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Odiapediaଓଡ଼ିଆପିଡ଼ିଆ
coastal Odishaଓଡ଼ିଆରେ ପଢ଼ନ୍ତୁ

Bhadrak district

ଭଦ୍ରକ ଜିଲ୍ଲା

Bhadrak, a coastal district carved from Balasore in 1993, is known for Maa Bhadrakali, Aradi's Akhandalamani temple, Dhamra Port and the Eram martyrs.

Headquarters
Bhadrak
Population (2011)
1,506,337
Area
2,505 sq km
Villages
1,324
Literacy (2011)
82.8%
Towns (2011)
4

Bhadrak (ଭଦ୍ରକ) is a coastal district in north-eastern Odisha, on the Bay of Bengal, with its headquarters at Bhadrak town. Bhadrak district takes its name from the goddess Bhadrakali. It is known for the Shiva temple of Akhandalamani at Aradi, the deep-water Dhamra Port and the martyrs' memorial at Eram.

Bhadrak is one of Odisha's smaller but more densely populated districts. Bhadrak town itself had 107,463 residents in 2011, up from about 18,600 in 1901. It covers 2,505 sq km and had 1,506,337 people in the 2011 Census, about 600 per sq km. Literacy was high at 82.78 percent, and about 12 percent of people lived in towns.

The district was carved out of the old Balasore district on 1 April 1993, under a state government notification of 27 March 1993. It has seven blocks, with Bhadrak and Basudevpur as its main towns and Dhamra, Chandbali, Dhamnagar and Agarpada as smaller urban centres.

Bhadrak is mainly an agricultural district on the fertile coastal plain. Its coastline, the port at Dhamra and fishing harbours give it a maritime side. Bhadrak lies on NH-16 and the Howrah–Chennai railway.

People of Bhadrak district

Census 2011 counted 15,06,337 people in 3,06,333 households in Bhadrak district. 12.3% lived in towns, and the literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 82.8%. The census recognised 4 towns in the district.

Population
15,06,337
7,60,260 male · 7,46,077 female
Households
3,06,333
about 4.9 people each
Literacy (age 7+)
82.8%
men 89.6% · women 75.8%
Females per 1,000 males
981
Girls per 1,000 boys (0–6)
942
People per km²
601
  • Rural13,20,499 (87.7%)
  • Urban1,85,838 (12.3%)
Scheduled Castes
3,34,896 (22.2%)
Scheduled Tribes
30,428 (2.0%)

What the 4,68,599 workers did

  • Cultivators1,30,597 (27.9%)
  • Agricultural labourers75,320 (16.1%)
  • Household industry8,648 (1.8%)
  • Other work1,13,532 (24.2%)
  • Marginal workers1,40,502 (30.0%)

Marginal workers worked less than six months of the year.

Source: Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (district, sub-district and town level). Figures are from 2011, the most recent census with published district, town and village figures.

Facilities in the villages of Bhadrak

How many of the 1,250 inhabited villages of this district had each facility within the village itself, from the Census 2011 Village Directory. Together the 1,312 villages cover 2,244 km², 65% of it sown with crops and 3% forest.

Education

  • Primary school1,110 of 1,250
  • Middle school691 of 1,250
  • Secondary school349 of 1,250
  • Senior secondary school45 of 1,250
  • Degree college20 of 1,250

Health

  • Primary health centre1 of 1,250
  • Health sub-centre152 of 1,250
  • Anganwadi centre1,126 of 1,250

Water & power

  • Treated tap water0 of 1,250
  • Hand pump1,234 of 1,250
  • Electricity for homes1,095 of 1,250

Roads & transport

  • All-weather road1,050 of 1,250
  • Public bus122 of 1,250
  • Mobile phone coverage1,236 of 1,250

Services

  • Post office or sub post office427 of 1,250
  • Commercial bank7 of 1,250
  • Ration (PDS) shop574 of 1,250
  • Weekly haat153 of 1,250
Primary schools
1,634
Middle schools
798
Secondary schools
451
Degree colleges
22
Primary health centres
6
Health sub-centres
152

Main crops named by villages: Paddy (973), Wheat (227), Vegetables (24), Pulses (11), Mung (4), Milk (1), Biri (1), Ground Nuts (1). Handicrafts: Earthern Pots (2), Bamboo Products (1), Terracota (1).

