Nabarangpur

Nabarangpur is a town, villa city and a municipality in Nabarangapur district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of Nabarangpur district.

Geography and climate
Nabarangpur is situated at 19.23 Degree north latitude and 82.55 degrees east longitudes. It is 582m above sea level.

The climate is a tropical monsoon in Nabarangapur like the rest of Odisha. Monsoon season is mainly during the months of July, August, September, and October, and is not as harsh as it is in other parts of the state, bringing about moderate rainfall.

Summers in Nabarangpur is slightly hot, and this season runs during the months of March, April, May, and June. The summer months will experience an average temperature of around 31.0 °C, a minimum temperature of 24.9 °C and a maximum temperature of 37.1 °C. During winter the average temperature is around 19.2 °C, the minimum temperature is 12 °C, and the maximum temperature is 26.5 °C.

Demographics
India census, Nabarangapur had a population of 12,20,946. Males constitute 49.53% of the population and 50.47% are females.

Nabarangpur has an average literacy rate of 82.4%, higher than the national average of 74.0%.

Education
RCD High school is the oldest school in Nabarangpur established in 1934 for boys and Girls High School for girls. It is situated in Masjid Road in Pathan street. The school operates under Board of Secondary Education, Odisha.

Nabarangpur also has a Government Junior College for senior secondary education with Science, Arts, and Commerce streams.

Nabarangpur also has a Government Degree College offering a bachelor's degree in Science, Arts, and Commerce.

There is also a Women's College in Hirli Dongri Road, offering subjects in Arts.

Schools
There is a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Chutiaguda, Nabarangpur and many schools as follows:


 * Bapuji Public School,
 * Unique Public School,
 * Mother Teresa Public School,
 * Tiny Tots Public School,
 * Techno Gurukul School,
 * Nabarangpur Public School,
 * Theodore Public School,
 * Bidyaniketan Higher Secondary School,
 * Eklavya Model Residential School,
 * Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir,
 * Municipality High School,
 * JELC High School.
 * Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan
 * Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya

Colleges
There are also many college in Nabarangpur:


 * Raghavendra College
 * Bidyarthi College
 * Utkal Institute Of Arts & Management
 * Government Polytechnic
 * Model Degree College
 * Sai Vinayak Jr. College

Cultural Heritage
Nabarangpur District has an ancient tradition of Art and Culture, which was predominantly displayed in the erstwhile Koraput District. Many artisans, mostly residing in a street of Nabarangpur town, carry on the age-old handicraft. They manufacture boxes, toys, sticks, chains, pedestals of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, idols of other Gods and Goddesses, pooja articles and other decorative masterpieces, which are unique in the area and testify exemplary craftsmanship. ‘Dhanya Laxmi’ (Goddess Laxmi with pedestal) is a unique craft in paddy carried on by the artisans of the Dabugaon area in the District. Earthen works of Tonda near Papadahandi also testify exquisite craftsmanship.

Languages like Odia, Bhotra, Gond, Kandha, Paraja and Hindi and are widely spoken in Nabarangpur District. Tribals of the District perform folk dance like Rinjodi, Dhemsha, Sailodi, Gond, Geet Kudia, Ghumura, Madhya, etc. Male and female tribals take part in the dance with exuberance amidst melodious song and beat of drums in the background. Toys, boxes, pedestals of Hindu Gods and Goddess, Puja Articles and other decorative masterpieces are made by local craftsmen.

Maa Bhandargharani in Nabarangpur is the presiding deity of the locality. The name signifies the preserver of wealth and protector of lives. She is also worshipped in nearby villages. Tuesdays and Saturdays are marked for special worships. Many devotees gather in the temple premises on every conceivable occasion to seek blessings of the Goddess. Maa Pendrani of Umerkote which is visited by many devotees is born out of a legend. A small village Pendra (Pendrahandi), near Umerkote, worships a pure soul named Pendrani, a married girl who was the victim of secret jealousy of her own brothers.

Mondei
Mondei is a local festival that is widely celebrated in the Nabarangpur District. The word Mondei is derived from the Hindi word ‘Mondi’ which means a small market. This festival is celebrated by many people worshipping a common deity among prehistoric rituals. Fair and entertainment activities with folk dances and tribal opera can be seen for the whole night of the festival. Mondei is usually celebrated after harvesting of crops. The festival is observed at different popular locations throughout the District gathering men and women of the area and far off. There are various Socio-Cultural organizations that spearhead the cultural activities of the Nabarangpur District.

Rath Yarta
Rath yatra is celebrated in Nabarangpur with great enthusiasm and spirit. People from neighbor towns and villages come here and celebrate the occasion.

Durga Puja
Durga Puja is also one of the most celebrated festivals in Nabarangpur. Many Durga Puja Pandals are built across the city.

Food and Cuisines
Nabarangpur is known for its Odia cuisines and also for south Indian cuisines. There is a Gujarati and Rajasthani influence on food because of the numerous southern Indian, Gujarati and Rajasthani populations in the city. Many multi-cuisine restaurants have been opened in recent years, and many street food vendors operate in the city.

Politics
Nabarangpur is often referred to as the land of Late Sadhashiv Tripathy the erstwhile chief minister of Odisha and a freedom fighter. He was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly for four consecutive terms first in 1951 then in 1957, 1961, and 1967. He served as the revenue minister of Odisha for a long time. He served as the Chief Minister of Odisha between 1965 February 21 to 1967 March 8.Habibulla Khan of INC was elected as the MLA from Nabarangpur Assembly Constituency in 1977, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2004. He represented INC(I) in the 1980 elections. The current MLA is Sadasiva Pradhani of (BJD) who was elected in 2019. Jagannath Tripathy, a freedom fighter was also the MLA of Nabarangpur.