Jeypore Knowledge Guide

History

The city of Jeypore came into existence when Veer Vikrama Dev, the King of Nandapur abandoned his old mainstay due to the rigorous skirmishes with the Qutub Shahis and decided to built a new bastion amidst high altitude mountain ranges and valleys of Jeypore. His successors including the next seventeen kings ruled their vast kingdom from this capital city of Jeypore until the dissolution of the state in 1947. Jeypore Rajya before the advent of the British was a dominant kingdom in the ancient region of Kalinga and administered over the feudatories of Vijaynagar, Bobbili, Kalahandi, Gajapathinagaram, Srikakulam, Gunupur, Madugula, Nowrangpur and Araku until 1712 CE. It was Vishwambhar Dev (1676-1681 CE) who is known as the originator of the feudal system, he is known for defeating the Nawab of Chicacole in 1673. He also defeated the Dutch forces in the port of Visakhapatnam which was under his vast domain and was known as 'Sumber Deo which was a mispronounced form of his name. However, when the British forces arrived in the region they were helped by Vijaynagar and other zamindaris to defeat Vikrama Dev I (1758-1781) who was against the idea of British occupation in his region. In 1775, Maharajah Vikram Dev I assembled a force in Rayagada valley against the rising British forces of the East India Company who were accompanied by the army of Vijaynagar, the former feudatory of Jeypore. Captain Richard Matthews was commanding the Northern Circars and he quoted, " I took possession of the fort in 11th March, it is a square of about one thousand yards. The wall 20 feet high, the bastions very good, the rampart tolerable and a ditch 20 feet wide and as much deep. I have ordered it to be destroyed." However, the king was pardoned by the British and the kingdom was granted back to him but the clamorous defeat meant that the status of the kingdom was now lowered to that of a zamindari and Jeypore Rajya became Jeypore Samasthanam or Jeypore zamindari. The other notable kings were Vikram Dev III who was granted along with his successors the title of 'Maharajah' and the style of 'His Highness' by the British Raj, Ramchandra Dev IV (1920-1931 CE) who built the new palaces called Moti Mahal in Jeypore, Hawa Mahal in Visakhapatnam and sent his fleet of ships to help the British in World War I due to that he was thus granted the military rank of Lieutenant and the last king 'Sahitya Samrat' Vikram Dev IV (1931-1951) D. Litt who was a great reformist and patronage of arts and literature. He served as the vice chancellor of Andhra University and Utkal University, moreover he also established various schools and colleges in his kingdom.In 2013, Vishweshvar Dev was crowned as the titular king of Jeypore becoming the twenty-seventh ruler on the 570th anniversary of his Solar dynasty's reign in the ancient dominion of Kalinga. The dynasty was installed in the region by King Vinayak Dev in 1443 CE when he left the kingdom of Kashmir after his father announced his eldest son and Vinayak's brother as the successor.

Tourism

Kolab at an altitude of about 3,000 ft (910 m) above sea level on river Kolab, stands the Kolab Reservoir generating Hydro Electric Power.Jagganath Sagar and Jeypore Park a lake situated in the town surrounded by a park and play area has always been the favorite hangout zone for Jeypore public.Sabara Shrikhetra (Koraput): Koraut situated 22 km away from Jeypore and 2,900 ft. above sea level. The modern Jagannath Temple has come up on a hilltop. There is a Tribal Museum behind the temple.Deomali- 50 km from Jeypore, this is the highest mountain peak in Odisha. Gupteswar Cave - 60 km from Jeypore. The place is known for the cave shrine of Lord Shiva located at the top of a limestone hill which is about 151 m (495 ft) higher than the surrounding countryside. Visitors can reach the cave by ascending a flight of steps. Popularly known as Gupta Kedar in the vicinity, this sacred place is associated with Shri Rama of the epic Ramayana. The nearby hill has been named "Ramagiri". Devotees visit this cave shrine of Lord Shiva the year around. It is famous for the stalactite that is worshipped as the lingam. Kolab dam and garden-Kolab Botanical Garden stands beside the Kolab reservoir. The botanical garden has over 200 varieties of flowering plants.Raja Mahal and Surya Mahal - The centuries-old palace on main road Jeypore (Sardar Patel Road) is an architectural marvel. Of late due to negligence from the concerned authorities it has been in a state of urgent attention.Shakti Water Fall commonly said as "S" water fall for the path of the falls resembles the alphabet "S". Closely surrounded by mountains, this waterfalls falling from a height of 20 ft.Maligura in local language means "Village Of Malis" or village of the local tribe. The Mali's or the local tribe have a different lifestyle & culture from other tribes in Odisha. Near this village stands the India's highest broad gauge Railway tunnel.Puduma (Machhkund) 70 km from Jeypore, known as Matsya Tirtha, Machhakund is a place of pilgrimage as well as a centre of HydroElectric Project for the waterfall here (157 m). A township has developed around the project. It is also a place of pilgrimage and is associated with the name of shri Chaitanya who is believed to have visited this place in the early part of 16th century. Bagara it is known for waterfalls. The place is reached on kutcha road for 3 miles from Khondaguda which is 10 miles from Koraput and 6 miles from Jeypore. There are three small waterfalls from a height of about 30 ft on the river Kolab. It has a rest house at the site of the falls for use of the visitors.The village Patroput is connected by the above 80 years old steel bridge which was originally architecture by the British company while their rule in India. This bridge was designed to carry a 10ton roller with 50% impact but is still standing strong and is being used till date. This place has been attracting tourists for the old steel suspension bridge & green natural surroundings.

