Udala is a town and headquarter of Kaptipada subdivision of Mayurbhanj district, Odisha. It is also a NAC of Mayurbhanj district.

Udala ଉଦଳା
Town
Clockwise from Top: Sub-divisional head office, Sub-divisional Judicial Office, Sub-divisional Medical, Devkund waterfall, Kalo Dam
Udala Location in Odisha, India Show map of Odisha Udala Udala (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 21.57°N 86.57°E / 21.57; 86.57
Country	India
State	Odisha
District	Mayurbhanj
Elevation	57 m (187 ft)
Population  (2001)
• Total	11,712
Languages
• Official	Odia
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	757041
Vehicle registration	OR 11 x - xxxx OD 11 - xxxx
Website	www.udalanac.in

Geography

Udala is located at 21.57°N 86.57°E / 21.57; 86.57.[1] It has an average elevation of 57 metres (187 feet). The place is situated about 45 km from Baripada the district headquarters of Mayurbhanj. This is situated near the great waterfalls of Similipal.

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,[2] Udala had a population of 11,712. Males constituted 52% of the population and females 48%. According to the government's website it now has a population of 41,974,218. Udala has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 69%. In Udala, 11% of the population is under six years of age. Under this block, many panchayats are there. Among them, the largest panchayat is Bahubandh Grama panchayat.

Places of interest

Devkund: Devkund is a scenic spot, found at a distance of 65 km from Baripada and 110 km from Balasore. This place is a tourist attraction, owing to its waterfalls and natural environment. Perched on a hill, Maa Ambika Temple is a shrine of Devkund.[3]

Samibrukhya: Samibrukhya is a single vertical stone which is also a major tourist attraction. The size of the vertical stone is around 500ft. It is the place where Pandavas kept their weapons during their exile according to Mahabharata. A big festival is organised during Makara Sankranti.

Jhinkeswar Temple: Jhinkeswar temple is an abode of Lord Shiva. It is a place for the Udbhaba Linga (where the linga has appeared from the ground), so the sanctum of the temple is below the ground level. There is a small pond attached to the temple and an old and deep well located in the premise of the temple. Jhinkeswar Shiva temple was built by Sadashiva Kar many years ago.^[when?] Every year on Shivaratri the Jagara Yatra is conducted in the village jhinkpada. Merchants from far away places gather here to sell their commodities. This Yatra is conducted for about 15 days.

Mouda Temple: Mouda temple is a Shiva temple located on the top of the Mouda hill located near Radho. Every year on Shivaratri the hill is decorated with lights and offerings are made to Lord Shiva by the people.

Tarini Temple: This Tarini temple is located atop a small hilltop in Udala.

Kalo and Sunei: These are irrigation project dams and located in Kaptipada. These are popular places for picnicking and boating. Currently boating facilities available only in Kalo dam.

Tangarasuni and Tangiria are two huge rocks situated nearby and famous for the mela during Makara festival in the month of January.

Other attractions

• Ambika Temple
• Shiva Temple, Manatri
• Hingula Mela
• Saraswati puja Mela
• Rathipur Laxmi Narayan Temple
• Machha Kandana

Transport

There is bus service from Baripada, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, and Cuttack. Every ten minutes there is a bus from Baripada and every 30 minutes there is a bus from Balasore. Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, and Cuttack are connected with Udala through bus routes with luxury buses plying between them every day.

The nearest railway stations are Baripada (40 km) and Balasore (45 km). The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar about 250 km.

Schools and colleges

Colleges

• Udala College
• Indra Gandhi Women's College

Schools

• Udala High School
• Udala Girls High School
• Nagpal High School

CBSE Schools

• Cambridge School
• English medium School
• St. Mary's School
• Morning Star School

Festivals

Festivals like Shiv Ratri (Jagara), Durga Puja, Makar Sankranti, Kali Puja, Rajo, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. are celebrated here with great joy and delight. Saraswati puja is the greatest attraction of this locality. After Saraswati Puja, a festival called Saraswati Mela is held. During this time the Udala town is usually decorated with lights. Eid and Ramadan are also celebrated.

Politics

There are 12 wards in Udala towns. The main villages under Udala are Mendhakhai and Nagpal; the other places are Bandhasahi, Jyoti nagar, Jantrida, Subudhiband, Collegeroad, Nagbani, Lodha colony, and Kalia Chhak. The current member of the legislative assembly (MLA) from Udala (ST) Assembly Constituency is Bhaskar Madhei of BJP. He won election in 2004 and 2000. The previous MLA from this seat was Srinath Soren of BJD, who won the seat in state elections in 2014. Rabaneswar Madhei who won this seat represented INC in 1995 and 1985 and represented INC(I) in 1980, Rohidas Soren of JD in 1990, and Birbhadra Singh of JNP in 1977.[4]

Udala is part of Mayurbhanj (Lok Sabha constituency).[5]

Famous people

Tattwa Prakash Satapathy, an Odia actor, music director, and standup comedian born in Nuasahi village of Kaptipada.

References

External links

• : Samibrukhya Hill
• http://jhinkeswartemplembj.webs.com