Kendujhar district

Kendujhar District, also known as Keonjhar District(Odia:କେନ୍ଦୁଝର ଜିଲ୍ଲା), is an administrative district of Orissa state in eastern India. The town of Kendujhar or Kendujhargarh is the district headquarters.

The district has an area of 8240 km², and lies between 21°1' N and 22°10' N latitude and 85°11' E to 86°22' E longitude. It is bounded by Mayurbhanj District, Balasore District and Bhadrak District to the east, Jajpur District to the south, Dhenkanal District, Anugul District and Sundargarh District to the west, and West Singhbhum district of the state of Jharkhand to the north.

History

The district of Keonjhar presents a panorama of millennia, both from the geographical and anthropological point of view. It is as varied as the whole of Orissa with water-falls roaring gorges, mountains and minerals. The manifold expressions of nature in this district are unique in Orissa.

Anthropologically, its two main tribes, namely the Juangs and the Bhuyans carry a distinct and primitive past. The Juang claims themselves to be the most ancient tribe of the world. In spite of their modern ways of living, many aboriginal practices are still prevalent among them.