Rayagada district is an administrative district in the southern part of the Indian state of Odisha. It was carved out of the erstwhile Koraput district on 2 October 1992, when Koraput was reorganised into four smaller districts. The district headquarters is the town of Rayagada, situated on the banks of the Nagavali river. The district is known for its hilly, forested terrain, its sizeable tribal population, and its mineral and bauxite resources.
| State | Odisha |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Rayagada |
| Formed | 2 October 1992 |
| Formed from | Koraput district |
| Region | Southern Odisha |
| Major river | Nagavali (Vamsadhara basin nearby) |
| Official languages | Odia; tribal languages including Kui and Kuvi widely spoken |
Rayagada lies in the Eastern Ghats belt of Odisha. The terrain is largely undulating, with hill ranges, plateaus, and forested valleys. The Nagavali river flows through the district, while parts of its catchment drain southwards towards Andhra Pradesh. The district shares boundaries with Kalahandi and Kandhamal to the north, Koraput to the west, Gajapati to the east, and the state of Andhra Pradesh to the south.
The district is divided into administrative subdivisions and tahasils, with Rayagada and Gunupur serving as the two principal subdivisions. Major blocks include Rayagada, Gunupur, Bissam Cuttack, Muniguda, Kashipur, Kalyansinghpur, Padmapur, Kolnara, Chandrapur, Gudari, and Ramanaguda. The town of Rayagada functions as the district headquarters and houses the offices of the District Collector and the Superintendent of Police.
Rayagada has one of the highest proportions of Scheduled Tribe population among Odisha's districts. Prominent tribal communities include the Kondh (with Dongria Kondh and Kutia Kondh subgroups), Saora (Soura), and Jhodia. The Dongria Kondh inhabit the Niyamgiri hill range, which they regard as sacred. Odia is the official language, while Kui, Kuvi, and Sora are widely spoken in tribal areas.
The economy is largely agrarian, with paddy, ragi, maize, pulses, and oilseeds as principal crops, supplemented by horticulture and the collection of non-timber forest produce. The district is rich in bauxite, and industrial activity includes operations associated with J. K. Paper Mills at Rayagada and aluminium-related projects in the surrounding region. Weekly haats serve as important nodes of rural exchange.
The Niyamgiri hills, lying partly in Rayagada and partly in Kalahandi, came to national attention through a long-running dispute over proposed bauxite mining. In a landmark 2013 process, gram sabhas in the affected villages exercised rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and rejected mining in the hills, citing cultural and religious ties of the Dongria Kondh to Niyam Raja, their presiding deity.
Rayagada town is a junction on the East Coast Railway, with services connecting it to Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Koraput, and other cities. National Highway 326 and other state highways link the district to neighbouring districts and to Andhra Pradesh. The nearest major airport is at Visakhapatnam.