Subarnapur District, also called Sonepur District or Sonapur District, is an administrative district in Odisha state in eastern India. The town of Sonepur is the district headquarters. Sonepur has a rich cultural heritage and is known as the Mandiramalini town (city of temples) of Odisha with more than hundred temples. The people of the Sonepur region are referred to as Sonepuria. History In the 8th century CE, the region was known as Swarnapur and was rules by vassal lords of the Bhaumkaras of Tosali. The region was then ruled by the Somavamsis and eventually became one of two capitals of the Somavamsis. Around the 10th and 11th centuries, the region was called Pashima Lanka or Western Lanka. The evidence for these names comes from a Somavamsi prince of the region called Kumara Someswaradeva who issued a copper plate charter in the late 10th century which identified him as the ruler of Paschima Lanka. Historically, the presiding deity of the region was the goddess Lankeswari. At some point during Somavamsi rule, the region was given its current name, Subarnapur. It was formally established as a district in 1993. Economy In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Subarnapur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 19 districts in Odisha currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Divisions Sub-divisions: Sonepur and Birmaharajpur Tehsils: Sonepur, Binika, Rampur, Birmaharajpur, Tarbha, and Ullunda Blocks: Sonepur, Binika, Tarbha, Dunguripali, Birmaharajpur and Ullunda Municipality: Sonepur N.A.C.: Tarbha and Binika Demographics According to the 2011 census, Subarnapur district has a population of 610,183, roughly equal to the nation of Montenegro or the US state of Vermont. The district is the 512th most populous in India out of a total of 640. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade of 2001–2011 was 20.35%. Subarnapur has a sex ratio of 959 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 74.42%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 25.60% and 9.37% of the population respectively. Hindus are the predominant religion, with 99.19% of the population. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 59.67% of the population in the district spoke Sambalpuri and 39.30% Odia as their first language. Culture Subarnapur is home to a wide variety of cultural heritage, arts, and crafts. The