Tourist places in Kalahandi

Namaste.

Another one from Biswapati. This time the tourist places in Kalahandi.

Please read on.

Amathaguda: Amathguda is a fort, situated on the right bank of the river Telto, the place where the road leading towards Balangir crosses the river. It is now in complete ruins. Nothing is definitely known about this fort, as its remains have not yet been investigated. The fort, presumably, was of considerable strategic importance in view of the fact that it stood close to the point where the river was crossed since ancient time. The road that spanned the river by a low bridge ran almost on the old route. Another bridge was constructed about a few meters away from the old ruined bridge. The high floods in river Tel that occurred in 1977 have washed portions of this new bridge away.

Asurgarh: Asurgarh is a small village situated in Narla Police Station area and is known for the remains of old fort. It is 5 km from Narla and 3 km from Rupra Road Railway station. Not far from the village is an oval shaped tank nearly 200 acres (80.9374 Hects.) in area. Between the tank and the river Sandul lie the ruins of the fort ‘Asurgarh’. The fort in its original shape was rectangular covering a wide extent of land encircled by a boat. It has four entrances; one each on the east, west, south and north where the deities Ganga Devi, Kala Pahad, Vaishnavi and Budharaja are respectively being worshipped. Goddess Dokari (Literally means "Old Lady") is the presiding deity of the fort. The central part of the fort is elevated, which is supposed to be the ruins of a palace. Local people believe that the fort was the seal of a demon kind called Gosingha daitya.

Belkhandi: Situated on the confluence of the river Tel and Uttei, two tributaries of the river Mahanadi, Belkhandi has gained prominence as a centre of religious activities and archaeological importance with a picturesque site. Ruins of 12th Century monuments have been excavated from there in the recent past. Among the sculptures, unearthed images of Sapta Matruka (Seven Mother Goddesses) and Uma Maheswar are note-worthy. The ruins of Belkhandi are preserved in a small museum adjacent to the temple premises. It is also an ideal site for an outing. This place is 67 km from Bhawanipatna.

Ampani: 77 km from Bhawanipatna on the road towards Nawarangpur, the picturesque Ampani hills present a panoramic view of nature. A frolicking valley called "Haladigundi" in Thishill range exhibits some peculiar features due to the reflected rays on the sun. In the morning and evening, the objects of vision appear yellow. The whole area abounds in spotted deer, Sambar and Black Panthers who can be seen at the Behera reservoir. Gudahandi, famous for pre-historic cave paintings, is also close-by.

Gudahandi: The Gudahandi hills are situated in the vicinity of Khaligarh, a tiny village close to the Koraput district border, about 17 km north-east of Ampani. In the Gudahandi hills are some ancient caves bearing pictographic paintings of remote antiquity. Khaligarh is a very out of the way place, the 17 km from Ampani being cart track, parts of which pass through dense forest. Three small hills, all of curved length, are together known as the Gudahandi hills. The north and the south hills join each other in the east leaving a courtyard like valley in between which opens towards the west. A huge block of stone slopping down to the east paves this valley. Just at the foot of these hills facing the valley are rows of caves. Except the one in north, all the caves are small in size. Although at places hewed to shape by human hand, they are mostly natural caves in red slate stone. Pictographic paintings in red and black colors appear at the entrances of some of caves in the southern row. These have not yet been thoroughly studied but it is generally surmised that they bear resemblance to the picture scripts of the Indus valley civilization. Besides Gudahandi in Kalahandi district, Bikramkhol and Ulapgarh in Sambalpur district and Naraj in Cuttack district also possess some writings resembling pictographic paintings - a fact indicative of pre-historic man's habitation in Orissa. The third hill extending north to south stands like a way to the immediate west of the valley. But as this hill does not join with the other two, the valley is approachable from the north as well as from the south by a narrow pass. All the three hills, taken together, have the appearance of a pot with a lid on. The name Gudahandi, meaning a pot for molasses, may have its origin in the impression its shape apparently conveys. A rivulet named Behera flows past the village. There are remains of a very old dam across this rivulet; local people call it the work of Bhima, the second of the Pandavas.

Junagarh: It is ancient capital of Kalahandi. Junagarh was a well-built fort; the fortified area has a number of temples with Oriya inscriptions. ‘Sati pillars’, sculptural evidence of the "Sati-Rite" which was prevalent in medieval India, is also found here. Junagarh is 26 km. from Bhawanipatna.

Karlapat: Karlapat is a small village in Thuamul Rampur Police Station area. Nearby, there is a waterfall called “Khandual” fall at the foot of a hill. The hilltop is the abode of a female deity, “Khandua”. The fall was formerly utilized, in some indigenous manner, to operate a crushing mill. At Karlapat, there is a temple dedicated to "Ma Manikeswari".

Lanjigarh: Lanjigarh is a village situated to the south-east of Bhawanipatna, near the Kalahandi-Koraput border. It is 64 km. from Bhawanipatna by road. The 428 ft. high summit of the Nimgiri hills, situated just on the district border, overlooks a narrow valley to its north of which Lanjigarh forms the apex. Lanjigarh was the headquarters of Lanjigarh Zamindari under Kalahandi ex-state. The village has some fortifications with a large moat around. The deity "Dokari" is greatly revered in the area. The local Jhami Yatra or Jhamu Yatra in the month of Chaitra (March - April) is an occasion when thousands of people gather and witness the walking on burning charcoal by a number of devotees. Lanjigarh exports Black-gram(Biri), Ragi(Mandia), Sesamum(Til), mustard seeds and pulses (Kandul). Guava, Orange and Sugar cane are grown in plenty near Lanjigarh. River Bandhara originates from this hilly area.

Mohangiri: Mohangiri is a village in Madanpur-Rampur Police Station, close to the border with Boudh-Kandhamals in the north-east corner of the district. It is 35 km. from Madanpur Rampur. The village is near a stream called Kali Ganga. A dilapidated Siva temple stands on the bank of the stream. There are a few short epigraphs on its walls and pillars.

Phurlijharan: Fifteen kilometers from Bhawanipatna, Phurlijharan is a perennial waterfall about 30 ft in height and has a special charm of its own. The multicolored rainbow created by the sunrays falling on the scattered water particles of the fall is an amusing sight to be seen. The evergreen forests around the fall provide ample opportunities for picnics.

Rabandarh: Rabandarh is a place of great scenic beauty lying about 13 km. from Bhawanipatna and approachable by a dusty road. It is named after a small waterfall inside a mountain gorge. The panorama around provides some delightful contrasts of scenery, in mountains and over looking dales, in bore rocks and thick forests and in the eternal calmness of the surroundings broken by the music of the fall. The stream, which creates the fall, almost dries up during the hot season. Down stream, a minor irrigation project utilizes its water for agriculture purposes.