Jeypore is the second largest city after Brahmapur of south Odisha and the Sub-Division of Koraput district of Odisha, India. Along with Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur , Rourkela, Balasore, Puri and Brahmapur, Jeypore is one of the prominent places of Odisha. Jeypore pronounced in Odia as Joypur, literally means "the city of victory". Nature has bestowed Jeypore generously with waterfalls and dense green forests. This is also a prominent business place on southern Odisha. It is encompassed by hills of the Eastern Ghats and the more famous Araku hills on three sides like a horse shoe with the western side opening up to Chhattisgarh in central India. It is the business hub for the district. Jeypore is an ancient town with a niche in the history of Odisha. The town is surrounded by forests with mostly Sal (Dalbergia Latifolia) and teak (Tectona Grandis) trees. The town was the capital of the local king in the olden times and is known for its ancient forts, palaces and temples. The major languages spoken in this region are Odia and a few indigenous languages. There is a diverse cultural mix of adivasi (indigenous) people and mainstream people of Odia ethnicity. Besides the annual Rath Yatra, another popular festival celebrated in the town is the 'Ghata Porbo' or 'Thakurani Yatra' (procession of the goddess) held usually during summer. During the festival, every community has the chance to take its goddesses out of the temples and visit all other localities. The processions last for days and weeks, with dramas and other entertainment held during the nights. Local musical instruments like 'Dombo baido' and 'Singha baido' accompany such processions. Jeypore is famous for its grand Dussehera and Rath Yatra celebrations as well. People also celebrate "Ganesh Puja," "Saraswati Puja" and "Biswakarma Puja". Jeypore Dussehera is often compared with Mysore Dussehera. In ancient times, ‘lathi processions’ were taken out by barefoot tribals carrying small idols of Goddess ‘Durga’ on palanquin and played local musical instruments from far-flung areas to Jeypore. According to old timers, during the rule of Jeypore kings, tribal headmen would come to Jeypore with these lathis and keep them in the local temple till Dussehra which was a 16-day affair. The tribals mostly belonged to Bhumiya, Gadba, Parja, Soura, Bhatra, Gond, Didai, Durua, Amantya, Kondhy, Bonda and Koya communities. Jeypore King used to celebrate this festival in great way. In between 19th to 20th century the glamour of this festival faded but starting from year 2003 again this festival has been revived and year by year this festival is celebrated in a big way like it used to be during kings time and gathering of around 1 lakh people can be seen during Dussehara. In the nineties, an annual event called "Parab" was instituted by the government to promote tribal art, culture and handicrafts in the district.