Explore Odisha: History, Art, Culture, Tourism, Fair & Festival

Table of Contents

Brief about Odisha

Odisha (officially known as Orissa till 2011) is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state in terms of land and the eleventh-largest in terms of people. The state is home to India’s third-largest number of Scheduled Tribes. It is bordered on the north by West Bengal and Jharkhand, on the west by Chhattisgarh, and on the south by Andhra Pradesh. Odisha has a 485-kilometer (301-mile) coastline along the Bay of Bengal. Utkala is another name for the region, which is featured in India’s national hymn, “Jana Gana Mana.” Odisha’s Official language is Odia, which is one of India’s Classical languages.

History of Odisha

In ancient times, Orissa was known as Kalinga. Utkal was another ancient name for this region. It is well-known as Lord Jagannath’s homeland. Establishment as a separate state from Bihar and Orissa Province on April 1, 1936, with the addition of Koraput and Ganjam from the Madras Presidency.

From the founding of Utkal Sammilani, which led to the formation of a separate Odisha Province, the main revolution in this separate state lasted for three decades. With the help of the public, the movement became more intense under the leadership of Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan Das, Utkala mani Gopabandhu Das, Maharaja SriRam Chandra Bhanj Deo, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Pandita Nilakantha Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gangadhar Meher, Basudeba Sudhaladeba and Radhanath Ray.

Cuttack, Puri, Baleswar, Sambalpur, Koraput, and Ganjam were the six districts that made up the newly constituted Odisha, with Cuttack as its capital. The first Governor of Odisha Province, John Austin Hubback, took the oath of office. As of 1 April 2019, Odisha has 30 districts.

Ancient Odisha

The ancient Orissa has been seen the Dynasty of Nandas and the Mauryas, Kharavela in the ancient Orissa. Scythian and Gupta periods, Harshavardhana and Sailodbhavas, Yuan Chwang, the Karas, the Bhanja dynasty, Tungas, Sulkis, the Somavamsi Kings of Kosala, the early Gangas of Kalinga, the Eastern Gangas- Vajrahasta to Anangabhima II, the Eastern Gangas- Rajaraja III to Narasimha I, the foundation of the Empire of Kapilendra, the Empire of Orissa- Purushottama (1470-97), the decline of Orissa- Prataparudra (1497-1541) and finally, the last of the Gajapatis.

Glimpses of Odisha

Statehood-1st April 1936.
Capital and Largest City-Bhubaneswar.
Population-4,19,74,218. 11th Rank
Area-1,55,707 Km2. 8th Rank
Official Language-Odia.
Other Western Odiasha advasi Language-Santali, Kui, Bhumij and Ho.
Districts-30.
Blocks-314.
Tahasils-317.
Governer-Ganeshi Lal
Chief Minister-Naveen Patnaik.
High Court-Odisha High Court, located at Cuttack.
Legislature-Unicameral of 147 Seats.
Parliamentary Constituency -Lok Sabha 21 Seats, Rajya Sabha-10 Seats.
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)-114.
Geo-coordinates-20.27°N 85.82°E.
Literacy-73.45%.
Human Development Index (HDI)-Medium-0.606, 32nd in Indian states and union territories.
GDP-Indian Rupee-5.34 Trillion.
Per Capita- Indian Rupee-11614.
Time Zone-UTC+05:30 (IST).

Odisha Symbol

Emblem-Official Seal of the Government Odisha.
Song / Anthem-Bande Utkal Janani.
Dance-Odissi.
Mammal-Sambar.
Bird-Indian Roller.
Fish-Mahanadi Mahseer.
Flower-Ashoka.
Tree-Sacred Fig.
Food-Pakhal
Sweet-Rasogola.

Explore of Odisha

Largest cities or towns in Odisha-Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Brahmapur, Sambalpur, Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak, Baripada, Balangir.
Major Rivers of Odisha-Subarnarekha, Budhabalanga, Baitarani, Brahmani, Mahanadi and Rushikulya.
Revenue Divisional Commission-The 30 districts have been placed under three different revenue divisions to streamline their governance (North-Sambalpur, Central-Cuttack and South-Berhampur).
Tourism-Chilika Lake, Satapada, Similipal National Park, Bhitarkanika National Park, Nandakanan Zoological Park, Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary, Golden Sea Beach-Chandipur, Gopalpur, Puri, Talasari. Tikarapada Wild life Sanctuary, Silk City-Berhampur, Daringibadi, Hirakud Dam, Satkosia Tiger Reserve, ASI Museum, Harishankar Peeth and many more.
Temples & Monuments-Konark Sun Temple, Shri Jagannath Temple Puri, Lingaraj Temple, Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, Rajarani Temple, Mukteswar Temple Bhubaneswar, Dhauli and many more.

Transportation

Roads-Bhubaneswar is well connected to the rest of India by air, rail, and road. Some highways are being widened to accommodate four lanes. Plans for a 30-kilometer metro train link between Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack have also begun.
Railway-Odisha’s major cities are well connected to all of India’s major cities via direct daily and weekly trains. The majority of Odisha’s railway network is under the control of the East Coast Railway (ECoR), which has its headquarters in Bhubaneswar, and minor parts are under the control of the South Eastern Railway and the South East Central Railway.
Seaports-Odisha has a 485-kilometer coastline. Paradeep is the Major Port. Others are Dhamara, Gopalpur, Subarnarekha, Astarang, Chandipur, Chudamani and Palur.
Airports-Odisha has a total of two operational airports, 17 airstrips and 16 helipads.
- Biju Patnaik Airport-Bhubaneswar.
- Veer Surendra Sai Airport-Jharasuguda.

Eminent Personalities

The Great Revolutionary Leader Jayee Rajguru.
Chandra Sekhar Behera.
Raja Artatran Deo.
Buxi Jagabandhu.
Pandit Gopabandhu Das.
Veer Surendra Sai.
Kalindi Charana Panigrahi.
Acharya Harihara.
Chakhi Khuntia (Chandan Hajuri).
Biju Pattanaik.
Sri. Nilamani Routray.
Nilakantha Das.
Fakir Mohan Senapati.
Amar Saheed Baji Rout.
Biswanath Das.
Nandini Satapathy.
Gajapati Maharaja Krushna Chandra Dev.
Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das.
Maharaja Sri Ramchandra Bhanj Deo.
Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab

Fair & Festival of Odisha

Odisha (Orissa) Fairs and Festivals section includes

Ratha Yatra.
Durga Puja.
Raja Parba.
Makar Mela.
Maha Shivaratri-Jagar
Nuakhai.
Chhau Festival.
Kalinga Mahostav.
Ashokastami and Rukuna Rath Yatra
Sitalsasthi Carnival.
Konark Dance Festival.
Gamha Purnima.
Chandan Yatra.
Ganesh Chatruthi.
Mahabishuba Sankranti.
Hingula Yatra.
Magha Saptami.

Art & Culture of Odisha

Stone work, silver filigree, wood craft, appliqué work, brass and bell metal work, dhokra castings, horn work, pattachitra, paper mache, terracotta, tie-and-dye textile in cotton, tassar, and silk are only a few examples of Odisha’s art and craft.