Malkangiri

Malkangiri lies amid the forests, rivers and undulating plateaus of southern Odisha. Its hills are home to Koya communities, whose traditions include the worship of a sword at Patakhanda Parva and celebrations associated with the heroes of the Mahabharata. The region also preserves old Shaiva sites and inscriptions alongside these enduring local traditions.

An inscription at nearby Kondakamberu records a gift to Nilakantheswar by the queen of Pandu Singh in 1376. Local history remembers a hill kingdom divided into the four muthas of Mout, Podia, Korukonda and Padmagiri. Hereditary muthadars governed these divisions, while village heads known as pedas served beneath them. The rulers maintained fortified residences in different places; remains on Raja Rani Hill near Malkangiri recall one such seat.