Angul district

Angul is a district of state in. The city of is the district headquarters. Angul is considered the industrial capital of Orissa.

Overview
Angul, situated at the heart of the is an integral part of the state contributing towards the rich culture, tradition and socio-economic development of the state of Orissa. This district was formally formed out of the former undivided [Dhenkanal] district on the date of April 1, 1993 by the late Chief Minister of Orissa, Mr. . The district covers a geographical area of about 6232 square kilometers and has a population of about 11.40 lakhs. The district is abundant with natural resources, which ultimately help the district to contribute maximum amount of revenues to the state government. Angul, The  is about 150 kilometers from the state capital. It is situated on the National Highway No 42, making it well accessible from all parts of the state.

Rivers
and rivers flow through District.

Administrative Divisions
Angul district is divided into a number of Blocks, Tehsils and subdivisions to ease in administration. They are:

Blocks
 * Angul Sadar
 * Athamalik Sadar
 * Chhendipada
 * Talcher Sadar
 * Pallahada Sadar
 * Banarpal
 * Kishorenagar
 * Kanhia

Tehsils
 * Angul
 * Athamalik
 * Talcher
 * Pallahada
 * Chendipada

Subdivisions
 * Angul
 * Athamalik
 * Talcher
 * Pallahada

Industries
Large scale steel giants like JINDAL Group, BHUSAN Steel are establishing their respective plants in the vicinity of Angul. At Talcher : Industries like NTPC, FCI, MCL are situated here. Talcher is well known for its huge coal mines and National Thermal Power Plant NALCO Nagar This is the place where Asia’s largest aluminum is situated. That is why this place is called Nalco Nagar. It is about 6 kilometers from the district headquarter and about 144 kilometers from the Capital city of Bhubaneswar. It is situated on the, and well connected with other parts of the state with bus services. Visitors are also allowed to visit the plant site during the Festival.

Places of Worship
Anugul - Budhi Thakurani Temple built on a small hill.Recently a huge Jagannatha Temple has also been built near the Budhi Thakurani temple

Tikarapada
Location : It is about 60 kilometers from the district headquarter and about 200 kilometers from Bhubaneswar. Regular bus services are available from to Tikarapada, via  and. Besides one can take a taxi service from Angul to Tikarapada, via village, , and Jaganathpur and probably this is a comfortable route, This is probably the most important wildlife tourist attraction of the district. This place is famous for the Sanctuary, which is situated on the bank of River. Wildlife lovers can have a chance to watch Tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, mouse deer, nilagai, four-horned antelope and sloth bear. Wild dogs used to be sighted often. Many resident birds frequent this place. Reptiles like the gharial, mugger crocodile, fresh water turtle and poisonous and non-poisonous snakes can also be sighted. Besides, this is also very much popular among the tourists as a trekking hotspot. Tikarapada is also famous for the of river Mahanadi around lush green forest.

Bhimkund
This is another tourist place of Angul district, situated about 28 kilometers from the town of Talcher. One can see the sleeping statue of on the river bed of.

Deulajhari
One more important place from both religious and natural beauty point of view is Deulajhari, better known as the ancient citadel of Saivism. The legacy of traditions and worships in the temple mirrors a heritage in its past and present flowing in to eternity. The temple has been consecrated amidst lush indigenous-jasmine forest (locally known as Kiabana) that stands as the high walls. To the south of the temple flows the sacred river Chitrotpala, and in the north stands the towering hills of Panchadhara. The uniqueness of the place lies in its hot springs that surround the temple. As per the ancient records, there were eighty-four such hot springs in and around the place. But as of now there are as many as twenty-four springs still active. Among these springs, the most popular are Agnikunda, Taptakunda, Himakunda, Amrutakunda and Labakusakunda. The temperature of water in these springs varies from 40 degrees Celsius to 62 degrees Celsius. In some old historical records the temperature was recorded as high as 134 degrees Celsius (273 °F). The scientific survey reveals that the underneath sulphur layer of earth make the water hot. In front of the temple there are two such twin springs containing the hot and cold water. This twin spring is a mystery of the nature. There is constant inter-flow of water between them. But the temperature of both the springs remains constant. The temple complex covers an area of twenty-four acres of land. The presiding deity adores the main temple. The other important temples in the complex are, , , and. Mythlogically, the place is related to the age of in which the lord Rama along with Sita Devi and the younger brother Laxman worshiped the Lord Shiva at this place in course of their fourteen years of exile life. In the world of spiritualism the place is also viewed as the of. But how and when this pitha became the saivic place of worship is yet a topic of research among the spiritual fathers. Historical records show that the presently standing main temple was built by the King Kishore Chandra Deo of in the year 1936. Subsequently adjacent temples in the premises were built by other benevolent persons and devotees. Fasts and festivals throughout the year keep the temple and its surroundings lively. The appearance of many saints, sadhus and preceptors at many times fills the atmosphere with divine reverence. In each (new moon) and  (1st day of the month, as per Oriya Calendar) people from far off villages gather here to offer rituals to Sidheswarbaba, the sylvan deity of the temple.

The important festivals are Panasankranti, Sitalasasthi, Kartika Purnima, Makaramela, & Sivaratri. The other significant feature of this place is Barunisnahanayoga[1]. The Jagannath Calendar[2] is the prevalent Calendar of the temple. As per this panjika in the year 1971 there was a Barunisnahanyoga at this place. The devotees take holy bath in the Baruni stream that flows near the temple. From the viewpoint of medical science the place bears a great importance. The silent nature with its lackadaisical posters gives a healing touch to the persons suffering from many mental and neurological problems. The water of the hot spring cures skin and nerve diseases. The place also offers many interesting features for Botanical research. The soil and water of the region is not suitable for the growth of normal trees. Yet the place is full of with shrub, greenery and flowers. This geo-climatic condition is a fertile ground for many medical as well as botanical researches.

Ogi-Para
It is situated near National Highway No 42, just 2 kilometers from the highway near village Kanjara. It is 27 kilometers from the district headquarters of Angul. Regular bus services are available for Ogi-Para from Angul. These are two adjacent villages divided by river and popular for the Budha Thakura Temple and Agara Fair or  Fair[3].Besides, there is a small temple in the village of Ogi, where the idol of Goddess Budha Thakura is kept. The Agara Jatra[4] is one of the oldest festivals of its kind in the area. One can also visit these places just to have first hand experiences of village life. Besides, one can experience the life of mud thatched houses, without electricity, drinking water and proper roads and close to dense forest. The inhabitants do cultivation for living.

Kanjara is a big village situated 20km from Angul.The important festivals are dol yatra ,Rath yatra, dand yatra , chandan yatra ,ramnavami.