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Odiapediaଓଡ଼ିଆପିଡ଼ିଆ
southern Odishaଓଡ଼ିଆରେ ପଢ଼ନ୍ତୁ

Gajapati district

ଗଜପତି ଜିଲ୍ଲା

Gajapati is a hilly district of southern Odisha, HQ Paralakhemundi, known for Mahendragiri, the Saura people, the Jirang monastery and its royal heritage.

Headquarters
Paralakhemundi
Population (2011)
577,817
Area
4,325 sq km
Villages
1,627
Literacy (2011)
53.5%
Towns (2011)
5

Gajapati (ଗଜପତି) is a hilly district in southern Odisha on the border with Andhra Pradesh. Its headquarters is Paralakhemundi, the former seat of the Gajapati rulers of the Paralakhemundi estate. The district is named after Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo, who helped bring about the separate province of Odisha in 1936 and became its first Premier in 1937.

Gajapati was carved out of Ganjam district and began functioning as a separate district on 2 October 1992. It has a single sub-division, Paralakhemundi, and seven blocks: Gosani, Kashinagar, Gumma, Rayagada, Nuagada, R. Udayagiri and Mohana.

The 2011 Census counted 577,817 people. More than half of them, 313,714 according to the district administration, belong to Scheduled Tribes, mainly the Saura (Sora). At the 2011 Census about 42% of residents spoke Odia as their first language, about 34% Sora and about 16% Telugu. The district covers 4,325 sq km by the Census figure, while the district administration gives 3,850 sq km.

Gajapati is best known for the sacred peak of Mahendragiri, the Tibetan settlement and monastery at Jirang, the palace and temples of Paralakhemundi, and its forested hills and waterfalls.

People of Gajapati district

Census 2011 counted 5,77,817 people in 1,28,523 households in Gajapati district. 12.2% lived in towns, and the literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 53.5%. The census recognised 5 towns in the district.

Population
5,77,817
2,82,882 male · 2,94,935 female
Households
1,28,523
about 4.5 people each
Literacy (age 7+)
53.5%
men 64.4% · women 43.2%
Females per 1,000 males
1,043
Girls per 1,000 boys (0–6)
967
People per km²
134
  • Rural5,07,151 (87.8%)
  • Urban70,666 (12.2%)
Scheduled Castes
39,175 (6.8%)
Scheduled Tribes
3,13,714 (54.3%)

What the 2,93,933 workers did

  • Cultivators52,867 (18.0%)
  • Agricultural labourers68,824 (23.4%)
  • Household industry2,649 (0.9%)
  • Other work46,031 (15.7%)
  • Marginal workers1,23,562 (42.0%)

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 Gajapati

How many of the 1,499 inhabited villages of this district had each facility within the village itself, from the Census 2011 Village Directory. Together the 1,612 villages cover 4,533 km², 27% of it sown with crops and 16% forest.

Education

  • Primary school1,165 of 1,499
  • Middle school306 of 1,499
  • Secondary school102 of 1,499
  • Senior secondary school11 of 1,499
  • Degree college12 of 1,499

Health

  • Primary health centre3 of 1,499
  • Health sub-centre126 of 1,499
  • Anganwadi centre1,086 of 1,499

Water & power

  • Treated tap water0 of 1,499
  • Hand pump995 of 1,499
  • Electricity for homes1,063 of 1,499

Roads & transport

  • All-weather road526 of 1,499
  • Public bus109 of 1,499
  • Mobile phone coverage973 of 1,499

Services

  • Post office or sub post office163 of 1,499
  • Commercial bank0 of 1,499
  • Ration (PDS) shop156 of 1,499
  • Weekly haat34 of 1,499
Primary schools
1,285
Middle schools
335
Secondary schools
135
Degree colleges
13
Primary health centres
3
Health sub-centres
126

Main crops named by villages: Paddy (1,117), Ragi (331), Maize (245), Pulses (75), Corn (74), Millets (61), Vegetables (55), Til (51).

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 Gajapati

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

TownTypePopulationLiteracyWards
ParalakhemundiMunicipality44,46981.2%17
KashinagarNotified Area Council9,68456.7%13
MohanaCensus town5,19788.6%–
R. UdayagiriCensus town4,85173.4%–
RayagadaCensus town4,66277.9%–

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
Adva59,26259,262049.9%
Mohana74,33669,1395,19755.9%
R.Udaygiri86,23481,3834,85149.3%
Serango77,72077,720049.1%
Kashinagara51,90742,2239,68447.9%
Parlakhemundi77,64531,37346,27269.4%
Gurandi45,01045,010056.5%
Rayagada46,19641,5344,66251.9%
Garabandha29,49229,492049.0%
Ramagiri30,01530,015045.9%

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

History

According to the district administration, the Paralakhemundi kingdom was founded in the later half of the 15th century by Kolahomee, a son of the Gajapati king Kapilendra Deva. The area had earlier been part of the Khemundi territory and was home to Saura and other hill communities. The Paralakhemundi rulers kept the title Gajapati, tracing their line to the Gajapati kings of Odisha.

