"Ollywood" and "Oriya Film Industry" redirects here. For the article about Hollywood-inspired names see Hollywood-inspired names.

Oriya Film Industry (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଆ ସିନେମା) or Ollywood refers to the Oriya language Indian film industry based in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar in Orissa, India. The origin of the name is disputed, and is believed to be a portmanteau of the words Oriya and Hollywood.^[1]

Industry[link]

In 1974, the Government of Orissa declared filmmaking and construction of cinema theatres as industry in the state,^[2] and two years later in 1976, it established the Orissa Film Development Corporation, based in Cuttack.^[3]

History[link]

Oriya films have no silent movie like Bengali and Assamese cinema. It started straight way with a talkie. The first Oriya talkie Sita Bibaha was made by Mohan Sunder Deb Goswami in 1936. Drawn from the great Indian epic Ramayana, the story tells about the marriage of Sita with Ram. The actual plot was made from a drama written by Kamala Mishra. Prepared with a purse of only Rs 30,000, the film has 14 song sequences. Despite it being the first Oriya film with several drawbacks in every section of its making, the two-hour-long movie generated great enthusiasm among the people. Released by Laksmi Talkies, the 12-reeled film had in its cast line Makhanlal Banerjee (Ram) who received only Rs 120 for his performance, Aditya Ballav Mohanty (Lakhsman) who got only Rs 35 as conveyance allowance and Prabati Devi (Sita) who was paid the highest amount of Rs 150. This was a landmark film of Oriya Film Industry.^[4]

The pace of Oriya film production in the initial years was very slow. After Sita Bibaha, only two films were produced till 1951. A joint consortium of landlords and businessmen who collected fund after 1948 produced those two movies. The 1951 production Roles to Eight was the first Oriya film having an English name. It was released after 15 years of the first Oriya film Sita Bibaha. It was the fourth Oriya film produced by Ratikant Padhi.The eleventh Oriya film Sri Lokenath was the first Oriya film, which got National Award in 1960 directed by Prafulla Sengupta. ^[4]

The same year, Prasanta Nanda won National Award as best actor for the film Nua Bou with his debut film. The name of Prasanta Nanda would always come while dealing with Oriya Film Industry. He was present in Oriya films since 1939, but he became super active only after 1976. Nanda served Oriya Film Industry as an actor, director, screenplay writer, and lyricist and even as a playback singer. Such a versatile genius is quite rare in Indian cinema history. Nanda alone carried Oriya films into the national honor list by winning National Awards for three times in 1960, 1966 and 1969 for his acting in Nua Bou, Matir Manisha and Adina Megha.

Mohammed Mohsin started the revolution in the Oriya film industry by not only securing the essence of the Oriya culture but also bringing in the newness in the way the film industry was watching Oriya movies. His movies heralded in the golden era of the Oriya film industry by bringing in freshness to Oriya movies. His directorial debut was Phoola Chandana for which he won the best director award from the state. He had to his credit 16 box office successful movies in his directorial stint. He started as an actor in character roles and gave household names like Raaka to Orissa. Mohsin stated his career with B.R.Chopra as an assistant director before making his presence felt in the Oriya film industry.

Uttam Mohanty, whose debut film Abhiman won accolade, is now the ruling hero of the Oriya Film Industry. His wife Aparajita Mohanty is also a roaring heroine. Actress Nandita Das, who acted in several Hindi movies like Fire, has Oriya origin. She acted in Susanta Misra directed Biswaprakash which won National Award in 2000. But many critic have so far termed Bijay Mohanty and Mihir Das to be two of the best ever Oriya actors so far. Siddhanta Mahapatra, a new generation star, has an increasing number of fans following rightly to be included amongst all time greats. Archita, another successful actress in the millennium era of Oriya cinema has been also hitting the silver screen with a golden touch. Anubhab Mohanty is a well known name in ollywood. He is famous for his action and romantic movie.

Oriya Film Industry, especially in 1960s and in 1970s, were highly indebted to Bengali films. Several Bengali directors help their Oriya counterparts to help make films. Eminent director Mrinal Sen even directed an Oriya film Matira Manisha which won National Award for best actor Prashanta Nanda.

