Culture & Heritage

Naming of Sarangarh – The word Sarangh has many synonyms, one of which is bamboo.
It is also found here due to its abundance and is called Sarangarh. Garh means fort or fort-like land. Pandit Lochan Prasad Pandey – Its meaning is derived from the abundance of chimay deer. Dr. Vinay Kumar Pathak explains the naming of the multicolored bird due to its abundance.

History of the princely state – Sarangarh was initially a part of the Ratanpur state and later 18 forts were under Sambalpur. King Narsingh Dev of Ratanpur gave Sarangarh pargana of 84 villages to Narendra Sai (God dynasty) and gave him the title of Diwan. He first came to Gatadih village near Sarangarh and stayed for some time, then he settled Sarangarh city. Later he became the landlord of Sarangarh. Bhatgaon and Bilaigarh were the zamindars of separate princely states. The area of Dongripali Sariya Barmkela remained a separate zamindari under Sarangarh. Here King Kalyan Sai (God Dynasty) ruled from 1736 to 1777 and was awarded the title of Raja by the Maratha ruler. The king Sangram Singh here was made ‘Sthamankanjwatal Beepam’ by the British. Gave the right to hear and decide the cases passed by or against the British Army. Raja Jawahar was also given the title of Bahadur and suppressed unrest and rebellion in the area.
Major rulers of the area-

1. Kalyan Sai was declared king by Maratha Raghuji Bhosale.
2. Sambalpur king Jaitsingh supported Vishwanath Sai on the throne. But Sariya Pargana was presented. Eliot’s Samadhi – Vishwanath Sai came to discover/build the Postal Corridor and
   Provided a plot in Fuljhar (Saraipali) (Salar, Sarangarh) to build a mausoleum for Alexander Elliot, who died of dengue and malaria. Which is in the form of ruins on the banks of the river. He was looked after for years and his relatives kept coming.
3. Raja Sangram Singh – Supported the British rule in 1857 and captured rebel leader Kamal Singh and handed him over to the British government to suppress the rebellion.
4. Dr. Jawahar Singh- On 03 June 1918, the British Government gave him the title of ‘Raja Bahadur’ and on 03 June 1934, he was given the title of (C.I.E.). He was the king who received the title of “Ruling Chief” by the British rule. Even the Maharaja of Jaipur did not have such title and power.
5. Raja Naresh Chandra Singh- On January 01, 1948, the princely state of Sarangarh merged with the Union of India, on which Raja Naresh Chandra Singh happily signed. Rustam ji tells that he was such a king who was more happy with the creation of the Indian Union than with the sadness of leaving the kingdom. From Minister (1967) to Chief Minister from 13 March 1969 to 25 March 1969 (13 days) and finally retired from political life due to his interest in social service and remained committed to social service and development of tribals throughout his life and remained committed to the development of tribals of India throughout his life. Be the president of the society. His daughters Kamala Devi Singh and Rajnigandha Devi Singh were MLAs and cabinet ministers. Honorable Pushpa Devi Singh was MP thrice. Maneka Singh (doctor) is a social worker.
   Archaeological importance-1. Stone Age – Stone Age etc. in the tunnel cave of Bamhandei
   Perishable remains of wall paintings and rock paintings made by humans (5 km from Sarangarh)
6. Satavahana period – Proponent of Shunya Vaad and Mahayana Buddhist monk. Rock art similar to Nargajuna’s ashram in Sirpur, in Siroli Dogri (05 km from Sarangarh), there are physical ruins of footprints on the ceiling. Due to which Nargajun’s group is expected to rest here for some time.
7. Kalachuri Maratha- Kaushaleshwari Temple Kosir.
8. Maurya period – Maurya period and Gupta period coins and remains of sculptures have been found in Gram Panchayat – Kandurpali and other areas of Sarangarh district.
9. Second World War and Sarangarh – Sarangarh’s airstrip Jildi Patti is a monument of the Second World War. American bomber planes used to land here to burn fuel. It was one of the best airstrips in the country on a technical scale.
10. Giri Vilas Palace- has been the ancestral residence (palace) of the royal family. Which is still a historical sight even today.
11. Best Golf Course – Present Khelbhatha ground. During the princely period, British officers used to come here to play because it was the best golf course in Chhattisgarh and Central Province.
12. Sarangarh district – Sarangarh – Bilaigarh (near Kosir village) is considered to be the place of knowledge of Baba Guru Ghasidas, the founder of Satnam sect, the famous saint and social reformer of India. ‘Mankhe-Mankhe is the land of a messenger of unity.

Important cultural festival Dussehra ‘Garh Vikshanshansh’ – Festivals of Dussehra after Sharadiya Navratri
There is a tradition of dissection of the historical fort of Sarangarh. In this, about 10 thousand to 20 thousand people are present at the site. In this, a one-inch shape is made from the soil of the royal palace (Veerbhoomi) in a conical shape of clay. In which participants climb, slip, fall and climb again. The participant who succeeds in climbing up first is awarded cash amount and shield. The tradition dating back to the princely times is still followed by the royal family. At present it is Pushpa Devi Singh. Earlier, brave men were recruited into the king’s army.

Ganatantra Mela Sarangarh – Every year on 26 January, Vishnu Yagya Mela is conducted for 07 days at the Ganatantra Mela ground in front of Jawahar Bhawan. It is a continuously organized event organized by the royal family since 26 January 1950.
Is. The Jawahar Bhawan located here was inaugurated by the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Take the sacrificial fire here