Gunupur - Odisha

Gunupur is a town in on the banks of Vamsadhara River in Orissa in the Rayagada district of the coastal state of India, Orissa. The city of Rayagada is located about 65 km southwest of Gunupur, on the foothills of the quaint Eastern Ghats. The nearest access points are the airport at Vishakapatnam and the Gunupur Railway Station, which is on a narrow gauge line. The regular and frequent bus service connects Gunupur to important cities like Cuttack, Bhubaneswar Jeypore Sunabeda, Rayagada, Bhawanipatna Indravati, Damanjodi and Umerkote in Orissa and also Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. Geographically, the town is located between 19.08° North latitude and 83.82° East longitude at a height of 83 metres (272 feet) above mean sea level.

Located on the foothills of the Eastern Ghats, the town has a mixed climate. The outskirts of the town is covered with dense forests. Since it is situated at the border of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, the town has a mixed population pertaining to the culture of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

The India census report published in 2001, reveals that the town has a population of 21,196.Males and females constitute an equal proportion of ther population. In Gunupur, 11% of the population is less than six years of age. The census report also throws light on the literacy rate of the town which was 63%. This of course is a progressive trend because the national average literacy rate is 59.5%. To be more specific, the male literacy rate is 72% and the female literacy rate is 55%.

Gunupur was once a mission station of the Visakhapatnam Diocese. Padmapur the abode of Manikeswari Shiva is about 24 km from Gunupur.