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Rairangpur
Rairangpur () is a city and a tehsil in the Mayurbhanj district of the state of Odisha, India. It is located 287 kilometres from the state capital Bhubaneswar, 82 kilometres from the district headquarters of Baripada, and about 73 kilometres from Jamshedpur. Rairangpur is the second largest city in the Mayurbhanj district, 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, attracting many foreign tourists. India's 15th and current President Smt. Droupadi Murmu served as a teacher in Rairangpur from 1994 to 1997.[2] EtymologyThe name 'Rairangpur' does not have any exclusively documented origin; the most likely possibility is that the name was formed from the conglomeration of 'rai' (king/royalty), 'rang' (color/joy), and 'pur' (town/city). The city was formerly referred to as Bamanghaty on 18th-19th century maps, however this name fell out of favor. GeographyRairangpur is located at 22°16′N 86°10′E / 22.27°N 86.17°E.[3] It has an average elevation of 248 m (814 ft). The city mainly consists of shops, rice paddies and trees and branches out of the National Highway 220. The villages, buildings, and markets on either side of the road expands until it reaches farmland. HistoryThe kingdom of Mayurbhanj was formed through the bifurcation of the Khijjinga Dynasty of local Kshatriya heritage,[4] in which the Bhanjas established the kingdom of Keonjhar and the kingdom of Mayurbhanj. The ruler of Mayurbhanj shifted their capital from Khiching to Haripur, while the ruler of Keonjhar shifted their capital to Kendujhargarh subsequently after Firoz Shah Tughlaq plundered Keonjhar during his invasion in 1361 CE, when his armies marched through Singhbum, Manbhum and Mayurbhanj. In 1577, the Mughals conquered the Mayurbhanj princely state, around 51 years after the First Battle of Panipat. During Mughal rule in Mayurbhanj, there was an extensive concentration of fortifications and defences, of which according to accounts by Raja Man Singh, there were 18 forts in the entirety of the state. These forts were located at Bhanjbhum, Mantri, Hariharapur, Dewalia, Purunia, Karkachua, Bamanghati, and Sarhonda. Rairangpur Garh was founded by King Madhabdas Narendra Mohapatra. In the year 1878, Bamanghaty was ruled by King Krushna Chandra Bhanjdeo.[5] Later in the year 1918, Rairangpur was officially named after Rairangpur Garh. The Mayurbhanj princely state heavily influenced Rairangpur from the 12th century AD till it's accession to the Republic of India in 1949.[citation needed] 
Then on 1 May 2014, Rairangpur Municipality was formed under the laws as per the Municipalities Act. 1950 notification released by Government of Odisha. DemographicsAccording to the 2001 Census of India,[1] 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. EconomyRairangpur 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. Climate
TransportationRairangpur 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.
Rairangpur has its local airstrip namely Dandbose Aerodrome (Rairangpur Airport). In most cases celebrities land here by their chopper. CultureMakar Parba is the most popular festival of Odisha, being widely celebrated here with great enthusiasm. As Makar comes once in year, a unique vibe 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 nearbyTusu Mela where people gather largely to witness those idols of Tusu. Other religious festivals : Kumara Purnima, Maha Shivaratri, Raja Parba, Rath Yatra. During Rath Yatra (Car Festival), people from all sections of the society pull the Ratha (Chariot) of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister goddess Subhadra to their Mausibadi (Aunt's place) from the temple. Uda Parba or Uda Jatra, is a festival of Lord Shiva celebrated here on 15 April, Pana Sankranti every year. Most commonly Deepawali, Durga Puja, Ganesh Puja and Saraswati Puja's are celebrated all over Rairangpur. Popular idols belongs to Ichinda, Bazar, Kucheibudhi, Anladuba, Sakiladihi and Purnaghaty area. Chhau dance of this Bamanghati Subdivision is famous all over the world. Jhumar is the local genre. Places of interest 
Sports and entertainmentCricket is the most widely played sport in the city. "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.
Children's Park, Kacheri Road Birsamunda Park , Mahuldiha
Odisha has now got its first VR Virtual Reality (VR)center at Mind Shift. Lifestyle and language Rairangpurians follow a moderate lifestyle and they live in peace and harmony and celebrate various religious festivals together. Odia is the most common language spoken by locals. Hindi, the national language, is also spoken, alongside the Santali language Landmarks Most populated areas belong to:
Nationalised banks
Educational institutions  This place is rapidly growing in the educational infrastructure. Some of the Government & Private funded educational institutes are :
PoliticsMr. 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. [23] Rairangpur is part of Mayurbhanj (Lok Sabha constituency). [24] Notable people
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