Rayagada Tourism

Rayagada district is located in southern Odisha, India, and rich in mineral resources. It was founded as a separate district on 2nd October 1992, with Rayagada as headquarters. Most of the population that inhabits this district is tribal. The Kukhal or Kondh are the majority of indigenous taxpayers in the district, the Soura people being the second. A number of Adivasi languages like Kui, Kondha, and Soura are spoken besides Odia.

This District occupies a total area of 7,584.7 km2. Rayagada is divided into eleven blocks.

The Rayagada District, under the Kalinga empire in the third century BC during Ashoka’s reign, is richer in historical evidence. The Bhojpur Rock inscriptions in Brahmi of the Rastrik king Mandhata add on to the history of the Rayagada District. Afterward, in the Bhujab II (c.6.43), the Rastriks were defeated and fleeced by Kharvela. The accounts under Ganga Vansi and Surya Vansi Kings were transferred to Dadarnab Dev of Gudari Kataka. Evidence to this effect has been produced by finding a rock inscription found in the Brahmi script in the Pataleswar Temple.

As part of the extension plan of the districts of the Odisha state, Rayagada District was formed out of the erstwhile Koraput district on 2nd October 1992.