Toshali Sands

Puri: Sonepur

History of Sonepur
Previously as a part of Bolangir district and located in its eastern part, Sonepur became a separate district in 1993 bearing the name Subarnapur. The district head –quarters is located at Sonepur. It comprises of two-sub-divisions namely Sonepur and Biramaharajpur. River Mahanadi flows amid the district making it fertile. Despite the absence of industries, Subarnapur is an economically prosperous are due to its developed cultivation and forest products. It has also earned celebrity status as a centre of handloom and handicrafts. The handloom textiles produced in certain villages of this district are exported to various pats of Orissa, to other states and even to abroad. There are some reputed weavers and designers having won national award for outstanding contributions in this field. Apart from that, the terracotta products and the wooden crafts of this district have also earned high reputation.

General Information
Area : 2,84,414 Sq. km
Altitude : 18,235 mts
Population : 4,76,808 (1991 census)
Rainfall : 116.6 cmms
Climate : Minimum 12.20C (December); Maximum 49.90C (May)
Languages spoken : Oriya, English and Tribal languages
Clothing : Light cotton in summer and woolen in winter
Best season : September to March

Situated on the confluence of river Tel and Mahanadi, Sonepur has a glorious past of human activities in the region dated back to Chalcolthic age. Some punch marked coins attributed to 4th century B.C., a number of Kalachuri gold coins and Ganga gold coins have been discovered here. During the historic age Sonepur witnessed the rise and fall of several dynasties like the Nandas, Mauryas, Guptas.

Parvatasawarakas, Bhanjas, Somovamiss, Imperial Gangas, Kalachuris and Chauhans who immensely contributed to the political and cultural heritage of Orissa. Sonepur is said to be the political and cultural heritage of Orissa. Sonepur is said to have derived its name from Subranapur (Golden town) which was for some time the capital of South Kosala Kingdom under the Somovamsis and the Telguchodas. In the copper plates of Kumaras Someswara of Telguchoda dynasty. Sonepur has been referred as paschima Lanka. The town was also a leading seat of Sanskrit learning since the ancient days. It was also a great centre of different religions and cultures. In the Kosalananda Kavya, the first epic of Sanskrit literature in Orissa written in 1664 A.D. by Gangadhar Mishra, the court poet of Baliyaradeva, the Chauhan King of Sambalpur, Sonepur is described as an other Benaras. From the golden pages of history it is known that the Somivamsis had built a number of temples at Sonepur. Later on also large number of temples were erreted by the Chauhans. Although during the region of the Somovamsis and Chauhans the temple town of Sonepur reached in its pinnacle of glory, it was a holy place as referred in Agni Purana since ancient days.

Access
The nearest airport is a Bhubaneswar, 284 km. away from Sonepur and is connected with Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. The nearest railhead is at Bolangir, located at 50 km. from Sonepur. Situated on the Bolangir-Puri highway Sonepur has also good motorable road and is connected with Bhubaneswar (284 km), Cuttakc (320 Km)l Bolangir (50 km), Berhampur (280 Km) and Sambalpur (180 Km)

Accommodation
A Circuit house managed by local administration (reservation authority is Collector, Sonepur), A P.W.D. bunglow (reservation authority is Executive Engineer, R & B Bolangir) and a Panthanivs (reservation authority is Manager, O.T.D.C. provide accommodation facilities to the visitors. Apart from that there are small lodges and hotels which provide accommodation at an economical rate. However comfort seeking tourists are advised to be accommodated at Bolangir and to visit the town in day.

What to see
Surrounded by a number of mountains and fountains, Sonepur has the proud possession of 108 temples. In Orissa that number of temples are found no where except Bhubanewsar. Presently a number of temples our of those have got ruined here. The declartion of Kosalananda Kavya about Sonepur as another Benaras is due to the numerous temples found in and around the town. It is not possible to provide detailed description about all the temples and hence some important temples are described below.

More
Temples in Sonepur
Dhanu Yatra Festival
The Grand: An Exclusive Vegetarian Restaurant Puri
Jaugada: Connecting History and Mythology
Pearl: Buying, Tips and History
Sonepur: Call of the Wild
Amavata (Rheumatoid Arthritis): An Ayurvedic Approach