Cast and crew[link]

Personalities of the Oriya film industry include:

Actors[link]

Actresses[link]

Directors[link]

Music directors[link]

• Akshaya Mohanty

Awards[link]

• National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Oriya
• National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress (1987) - Manjula Kanwar for Bhanga Silata
• National Film Award for Best Child Artist (1994) - Tarasankar Misra for Lavanya Preethi

See also[link]

• List of Oriya films
• Sambalpuri Cinema
• Cinema of the world
• Bollywood
• Kollywood
• Mollywood
• Lollywood
• Kariwood
• Tollywood (disambiguation)
• Cinema of India

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Ghosh, Kartick Kumar (1984). Oriya Chalachitrara Itihas. Orissa Book Store.  Contains information on films from 1934–1984.
• Orissa: Seventy-Five Years of Oriya Cinema

External links[link]

• orissacinema.com
• Oriya Film

v t e State of Orissa Capital: Bhubaneswar State symbols Animal: Sambar Bird: BhadaBhadalia Flower: Ashoka Tree: Ashwatha Governance Governors Chief Ministers Legislative Assembly Political parties Raj Bhavan High Court Police Topics Arts Cinema Cuisine Culture Economy Education Election Flora and Fauna Geography History Literature People Politics Tourism Districts Angul Balasore Bargarh Bhadrak Balangir Boudh Cuttack Debagarh Dhenkanal Gajapati Ganjam Jagatsinghpur Jajpur Jharsuguda Kalahandi Kandhamal Kendrapara Kendujhar Khordha Koraput Malkangiri Mayurbhanj Nabarangpur Nayagarh Nuapada Puri Rayagada Sambalpur Subarnapur Sundargarh Cities Balasore Baripada Berhampur Bhadrak Bhubaneswar Cuttack Puri Rourkela Sambalpur Orissa Portal

v t e Cinema of India Industries Assamese Bengali Bhojpuri Hindi Kannada Konkani Malayalam Marathi Oriya Punjabi Rajasthani Tamil Telugu Tulu Indian films Assamese Bengali Bhojpuri English Gujarati Hindi Kannada Konkani Malayalam Marathi Oriya Punjabi Sindhi Tamil Telugu Tulu Urdu Other topics Actors Art Directors Awards Directors Choreographers Cinematographers Composers Costume designers Editors Festivals Lyricists Playback singers Producers Screenwriters Studios

v t e Ollywood (Oriya cinema) Directors · Actors · Playback singers · Music Directors · Songs Oriya films A-Z—Highest-grossing · Highest-grossing overseas Films by year: 1936 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012

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Odisha ଓଡ଼ିଶା oṛiśā
—  State  —
Seal
Location of Orissa in India
Map of Orissa
Coordinates (Bhubaneswar): 20°09′N 85°30′E / 20.15°N 85.50°E / 20.15; 85.50Coordinates: 20°09′N 85°30′E / 20.15°N 85.50°E / 20.15; 85.50
Country
Established	1 April 1936
Capital	Bhubaneswar
Largest city	Bhubaneswar[1]
Districts	30
Government
• Governor	Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare
• Chief Minister	Naveen Patnaik (BJD)
• Legislature	Unicameral (147 seats)
• Parliamentary constituency	21
• High Court	Orissa High Court, Cuttack
Area
• Total	155,820 km2 (60,160 sq mi)
Area rank	9th
Population (2011)
• Total	41,947,358
• Rank	11th
• Density	270/km2 (700/sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 code	IN-OR
HDI	0.452 (medium)
HDI rank	27th (2005)
Literacy	73.45%
Official languages	Oriya
Website	orissa.gov.in

Orissa /ɔːˈrɪsə/ (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଶା [oˑɽisaˑ], Hindi: ओड़िशा^[2] – Oṛiśā), officially spelled Odisha,^[3][4] is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BCE.^[5] The modern state of Orissa was established on April 1, 1936, as a province in India,^[6] and consists predominantly of Oriya speakers.^[7] April 1^st is therefore celebrated as Utkala Dibasa^[8] (formation day of Orissa). Cuttack remained the capital of the state for over eight centuries until April 13, 1948 when Bhubaneswar was officially declared as the new capital of Orissa, and is the present capital of this state.

Orissa is the ninth largest state by area in India, and the eleventh largest by population. Oriya (officially spelled Odia) is the official and most widely spoken language, spoken by three quarters of the population. Orissa has a relatively unindented coastline^[9] (about 480 km long^[10]) and lacked good ports,^[9] except for the deepwater facility at Paradip, until the recent launch of the Dhamara Port (The Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) is a 50:50 joint venture of L&T and Tata Steel. DPCL has been awarded a concession by Government of Orissa to build and operate a port north of the mouth of river Dhamra in Bhadrak district). The narrow, level coastal strip, including the Mahanadi River delta supports the bulk of the population.^[11] The interior of the state is mountainous and sparsely populated.^[11] Deomali at 1672 m is the highest point of the state. Orissa is subject to intense cyclones. The most intense one, in October 1999, Tropical Cyclone 05B caused severe damage and nearly 15,000 deaths.