Transportation

Airways

Jeypore Airport, which was made non-operational a few years after its inauguration was built in the year 1962. Now there is a plan to develop the airport and start air services. AAI has evaluated to take up this airport to next level in coming period. Now this airport is operational with daily flight service to Bhubaneswar and is also used for charter planes and VIP travels. The nearest functional international airport is at Visakhapatnam, 221 km away. The airstrip was included in the Centre's UDAN scheme, and its expansion was handed over to the Roads and Buildings Department. UDAN is a regional airport development and regional connectivity scheme of the Centre aimed at making air travel affordable and widespread for the common citizen for national economic development, job growth and air infrastructure of all regions and state in the country. After Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda, the Jeypore airstrip will be the third to get the civil aviation airport tag in the state. Flights from Jeypore will connect Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Hyderabad as of now. The airstrip built in the 1960s was used whenever ministers or VIPs visited the town. Later, in the 1980s a private airline started operating flights from Jeypore airstrip. But the service was stopped after the flight crashed. Air Odisha had started flights from Jeypore in 2016, but its services were stopped later as both companies were using single engine planes. The state government urged the Centre to resume flights from the airstrip, and the Centre included Jeypore in the UDAN scheme. The runway width has been expanded to 24-metres from 15 metres. Similarly, a boundary wall extending to 2.5 km was built around the airstrip. It is expected that the tourism industry would get a shot in the arm in the undivided Koraput district if flights operate to Jeypore. Some information relating to Jeypore Airport Jeypore Airport has airport code PYB and lies at longitude 82° 35’ 0" E latitude 18° 51’ 0" N.

Railways

One can reach Jeypore from Visakhapatnam by boarding the Kirandul passenger train or take one of the other trains connecting to Jeypore or numerous taxis/cabs. The 221 km ride takes approximately seven hours, and is an enthralling experience, covering approximately 150 km of the scenic hills of Araku Valley. It is also possible to reach Jeypore by buses available from Berhampur, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram RTC bus-stations. Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, is 520 km and the biggest city of southern Odisha, Berhampur is 333 km from Jeypore. From Bhubaneswar, apart from the regular bus service, the Hirakhand Express train takes travellers to Jeypore in about 14 hours. The train runs daily to and from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar via Jeypore. Jeypore Railway station is having reservation counter for booking ticket to/from any part of India. Recent days due to high number of train and passenger this station is developed and there are more plans develop the station with all facilities. Trains which pass through Jeypore include the Samaleshwari Express.

Roadways

Jeypore zone of OSRTC is very old and despite huge losses and almost close down of OSRTC this zone was running in profit and now when OSRTC has revived there are many luxury busses connected to many parts of the state, Chhattisgarh and AP from Jeypore. Frequent buses run from Visakhapatanam and Jagdalpur to Jeypore. Jeypore Private bus association is having highest number of buses in this region operates to and from many short and long distances places.