturing, reparing and fisheries industries also contribute towards the economic development. Jagatsinghpur is a leading district of the state in terms of industrialization. Paradip, a modern deep water port, was built here in the 1960s and has now become a hot business destination due to the large foreign direct investment.

The following Large and Medium sector industries exist in the district.