Koraput district is a storehouse of natural beauty. The place is completely surrounded by mountains. The major population resides in the forests and is far away from luxury. They don't have bad qualities like pride, greed, and ill behavior towards people. They are pure in heart and simple in nature.
Human being lives revolve around culture, behavior, festivals, music, dance, etc. These are a part of the culture. The district of Koraput is a tribal area with a variety of tribal people. The various tribes are 'Paraja', 'Gadaba', 'Kandha', 'Koya', 'Bhumiya', 'Durua' etc. The main language of this district is 'Desia.' The favorite dish of these tribal people is Mandia Peja or millet stock. They collect wild fruits from the forest, collect woods, different varieties of leaves, seeds and sell them in the weekly market. These people are habituated to alcoholic drinks. They celebrate festivals like chaiti parba, Magha parba, nuakhai parba, diyal parba, etc. Chaiti parba is the main festival of these people. The major dance form of these tribal people is dhamsa. Various musical instruments like dhol, tamaka, and mahuri are used in this dance form.
The people of these tribal communities are highly religious. They believe in worship and religion. Due to the religious feelings of the people, the district of Koraput has a Jagannath temple and is known as 'Sabara Srikhetra.' There is also Nilachala Saraswat Sangha, which was established by Shri Shri Thakur Maharaj. It has other branches in Damanjodi, Semiliguda, Jeypore, Indirabati and Baalimela. These branches have various tribal men and women who worship and preach the teachings of Shri Shri Thakur Maharaj.
