Hirakud

Hirakud
Sambalpur
Hirakud Location in Odisha, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Odisha
District	Sambalpur
Elevation	160 m (520 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	45,198
Languages
• Official	Oriya
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Hirakud is a small township located in Sambalpur in Odisha. It was a Notified Area which finally included along with Burla in Sambalpur city to obtain the Corporation tag. It was earlier a village which came to the industrial limelight in 1956 when Hirakud Dam was built and thereby clearing the path for industrial growth in this earlier known rustic small township. Presently, this town is known for being industrialized with a few of the largest companies, to cite as example is the HINDALCO. Hirakud Dam, with its potential for irrigation and production of hydroelectric power, has also been able to attract tourists for it being the largest manmade artificial lake in Asia and one of the longest and largest dams in the world. It has been constructed on the Mahanadi river between the Gandhi Minar in North and the Nehru Minar in the South which connects these two well known hills. The shoreline spans around 640 km.At the base of Hirakud Dam Burla power house present with generating capacity 290MW.

Fisherman working near the left dyke of Hirakud Dam

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Hirakud had a population of 45,198. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Hirakud has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 60%. In Hirakud, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transportation

Hirakud Railway Station is located nearby across the river Mahanadi. Now being a part of Sambalpur, City Buses provide service to Nehru Park. National Highway 6 is also nearby Hirakud.

External links

Sambalpur travel guide from Wikivoyage