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Odiapediaଓଡ଼ିଆପିଡ଼ିଆ
northern Odishaଓଡ଼ିଆରେ ପଢ଼ନ୍ତୁ

Jharsuguda district

ଝାରସୁଗୁଡ଼ା ଜିଲ୍ଲା

Jharsuguda is an industrial district of western Odisha, often called the 'Powerhouse of Odisha', with the Ib Valley coalfield, power plants and Veer Surendra Sai Airport.

Headquarters
Jharsuguda
Population (2011)
579,505
Area
2,081 sq km
Villages
353
Literacy (2011)
78.9%
Towns (2011)
5

Jharsuguda (ଝାରସୁଗୁଡ଼ା) is a district in western Odisha bordering Chhattisgarh. Jharsuguda district is a major centre of coal mining, power generation and aluminium, and is often called the "Powerhouse of Odisha". Its town is also home to Veer Surendra Sai Airport, the main airport for western Odisha.

Jharsuguda is one of Odisha's smaller districts, covering 2,081 sq km. At the 2011 Census it had 579,505 people. With almost 40 percent of its people living in towns, it is among the more urbanised districts in the state. Its main towns are Jharsuguda, Brajrajnagar and Belpahar.

The district was carved out of Sambalpur district in 1994; local sources give the date as 1 January 1994. Jharsuguda had earlier been made a sub-division of Sambalpur in 1979. It has five community development blocks: Jharsuguda, Kirmira, Kolabira, Laikera and Lakhanpur.

The district's growth is tied to two things: the railway, which reached Jharsuguda in the 1880s and turned it into an important junction, and coal, which was found in the Ib valley in 1900. Today Jharsuguda is a fast-growing industrial district with mines, power stations and metal plants, though agriculture and forests remain important in its villages.

Scheduled Tribes make up about 30 percent of the population. Sambalpuri is the most widely spoken home language, followed by Odia, Hindi and Kisan.

People of Jharsuguda district

Census 2011 counted 5,79,505 people in 1,36,061 households in Jharsuguda district. 39.9% lived in towns, and the literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 78.9%. The census recognised 5 towns in the district.

Population
5,79,505
2,96,690 male · 2,82,815 female
Households
1,36,061
about 4.3 people each
Literacy (age 7+)
78.9%
men 86.6% · women 70.7%
Females per 1,000 males
953
Girls per 1,000 boys (0–6)
943
People per km²
278
  • Rural3,48,340 (60.1%)
  • Urban2,31,165 (39.9%)
Scheduled Castes
1,04,620 (18.1%)
Scheduled Tribes
1,76,758 (30.5%)

What the 2,47,707 workers did

  • Cultivators32,716 (13.2%)
  • Agricultural labourers21,048 (8.5%)
  • Household industry9,320 (3.8%)
  • Other work1,08,985 (44.0%)
  • Marginal workers75,638 (30.5%)

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 Jharsuguda

How many of the 347 inhabited villages of this district had each facility within the village itself, from the Census 2011 Village Directory. Together the 351 villages cover 1,566 km², 36% of it sown with crops and 9% forest.

Education

  • Primary school332 of 347
  • Middle school214 of 347
  • Secondary school90 of 347
  • Senior secondary school20 of 347
  • Degree college15 of 347

Health

  • Primary health centre3 of 347
  • Health sub-centre59 of 347
  • Anganwadi centre330 of 347

Water & power

  • Treated tap water0 of 347
  • Hand pump344 of 347
  • Electricity for homes342 of 347

Roads & transport

  • All-weather road300 of 347
  • Public bus57 of 347
  • Mobile phone coverage343 of 347

Services

  • Post office or sub post office65 of 347
  • Commercial bank0 of 347
  • Ration (PDS) shop205 of 347
  • Weekly haat104 of 347
Primary schools
514
Middle schools
258
Secondary schools
119
Degree colleges
18
Primary health centres
5
Health sub-centres
59

Main crops named by villages: Paddy (260), Vegetables (90), Wheat (23), Ground Nuts (9), Til (9), Vegitables (7), Tomato (4), Vegetable (4). Handicrafts: Broomstick (18), Mats (6), Bidi (5), Broom (3), Khali Dana (3), Leaf Plate (2), Earthern Pots (2), Brooms (2).

