Kantilo is a town and Notified Area Council in Nayagarh district in the Indianstate of Odisha.[1] It is a holy place famous for "Lord Nilamadhab". It is an important commercial place in district of Nayagarh. It is also famous for its hand crafted utensils and other materials.
As of 2001[update] India census,[3] Kantilo had a population of 8728. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kantilo has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 64%. In Kantilo, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Kantilo is 100 km from its state capital Bhubaneswar and 33 km from district headquarters Nayagarh. Kantilo is famous for bell metal utensil, but nowadays it is losing its sheen.[4]
Neelamadhav Krushi Sanghathan from Banapur, proposed the GI registration of Nayagarh Kanteimundi brinjal. After filing the application in February 2021, the Brinjal was granted the GI tag in 2024 by the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai, making the name "Nayagarh Kanteimundi brinjal" exclusive to the Brinjal grown in the region. It thus became the first brinjal variety from Odisha and the 23rd type of goods from Odisha to earn the GI tag.[6]
Name
Nayagarh Kanteimundi brinjal is a prized vegetable crop in Nayagarh and so named after it. "Kante" means "Thorn" in the local state language of "Odia" while "mundi" means head. As per a survey, The word "Kanteimundi", is a name given by farmers in this locality called "Kantilo", and based on the small, prickly thorns found on the stem, calyx, and the actual body of brinjal.[7]
The GI tag protects the brinjal from illegal selling and marketing, and gives it legal protection and a unique identity.
