Lanjigarh and its Hidden Potential

Kalahandi District:

Kalahandi, is a district of Odisha in India. It was Known as Mahakantara (great forest) in ancient India. The region had a glorious past and great civilization in ancient time. Archaeological evidence of Stone Age and Iron Age human settlement has been recovered from this region. In 1980s, Kalahandi’s name became associated with Backwardness and Starvation deaths. Despite its Backwardness, it is one of the rich regions in terms of History, Agriculture,Forest Resources, Gemstone, Bauxite, Folk Dance, FolkMusic, Folklore, Handicrafts, Culture and Art. Tel is the main river of Kalahandi.

Lanjigarh:

Lanjigarh is a village situated on the South-Eastern side of Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi District. This served as the headquarters of Lanjigarh Zamindari under the former state, Kalahandi. It is a beautiful village at the foothills of the Niyamagiri mountain range. The picturesque village is surrounded by many mountains & dense forests. The Temples of Lord Gopinath, Lord Jagannath, Lord Shiva & Goddess Bhairabi are few of the prime attractions in Lanjigarh.

Lanjigarh block consists of 21 Gram Panchayats namely:

LANJIGARH BLOCK
GP NAME	GP NAME
1.      Bandhapari	12. Baterlima
2.      Bengaon	13. Bhatangpadar
3.      Bhurtigarh	14. Bijepur
4.      Biswanathpur	15. Champadeipur
5.      Chhatrapur	16. Gobardhanpur
6.      Gundri	17. Kamardha
7.      Kankutru	18. Lakhabahali
8.      Lanji	19. Lanjigarh
9.      Lanjigarhroad	20. Malijubang
10.  Pahadpadar	21. Pokharibandh
11.  Trilochanpur

Different Villages under Lanjigarh Gram Panchayat are:

1. Balabhadarapur Village	14. Jagannathpur Village
2. Bandhaguda Village	15. Jamchuan Village
3. Bandhguda Village	16. Kadamguda Village
4. Banigaon Village	17. Kansari Village
5. Basantapada Village	18. Kasibadi Village
6. Bhatajori Village	19. Kendubardi Village
7. Borbhata Village	20. Kenduguda Village
8. Bundel Village	21. Kotadwara Village
9. Chanalima Village	22. Lanjigarh Village
10. Dangarguda Village	23. Narayanpur Village
11. Dengsargi Village	24. Rangapali Village
12. Gaipatta Village	25. Similibhata Village
13. Goudapada Village	26. Sindhibahali Village

Jhami Yatra/ Jhamu Yatra:

The local Jhami Yatra or Jhamu Yatra in the month of Chaitra (March – April) is an occasion where thousands of people gathered and witness the walking on burning charcoal by a number of devotees. Persons observing 'Brata' or vow in honour of the deity walk on thorns and on the bed of live charcoal amidst holy cheers and loud drumming. Those who walk on fire are known as 'Nian Patua' ('Nian' for fire) and those on thorns are called 'Kanta Patua' ('Kanta' for thorn). By doing these they try to draw the kind attention of the God or Goddess whom they seek to Win or regain the favor of God.

Agriculture:

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 Banadhara originates from this hilly area.

Unemployment Problem:

Lanjigarh and other parts of Kalahandi faced more than a Century of Draught. Droughts have occurred in Kalahandi in 1868, 1884 and 1897. The famine of 1899 is otherwise known as Chhapan Salar Durbhikshya. A series of drought in 1922-1923, 1925-1926. 1929-1930 1954-1955 and 1955-56 occurred in Kalahandi. The terrible drought of 1965-66, which occurred in Kalahandi, totally broke down the economic backbone of the people. Due to lack of rain, three-fourth crop production failed. The effect of the drought continued to be felt in 1967. This was again followed by the famine of 1974-75 and in 1985 the region was hit by drought once again. People used to sell their children for paltry amount to save their life. Along with the drought, problems such as rural unemployment, non-industrialization, growth of population and rapid deforestation are some of the major problems of Kalahandi. As a result either he has migrated from his motherland or lived in the wasteland as a crippled soldier. Lanjigarh and other parts of the Kalahandi District have expeienced higher number of migrant workers to other states. Agriculture alone has not been enough for employment generation in this region.

Tapping the Hidden Potential:

Industrialization:

The rich Bauxite reserves in Niyamagiri range serves as a great potential for Industrialization. The Bauxite in the entire Kalahandi District and its surroundings are considered to be rich in quality and quantity. Industrialization in such a location can bring a turnaround, making Lanjigarh and it’s surrounding a place of great significance. We have already seen and experienced it in the past as to what has happened with the cities like Rourkela, Jajpur, Angul, Jharsuguda, Paradeep & many more cities which have transformed and developed multifold due to industrialisation.

Tourism:

Bestowed with great natural resources like Mountains, Springs, Waterfalls, Flowing Rivers and Forests, this place has a great potential to be moulded in to a place of Tourist attraction. The unique culture and religious practices of the people in combination with the Folklore, Folk Dance and Folk Music makes it a lucrative package for Culture and Art loving people.

Gemstones:

A Place which is known for rich Gemstone deposit like cat's eye, sapphire, ruby, garnet, crystal, topaz, moonstone, diamond, tourmoline, acquamarine, beryle and alexandrite etc remains still untapped. An organized way of extracting such rich and valuable Gemstones will create encouraging Business Opportunity for people and there by leading to Employment generation and Economic Development.