A BRIEF INTORDUCTION OF

ORRISA
Orissa formed in 1926 was known as Kalinga in ancient times.
Kalinga was a prosperous nation whose merchants traded with the
lands of Java and Sumatra.
Orissa has a history spanning a period of over 3,000 years. The
history of Orissa is in many ways atypical from that of the northern
plains, and many of the common generalizations that are made
about Indian history do not seem to apply to the Oriya region. The
word Oriya is an anglicised version of Odia, which itself is a modern
name for the Odra or Udra tribes that inhabited the central belt of
modern Orissa

Orissa lies on the eastern coast of India with the waters of the Bay
of Bengal swirling along its eastern and southeastern boundaries.
With an area of about 1,55,707 square kilometers, the state offers
diverse habitats from lush green and hilly terrain to coastal plains
and rolling river valleys, crises-crossed by the Brahmani, the
GEOGRAPHY
 Orissa located between 17o 49'N to 22o 34'N
latitude and from 81o 29'E to 87o 29'E
longitude on the eastern coast of India. West
Bengal in northeast, Jharkhand in the north,
Madhya Pradesh in the west, Andhra Pradesh in
the south and the Bay of Bengal in the east
bound it. Orissa was separated from Bihar and
came into existence on 1 April 1936. 5
 The capital was established at the historic city
of Cuttack, located at the apex of the Mahanadi
delta. In 1956, it shifted to Bhubaneswar, a
planned modern town of the post-
independence period.
 LOCATION OF ORISA
file:///H:/ved/Orissa Vacations and travel guide - Cities and Counties_files/orissa.gif
MAP LOCATION
 Based on physiographical characterstics, Orissa can
be divided into three broad regions - the Coastal
plains, the Middle mountainous country Plateaus and
rolling up lands.
THE COASTAL PLAINS
 The Orissa Coastal Plains region stretches from the West
Bengal border i.e. from the River Subarnarekha in the north to
the River Rushikulya in the south.
THE MIDDLE MOUNTAINS
 The Middle Mountainous Region covers about three-fourth of
the entire State and comprises the hills and mountains of the
Eastern Ghats,
THE PLATEAUS LANDS
 The Plateaus are mostly eroded plateaus forming the
western slopes of the Eastern Ghats with elevation
varying from 305-610 metres.
ANCIENT NAMES OF ORRISA
 Mandir Maline(Next Name)
 Kalinga
 Utkal
 Utkalraata
 Udra
 Odra
 Odrabisha
 Oda
 Odrarashtra
 Trikalinga
 Koshala
 Kangoda
 Toshali
 Chedi (Mahabharata)
 Matsa (Mahabharata)
GENRAL INFORMATION
 Capital : Bhubaneswar

Districts : 30

Languages: Oriya, English

ECONOMIC PROFILE OF
ORRISA
 Over 76 percent of the people are dependent on agriculture.
Out of the gross cropped area of 87.46 lakh hectares, 18.79
lakh hectares are irrigated. Rice, pulses, oil seeds, jute,
mesta, sugarcane, coconut and turmeric are important
crops. There are also cash crops like tea, cotton and rubber.
The state contributes one-tenth of the rice production in
India. Jute, gram, sesame, ragi, mustard, rape and maize
are second-ranking crops in different districts. District-wise,
jute ranks second in Cuttack and Balasore, gram in Puri and
Phulabani and Maize in Mayurbhanj. The infrastructure for
the development of industry in Orissa is available.
 A combination of coal, iron ore, limestone, bauxite and a
host of other minerals on the one hand and port facilities on
the other are the unique features in Orissa. In addition, the
bountiful forest resources and agricultural products provide
ample scope for the development of forest-based and agro-
ECONOMICAL DATA
 POPULATION (2001 census)
36706920
 MALES 18612340
 FEMALES 18094580
 SEX RATIO (females/1000 males) 972
 DENSITY OF POPULATION (Persons/ Square Km) 236
 URBAN POPULATION % 14.97
 LITERACY RATE (census 2001) in % 63.3
 MALE LITERACY in % 75.3,
 MALE LITERATE in numbers
11992333
 FEMALE LITERACY in % 50.5
 FEMALE LITERATE in numbers 7844722
 BIRTH RATE (PER 1000) (2002) 23.1
 DEATH RATE (PER 1000) 0.9
 NSDP(NET STATE DOMESTIC PRODUCT) in crores
37891
MAJOR INDUSTRIES
 AGRICULTURE
 FOREST BASED INDUSTRY
 MINERALS (Fero alloy, Aluminum)
 CEMENT
 PAPER
 SUGAR
 FERTILIZER
 IRON AND STEEL
 HANDLOOM
 INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY
GOVERNMENT OF ORRISA
 Shri Naveen Patnaik is the Chief Minister of
Orissa. The son of former Chief Minister of
Orissa and Gandhi era freedom fighter Biju
Patnaik, he is member of the Biju Janata Dal
Party in Orissa.
TRAVEL & TORISM IN
ORRISA
 The Jagannath Temple is located in the city of Puri. Jagannath is
known to be a gracious form of Lord Krishna.
The establishment of the Konark Sun Temple dates back to the
13th century. The temple is famous throughout the world for its
architectural design. This temple is designed in such a way that
it is surely a state of art. Overall it is a must see for the tourist’s.
KONARK SUN TEMPLE
RATH YATRA
 The Rath Yatra is a festival of great importance wherein
millions of people from over the world visit this temple to take
part in this holy progression. The temple is a place which no
tourist should miss out on.
ABOUT RATH YATRA
 Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha is
celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the
east coast of India. The presiding deities of the main temple,
Sri Mandira, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess
Subhadra, with the celestial wheel Sudarshana are taken out
from the temple precincts in an elaborate ritual procession to
their respective chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated
chariots, are drawn by hundreds and thousands of devotees on
the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha temple,
some two miles away to the North. After a stay for seven days,
the deities return to their abode in Srimandira.
 The other places of tourist attraction are Chandraprabha
Sanctuary, Simlipal National Park, Khiching, cave structures of
Ratnagiri and Udayagiri, Lalitagiri and Prachi Vallay and
beaches.

