Orissa

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Orissa
Image:IndiaOrissa.png
Location of Orissa
Capital Bhubaneshwar
20.15° N 85.50° E
Largest city Bhubaneshwar
Abbreviation IN-OR
Official languages Oriya
Legislature
 • Strength
 • Governor
 • Chief Minister 		Unicameral
147
Rameshwar Thakur (list)
Navin Patnaik (list)
Formation 1949-01-01
Area 155,707 km² (9th)
Population (2001) 36,706,920 (11th)
Density 236/km²
Districts 30
Time zone IST (UTC +5:30)
Image:Orissaseal.png

Seal of Orissa

Orissa (2001 provisional pop. 36,706,920), 60,162 sq mi (155,820 sq km) is a state situated in the east coast of India.

Orissa is bounded on the north by Jharkhand, on the north-east by West Bengal, on the east by the Bay of Bengal, on the south by Andhra Pradesh and on the west by Chhattisgarh.

The relatively unindented coastline (c.200 mi/320 km long) lacks good ports save for the deepwater facility at Paradip. The narrow, level coastal strip, including the Mahanadi River delta, is exceedingly fertile. Rainfall is heavy and regular, and two crops of rice (by far the most important food) are grown annually. The state is known for its temples, especially in the cities of Konark, Puri, and Bhubaneswar.

The dense population, concentrated on the coastal alluvial plain, is Oriya-speaking. The interior, inhabited largely by indigenous people (Adivasis), is hilly and mountainous. Orissa is subject to intense cyclones; in October 1999, Tropical Cyclone 05B caused severe damage and some 10,000 deaths.

Orissa holds the promise of becoming one of India's major manufacturing hubs in the near future. Recently POSCO of South Korea has agreed to construct a mammoth $12 billion steel plant, which would be the largest ever investment in India. Several other steel majors have shown enough interest in setting up very large scale projects in the state. Although Paradip is Orissa's only large port, the coastal towns of Dhamra and Gopalpur are being developed into major ports as well.

Contents

Geography

The capital of Orissa is Bhubaneswar, famed for its magnificent temples numbering around a thousand is known as the Cathedral City. The city of Puri is nearby on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Puri is a famous holy city and the site of the annual festival of Lord Jagannath and is one of the four Dhams (holy places) of Hinduism.

The Eastern Ghats range and the Chota Nagpur plateau occupy the western and northern portions of the state, while fertile alluvial plains occupy the coastal plain and the valleys of the Mahanadi, Brahmani, and Baitarani rivers, which empty into the Bay of Bengal. These alluvial plains are home to intensive rice cultivation.

Chilka Lake, a brackish water coastal lake on the Bay of Bengal, south of the mouth of the Mahanadi River, is the largest coastal lake in India. It is protected by the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 150 migratory and resident species of birds.

History and culture

Oriya is the state's official language. The state has a very opulent cultural heritage, one of the richest in India, and the capital city of Bhubaneswar is known as the temple city in India for its temples with rich heritage. Other popular cultural interests include the well known Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, known for its annual Rath Yatra or Car Festival, the unique and beautiful applique artwork of Pipili, silver filigree ornamental works from Cuttack, the Patta chitras (silk paintings) and various tribal influenced cultures.

Orissa has a glorious and ancient history spanning a period of over 3000 years. In ancient times, it was the proud kingdom of Kalinga. Kalinga was a major seafaring nation that controlled most of the sea routes in the Bay of Bengal. For several centuries, a substantial part of Southeast Asia, such as Kampuchea (Cambodia), Java, Sumatra, Bali and Thailand were colonies of Orissa. In fact the name of the country "Siam" is derived from Oriya/Sanskrit Shyamadesha. The temple of Angkor Wat is a fine example of Orissan architecture, with some local variations. Bali still retains its Hindu Orissan heritage.

A major turning point in world history took place in Orissa. The famous Kalinga war that led emperor Asoka to embrace non-violence and the teachings of Buddha was fought here in 261 BC. Later on, Asoka was instrumental in spreading Buddhist philosophy all over Asia.

In the second century BC, Kalinga flourished as a powerful kingdom under Kharavela. It is he who was built the superb monastic caves at Udayagiri and Khandagiri. Subsequently, the kingdom was ruled under various monarchs, such as Samudragupta and Sasanka. It also was a part of Harsha's empire. In 795 AD, the king Yayati united Kalinga, Kosala and Utkala into a single empire. He also built the famous Jagannath temple at Puri. King Narasimha Dev is reputed to have built the magnificent sun temple in Konark. Although now largely in ruins, the temple would easily have rivaled the Taj Mahal in splendor.

