Khariar

Khariar (also called Khaliapali, Khadial, Rajkhariar, and Rajakhariar) is a town and a Notified Area Council in Nuapada District of the Indian state of Odisha.

Khariar
Town
Khadial
Coordinates: 20°17′N 82°46′E
Country India
StateOdisha
DistrictNuapada
Government
 • TypeNAC
 • BodyKhariar Notified Area Council
 • ChairmanNone
 • MLASri Aadhiraj Panigrahi (INC)
 • MPSri Basant Panda (BJP)
Area
 • Total16 km2 (6 sq mi)
Elevation
226 m (741 ft)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total18,087
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Odia
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
766107
Telephone code06671
Vehicle registrationOD-26
Websiteodisha.gov.in

History

The town of Khariar is believed to be a feudal seat founded by Vishwanath Dev Gajapati of the solar dynasty. According to the Fifth Report on the Affairs of the Company, Vishwanath Dev built up an empire that stretched from the confines of Bengal in the north to river Godavari in the south up to Telangana. He built a new capital called Rayagada in order to effectively consolidate his position in all four directions of the domain. The report also mentions that innumerable feudatories paid service to the royal seat of Vishwanath who then adopted the title of 'Gajapati' to prove his dominance in the region.[1]

However, the Qutb Shahi Sultans of Golconda attacked the kingdom of Suryavanshis following the death of Vishwanath. His son, Balaram Dev, fought courageously but lost the battle to Ibrahim Qutb Shah and became a vassal state.[2] In 1600, the Chauhan dynasty took charge of Khariar and Raja Gopal Rai who belonged to the Chauhan family of Balangir was crowned as the first king.

In 1711, Jeypore suffered a grievous betrayal when its feudal seat of Vizianagaram joined hands with the French and instructed the feudal seats of Khariar along with Kalahandi and Bindra-Nowagarh to rebelliously join the Maratha forces and clinch independence from the Jeypore Kingdom. This led to the formation of the Khariar Zamindari that stayed until its dissolution in 1952.[2]

Economy
Khariar Friday/Sukrabar Bazaar
Khariar Old Daily Market

Nuapada district is located in western part of Odisha in India and Khariar is located in the heart of Nuapada district. Khariar is the one of the major towns in Nuapada district. It is the main business centre in the locality. It has a daily market and a weekly bazaar takes place every Friday. Most people of Khariar are middle-class, which includes government employees, small shopkeepers, businessmen, etc. A shopping complex in Khariar i,e Mahavir Fashion, Star Computers,SG Fashion, Madhur Bazaar, Sree Collection, Saraf Store, K-Lounge, Pieter England, etc.

Geography

Khariar town is located at 20.28°N 82.77°E / 20.28; 82.77.[3] It has an average elevation of 226 m (741 ft). It is located in the western part of Odisha, close to the border of Raipur District, Chhattisgarh. It comes under a rain shadow belt. It belongs to the Mahanadi basin the Eastern Ghats where mountains are interspersed with wide valleys. The climate is tropical with the rainfall is due to the South West monsoon.

Demographics

As of the 2011 Indian census, Khariar has a population of 15,087. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Khariar has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. The male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 52%. In Khariar, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Odia is the official language of Khariar. Hindi is also spoken in Khariar. English is widely used for official purposes.

Khariar Mahotsav

Transportation

Khariar is a major transportation hub in Nuapada District as people from the three blocks, namely Boden, Sinapali and Khariar, depend on the mode of transportation available in Khariar. Though Khariar is not connected by rail, it is well connected by roads. The major roads passing through Khariar are NH 353 (Khariar-Raipur), NH 59 (Khariar-Gopalpur), SH 16 (Khariar-Sambalpur), and SH 44 (Khariar-Bhawanipatna). The nearest rail head is Kantabanji, which is situated 35 km from Khariar.[4] Another nearest railway station is Titlagarh (which is also the hottest place in India). The nearest airport is Raipur Airport, situated 195 kilometres (121 mi) from Khariar.

Khariar is connected by bus via the NH 353 & NH 59. The new railway line survey has been completed for Kantabanji to Jeypur via Khariar.

