The present District of Kalahandi was in ancient times a part of South Kosals.  It was princely state.  After Independence of the Country,merger of princely state took place on 1st January, 1948. The  princely state of Kalahandi was merged in Orissa alongwith other princely states in the 1st November, 1949. Subsequently,in  1962, Kashipur Police Station was taken out from this District and merged with Koraput.

Geographical Location

Kalahandi district occupies the South-Western portion of Orissa and is situated between 19 degree 3' N and 21 degree 5' N latitude and 82 degree 30 E and 83 Degree 74' E langitude. It is bounded in the North by the District of Balangir and Nawapara, on the South by the District of Rayagada, on the West by the District of Nawarangpur and Raipur (Chhatisgarh) and on the East by the District of Rayagada and Boudh. It extends over an area of 8,364.89 Sq.K.Ms. The District Headquarters is at Bhawanipatna town which stands almost to the Eastern border.

Topography

The District has two distinct physiographic regions, the plain lands and the hilly tracts. The plan region runs Southward upto Bhawanipatna and then Westward through Junagarh and Dharmgarh and then further upto the boundary of the District. The plains cover about 59 percent of the total area of the District. The Hilly tracts are mostly located in the South Western part of Bhawanipatna Subdivision. Some of the hilly regions are covered with dence forest.

Rainfall and Climate

The climate of the District is of extreme type. It is dry except during monsoon. There are large varieties of day and night temperature. The average annual rainfall of the district is 1378.20 mm. The variation in the rainfall from year to year is not large. The monsoon starts late in June and generally lasts upto September. 90% of the rainfall received from June to September .Aujgust is the month with more number of rainy days. About 28% of rainfall is received during this month . Drought is normal feature of this district.

Temperature and Humidity

There are large variations in the day and night temperature. The summer seaso9ns starts from the beginning of March. May is the hottest month when the maximum temperature is about 45 C (82 degree F). The temperature drops down with the onset of monsoon towards the second week of June and throughout the monsoon the weather remains cool. December is the coldest month, as the mean dailyminimum temperature is recorded at 11 decree C. Relative humidity is generally higher from June to December. It is lower (27%) in the non-monsoon months. During August, it is the highest i.e. 70% and March is the month lowest when it is lowest 27%. Northern plateau (at 2150 MSL) of Sunabeda in Komna Block of Nawapara district has a coller climate so also Th.Rampur area (at 2700 Feet MSL).

Soil and Land
The red laterite soil which is different in phosphorus and nitrogen is found all over the district. Mostly under the feet hill and hillocks, in Bhawanipatna and Dharmgarh Tahasil occurance of heavy soil is common. It is rich in pottasium and Nitrogen but poor in Phosphorus.Sandyloan soil is seen in Lanjigarh and of the Bhawanipatna Tahasil. The area on the river bank of Udanti, Utei and Sagada are alluvial sandy and sandyloam spills. The fertility of siol in Dharmgarh and Jaipatna Tahasil areas is high.

Important Places

AMATHAGUDA
Amathguda  is a fort, situated on the right bank of the river Tel
to the place  where the road leading towards Balangir crosses the  river.
It is now incomplete ruins.Nothing is definitely known about this fort as
its remains have not yet been investigated.  The fort, presumably, was of
considerable strategic importance in view of the fact that it stood close
to the point where the river was fordedd since ancient time.Theroad which
spanned the  river  by a low bridge ran almost on the  old  route.Another
bridge was  constructed  abo9ut  a few metres away from  the  old  ruined
bridge.   Portions  of  this  new bridge have been  washed  away  by  the
highfloods in river Tel that occured in 1977.

2. ASURGARH
 
        Asurgarh is a small village situated in Narla Police Station area
and is knownfor the remains of old fort.  It is 5 KM from Narla and 3 Kms
from Rupra Road Railway station.

        Not  far from the village is an oval shaped tank nearly 200 acres
(80.9374  Hects.) in area.  Between the tank and the river Sandul lie the
ruins of  a  fort  called Asurgarh.  The fort in its original  shape  was
rectKalahandiar  covering a wide extent of land encircled by a boat.  It  has
four entrances  one  each  on the East, West, South and North  where  the
deities Ganga  Devi, Kala Pahad, Vaishnavi and Budharaja are respectively
being worshipped.   Inside  the  fort,  there is a  small  halmets  where
Goddess Dokari  (Literally means "Old Lady"), the presiding deity of  the
fort is worshipped.   The central part of the fort has a higher elevation
with a round on it, which is supposed to be the ruins of a palace.

Local  people believe that the fort was the seal of a demon  kind called GOSINHA DAITYA.

3. AMPANI

77  K.Ms from Bhawanipatna the picturesque Ampani hills present a panoramic  view  of nature.  A frolicking vally called  "Haladigundi"  in thishill  range exhibits some peculiar features due to the reflected rays on the sun.   In  the  morning and evening the objects of  vision  appear yellow.   The  whole  area  abounds in spotted  deer,  Sambar  and  Black Panthers  who  can be seen at the Behera reservoir.  5 K.Ms away are  the
pre-historic cave paintings at Gudahandi.

4. BELKHANDI
Situated  on  the  confluence  of the river Tel  and  Uttei,  two tributaries  of the river Mahanadi, Belkhandi has gained prominence as  a centre of  religious  activities  and archaeological  importance  with  a picture-sque  site.  Besides the temples now standing therein, ruuins  of 12th Century  monuments  have  been excavated from there  in  the  recent past.Among the sculptures unearthed images of Sapta Matruka (Seven Mother Goddesses)  and Uma Maheswar arenote-worthy.  The ruins of Belkhandi  are preserved  in a small museum adjacent to the temple premises.  It is also an ideal site for an outing.  This place is 67 K.Ms from Bhawanipatna.

