Balangir of Balangir District of Odisha possesses the charm and serenity of the old day"s fashion. It is one of the major commercial towns in the western part of Odisha.

Location of Balangir
Balangir is located at 20.72 degree North to 83.48 degree East. It has an average elevation of 383 metres (800 feet).

History of Balangir
The name of Balangir is said to have been derived from Balaram Garh, a fort, built here in the 16th Century by Balram Deo, the 19th Raja of Balangir (Ex-Patna State) and founder of Sambalpur kingdom. Balangir was an obscure village till 1871 when the Court of Wards administration during the minority of the then ruler Ram Chandra Deo III shifted the capital from Patnagarh. Immediate steps were taken to build a planned township. Patnagarh, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Patna for several centuries, was considered unsuitable to be the state headquarters because of its unhealthy climate. The moats and the bamboo thickets which had long protected the place against enemies became breeding ground of mosquitoes causing widespread malaria. The place was also not on the direct road from Bhawanipatna to Sambalpur District, Odisha. So, Balangir was selected to be the headquarters not only because of its climate but also for its admirable location on the route connecting the headquarters of Sambalpur with that of Kalahandi.

Demography of Balangir
Balangir had a population of 98,238. Males constitute 50,582 of the population and females 47,656.

Administration of Balangir
Balangir city has nearly forty Pada`s. Some of the largest "Padas" of Balangir city are Rugudi Pada, Behera Pali Pada, Sud Pada, Maal Pada, Tikra Pada, Radharani Pada, Sagar Pada, Pratapsagar pada, Talpali Pada, Jagannath Pada, Thikadar Pada, Palaceline, Gandhinagar Pada, Shanti Pada, Barpali Pada, Tulsinagar Pada, and Kansari Pada.

Tourim in Balangir
Balangir has many tourist destinations like Ranipur, Jharial, Harishankar Temple, Patnagarh, Sonepur, Rajendra Park, Agalpur, Maa Pataneswari Temple, Maa Samaleswari Temple, Shyama Kali Temple, Khujenpali Ashram, Shiridi Sai Temple, Sheetala Mata Temple, Mausima Temple, Ramji Mandirand Gandhamardhan Hills.

Visiting Information
Balangir is 327 km from Bhubaneswar, Odisha and has direct road connections to major towns of the State. It is also a railhead on the South Eastern Railway.

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