Source: Census of India 2011, District Census Handbook: Village and Town Directory (Odisha). The facilities were recorded for the 2011 census (reference year 2009 for most items); many places have changed since. Facilities in towns are not included.

Towns of Bhadrak

3 statutory towns (municipal corporation, municipality, notified area council or industrial township) and 1 census town — places the census counted as urban but which are governed by gram panchayats.

TownTypePopulationLiteracyWards
BhadrakMunicipality1,07,46379.5%35
BasudebpurNotified Area Council33,69081.3%23
DhamanagarNotified Area Council22,92074.1%5
EreiCensus town7,89079.8%–

Population of the town itself; for towns with outgrowths, the town page also gives the figure including them. Ward counts are the census wards of 2011.

Census sub-districts: town and country

Sub-districtPopulationRuralUrbanLiteracy
Agarpada58,23858,238082.9%
Bant63,46363,463086.3%
Bhandari Pokhari1,10,4291,10,429086.4%
Dhamanagar1,19,38596,46522,92083.2%
Bhadrak Rural3,55,4392,26,2111,29,22881.4%
Basudebpur1,61,5091,27,81933,69080.9%
Naikanidihi91,28991,289080.5%
Tihidi1,95,0031,95,003082.5%
Dhusuri1,21,8941,21,894084.8%
Chandabali1,00,9051,00,905084.5%
Bansada1,24,7081,24,708082.4%
Dhamara Marine4,0754,075081.3%

Odisha's census sub-districts are police-station areas, not revenue tahasils.

History

The district administration notes two explanations for the name. The usual one links it to the goddess Bhadrakali. The 19th-century administrator John Beames suggested Balabhadra Kshetra, land sacred to Balabhadra, the elder brother of Jagannath and a god linked with farming.

According to the district administration, the 7th-century Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang passed through the area on his way to the Buddhist centres of Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri. Under the Eastern Ganga kings (1211–1436), Bhadrak was one of the administrative divisions known as dandapats. During the reign of Prataprudra Deva, Sri Chaitanya is said to have stopped at the villages of Kuansh and Santhia. The district administration adds that he stayed for two days and left behind an old piece of bedding, still worshipped at the Madan Mohan temple. Wikipedia notes that Bhadrak served as a provincial administrative centre in the Mughal period.

Bhadrak was active in the freedom movement. Bhadrak High School, founded in 1882, was among the area's early modern schools; Harekrushna Mahtab studied there. Mahatma Gandhi visited in 1921 and again in 1934, and the area took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930. On 28 September 1942, during the Quit India Movement, police fired on a peaceful gathering at Eram. Twenty-eight people died on the spot and one more later, for a total of 29. Eram is remembered as Rakta Tirtha, and the district administration describes it as a "second Jallianwala Bagh".

Bhadrak remained a sub-division of Balasore district until it became a separate district in 1993.

Places to visit

Maa Bhadrakali Temple

The shrine of the district's presiding goddess stands on the bank of the Salandi at Aharapada, on the outskirts of Bhadrak. Sources differ on the distance from the town: the district administration gives about 5 km and Wikipedia about 8 km.

Akhandalamani Temple, Aradi

This Shiva temple stands on the bank of the Baitarani at Aradi, about 37 km east of Bhadrak. According to the temple's legend, a ploughman struck a black stone that seemed to bleed. A local ruler, Raja Niladri Samara Singha Mohapatra, then built a wooden shrine about 350 years ago. The present temple was built later by the Kanika king Harihara Bhanja and Queen Satyabhama Patadei, using stone from Lalitgiri. Shivaratri (the Jagara mela) and the month of Shravana, when bol bam pilgrims carry water to the deity, draw large crowds.

Eram (Rakta Tirtha)

Eram is about 16 km from Basudevpur. It is bounded by the sea on one side and by rivers on the others. Memorials at the site record the names of the 29 people killed in the police firing of 1942.

Biranchi Narayan Temple, Palia

The temple of Biranchi Narayan, a form of the Sun god, is at Palia, about 15 km south of Bhadrak on the road to Chandbali, according to the district administration.

Chandbali and Dhamra

Chandbali, a river port on the Baitarani, is a gateway for boat trips into the mangroves of Bhitarkanika National Park. Odisha Tourism runs a Panthanivas there. Dhamra, near the river mouth, has the port and the shrine of Maa Dhamarai. Local folklore says she was one of five sisters.