The ruins of a major ancient university and center of Buddhist learning, Ratnagiri, was recently discovered in Orissa. Scholars from far away lands, such as Greece, Persia and China used to study philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and science at this famed University. Taxila, Nalanda and Ratnagiri are the oldest universities in the world. The ruins of Ratnagiri University have not been fully excavated yet.

During the medieval period of Indian civilization, Orissa was ruled by a succession of Muslim kings. It was later annexed by emperor Akbar and became part of the Mughal empire. After the fall of the Mughals, the Marathas under Shivaji invaded the land and continued to rule until 1803 AD when Orissa fell prey to the British. Modern Orissa was carved out of Bihar in 1936.

Contemporary Orissa has a proud cultural heritage that arose due to the intermingling of three great religious traditions - Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. It has been further enriched by Islam and Christianity. The culture of the Adivasis (the original inhabitants of India) is an integral part of modern Orissan heritage.

The dynasties that ruled Orissa beginning in the third century BC included:

  • Murundas Dynasty
  • Matharas Dynasty
  • Nala Dynasty
  • The Vigrahas and the Mudgalas
  • Sailodbhava Dynasty
  • Bhaumakaras Dynasty
  • Nandodbhavas Dynasty
  • Somavamsis Dynasty
  • The Eastern Gangas
  • Suryavamsi Dynasty

After long resistance to the Muslims, the region was overcome (1568) by Afghan invaders and passed to the Mughal empire.

After the fall of the Mughals, Orissa was divided between the Nawabs of Bengal and the Marathas. In 1803 it was conquered by the British. The coastal section, which was made (1912) part of Bihar and Orissa Province, became in 1936 the separate province of Orissa. In 1948 and 1949 the area of Orissa was almost doubled and the population was increased by a third with the addition of 24 former princely states. In 1950, Orissa became a constituent state of India. The state is governed by a chief minister and cabinet responsible to an elected unicameral legislature and by a governor appointed by the president of India.

Interesting facts about the state

  • The world's oldest coins were discovered in Sonepur, in western Orissa. These priceless silver punch marked coins could be as old as 1000 BC. They are preserved in the Orissa State Museum.
  • Rasgolla, the sweet delicacy enjoyed all over India, originated from Puri, Orissa. It became popular in Kolkata in the nineteenth century and eventually spread across the rest of the country.
  • The ancient people of Kalinga sided with the Kauravas during the great Mahabharata war (how unfortunate!).
  • The city of Sambalpur in western Orissa was one of the world's most prominent centers of diamond production. Travelers from lands as far away as Greece used to visit the city.
  • Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, was born and grew up in Cuttack city in Orissa.
  • Bhubaneswar, the capital city was the home of over 600 magnificent temples in medieval times. It is called the "cathedral city" of India.
  • Puri is one of the four Dhams - Hindu centers of pilgrimage. Every year, millions throng all over Puri to witness the famous Rath Yatra.
  • The Sinhala (people of Sri Lanka) are named after Raja Jai Sinha, an ancient Oriya king.
  • The Jagannath temple kitchen in Puri is reputed to be the largest kitchen in the world, with 400 cooks working around 200 hearths to feed over 10,000 people each day.

Demographics

Image:Human Development Index for Indian states in 2001.png

Orissa has a population of 32 million. About 87% of the population live in the villages and one third of the rural population does not own any land other than homesteads. Following India's independence, Orissa has been severely neglected by the central government in New Delhi. The government, which typically has been formed by the Congress Party has made shockingly little investment in transportation, infrastructure and education in Orissa, which is why Orissa lags behind the other states. Only 20% of the road network is paved. In rural areas more than 65% of the population have no access to safe drinking water. However the state is blessed with abundant natural resources and a coastline, and is receiving unprecedented investments in steel, aluminum, power, refineries and ports. The state capital holds the promise of being one of the centers for softwarec technology in India. It appears that the state is destined to become one of the industrial powerhouses of India in a decade.

The aborgines or tribes, known as Adivasis, constitute 24% of the population, belonging to 62 different ethnic communities. Their traditional livelihood revolves around the forest ecosystem. Over the years collection of forest produce, hunting and persuasion of other traditional ways of living have become increasingly difficult, influencing socio-cultural life. Issues with modernisation and industrial activities, such as mining, construction of dams, roads, railways have grown to become a concern affecting their very traditional livelihood and have displaced the Adivasi communities.