5. GUDAHANDI

The  Gudahandi hills are situated in the vicinity of Khaligarh, a tiny villoage  close to  the Koraput District boarder, about  17.6  K.Ms North-East  of  Ampani.  Ampani is 77 K.Ms from Bhawanipatna on the  road towards Nawarangpur.   In  the  Gudahandi hills are  some  ancient  caves bearing pictographic  paintings of remote antiquity, Khaligarh is a  very out of the  way place, the 17.6 K.Ms of Ampani being cart tracxt parts of which pass through dense forest.

Three  small  hills, all of curved length, are together known  as the Gudahandi hills.  The North and the South hills join eachother in the East leaving  a courtyard like vally in between which is open towards the West.  This valley is paved by a huge block of stone slopping down to the East.  Just  at  the  foot of these hills facing the valley are  rows  of caves.  Excepting  one  in  the  North,  all   the  caves  are  small  in size.Although  at  places  hewed to shape by human  hand  they  generally appear to   have  been  formed  bynature   itself  in  red  slate  stone. Pictographic  paintings in Red and Black colours appear at the  entrances of some of caves in the Southern row.  These have not yet been thoroughly studied but  it is generally surmised that they bear approximately to the picture scripts  of the Indus Valley Civilisation.  Besides Gudahandi  in Kalahandi  District,  Bikramkhol and Ulapgarh in Sambalpur  District  and Naraj in   Cuttack  District  also   possess  some  writings   resembling pictographic   paintings.   a  fact   indicative  of  pre-historic  man's habitation in Orissa.

The  third hill extending North to South stands like a way to the immediate  West  of the Valley.  But as this hill does not join with  the other two,  the valley is approachable from the North as well as from the South by  a  narrow  pass.All  the three hills taken  together  have  the appearance  of  a pot with a lid on.  The name Gudahandi, meaning a  pot, for molasses,  may have its origin in the impression its shape  apprently conveys.

A rivulet named Behera flows past the village.  There are remains of a veryold  dam  across this revulet, local people call it the work  of Bhima, the second of the Pandavas.

6. JUNAGARH
The  old  Capital of the Ex-State of Kalahandi.  Junagarh  was  a well built  fort,  the fortified area has a number of temples with  Oriya incriptions.   This  is  a  place which has sculptural  evidence  of  the "Sati-Rite"  which was prevalent in medieval India and was stopped during the British  Rule byLord William Bentick.  The sculptures are  identified as Sati Pillars  which  can make interesting study.  Junagarh is 26  K.Ms from Bhawanipatna.

7. KARLAPAT

Karlapat  is  a small village in Th.Rampur Police  Station  area. Nearby, there  is  a Water fall called "Khandual" fall at the foot  of  a hill the  top  of which is the abode of a female deity called  "Khandua". The fall  was formerly utilised in some indigenous manner of operating  a crushing mill.  At Karlapat there is a temple dedicated to "MANIKESWARI".

9.LANJIGARH

Lanjigarh is a village situated to the South-East of Bhawanipatna neae the  Kalahandi-Koraput  border.  It is 64 K.Ms from Bhawanipatna  by road.  The 428 Ft.  high summit of the Niamgiri hillssituated just on the district border overlooks a narrow valley to its North of which Lanjigarh forms the appex.

Lanjigarh  was  the  headquarters of  Lanjigarh  Zamindari  under Kalahandi  Ex-state.   The village has some fortifications with  a  large moat around.   It  contains  the temples of Gopinath and a  female  Deity called "Dokari"  greatly reverred in the area.  The local Jhami Yatra  or Jhamu Yatra  in the month of Chaitra (March - April) is an occassion when thousands  of people gathered and witness the walking on burning charcoal by a number  of  devotees,  Lanjigarh  exports Black  gram  (Biri),  Ragi (Mandia)  Sesamum (Til), Mustard seeds and pulses (Kandul), Guava, Orange and Sugar  cane  are  grown in plenty near Lanjigarh .   River  Banadhara originates from this hilly area.

9. MOHANGIRI 

Mohangiri is a village in Madanpur-Rampur Police Station close to Boudh-Kandhamals  District  border  in  the   North-East  corner  of  the district.  It is 35 K.Ms from Madanpur Rampur. The village is near a hill stream called  Kali Ganga.   A dilapidated Siva Temple stands on the Bank of the stream.  There are a few short epigraphic records on its walls and
pillars.

10. PHURLIJHARAN
Fifteen  Kilometres fromBhawanipatna, Phurlijharan is a perennial water fall  about  30  Ft in height and has a special charm of  its  own. The multicoloured  rainbow created by the sunrays falling on the scattered water particles  of  the  fall  is  an amusing sight  to  be  seen.   The evergreen  forests  around the fall provide ample opportunities to  group picnickers.

11. RABANDARH
Rabandarh is a place of great scenic beauty lying about 12.8 K.Ms from Bhawanipatna  and approachable by a dusty road.  It is named after a small water  fall inside a mountain gorge.  The panorama around  provides some delightful  consrasts  of  scenery, in mountains  and  over  looking dales, in bore rocks and thick forests and in the eternal calmness of the surroundings broken by the music of the fall.  Despite bad communications picnic parties  some times visit the place from Bhawanipatna as there  is no market  nearby.   The  stream which creats the fall.