How to reach

  • By air: Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar, is about 132 km away, according to Odisha Tourism.
  • By rail: Bhadrak railway station, at Charampa about 3 km north of the town, is on the Howrah–Chennai main line and has regular express services. A railway line to Dhamra serves the port.
  • By road: Bhadrak is on NH-16, roughly 125–130 km from Bhubaneswar. NH-316A and several state highways connect it to Chandbali, Dhamra and Kendujhar.

October to March is the most comfortable time to visit. See also Chandipur in neighbouring Balasore and how to reach Odisha.

Temples (15)

  • Akhandalamani Temple · ଆଖଣ୍ଡଳମଣି ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Baladevajiu Temple
  • Bhadrakali Temple · ଭଦ୍ରକାଳୀ ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Biranchinarayana Temple
  • Dapanayakani Temple
  • Devarkund · ଦେବରକୁଣ୍ଡ
  • Dhamerei Temple · ଧାମରେଈ ମନ୍ଦିର
  • Gouranga Temple
  • Kumaresvara Temple
  • Maa Baulasuni Temple · ବଉଳାଶୁଣୀ
  • Nahakani Temple
  • Patan Mangala · ପାଟଣ ମଙ୍ଗଳା
  • Ramesvara Temple
  • Ramesvara Temple
  • Satabahuni Temple

Photos and map links in the temple directory. Today's tithi, sunrise and Rahu Kala here.

Railway stations

5 stations and 1 halts inside the district, as mapped on OpenStreetMap; some on new lines may not yet have regular trains.

Culture and festivals

Bhadrakali and Akhandalamani are the focus of the district's religious life, with large gatherings at Shivaratri and during Shravana. The district administration notes several local customs. In Basantia village, Panchuka Purnima is marked by boat races on a village pond in memory of the Odia merchants who once sailed to the islands of Indonesia, similar to Boita Bandana. Melas in Bonth, Basantia and Basudevpur blocks feature jatra (opera) troupes. Pana Sankranti and Dola Purnima are widely celebrated. The district site also mentions the old Prasanna Khemeswar Shiva temple at Brahmangan village, where Durga Puja, the Jagar festival and a Holi melana are held.

Odia is spoken by about 91 percent of people and Urdu by about 7 percent, with smaller Bengali- and Santali-speaking communities (2011). The local speech belongs to the northern Baleswari variety of Odia (see Odia dialects).

Food

Odisha Tourism's guide to Bhadrak lists:

  • Palua ladu, a sweet made with arrowroot (palua), sold in local markets.
  • Coastal seafood such as chingudi jhola (prawn curry) and machha besara (fish in mustard sauce).
  • Everyday pakhala bhata and dalma, and chhena-based sweets.

Geography and climate

Bhadrak lies on the northern Odisha coastal plain, with the Bay of Bengal to the east. Its neighbours are Balasore, from which it was separated, Kendujhar, Jajpur and Kendrapara.

The Salandi river flows past Bhadrak town. The Baitarani passes Chandbali and, together with the Brahmani, reaches the sea at the Dhamra estuary. Mangrove creeks near Chandbali lead towards Bhitarkanika in neighbouring Kendrapara district. Offshore lies Dr. Abdul Kalam Island (formerly Wheeler Island), which the DRDO uses as its Integrated Test Range for missiles. The island, about 2 km long and some 390 acres in area, lies roughly 10 km off the coast and was renamed on 4 September 2015. Lights there are dimmed and tests restricted during the turtle nesting season because of nearby Gahirmatha.

FeatureDetail
Area (2011 Census)2,505 sq km
Main riversSalandi, Baitarani, Brahmani (estuary at Dhamra)
CoastBay of Bengal, with fishing harbours at Dhamra, Kasia and Chudamani
Average annual rainfallAbout 1,428 mm
ClimateHot, humid summers; mild winters; monsoon June–October

Economy

Agriculture is the mainstay, with paddy grown across the coastal plain. Fishing and marine services are important along the coast, with harbours at Dhamra, Kasia and Chudamani.

Dhamra Port, about 7 km from Dhamra town, is the main modern industry. The port was first conceived in 1998. Larsen and Toubro and Tata Steel developed it as a joint venture, and it received its first vessel on 8 February 2010 and its first commercial vessel on 10 April 2011. It has an approach channel about 18 km long and a draft of 17.5 m, deep enough for large bulk carriers. Adani Ports took control in 2014. Wikipedia reports annual cargo of about 43 million tonnes in 2023–24, mainly coal and iron ore. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the port's closeness to the olive ridley turtle nesting grounds of Gahirmatha.

