Odi: ଫୁଲବାଣୀ phulabāṇī
‘Flower Grove’ Town/District HQ Odisha
From Odi: phula, ‘flower’; and baṇi/baṇiā, ‘cluster of trees’, ‘grove’.
Phulbani is in a Kondh-majority tribal area and the District is now called Kandhamal [From kandha, ‘kond(h) tribe’; and Dra: mala, ‘mountain’, ‘hill-land’].
The region has a Geographical indication (GI) tag for its Kandhamal Haldi, a local turmeric described as having high levels of oleo resin and volatile oil’ giving it a ‘strong aroma and high medicinal value’.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Odisha place names.
