Rairangpur

Rairangpur (Odia pronunciation^ⓘ ରାଇରଙ୍ଗପୁର) is a village and tehsil in the Mayurbhanj district situated on the banks of the river Khadkhai in the state of Odisha, India. It is located 82 kilometres from the district headquarters of Baripada, and about 73 kilometres from Jamshedpur. Rairangpur is the second largest village in the Mayurbhanj district as well as a notable mining area of Odisha, producing iron-ore from the Gorumahisani, Badampahar, and Suleipat mines. The Kharkhai (Suleipat) Dam and the Simlipal Tiger Reserve are among the nearby local attractions.

India's 15th and current President Smt. Droupadi Murmu served as a teacher in Rairangpur from 1994 to 1997, as NAC Chairperson from 1997 to 2000 and as MLA from 2000 to 2009.^[2]

Previously, the town was originally called 'Brahmin Ghati', named after the area's relatively hilly terrain. The term eventually corrupted over time and became 'Bamanghati', anglicised in various Company maps as 'Baumingaut' or 'Baumeen Gaut'. The town was later renamed to 'Rairangpur' in late 1918, named after Rairangpur Garh.

Rairangpur is located at 22°16′N 86°10′E / 22.27°N 86.17°E / 22.27; 86.17.^[3] It has an average elevation of 248 m (814 ft). The village mostly consists of shops, rice paddies, and foliage. Roads branch out of the National Highway 220 to areas like Dubulabeda, Sanchampauda, Padmapur and Bhalbadrapur. The villages, buildings, and markets on both sides of the road are generally surrounded by vast swaths of farmland, most of which remains uncultivated or unmaintained.

The first mention of Rairangpur (then Bamanghati) is found during the rule of Baidyanatha Bhanjadeba of Mayurbhanj. According to accounts of Mayurbhanj, there was a fort located at Bamanghati called Rairangapurgarh among other places in the state. However, the earliest map of Bamanghati is found in the Map of Bengal and Bahar, 1781 by James Rennell.

As the Coastal Belt of Orissa had come under Mughal rule from 1590 to 1750, the remaining areas like Mayurbhanj never came under any Islamic rule because of hilly terrain. Mayurbhanj continued to be ruled by Bhanja dynasty.

Towards the end of March, 1866, the people of Bamanghati pargana revolted against the rule of Srinath Bhanja Deo for his inability to handle the Na Anka Durbikhya famine of 1866, which was suppressed by the Maharaja's administration shortly after.

Rairangpur Garh was founded by Madhabdas Narendra Mohapatra in 1878 near Bamanghaty when Mayurbhanj ruled by King Krushna Chandra Bhanjadeo.^[5]

In late 1918, Bamanghati was officially renamed after Rairangpur Garh as Rairangapur.

In 1919, Rairangpur became the headquarters of the Bamanghaty subdivision, replacing Bahalda.

The Mayurbhanj princely state heavily influenced Rairangpur's culture and politics from the 11th century up until its accession to the Dominion of India in 1949.

On 24 April 1960, the Rairangpur Notified Area Council (NAC) was formed with 15 wards. It is notable that India's current president Smt. Droupadi Murmu was the chairwoman of the NAC from 1997 to 2000.

According to the 2001 Census of India,^[8] Rairangpur has a population of 21,682. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. It has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 65%. And 12% of the total population is under 6 years of age.

Rairangpur acts as a liaison centre between Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, Durgapur in West Bengal and the iron ore mines in Gorumahisani, Badampahar and Suleipat. The steel factories of Tata and the surrounding areas rely partly on the iron ores extracted from these mines. In addition to freight trains, there is also a DEMU passenger train from Jamshedpur to Badampahar via Rairangpur.

As surrounded by hills, iron ore is abundantly found here. The first iron ore mines of Asia were in Gorumahisani, Suleipat and Badampahar (mother mines of Tata Steel). The first ever trial for setting up a "Ferro Vanadium Plant" was made by Mayurbhanj Maharaja during pre-independence days. Currently, thousands of tonnes of iron ore are exported from here on a daily basis.

The majority of the population is dependent on paddy harvesting (farming) as either their main source or as an alternate source of income. The direct and indirect dependency of the economy of this place is largely influenced by paddy harvesting. The same is again largely dependent on the annual rainfall during May–September. The Kharkhai (Suleipat) Dam and The Bankbal Dam irrigate some of the cultivating lands and helps with the kharif harvesting.

It has the oldest and the largest "Sal Oil Extraction Plant" which has been closed for years. The area suffers due to less attention in the political environment with few resources and funds allocated for development from government or private sources.

Rairangpur lies on the Tatanagar-Badampahar branch line of Indian Railways.

Daily passenger train runs from Jamshedpur (Tatanagar) to Badampahar.

And weekly train Badampahar-Rourkela intercity Express runs on Sunday and Badampahar-Shalimar Express runs on Saturday.

Air conditioned luxurious buses to Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Keonjhar, Rourkela, Tatanagar and Kolkata are available. Local buses and jeeps are there every fifteen to thirty minutes to all small villages and towns. Important traffic points of the village:

• Bajar Golei Chhak
• Durga Mandapa Chhak
• Raghunath Murmu Chhak

Rairangpur has its local airstrip namely Dandbose Aerdrome. In most cases celebrities land here by their chopper.

Makar Parba is widely celebrated here, being the most popular festival of Odisha. As Makar comes once in year, a unique atmosphere is created among people, they wear new clothes and make Pitha (Rice Cake) in their homes, eat it and distribute to their relatives spreading love and affection.Also village people make Tusu (Cosmic Goddess) represent and them in the nearby Tusu Mela where people gather largely to witness those idols of Tusu.