Climate of Bhadrak

In Bhadrak district (at 21.05°N, 86.50°E), the hottest month is Apr (average highs of 37°C) and the coolest nights come in Jan (15°C). About 1620 mm of rain falls in a year, most of it in the monsoon; Aug is the wettest month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)263035373734313131302926
Average low (°C)151822252727262625231915
Rainfall (mm)151829421072413313632771473319
Rainy days12346162426221121

Averages for 1995–2024 at that point (18 m above sea level), from the Open-Meteo historical weather API (ERA5 reanalysis by ECMWF/Copernicus, CC BY 4.0) — modelled values on a ~25 km grid, not station readings from the India Meteorological Department. A rainy day has 2.5 mm or more.

Notable people

  • Harekrushna Mahtab (1899–1987), born at Agarpada in present-day Bhadrak district. He was Chief Minister of Odisha in 1946–1950 and 1956–1961 and Governor of Bombay, played a key role in merging the princely states into Odisha, and won a Sahitya Akademi Award for Gaon Majlis.
  • Pari Bewa, one of the 29 killed at Eram in 1942, whom the district administration describes as the only woman martyr of Odisha.

Blocks, sub-districts, panchayats & villages

Choose a block, sub-district or town to see its details and its gram panchayats and villages. Open any village for its own page.

Counts below: Local Government Directory, December 2022 snapshot (LGD villages, which can differ from the district administration's revenue-village count).

Blocks
7
Sub-districts
12
GPs
220
LGD villages
1,324

Community development block

Basudevpur

Gram panchayats
36
Villages
188
LGD block code
3322
District
Bhadrak
Open full block page

Villages (…)

All blocks in Bhadrak

BlockGPsVillagesVillage pop.LiteracyST share
Basudevpur361882,19,48980.7%0.3%
Bhadrak371501,95,84981.7%4.7%
Bhandaripokhari231751,27,15886.4%3.3%
Bonth252051,52,06384.9%5.2%
Chandabali362912,49,65683.2%0.4%
Dhamanagar311531,80,99885.2%0.6%
Tihidi321621,95,28682.4%0.3%

GPs and villages: Local Government Directory (Dec 2022). Village population, literacy and Scheduled Tribe share: sum of the block's villages in Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (village level).

All census sub-districts

Towns (urban local bodies)

  • Basudebpur · Municipality
  • Bhadrak · Municipality
  • Chandabali · Notified Area Council · no matching Census 2011 town
  • Dhamanagar · Notified Area Council

Assembly constituencies in Bhadrak

Source: Local Government Directory (lgdirectory.gov.in), Government of India — data dump of December 2022 via github.com/planemad/india-local-government-directory. Sub-districts follow the Local Government Directory, which for Odisha uses the Census sub-districts (police-station areas) — these are not the same as revenue tahasils. Boundaries and names change over time; check the district administration for current status.

Frequently asked questions

When was Bhadrak district formed?

Bhadrak became a separate district on 1 April 1993, when the Bhadrak sub-division was separated from the undivided Balasore district.

Why is Eram called Rakta Tirtha?

On 28 September 1942, during the Quit India Movement, police fired on a gathering of freedom fighters at Eram. Twenty-nine people died. The site has since been called Rakta Tirtha, the 'pilgrimage of blood'.

How far is Akhandalamani temple from Bhadrak?

The Akhandalamani temple at Aradi, on the bank of the Baitarani, is about 37 km east of Bhadrak town.

How far is Bhadrak from Bhubaneswar?

Bhadrak town is roughly 125 to 130 km from Bhubaneswar by road along NH-16. Odisha Tourism gives the distance to Biju Patnaik International Airport as about 132 km.

Sources & references

  1. 1Bhadrak District: Census 2011 data — Census2011.co.in (compiled from Census of India 2011)
  2. 2History — District Administration, Bhadrak, Government of Odisha
  3. 3Eram (Raktatirtha) — District Administration, Bhadrak (NIC)
  4. 4Culture & Heritage — District Administration, Bhadrak (NIC)
  5. 5Bhadrak — Odisha Tourism, Government of Odisha
  6. 6Akhandalamani Temple — Wikipedia
  7. 7Dhamra Port — Wikipedia
  8. 8Bhadrak district — Wikipedia

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