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 Jharsuguda

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

TownTypePopulationLiteracyWards
JharsugudaMunicipality97,73084.9%24
BrajarajnagarMunicipality80,40382.5%23
BelpaharMunicipality38,99382.8%16
BandhbahalCensus town9,73590.6%–
BundiaCensus town4,30483.7%–

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
Rengali60,13660,136077.9%
Lakhanpur34,22834,228076.0%
Belpahar42,6373,64438,99381.7%
Banaharapali44,03934,3049,73581.6%
Orient80,70630380,40382.5%
Brajarajnagar26,48422,1804,30474.6%
Jharsuguda1,22,81725,08797,73083.7%
Badmal27,56627,566077.5%
Laikera99,15799,157073.2%
Kolabira41,73541,735072.9%

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

History

The Jharsuguda area has traces of very early human activity. The Vikramkhol (Bikramkhol) rock shelter near Belpahar carries painted and incised marks covering an area of about 35 by 7 feet. They were first studied in the 1930s by the historian K. P. Jayaswal, who saw them as an early script. Later scholars disagree: some see links with Brahmi or Indus signs, while others regard them as non-writing marks. The marks remain undeciphered.

In the medieval period the area was part of the Chauhan kingdom of Sambalpur, founded by Balaram Dev in the 16th century. Local zamindaris such as Rampur, Kolabira and Padampur held land under the Sambalpur kings, and the area of present-day Jharsuguda town was then a small forest settlement.

The region took part in the revolt led by Veer Surendra Sai against British rule in Sambalpur, which lasted until 1862. According to a local history, Karunakar Naik, the zamindar of Kolabira, was hanged at Sambalpur for his part in the struggle of 1857–1863.

Modern Jharsuguda grew with the Bengal Nagpur Railway, which opened a station here in the 1880s. Coal was discovered by accident in 1900 during bridge building on the Ib, and the first mine in the Ib valley opened in 1909. During the last years of the Second World War the Allies built a chain of airfields in the region, including one at Jharsuguda, to guard against a possible Japanese attack from the north-east. The airstrip was abandoned after Independence and was later rebuilt as today's Veer Surendra Sai Airport.

After Independence, Jharsuguda remained part of Sambalpur district. Its first municipal council chairman was elected in 1952, the town became a sub-division headquarters in 1979, and the district was created in 1994. Coal mining in the Ib valley was nationalised in the 1970s. It passed to Western Coalfields in 1973, to South Eastern Coalfields in 1986, and to Mahanadi Coalfields in 1992.

Places to visit

Koilighugar Waterfall

Near Kushmelbahal village in Lakhanpur block, the Ahiraj stream falls about 61 m (200 ft) through sal and mahua forest. A Shiva shrine called Maheswarnath stands at the waterfall, and a fair is held at Shivaratri. Koilighugar is about 26 km from Jharsuguda by road, according to Wikipedia.

Ramchandi Temple, Rampur

A temple of the goddess Ramchandi on the bank of the Ib river at Rampur, near Brajrajnagar, and a place of local pilgrimage.

Vikramkhol rock shelter

The Vikramkhol shelter lies in the Belpahar reserved forest, about 12 km from Belpahar. It is valued for its undeciphered ancient marks. The site is not fully protected and has suffered from weathering and vandalism, so visitors should not touch the rock surface.

The Ib river

The Ib valley is at its most scenic during and just after the monsoon, when the river is in spate and the countryside turns green.

How to reach

  • Air: Veer Surendra Sai Airport, about 5 km north-east of the town, was inaugurated on 22 September 2018 and has flights to several Indian cities. Check current schedules.
  • Rail: Jharsuguda Junction is on the Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai main line and is the start of the line to Sambalpur, Titlagarh and Vizianagaram, with direct trains to Bhubaneswar and many other cities.
  • Road: National Highway 49 and the Biju Expressway pass through the district. Sambalpur is about 60 km away. Bhubaneswar is roughly 330 to 365 km away by road via Sambalpur; estimates vary with the route.

See also neighbouring Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Bargarh, or browse all districts of Odisha.

Railway stations

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

Culture and festivals

Jharsuguda shares the culture of western Odisha. Nuakhai, the festival of the new rice harvest, is the most important festival in the district. Durga Puja, Ganesh Puja, Diwali and Rath Yatra are also celebrated widely. Sitala Sasthi, the festival of Shiva and Parvati's wedding, has spread from Sambalpur to Jharsuguda and other towns.

The everyday language of much of the district is Sambalpuri (Kosli), which about 42 percent of people gave as their mother tongue in 2011, ahead of Odia at about 27 percent. Hindi, Kisan, Mundari and Kharia are also spoken.

Folk forms such as Dalkhai and other Sambalpuri dances are performed at festivals. The district's Adivasi communities include the Kisan, Oraon (Kurukh), Munda, Bhuiyan, Sabar and Santal, and each keeps its own traditions of song, dance and worship. Because industry has drawn workers from across India, the towns are culturally mixed.