Orissa is home to the Hirakud Dam, near Sambalpur, which is the longest earthen dam in the world.^[12][13] Orissa has several popular tourist destinations. Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar are known as Golden Triangle of eastern India. Puri, with the Jagannath temple near the Bay of Bengal sea and also famous for the Rath Yatra (Car Festival), and Konark, with the Sun Temple, are visited by thousands of tourists every year. The Jagannath Temple of Puri, the Konark Sun Temple, the Lingaraj Temple, Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, Dhauligiri of Bhubaneshwar, Ashoka's famous rock edict at Jaugada near Berhampur city and the Barabati Fort of Cuttack are important in the archaeological history of India.

History[link]

Origin of the name of the State[link]

The name Orissa is derived from the Pali or Sanskrit^[14] words Ora (Ura) or Odra Desa or Sumera or Odra Visaya The earliest epigraphic reference to Odras is found in the Soro copper plate grant of Somadatta from which it is clear that Uttara Tosali with its visaya Sarepahara identified with Soro of Balasore (Baleswar) district was part of Odra Visaya.^[15] Both Pali and Sanskrit literatures mention the Odra people as Oddaka and Odrah, respectively. Ancient writers like Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy described the Odra people as Oretes. In the Mahabharata the Odras are mentioned along with the Paundras, Utkals, Mekalas, Kalingas and Andhras, while according to Manu the Odras are associated with the Paundrakas, Dravidas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Sakas, Paradas, Pallavas, Chinas,^{[clarification needed]} Kiratas and Khasas. The location of the Odra territory has been given in the Natural History of Pliny in which it is mentioned that the Oretes were inhabiting the country where the mount Maleus stood. The Greek Oretes is probably the Sanskrit Odra and the Mount Maleus has been identified with Malayagiri near Pala Lahara. Pliny associates the mount Maleus with the people called Monedes and Sharis who were probably the same as the Mundas and the Savaras respectively inhabiting the upland regions of Orissa.

The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen-Tsang who visited Orissa in about 636 CE gives an account of the territory named Wu-Che which is very likely the same as Odra. The pilgrim states that the Wu-Cha (Wu-tu) country was above 7,000 li in circuit and its capital was above 20 li in circuit. The area of the territory, which was 7,000 li or (2,253 km) in circuit, was very extensive.

General Cunningham who calls this territory Odra or Odra Desa writes as follows: "The ancient province of Odra desa or Or-desa was limited to the valley of the Mahanadi and to the lower course of the Subarnarekha river. It comprised the whole of the present districts of Cuttack and Sambalpur and a portion of Midnapore. It was bounded on the West by Gondwana, on the North by the wild hill states of Jashpur and Singhbhum, on the East by the sea and on the South by Ganjam. These also must have been the limits in the time of Hiuen-Tsang as the measured circuit agrees with his estimate".

The Muslim geographer Ibn Khurdadhbin who wrote his geography in 846 CE refers to a territory called Ursfin which is identified by the Russian scholar V. Minorsky with Odra Desa. In another Persian geography called Hudad-al Alam written towards the close of the 10^th century CE mention has been made of a territory called Urshin (Odra Desa) which has been associated with the territories called N. Myas, Harkand, Smnder and Andhras which were more or less contiguous. The territory called N. Myas may be Mahismati and Harkand is suggested to be Akarakhand (eastern Malwa). Urshin may be the same as Odra Desa and Smnder may be the territory bordering the sea. Andhras is without doubt the same as Andhra Desa. Alberuni has referred to a territory called Udra Vishau located 50 forsakhs towards the sea in the south from the Tree of Prayaga. Fifty forsakhs is equal to about 200 miles or 321.86 km. So Udra Vishau may be the same as Odra Desa.

In the mediaeval Muslim chronicles like Tabaquat-I-Nasiri, Tabaquat-I-Akbari, Riyadus-Salatin, Tarkh-I-Firuzsahi, etc., the Odra territory has been referred to as Jajnagar probably after the capital Jajatinagar or Jajatinagar. The territory of Jajnagar very probably denotes to the Ganga empire during the period from Chodagangadeva to Anangabhimdeva III when Jajatinagar (modern Jagati on the Mahanadi) was the capital of that empire. It was Anangabhimadeva III who transferred the capital from Jajatinagar to Baranasi Kataka. Even after the change of capital some Muslim chroniclers continued to call this territory as Jajnagar. Shams-I-Seraj-Afif called this territory as Jajnagar-Udisa with its capital city Banaras on the right bank of the Mahanadi. The word ‘Udisa’ added to Jajnagar appears very significant. It is a developed form of the word Ursfin or Urshin used by earlier Muslim writers of the 9^th and 10^th centuries CE. In Buddhist literature this word is expressed as Odivisa or Udivisa as found in the works of Lama Taranath and the author of Pag-Sam-Jon-Zang. In the Tantric literature of the mediaeval period the word Udisa has been frequently used and in Tantrasara, Jagannath has been referred to as Udisanatha. Poet Sarala Das mentions both the words Odra Rastra and Orissa in his famous treatise Mahabharata while Gajapati Kapileswaradeva (1435–1467 CE) in his proclamation inscribed on the temple walls of Jagannath calls his territory as Orissa Rajya or Orissa Rastra. Thus, from the 15^th century CE onwards, the land of the Oriya people was called Orissa.

