Sambalpur district

Sambalpur District is the westernmost district in the state of,. The historic city of is the district headquarters.

The district is located in the basin. It has a total area of 6,702 square kilometers, of which almost 60% of the district is covered in dense forest. The district is bounded by to the east,  and  districts to the west,  to the north, and  and  districts in the south.

Sambalpur city is the connecting city between and Orissa. Whereas it used to be known for its importance as a trading centre, nowadays it is mainly known for its textiles. It's a good place from which to explore the surrounding forests and spot some of the rare species still roaming the area in one of the wild life sanctuaries, such as the well-known Badrama sanctuary.

History
Sambalpur is mentioned in the book of  as Sambalaka on the river Manada (the ). This gateway to the exotic charms of the western region of Orissa was the cradle of an ancient civilization and is an important landmark in India's cultural history.

Sambalpur was a former of. When its ruler died without a direct male heir in, the British seized the state under the. It was attached to the British, but was transferred to the in. The district was transferred back to Bengal in, but the subdivisions of Phuljhar and Chandarpur-Padampur remained with the Central Provinces. Bengal's Orissa division became part of the new province of Bihar and Orissa in, and in became the separate province of Orissa. After Indian Independence in, Orissa became an Indian.

Sambalpur District was subsequently divided into four separate districts. Bargarh was separated in 1993, and the Jharsuguda and Deogarh districts were separated in 1994.

Places of interest
The town of Sambalpur, lying 321 km from, is an ancient centre for the trade is famous for its internationally renowned textiles , rich tribal heritage and fabulous forestlands. Sambalpur is easily accessible by rail and road.

, the presiding deity of this region is enshrined at 'Samalai Gudi' on the bank of Mahanadi River. The other temple of importance is the Budharaja Temple, dedicated to and is perched atop the Budharaja hill. These temples are located at a few kilometres' distance from Sambalpur. The, the longest dam of the world, is some 15 kilometres from Sambalpur and can be easily visited on a day trip.

About 20 km from Sambalpur lies the Huma Temple which is a leaning structure, angling up to almost an astonishing 17 degrees. A mystery of engineers since the past few decades, it was made by the erstwhile ruler of Sambalpur.