Keonjhar is a land locked district with an area of 8240 Sq. Km. It is situated in the northern part of Orissa. It is surrounded by Singhbhum district of Bihar in the North, Jajpur in the South, Dhenkanal and Sundargarh in the West and Mayurbhanj and Bhadrak in the East. It lies between 21o1'N and 22o10'N latitudes, between 35o11' and 86o22' longitude and 480 meter altitude.

Keonjhar has the distinction of containing one of the oldest rocks of the world, approximately 38,000 million years old covering an area of 100 Sq. Kms at Asanpat. It has also the oldest stone inscription of  Orissa paleogeologically belonging to the Gupta period.  In Sitabinj, one finds the fresco paintings in the cave shelter of Ravana Chhaya dating back to 5th Century A.D.

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.

The district of Keonjhar is highly rich in mineral resources and has vast deposits of Iron, Manganese and Chrome Ores. About 30 percent of its total area is covered with  tracts of dense forests. But the district, in spite of its immense mineral and forest wealth, still remaining economically backward. 

As a sequel to the integration of the feudatory states with Orissa on 1st January, 1948, the erstwhile princely state of Keonjhar emerged as one of its districts with its head-quarters at Keonjhargarh and since then it has been continuing as such.

History

The whole  district of Keonjhar was a princely state before its merger with Orissa. The early history of the State is not adequately known. It was most probably a part of the old Khijjinga territory with headquarters at Khijjinga Kota, identified with modern Khiching. It became a separate state with Jyoti Bhanja as its ruling chief sometime during the first half of the 12th century A.D. The then State of Keonjhar comprised only the northern half of the modern district for a long time prior to the installation of Jyoti Bhanja as King.

During the latter part of the 15th century the southern half was occupied by King Govinda Bhanja under whose rule Keonjhar was extended from Singbhum in the north to Sukinda(a Zamindari in Cuttack district) in the South and from Mayurbhanj in the East to the borders of the States of Bonai, Pallahara and Anugul in the West. During the rule of Pratap Balabhadra Bhanja (1764-1792 A.D.) two small areas of Tillo and Jujhpada were purchased from the Zamindar of Kantajhari and were added to the State. These were recognised as parts of Keonjhar in the Sanad granted by the East India Company to Raja Janardan Bhanj in 1804. Since then there had been no territiorial changes of the State till its merger with the Province of Orissa. But after merger largely for the reasons of administrative expediency the areas of Tillo (7.51 sq.km) and Jujhpada (9.06sq.km.) were transferred to the districts of Baleshwar and Cuttack respectively, while a number of villages called Ambo group (14.84 sq.km.) of Balasore district were added to Keonjhar district.

Important Place