Anandapur

Anandapur is a fictional kingdom which serves as the setting for the themed "land" of Asia in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
== Background ==
=== History ===
Anandapur was a kingdom located north of the Bugis Sea and south of the Himalayas. The name Anandapur translates to "place of delight"in Sanskrit. The kingdom was founded circa/prior to the 1500s by a legendary king named Ananta. Ananta destroyed much of the kingdom's woodlands and killed many of its animals, angering the heavens. As a result, Ananta was confronted by the spirits of the heavens who made him change his ways and become one with nature.
Anandapur would expand to a great size. The village of Serka Zong in particular was created at the foothills of the Himalayas, namely the Forbidden Mountain. This mountain was home to the legendary cryptid known as the Yeti which was highly territorial of the mountain. Citizens of the region created an alpine temple devoted to the yeti where they worshiped the yeti as a guardian of the mountain in-return for safe-passage.
Following Ananta's death, his remains were placed in a stone sarcophagus within the Royal Forest of Anandapur. Ananta's successors did not follow his ideals of conservation however. One Rajah Bhima Disampati enclosed the Royal Forests in 1544 to hunt animals such as tigers for sport. This turned to be the rajah's end when angered tigers hunted him and mauled the rajah to death.
By the 20th century, Anandapur was controlled by the British Empire. In 1912, the city of Anandapur was visited by the adventuring Wilderness Explorers. In 1922, a railway was created to pass through the Forbidden Mountain and reach the other side of the Himalayas. This railway was aimed to be used by the Royal Anandapur Tea Company for the trading of tea. Starting in the year 1933, many accidents occurred on the railway as a result of yeti attacks. In the year 1934, the railway was forced to shut down. Many locals of Anandapur blamed the accidents on an increased population of westerners travelling to the Himalayas.
After World War II, the British Empire was pressured into letting go of power over many conquered nations. Anandapur was amongst these regions and gained its independence from Britain in 1948. The royal family of Anandapur was restored into a place of power as a result of this freedom.
In 1982, a mountaineering expedition set out to traverse the Forbidden Mountain. This expedition was violently attacked by the yeti and left no known survivors. This expedition was shrouded in mystery, especially after the ruined campsite was discovered. The recovered camera from this site contained obscured photographs of the yeti, attacking the campers.
In the year 2005, a British man named Bob and Anandapur citizen named Norbu established, "Himalayan Escapes Tours and Expeditions". This company lead mountaineering expeditions through the Himalayas, increasing the tourism of Serka Zong. This company wound up repurposing the tea-trains constructed by the tea-company to make transit to Mt. Everest faster.
Himalayan Escapes Tours and Expeditions was controversial in Serka Zong due to it desecrating the yeti's territory but bringing business to the region. Most active against the company was one Professor Pema Dorje, PhD, an environmental scientist/cryptozooligist who ran the Yeti Museum. The railway activity resulted in increased yeti attacks with some customers of Norbu and Bob's having been attacked themselves.
=== Points of interest ===
Anandapur's districts and municipalities have been revealed by maps in the land.
==== Districts ====
* Anandapur District:
** Anandapur: Anandapur was the city which shared its name with the kingdom.
** Anandapur Royal Forest:
** Dakshinran:
** Nagbhatti:
** Nayapur: Nayapur was the capital city of the kingdom of Anandapur.
** Padipantai:
* Bharatmadesh:
** Bharatpur:
** Bharatsima:
** Nagpul:
* Bhotanta Himal: Bhotanta Himal was the west-most of Anandapur's districts.
**Kar Gesar:
** Lamalhabdra:
** Nytagma Lakhang:
** Serka Zong: Serka Zong also known as Zerka Dzong (meaning: "Fortress of the Chasm") was a village in the foot-hills of the Forbidden Mountain.
* Corkhalidanda:
* Drukhimal District:
** Druk Ozong:
* Dvavarati District:
** Indrawat:
** Pa Phru:
* Mughasistan:
* Nusa Jayaraja: These were a series of islands located within the Bugis sea.
** Fort Clive:
** Gunun Gajamadah:
** Kota Basar:
** Pasarbaru:
* Pulao Malaya:
** Bandar Baru:
** Bukittinggl:
** Keta Bugia:
* Sinhaladesa:
** Rohana:
* Tamilaya District:
** Trigopuraguram:
** Yalaghar:
** Yalikadur:
** Yalipur:
==== Anandapur ====
* Anandapur Royal Forest:
==== Serka Zong ====
*Dancing Yeti Inn:
*Forbidden Mountain:
*Serka Zong Bazaar:
== Appearances ==
=== Asia ===
Asia in Disney's Animal Kingdom is set within the kingdom of Anandapur. Namely, it is set in the city of Anandapur and the village fo Serka Zong. The portion connecting to Discovery Island is set in the city of Anandapur while the portion connecting to DinoLand U.S.A. is set in Serka Zong.
==== Expedition Everest ====
==== Kali River Rapids ====
==== Maharajah Jungle Trek ====
==== Wilderness Explorers ====
=== Jungle Cruise ===
In the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise, an obscured post-card from Captain Mary Oceaneer mentions sending members of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers to the, "Forbidden Mountain near Anandapur". A recent addition to the queue also added a banner advertising the Kingdom of Anandapur, alongside a banner advertising fellow Animal Kingdom land, The Village of Harambe, and others referencing themed lands from across Disney Parks.
== Trivia ==
* In real-life, Anandapur is the name of a municipality in Odisha, India.
* A sign in Anandapur identifies the kingdom as hosting a group called Seven Summits Expeditions. This organization is also referenced in windows on Main Street, U.S.A. as tributes to the late Frank Wells (1932-1994). Wells was the president of the Walt Disney Company in addition to having been a mountaineer who wished to complete the seven summits challenge to traverse the seven highest mountain peaks on Earth.
* In Anandapur are a series of totem statues depicting different animals. One depicts an octopus in a pose reminiscent of the idol of Cthulhu from the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
* Anandapur referring to Komodo dragons as, "Dragons" is likely a reference to the unbuilt Beastly Kingdom expansion of Disney's Animal Kingdom which resulted in unrealized dragon motifs throughout the park.
* Anandapur, Harambe, Diggs County, the Valley of Mo'ara and Discovery Island are all fictional locations used as themed lands in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Category:Disney's Animal Kingdom
Category:Kingdoms
Category:Theme park locations