Paralakhemundi shortly known as Parala is district Headquarter of Gajapati district and one of the oldest Municipality established in 1885, in the Indian state of Odisha. Majority of the people in the town speak Odia. The city and the District share its boundaries with Andhra Pradesh. Pathapatnam /Purunapatana town in the Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh is considered as twin city to Paralakhemundi due to its very close proximity. The adjacent towns are separated by the River Mahendra Tanaya.In later medieval period it became capital of Paralakhemundi Estate of Eastern Ganga Dynasty kings of Khemundi Branch. The town is well known for being an ancient cultural center of Odisha and eminent personalities such as the 18th-century Odissi musician-poet Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka, founding father of Odisha state Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo ,First Odia Lexicographer cum philologist Pandit Gopinatha Nanda Sharma -> and eminent Indian Historian Padmasri Dr Satyanarayana Rajguru belong to the city. This town is also famous for its century old temples, monasteries, Palaces and Heritage buildings. Demographics India census, Paralakhemundi had a population of 48,990. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Paralakhemundi has an average literacy rate of 69%, lower than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 61%. In Paralakhemundi, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Paralakhemundi has an estimated population of 80,000 in the year 2018. Majority of the people are Hindu; Christians being the second largest religious community. History Paralakhemundi is an ancient estate lying in the western corner of the southern portion of then larger Ganjam district (now constitute Ganjam district, Gajapati district, Srikakulam district and parts of Vizianagaram district), and it is bounded in the west by the district of then larger Vizagapatam district (now constitute Visakhapatnam district, Koraput district, Malkangiri district, Rayagada district, parts of Vizianagaram district) and on the north by the Jeypore state and the eastern ghats which are called Maliyas or tribal agencies. The town of Paralakhemundi is: "a straggling town in plan much like the letter ‘L’ scattered around the foot of the well wooded hill which is the distinctive feature of the place. The horizontal portion of the ‘L’ faces south, and at the corner where the ‘L’ and the vertical portion join, is situated the palace(Gajapati Palace), a most picturesque group of building". This group of buildings was designed and built by Mr.