 All the major places in Orissa have its share of these temples
including the capital Bhubaneswar, where you can find more
than hundred beautiful temples. The Sun Temple of Konark and
temples of Bhubaneswar and Puri are world famous.
RIVER OF ORISSA
 There are four groups of rivers, which flow
through Orissa into the Bay of Bengal. The first
group is the rivers that have a source outside
the State such as the Subarnarekha, the
Brahmani and the Mahanadi. The second group
is the rivers having a source inside the State
such as the Budhabalanga, the Baitarini, the
Salandi, and the Rushikulya. The third group
represents the rivers having a source inside the
Orissa, but flow through other states such as
the Bahudu, the Vansadhara, and the Nagavali.
Thelast group represents the rivers having a
source inside Orissa, but tributary to rivers,
which flow, through other states such as the
Machkund, the Sileru, the Kolab, and the
CLIMATE OF ORISSA
 Orissa has a tropical climate with heavy
rainfalls. In summers the average maximum
temperature is about 35ºC. In winters the
temperature is pretty cool, the average
minimum temperature is 9ºC.
EDUCATION IN ORISSA
 Taxila, Nalanda and Ratnagiri are the oldest universities in the
world. The modern Orissa is home to many colleges and
universities, deemed and otherwise. The major universities in
Orissa include Berhampur University, Biju Patnaik University of
Technology, Fakir Mohan University, Kalinga Insitute of
Industrial Technology, National Institute of Technology, North
Orissa University, Orissa University of Agriculture and
Technology, Sambalpur University, Shri Jagannath Sanskrit
Vishvavidyalaya, Utkal University and Utkal University of
Culture. Although the federal government in New Delhi has so
far denied Orissa any educational institution of national
importance, Orissa has witnessed the rise of several prominent
academic institutions, mainly through private participation. The
upcoming educational institutes include Vedanta University are
National Institute of Science Education and Research,
Bhubaneswar (NISER). The overall literacy rate in the state is
63.61% as per census of 2001 with male literacy at 75.95% and
female literacy at 50.97%.
FOOD IN ORISSA
 Rice is the major food crops and the staple food for the
people of Orissa. Vegetables which are grown in plenty
too form and integral part of the meal in the state. A
large number of people practice vegetarianism because
of their deep religious nature.
 Oriya food is spicy and has less calorific value as it is
cooked with little or no oil. Curd and coconut milk find
great use in the diet of the people
 Another traditional must is the tasting of the
'Mahaprasad' or the sacred food offered as 'Bhog' to Lord
Jagannath. The temple kitchen is believed to be the
largest kitchen in the world. Created on a cooking
facility, which is highly efficient despite its age, 400
'supkars' (cooks) work around 200 hearths daily to feed
over 10,000 people.
ART & CULTURE OF ORISSA
 The famous classical dance form, Odissi originated in Orissa.
Contemporary Orissa has a proud cultural heritage that arose
due to the intermingling of three great religious traditions -
Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The culture of the Adivasis
(the original inhabitants of India) is an integral part of modern
Orissan heritage
 Odissi is the major classical dance form of the state of Orissa
and is believed to be one of the oldest classical dance forms of
India. This dance extensively uses poetry of Jayadeva, who
wrote on the life of Lord Krishna. Odissi classical dance is about
the divine love of Krishna and his consort, Radha
CONCLUSION
 A major turning point in world history took place in Orissa. The
Kalinga War that led emperor Ashok to embrace non-violence
and the teachings of Buddha was fought here in 261 BC.
Ashoka's military campaign against Kalinga was one of the
bloodiest in Mauryan history on account of the fearless and
heroic resistance offered by the Kalingas to the mighty armies
of the expanding Mauryan empire. Perhaps on account of their
unexpected bravery, emperor Ashoka was compelled to issue
two edicts specifically calling for a just and benign
administration in Kalinga. Later on, Asoka was instrumental in
spreading Buddhist philosophy all over Asia.