Under British rule Paralakhemundi became a zamindari estate within Ganjam district of the Madras Presidency. Its rulers were active builders and patrons. The Gajapati Palace in Paralakhemundi is a 19th-century royal residence that mixes Indo-Saracenic and European styles; its design is usually credited to the British architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm, though published dates for its construction vary. Around 1900 the Maharaja also built a light railway linking Paralakhemundi with Naupada on the coastal main line.

Paralakhemundi also became an early centre of modern education and civic life in southern Odisha. Its municipality was established in 1885, and the town's SKCG Autonomous College, founded more than a century ago, is often described as the second-oldest college in Odisha after Ravenshaw College in Cuttack.

Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo took a leading part in the movement for a separate Odia province and pressed the case in London (see Utkal Divas). When Orissa province was formed in 1936, Paralakhemundi was included in it. He served as Premier of Orissa from 1 April to 18 July 1937 and again from 24 November 1941 to 30 June 1944.

After independence the area remained part of Ganjam district until Gajapati district was created on 2 October 1992.

A new chapter began in 1963. On 1 May that year, according to Odisha Tourism, the first Tibetan refugees arrived at Chandragiri, settling in a group of camps that the Tibetans call Phuntsokling.

Places to visit

Mahendragiri

Mahendragiri is identified in tradition with the Mahendra Parvata of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and is regarded as the abode of the sage Parashurama. Old stone temples on the mountain are attributed by tradition to the Pandavas, and three of them, the Bhima, Kunti and Yudhishthira temples, are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as Monuments of National Importance. A Shiva shrine, the Gokarneswar temple, stands near the summit. The mountain draws large crowds of pilgrims at Maha Shivaratri and is popular with trekkers. A motorable road now reaches close to the top.

Jirang (Chandragiri) and the Padmasambhava Mahavihara

The Tibetan settlement around Chandragiri has a large monastery, the Padmasambhava Mahavihara, which is also a college for young monks. Its foundation stone was laid in 2003, and the Dalai Lama inaugurated it in January 2010. Odisha Tourism describes it as the largest monastery in eastern India. The settlement is about 87 km from Brahmapur (Berhampur).

Paralakhemundi

The district headquarters has the Gajapati Palace, a 19th-century Indo-Saracenic royal residence, along with other royal buildings and old temples. The palace is listed by INTACH as a heritage building, so check locally whether visitors are allowed inside. Paralakhemundi's Jagannath temple holds a well-known Ratha Yatra. The town is also known for its horn-work artisans.

Gandahati Waterfall

Gandahati is a forest waterfall about 30 km from Paralakhemundi and about 153 km from Brahmapur. It drops roughly 20 m over rocks in a wooded valley and is a popular picnic spot, at its fullest after the monsoon.

How to reach

  • By air: The nearest major airport in Odisha is Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar.
  • By rail: Paralakhemundi station is on the Naupada–Gunupur line, which joins the Howrah–Chennai main line at Naupada in Andhra Pradesh. The line was converted to broad gauge, and passenger services resumed in August 2011. For Gandahati, Palasa in Andhra Pradesh is also a convenient railhead.
  • By road: Paralakhemundi and Jirang are usually reached by road from Brahmapur (Berhampur) in Ganjam; Jirang is about 87 km from Brahmapur. Buses link Paralakhemundi with Brahmapur, Bhubaneswar and towns in Andhra Pradesh.

For neighbouring districts, see Ganjam, Rayagada and Kandhamal.

Temples (5)

  • Bhima temple
  • Hanumana Temple
  • Kunti temple
  • Yudhisthira temple
  • Zangdok Palri

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

Protected monuments (3)

Monuments of National Importance protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. All of Odisha.

Railway stations

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

Culture and festivals

The Saura (Sora) are the largest tribal community in the district. They are known for their ritual wall paintings (idital), white figures drawn on red-brown mud walls, and for the practice of tattooing. The related painting tradition of the Lanjia Saura of neighbouring Rayagada district received a GI tag in 2024. Kui-speaking Kandha communities also live in the district.

The district's culture mixes Odia, Telugu and tribal traditions. Festivals listed by the district administration include Ratha Yatra, Dussehra, Kumar Purnima and Pongal, which reflects the Telugu-speaking population. Maha Shivaratri at Mahendragiri is the largest pilgrimage. The local speech belongs to the southern, Ganjami group of Odia dialects.

