Raj-Ranpur

Raj-Ranpur is a town and a Notified Area Council in the district of Nayagarh in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.

The martyrs Shaheed Raghu-Dibakar (Raghunath Mohanty and Dibakar Parida) who were hanged for their resistance to British rule belong to this place.

The Raj-Ranpur town is situated at the foothills of Maninag Hills which is a hill-system covering the whole of Ranpur and much of the surrounding areas.

The area which is now part of the Ranpur town and the surrounding villages have continuously been inhabited by humans since the ancient times.

The Maninag Hills has many rocks and geological features which indicate the continuous inhabitation of the area by humans and other animals.

As per the traditional legend associated with the place, there used to be an Asura (Demon) named Ranasura who was creating trouble for the population and making their life miserable.

Many times battles were fought between the rulers of Nayagarh and Ranpur with several military reverses inflicted on each other.

Shortly afterwards in 1592, Odisha became part of the Mughal Empire after the successful military campaign of Man Singh against the Afghans of Bengal.

In 1993, during the Janata Dal government of Odisha, the Chief Minister of the state Biju Patnaik resolved to increase the number of districts from 13 to 30.

Also famous is the Rath Yatra (Ratha Jatra in Oriya), the Chariot Festival which falls in June/July every year.

Among other sites in the town, is the Royal Palace (Rajaprasada in Oriya) which is situated at the main market area near the Jagannath Temple.

Ranpur was one of the 26 princely Indian States which were merged with the modern province of Odisha after India achieved independence in 1947.

The town's roads connect to other places within the districts of Nayagarh and Khordha including Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha.

A small temple built on the hilltop, it overlooks the town of Ranpur and has a birds eye view over a long distance.

However, due to the slash-and-burn method of cultivation by the locals, the green canopy of the hills has completely vanished and is in urgent need of afforestation.

Ranpur has its own representation in the State Legislative Assembly of Odisha ever since the first General Elections were conducted in 1952 after India became a republic.

Shri Ramakanta Mishra from the Congress holds the record for winning the most Vidhan Sabha elections from Ranpur.

Among the earlier MLAs since 1952, notable are Raja Brajendra Chandra and Basanta Manjari Devi, both of whom belonged to the Congress Party.