Religion, temples, and festivals

Image:Stone work at Konark Orissa India.jpg Konark Temple - This is also known as the Sun Temple and is famous for its exquisite Orissan style of architecture. The sun temple was built in the 13th century A.D. The Sun Temple (Surya Deul) at Konark includes in its decoration many vignettes of military life. The thousands of elephants marching around the base of the temple are not figments of the imagination. Rather, they demonstrate pride in the superb war elephants for which Orissa was famous.

Jagannath Temple (12th Century A.D.) at Puri is Famous for Ratha Jatra (Car Festival). Every year millions of devotees come to Puri during the Rathyatra. It is a festival during which Jagannath along with his brother Ballabhadra and sister Subhadra come out of the temple to meet their devotees.

The capital city of Bhubaneshwar has some magnificient temples, including the Lingaraja temple, and the Mukteswar temple.

Politics

Economy

Image:Index of Corruption by Indian states in 2005.png

In the south are the Eastern Ghats, which yield valuable timber. A canal system links the Mahanadi River with the Hugli River in West Bengal. Supporting a major industrial zone in the north are deposits of iron, manganese, coal, and mica.

The rate of growth in Orissa has been rather poor in comparison with the national average in the past due to apathy by the central government in New Delhi. For instance; in the 1990s Orissa's rate of growth was 4.3% in comparison to the national average of 6.7%. The agricultural sector accounts for 32% of the GSDP and 62% of the total employment, there is a stagnation in per capita income in the past two decades. Around 17.5 million people live below the poverty line. Poverty is significantly worse in the western and southern districts of the state. However, the state is beginning to witness unprecedented investment, both domestic and foreign. A whopping 50 billion dollars are expected to be invested in the state for building steel and aluminum producing capacity, power projects, ports and other infrastructure in the near futute. In addition, the state capital, Bhubaneswar, a well planned city with modern facilities, is attractive for information technology with a few software development centers (TCS, Satyam, Infosys) and a software technology park.

Education

Orissa is home to many colleges and universities, deemed and otherwise.

Research Institutes

Universities

Management Colleges

General Colleges

  • Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar (BJB) College, Bhubaneswar.
  • Ravenshaw College, Cuttack.

Engineering Colleges

Medical Colleges

  • Shri Ramachandra Bhanj Medical College, Cuttack.
  • Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Dev Medical College, Berhampur.
  • Veer Surendra Sai Medical College, Burla, Sambalpur.
  • Institute of Health Sciences, Bhubaneswar.

Rehabilitative Education

  • Institute of Health Sciences, Bhubaneswar.
  • Training Centre for Teachers of the Visually Handicapped, Bhubaneswar
  • Chetna Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (Jewels International), Bhubaneswar
  • National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research,Olatpur
  • Training Centre for Teachers of the Deaf (A Joint Project of State Govt. & AYJNIHH, Bhubaneswar
  • Open Learning System, Bhubaneswar
  • Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre, Bhubaneswar

Ayurvedic Colleges

  • Gopabandhu Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya,Puri.
  • Government Ayurveda College, Balangir.
  • K.A.T.S. Ayurvedic College,Berhampur,Ganjam.
  • Nrusingh Nath Ayurvedic College, Paikmal, Sambalpur.
  • Indira Gandhi Ayurvedic College,Bhubaneswar
  • Ayurvedic College,Baripada

Homoeopathic Colleges

  • Govt. Homoeopathic Medical College, Berhampur.

Famous Personalities from Orissa

Transportation

Orissa is connected to India and to the world through roads, airports, and seaports.

Airports

Seaports

Districts

Image:Orissa districts.jpg

External links


Indian states and territories Image:India flag large.png
Andhra Pradesh | Arunachal Pradesh | Assam | Bihar | Chhattisgarh | Goa | Gujarat | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu and Kashmir | Jharkhand | Karnataka | Kerala | Madhya Pradesh | Maharashtra | Manipur | Meghalaya | Mizoram | Nagaland | Orissa | Punjab | Rajasthan | Sikkim | Tamil Nadu | Tripura | Uttaranchal | Uttar Pradesh | West Bengal
Union territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Chandigarh | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Daman and Diu | Lakshadweep | Pondicherry
National Capital Territory: Delhi
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