Jajpur district was founded by ‘Jajati Keshari’, the Somavanshi King in early 10th century. The district takes its name from its headquarter town called Jajpur. The history of the Jajpur district from time immemorial is synonymous with the Goddess Biraja and its place of worship named as Biraja Khetra. The Jajpur district came into being on 1st April 1993. Prior to that it was part of Cuttack district which was divided into four districts. The district is bounded by Keonjhar and Bhadrak districts on its north, Cuttack on its south, Dhenkanal district on its east and Kendrapada district on its west. Jajpur district has one sub-division namely Jajpur. There are 10 Tehsils, 10 Blocks, 311 GPs, 1781 villages and 18 police stations functioning in the district. Economy of the district is agrarian in nature. Agriculture and mining play dominant role in the economy of the district. In recent years, Jajpur district has taken major strides in industrial development.
There are 3 lakh women organised into 25 thousand Self Help Groups across Jajpur district. Women SHGs in the district are involved in diverse activities like supplying Take Home Ration under the ICDS programme, electricity meter reading & billing, pisciculture, handicrafts and weaving.