Traditional crafts include horn work, bamboo products and pattachitra-style painting. Paralakhemundi has a long tradition of learning and music. The 18th–19th-century poet-composer Gopalakrushna Pattanayak, whose songs are still part of the Odissi repertoire, was born here.

Food

Gajapati's best-known food product is Odisha Khajuri Guda, a jaggery made from the sap of date palms and rooted in the district's traditional, largely tribal, food production. It was registered as a Geographical Indication in January 2024 (see Odisha GI tags).

Geography and climate

Gajapati lies in the Eastern Ghats. According to the district administration, more than 60% of its land is hilly. The district borders Kandhamal to the north, Ganjam to the east, Rayagada to the west and Andhra Pradesh to the south.

The main river is the Mahendratanaya, a tributary of the Vamsadhara. It rises in the Mahendragiri hills and flows past Paralakhemundi. The highest point is Mahendragiri (about 1,501 m), in Rayagada block. It is known for its rich plant and reptile life, with more than 600 species of flowering plants recorded. In 2014 an expert committee recommended that the Mahendragiri area be declared a biosphere reserve.

FeatureDetail
Area4,325 sq km (Census 2011); 3,850 sq km (district administration)
TerrainMostly hills and valleys of the Eastern Ghats
Highest pointMahendragiri, about 1,501 m
Main riverMahendratanaya
ClimateTropical monsoon; hottest in May, when average maximums reach about 38.5 °C
RainfallAbout 80–85% of the annual total falls between June and September

Economy

The district administration describes Gajapati's economy as agrarian. Farming, forest produce and cottage industries such as horn work, bamboo craft and painting support most families. The hilly terrain is considered well suited to horticulture. In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Gajapati one of India's 250 most backward districts, making it eligible for the Backward Regions Grant Fund.

Climate of Gajapati

In Gajapati district (at 19.20°N, 84.13°E), the hottest month is May (average highs of 34°C) and the coolest nights come in Jan (14°C). About 1470 mm of rain falls in a year, most of it in the monsoon; Jul is the wettest month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)252832343430272727272524
Average low (°C)141619222323222221201714
Rainfall (mm)16133351822123323022241384123
Rainy days12467172222201142

Averages for 1995–2024 at that point (748 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

  • Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo: ruler of Paralakhemundi, a leader of the Odisha province movement and the first Premier of Orissa (1937).
  • Gopalakrushna Pattanayak: poet and composer of Odissi songs, born in Paralakhemundi in 1784.

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
10
GPs
149
LGD villages
1,627

Community development block

Gosani

Gram panchayats
21
Villages
140
LGD block code
3357
District
Gajapati
Open full block page

Villages (…)

All blocks in Gajapati

BlockGPsVillagesVillage pop.LiteracyST share
Gosani2114067,73155.4%16.0%
Gumma2022179,59547.3%75.9%
Kasinagar1210251,07847.1%35.4%
Mohana395041,28,93751.6%60.6%
Nuagada1918653,85149.7%76.7%
R.udayagiri1724859,10048.5%74.0%
Rayagada2122666,85947.3%84.3%

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)

Assembly constituencies in Gajapati

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

What is the headquarters of Gajapati district?

The headquarters is Paralakhemundi, a historic former royal town on the Mahendratanaya river near the Andhra Pradesh border.

Why is the district called Gajapati?

It is named after Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo of Paralakhemundi, a leader of the movement for a separate Odisha province and the first Premier of Orissa province in 1937.

When was Gajapati district formed?

Gajapati district was carved out of Ganjam district and began functioning as a separate district on 2 October 1992.

What is the highest peak in Gajapati district?

Mahendragiri, at about 1,501 m, is the highest point in the district. It is a sacred mountain linked in tradition with Parashurama and the Pandavas.

What is Jirang famous for?

Jirang, near Chandragiri, is home to a Tibetan settlement founded in 1963 and the Padmasambhava Mahavihara monastery, which the Dalai Lama inaugurated in 2010.

Sources & references

  1. 1Gajapati district — Wikipedia
  2. 2List of Monuments of National Importance in Odisha — Wikipedia (from Archaeological Survey of India lists)
  3. 3History — District Administration, Gajapati (NIC)
  4. 4About District — District Administration, Gajapati (NIC)
  5. 5Gajapati District: Census 2011 data — Census2011.co.in (compiled from Census of India 2011)
  6. 6Jirang (Chandragiri) — Odisha Tourism, Government of Odisha
  7. 7Mahendragiri (Odisha) — Wikipedia
  8. 8Odisha's Mahendragiri hills brims with nature's bounty, mythology — Kalinga TV

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