Nearby towns

Religious places

There are several religious places of different religions in Khariar; this indicates a diversity in religion, culture in Khariar. Some of the temples located in Khariar are:

  • Maa Samaleswari Temple, near Azad Chowk
  • Raktambari Mandir, near Azad Chowk
  • Hanuman Mandir, near Azad Chowk
  • Hanuman Mandir, Puruna Bustand
  • Dadhibamana Mandir, Badgudipada
  • Jagannath Temple
  • Ram Mandir
  • Hanuman Mandir, irrigation colony
  • Koshaleswar Temple, irrigation colony
  • Ganesh Mandir, irrigation colony
  • Bhubaneswari Mandir, irrigation colony
  • Shiva Temple, Duajhar
  • Maa Santoshi Mandir, Junen
  • Radha Krishna Mandir, Junen
  • Siva Mandir, Tirbandh
  • Siva Mandir, Muktasagar
  • Gayatri Mandir, Chalanpada
  • Radhakrushna Madir, Damapala
  • Shri Rameswara Siva Mandir, Bhaludungari
  • Shiv Temple, Dalpada

Some of the other religious places of other communities are:

  • Mukti Marg Church, Khariar
  • Sunni Hanfi Jama Masjid, Khariar
  • Sunni Jamat Eidgah, Khariar

Places of interest

Tourist destinations

There are several tourist spots around Khariar, including:

  • Patalganga: A tourist spot located approximately 30 km from Khariar which attracts pilgrims from different parts of Nuapada district as well as from neighbouring districts.[5]
  • Tikhali Dam: Officially known as the Lower Indra Irrigation Project, this dam is situated 17 km from Khariar.
  • Rusi Pitha: Rusipitha (Risipiti) is located near Tukla.
  • Jogimatha-Tukla

Markets
  • Daily Market (Fresh Market)
  • Goru/Sukrabar Bazar (Weekly)
  • New Daily Market (Near Old Bus Stand)
  • Machh Bazaar (Old Daily Market)
  • New Machh/Mansh Bazaar (Boden Chowk-Gadramunda Area)

Culture

Khariar's culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, dance etc. Khariar has a proud cultural heritage that arose due to intermingling of different religions. The major language used is Odia, which is widely used in each and every part of Khariar region. Nuakhai is the major festival celebrated in this region. The other festivals like Rathayatra, Dusshera, Holi, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Chindaguda (Dhanujatra, Anchalika Sanskrutik Utsav) are also celebrated in Khariar. Khariar organises Khariar Mahotsav[6] every year, which attracts a large number of people from different places.

The activities of this town include running of schools, shops or very small industries and bus communications. Other than these activities, political activities across the town are also common. In evenings, it is a common sight to see youth playing at various fields (mostly at Raja A.T. High School field, Vidya Mandir field, Bhojpur Field, College Field, and Shanti Nagar Field). Veterans also participate in several fitness activities during evenings, like jogging near Canal Road, Padampur Road, Tukla Road, Nehena Road, College Road, or Junen NH Road.

Notable persons
  • Mr Pabitra Mohan Pradhan he is one of the gem of khariar soil. He is a lawyer,social worker,a journalist, philanthropist,a poet, a writer and a director and a cultural genius. He got nrasulla smruti samman in the field of art and culture.


  • Manish Bansal, founder of news portal Newstrend.news.[8] In 2018, it was among the top 10 most popular websites of India with a position of number 10.[9]

References
  1. Presidency, Madras (1866). The Fifth Annual Report from the Select Committee on the Affairs of the East India Company (First ed.). United Scottish Press, London: Graves, Cookson & Co. p. 141,217. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  2. Dr Tara Dutt 2015, p. 45.
  3. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Khariar
  4. Indian Regional Mapping
  5. "Patalganga". nuapada.nic.in. National Informatics Center. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  6. "Khariar Mahotsav 2019". newstrend.news. Newstrend.
  7. "Kosal Ratna's contributions hailed in B'patna". dailypioneer.com/. The Pioneer group. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  8. "about us - Newstrend". newstrend.news. Newstrend. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  9. Rahul Kapil. "Top 10 Most Popular Websites In India". BlastingNews. Blasting News. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  10. dailypioneer.com/. The Pioneer group https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/state-editions/min-reviews-covid-preparedness-at-nuapada.html. Retrieved 16 June 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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