Food

Jharsuguda's food is the food of western Odisha. Rice is the staple, eaten both freshly cooked and as pakhala. Popular local items include chaula bara, a crisp rice-batter snack, and dishes made with kardi (tender bamboo shoot) and hendua (dried bamboo shoot). During the monsoon, wild mushrooms (ruguda) gathered from the forests are a seasonal delicacy.

Geography and climate

Jharsuguda borders Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh to the west, Sundargarh to the north, Sambalpur to the east and Bargarh to the south. The district lies in the Mahanadi basin. The Ib river, a tributary of the Mahanadi, flows through the coal-bearing Ib valley, and the Bheden drains the southern part.

Much of the land is gently rolling upland with scattered hills and patches of sal and mahua forest, especially around Belpahar and Lakhanpur.

Climate featureTypical value
SummerVery hot; average summer highs given as about 46.7 °C
MonsoonJune to September
Annual rainfallAbout 1,527 mm
WinterCool and dry, November to February

Climate figures as given by Wikipedia's Jharsuguda district article.

Economy

Industry dominates Jharsuguda's economy.

  • Coal: the Ib Valley Coalfield, covering about 1,375 sq km, is run by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL). According to the Geological Survey of India it holds the third-largest coal reserves in India, about 22.3 billion tonnes. Large open-cast mines include Lajkura, Samaleswari and Lilari. Output rose from about 0.55 million tonnes in 1972–73 to about 15.5 million tonnes in 2002–03, according to Wikipedia, and an MCL-funded rail line is planned to move more coal.
  • Power: plentiful coal has attracted several thermal power plants, which is why the district is called the Powerhouse of Odisha.
  • Aluminium: Vedanta operates a large aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda.
  • Steel and other units: sponge iron and steel plants operate across the district.
  • Agriculture: paddy is the main crop in the villages.

In 2006 Jharsuguda was listed by the central government among India's 250 most backward districts, a status that reflects the gap between its industrial towns and rural areas.

Climate of Jharsuguda

In Jharsuguda district (at 21.86°N, 84.01°E), the hottest month is May (average highs of 40°C) and the coolest nights come in Jan (13°C). About 1490 mm of rain falls in a year, most of it in the monsoon; Jul is the wettest month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)263035394035303030302926
Average low (°C)131620242727252524221714
Rainfall (mm)1813151428236403402256751215
Rainy days2121214242419711

Averages for 1995–2024 at that point (222 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

  • Karunakar Naik: zamindar of Kolabira, executed at Sambalpur for his part in the 1857–1863 rising, according to local histories.

The district is also closely linked with Veer Surendra Sai (born at Khinda in Sambalpur district), whose name the airport carries.

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
5
Sub-districts
10
GPs
78
LGD villages
353

Community development block

Jharsuguda

Gram panchayats
17
Villages
73
LGD block code
3404
District
Jharsuguda
Open full block page

Villages (…)

All blocks in Jharsuguda

BlockGPsVillagesVillage pop.LiteracyST share
Jharsuguda177375,13676.7%33.3%
Kirmira84242,89775.2%52.7%
Kolabira94748,00373.2%45.3%
Laikera114549,99271.3%51.8%
Lakhanpur331461,32,31277.5%33.9%

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 Jharsuguda

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

Why is Jharsuguda called the Powerhouse of Odisha?

Jharsuguda sits on the Ib Valley coalfield and has several large power plants and an aluminium smelter, so it is often described as the Powerhouse of Odisha.

Which airport serves Jharsuguda?

Veer Surendra Sai Airport, about 5 km north-east of Jharsuguda town, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 September 2018 and is run by the Airports Authority of India.

When was Jharsuguda district formed?

Jharsuguda was separated from Sambalpur district in 1994; local sources give the date as 1 January 1994.

What is the Vikramkhol inscription?

Vikramkhol (Bikramkhol) is a rock shelter near Belpahar with ancient painted and incised marks. Scholars disagree on whether they are true writing, and the marks have not been deciphered.

Sources & references

  1. 1Districts of Orissa – Census 2011 population — Census2011.co.in (compiled from Census of India 2011)
  2. 2Jharsuguda District at a Glance — District Administration, Jharsuguda, Government of Odisha
  3. 3Jharsuguda district — Wikipedia
  4. 4Ib Valley Coalfield — Wikipedia
  5. 5Veer Surendra Sai Airport — Wikipedia
  6. 6Koilighugar Waterfall — Wikipedia
  7. 7Vikramkhol — Wikipedia
  8. 8History of Jharsuguda — JSG Live

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