Other religious festivals : Kumara Purnima, Maha Sibaratri, Raja Parba, Ratha Jatra.

During Ratha Jatra (Car Festival), people from all sections of the society pull the Ratha (Chariot) of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and goddess Subhadra to their Mausibadi (Aunt's place) from the temple.

Uda Parba or Uda Jatra, is a festival of Lord Siba celebrated here on 15 April, Pana Sankranti every year.

Most commonly Deepabali, Durga Puja, Ganesa Puja and Saraswati Puja's are celebrated all over Rairangpur. Popular idols belongs to Ichinda, Bajar, Kucheibudhi, Anladuba, Sakiladihi and Purnaghaty area.

Chhau dance is famous all over the world. Jhumar is the local genre.

Santalis, Mundas, Oraons are the commonly found tribes here. It is a tribal majority region, hence tribal festivals are common here.

• Jagannatha Temple^[9]
• Hanuman Batika & Bajar^[10]
• Birsa Munda Park ^[11]
• Indira Gandhi Children's Park^[12]
• Routhkamar Mini Park^[13]
• Gandhi Park ^[14]
• Asurghati waterfall ^[15](ଅସୁରଘାଟି ଜଳପ୍ରପାତ)
• Suleipat Dam^[16] Kharkhai Dam (ସୁଳେଇପାଟ ଓ ଖରାଖାଇ ବନ୍ଧ)
• Bankabal Dam (ବାଙ୍କବାଳ ବନ୍ଧ)
• Simlipal National Park
• Purunia Sibasambhu Temple (ପୁରୁଣିଆ ଶିବଶମ୍ଭୁ ମନ୍ଦିର)
• Raghu Nath Jiu Math (ରଘୁନାଥଜୀଉ ମଠ, ଅଁଳାଦୁବ)
• Badampahar Mines (ବାଦାମପାହାଡ଼ ଖଣି)
• Gorumahisani Mines (ଗୋରୁମହିଷାଣୀ ଖଣି)
• Bodo Bandha (ବଡ଼ବନ୍ଧ )

Cricket is the most widely played sport in the village. "Deepak Kumar Memorial (DKM)", Mahuldiha organizes a cricket tournament every year. Being the most popular cricket tournament here, teams of different parts of the state and nearby participate and perform their talent. Likewise, "Rairangpur Premier League (RPL)" is also organized at Kacheri Stadium (Rairangpur Stadium).

Sports organised by various village youth associations just after Makar Sankranti is one of the age old sports activity promoting youth athletes with very colorful and festive events during January & February every year.

• Park

Children's Park, Kacheri Road Birsamunda Park , Mahuldiha

• VR Center

Odisha now has its first VR Virtual Reality (VR)center at Mind Shift.

Rairangpurians follow a moderate rural lifestyle, living in peace and harmony and celebrating various religious festivals together.

Odia is the most common language spoken by locals. Alongside, the Santali language is spoken in certain communities/villages.

Most populated areas belong to:

• Mahuldiha
• Anladuba
• Bazar Area
• Baidaposi
• Bikash Nagar
• Banasahi
• Garh
• Ichinda
• Kucheibudhi
• Purnaghaty
• Pichhilighaty
• Sakiladihi
• Thakuranibeda

• Axis Bank
• Bandhan Bank
• Bank of India
• Canara Bank
• HDFC Bank
• ICICI Bank
• IDBI Bank
• Oriental Bank of Commerce
• Punjab National Bank
• State Bank of India
• Syndicate Bank
• UCO Bank
• Union Bank of India

This place is rapidly growing in the educational infrastructure. Some of the Government & Private funded educational institutes are :

• Government Boys High School^[17]
• Government Girls High School^[18]
• Raghu Nath Jiu High School^[19]
• SSDD Girls' High School (Kanya Aashram), Rairangpur^[20]
• Pichlighaty High School
• Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir
• Rairangpur College (North Orissa University)
• Mahila Mahavidyalaya^[21]
• Rairangpur ITI (Technical)
• Kerala Public School^[22]
• Little Flower School^[23]
• Sparsh Public School
• Sunshine English Medium School
• Madina Public School
• Kalinga English Medium School
• Venketeswar Public School
• Fact Computer Education
• Kendriya Vidyalaya
• Technoworld +2 Sc. College
• Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya, Sanmouda
• Cosmos International School
• Richard Mission Primary School^[24]

Mr. Abhishek Pattanaik of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is the chairperson of the Rairangpur Municipality.

Mr. Jalen Naik of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the present MLA from Rairangpur Assembly Constituency,

Mr. Nabacharan Majhi of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who was previous MLA won MP elections in 2024 recently and became a Member of Parliament from Rairangpur (Mayurbhanj).

Previous MLAs from this seat were Mr. Saiba Sushil Kumar Hansdah of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in 2014. Mr. Shyam Charan Hansdah of Indian National Congress (INC) in 2009, Mrs. Droupadi Murmu of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2000, Laxman Majhi of INC in 1995, Chaitanya Prasad Majhi of Janata Dal (JD) in 1990, Bhabendra Nath Majhi of INC in 1985, Sidhalal Murmu of INC(I) in 1980, and Arjun Majhi of Janata Party (JNP) in 1977. ^[25]

Rairangpur is part of Mayurbhanj (Lok Sabha constituency). ^[26]

• Droupadi Murmu, 15th President of India.
• Raghunath Murmu, Santali Ol Chiki script inventor, born near Rairangpur

• Ama Sahara Ama Khabar, Rairangpur | 30 July 2019 | Kalinga TV on YouTube
• http://censusindia.gov.in/NprStateReport.aspx?stcd=21&distcd=07

• On Wikimapia Rairangpur Town all banks, Tourist Places Full details
• Website for Rairangpur(Mayurbhanj)