History

INTRODUCTION ABOUT SONEPUR JUDGESHIP. Sonepur Judgeship was separately constituted on 23rd June 2012 out of Bolangir-Sonepur Judgeship consisting of entire Revenue District of Sonepur . Sri Niranjan Sahu,LLB was the first District Judge of this Judgeship. Besides above courts other subordinate courts are situated at Biramaharajpur , Rampur, Binka , Tarva, Dunguripali. Sonepur, the head quarters of Subarnapur District . The name ‘Sonepur is derived from Subarnapur in Sanskrit which means the ‘Golden City’. Subarnapur, is a district in the western region of Odisha state. The district lies between 20° 30’N to 21° 11’N latitude and 83° 27’E to 84° 16’E longitude. The area of the district is 2284.89 sq.km. The district was once part of the neighboring Bolangir District. It was split from Bolangir and given the status of a separate District .Chronologically, the history in this region begins in 8th century AD when Bhanjas started ruling this place. Historical records in the region suggest that the place was under the rule dynasties such as Bhanjas, Somavamsis, Telugu Chodas, Kalachuais, Gangas and the Chauhans. After the Chauhan dynasty, the region came under the rule of Balarama Deva. The lineage continued till Bir Mitrodaya Singh Deo. Bir Mitrodaya Singh Deo’s second son Maharaja Sudhansu Sekher Singh Deo came to power in 1937. During his reign, Sonepur or Subarnapur was merged into the state of Orissa in 1948. In Subarnapur, one can find temples such as Badjagannath temple, Brudabanbihari, Gopinath Temple, Narasimha Temple, Ramji Temple, Bhitri Gopalji, Bhagabati temple, Bimalei Temple, Khambeswari Temple, Narayani Temple, Ramchandi temple, Samaleswari Temple, Balukeswar Temple, Gokarneswar Temple, Gopalji Sambhu Temple, Rameswar Temple, Rudreswar Temple, Champeswar Temple, Hanuman Temple, etc.The place is also famous for its handicrafts such as handloom clothes and sarees, wooden toys, bamboo craft, terracotta, etc. Subarnapur district constitutes two subdivision viz. Sonepur and Birmaharajpur. The headquarter of this district is Sonepur town. This district earned the name “Subarnapur” during the time of Somavamsi ruler. Subarnapur District is known for its influentially rich cultural heritage, arts and crafts. For instance, textiles and terracotta of Sonepur, Brass metal works and Philigri crafts of Tarbha and Binka, Stone carving of Ullunda and Paddy crafts of Dunguripali are recognized all over the state and also in country. In addition, the great poet and prophet of Mahima Dharma, Santh Bhima Bhoi was from this district. Besides, Subarnapur area is famous for Danda- nata, a religious folk tradition generally performed in the month of Chaitra.