Dharnidhar Autonomous College, Keonjhar was established in 1957. The college is affiliated to the North Orissa University. The college has been accredited B++ grade by the NAAC. The college offers teaching at the under graduate level in subjects like Anthropology, English, Economics, History, Philosophy, Political science, Sociology, Education,Oriya and Sanskrit in humanities stream, in commerce and in Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Mathematics, Physics and Zoology in Science stream.
The Department of Geology was started with Honours at B.Sc level in the year 1974 and the department was upgraded with introduction of P.G in Geology in 1992 with affiliation from Utkal University, BBSR.
 
The objective of the college is primarily responsible for the development of the full potential of the tribal students and it makes them active participants in the mainstream of orisons life and culture and their education should also enkindle the ray of awareness, freedom from superstitions, dogmas and baseless beliefs. The college aims to become a kind of its own in imparting teaching to not only tribal’s but also students who wants to be blended with a rich culture of Gurukul.