in this district. Mahanadi is the longest river in Jagatsinghpur and Alaka, Biluakhai, Hansua, Devi and Paika are among the major rivers which pass through the district. Two main canals are Taladanda & Machhagaon which are chief sources of flow irrigation. Taladanda canal (ତାଳଦଣ୍ଡା କେନାଲ୍) is the longest and largest canal in Odisha. Dug up by the British in 1869, it ran parallel alongside Mahanadi river in Cuttack and dropped in the bay of Bengal in Paradeep. The 85 km long canal was the lifeline of all the adjoining areas like Jagatsinghpur, Chandbali, Jatni and helped the farmers of these areas immensely. The work of the canal was started by Sir Thomas Edward Ravenshaw, then commissioner of Cuttack, the founder of Ravenshaw College and the most loved Britisher in Odisha. Divisions This district was subdivided into 8 Tehsils, they are Jagatsinghpur, Kujang, Tirtol, Balikuda, Biridi, Naugaon, Ersama and Raghunathpur. The last four are new tehsils created in 2008 and it is also divided into 8 blocks, 8 Tahasils, 1,321 Revenue Villages, 76 R.I. Circles, 194 Gram Panchayats, 1320 villages, 13 Police stations and two Municipalities functioning in the District. Demographics According to the 2011 census Jagatsinghpur district has a population of 1,136,971, roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus or the US state of Rhode Island. This gives it a ranking of 410th in India (out of a total of 640).The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was only 7.5%. Jagatsinghapur has a sex ratio of 968 females for every 1000 males, and an average literacy of 86.59%: 92.38 percent male literacy and 80.6 percent female literacy. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 21.83% and 0.69% of the population respectively. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 92.32% of the population in the district spoke Odia, 3.71% Urdu and 2.44% Bengali as their first language. Culture Jagatsinghpur is also known for the Sarala Temple and is known as the cultural heart of Odisha. Sarala Das was a 15th-century poet and scholar of Odia literature, best known for three Odia books — Mahabharata, Vilanka Ramayana and Chandi Purana was born at Kanakavati Patana, known as Kanakapura, one of the Sidhikshetras in Jagatsinghpur district. As an originator of Odia literature, his work has formed an enduring source of information for succeeding generations. The district also has theatre groups which keep