Koraput, India

History

The district of Koraput derives its name from its headquarters in the present town of Koraput. In ancient times when the Nalas were ruling over this tract, Pushkari near modern Umarkot was the capital city. In the medieval period, Nandapur developed as a little kingdom under the Silavamsi kings that were later expanded by the Suryavanshi kings who arrived in the region in the 13th century from Kashmir. Later, Maharajah Veer Vikram Dev shifted his capital to Jeypore and about the middle of the 17th century, this town prospered under the British Administration. Koraput was chosen by the British in 1870 for better health prospects. The origin of the name Koraput is obscure. There are several theories, none of which are convincing.

According to Mr R.C.S.Bell the name of the town is ‘Kora-Putti’ or "the hamlet of the nux-vomica" and it is derived presumably from a tree or trees that must at one time have been prominent near the site. But today not a single tree of nux-vomica is to be found near about the town of Koraput and so the assumption of Miss Anshika is open to question.

From the History section of Koraput on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.