Khandadhar Falls (Sundargarh)
The Khandadhar Falls is located in Nandapani, Bonaigarh in the Sundargarh district on the Indian state of Odisha. It is the 9th highest waterfall in India and the second highest in Odisha after Barehipani Falls in Mayurbhanj.
Location
The Khandadhar Falls is from Rourkela via Bonaigarh, and from Kendujhar.The falls
It looks like a sword that's why it is named the khanda dhara waterfall. The Korapani Nala, a small stream, plunges from a height of in a single drop.Legend
There is an interesting legend among the Pauri Bhuiya tribals who inhabit the area around Khandadhar. The legend is reproduced from Outlook (magazine):“A Pauri Bhuiya legend speaks of how their mountains came to be so munificent. The Sundergarh branch of the community was once possessed by a rapacious goddess named Kankala Devi, who consumed trees, soil and everything else. In despair, the Pauri Bhuiya placed her on a rock, which she ate through as well—creating a deep hole from which poured out the Khandadhara. So they had water. Then a couple from the community went to visit relatives at the eastern, or Keonjhar, end of the Khandadhar mountain range. Their prospective hosts were away but a pile of grains had been left outdoors and, amazingly, not even the birds were eating it. Inside the heap, the couple discovered a small goddess, Kanta Kumari, protector of the region’s prosperity. They stole her and brought her back to Sundergarh, and so her bounty became theirs.”