On November 4, 2011, Orissa was officially renamed Odisha after Presidential assent and notification in the official Gazette.^[16][17] The change required minor amendments to the Orissa (the alteration of name) Bill and the Constitution (113^th) Amendment Bill which were approved by both houses of parliament.^[18] The state's official language has also been renamed to Odia from Oriya.^{[16][19][20][21][22][23][24]}

Orissa in pre-historic age[link]

Pre-historic painting from Gudahandi, Kalahandi

Since prehistoric days the land of Orissa has been inhabited by various people. The earliest settlers of Orissa were primitive hill tribes. Although prehistoric communities cannot be identified, it is well known that Orissa had been inhabited by tribes like Saora or Sabar from the Mahabharata days. Saora in the hills, and the Sahara and Sabar of the plains continue to be an important tribe distributed almost all over Orissa. Most of the tribal people have been influenced by Hindus and have adopted Hindu manners, customs and rituals. Bonda Parajas of Koraput district are the best example of these tribes.

Several pre-historic sites have been excavated in Orissa since the arrival of Britishers. Kaliakata of Angul, Kuchai and Kuliana of Mayurbhanj, Vikramkhol near Jharsuguda, Gudahandi and Yogimath of Kalahandi, Ushakothi of Sambalpur, Similikhol near Bargarh etc.

History of Orissa[link]

Orissa has a history spanning a period of over 5,000 years. Before Kalinga it was named as Udra or "Odra Desa". The Ancient Odra desa or Ordesa was limited to the valley of Mahanadi and to the lower course of Subarnarekha River. It comprised the whole of the present districts of Cuttack and Sambalpur and a portion of Midnapur. Bounded on the west by Gondwana, on the north by the wild hill states of Jaspur and Singhbhum, on the east by the sea and on the South by Ganjam, Orissa has a legendary history.^[25] The name Oriya originated from Odra or Udra tribes that inhabited the central coastal belt (Khordha District and Nayagarh District) of modern Orissa. Orissa has also been the home of the Kalinga, Utkal, Mahakantara/Kantara and Kosal that played a particularly prominent role in the region's history, and one of the earliest references to the ancient Kalingas appears in the writings of Vedic chroniclers.^[26] In the 6^th century BCE, Vedic Sutrakara Baudhayana mentions Kalinga as being beyond the Vedic fold, indicating that Brahminical influences had not yet touched the land.^[26] Unlike some other parts of India, tribal customs and traditions played a significant role in shaping political structures and cultural practices right up to the 15^th century,^[26] when Brahminical influences triumphed over competing traditions and caste differentiation began to inhibit social mobility and erode what had survived of the ancient republican tradition.

View of the banks of the Daya river from atop Dhauli hills, the presumed venue of the Kalinga war.

A major turning point in world history took place in Orissa.^[26] The Kalinga War that led emperor Ashoka to embrace non-violence and the teachings of Buddha was fought here in 261 BCE. 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, Ashoka was instrumental in spreading Buddhist philosophy all over Asia. However, Ativ Land (South Western Orissa) was unconquered by Ashoka.

Tel river civilization put light towards a great civilization existing in Kalahandi, Balangir, Koraput (KBK) region in the past that is recently getting explored.^[27] The discovered archaeological wealth of Tel Valley suggest a well civilized, urbanized, cultured people inhabited on this land mass around 2000 years ago^[28] and Asurgarh was its capital. Kalahandi along with Koraput and Bastar was part of Kantara referred in Ramayana and Mahabharata.^[29] In 4^th century BCE, this region was known as Indravana from where precious gem-stones and diamond were collected for the imperial Maurya treasury.^[30] During the period of Maurya emperor Ashoka, Kalahandi along with Koraput and Bastar region was called Atavi Land.^[31] This land was unconquered as per Ashokan record.^[32] In the beginning of the Christian era probably it was known as Mahavana.^[33] In the 4^th Century CE, Vyaghraraja was ruling over Mahakantara comprising Kalahandi, undivided Koraput and Bastar region.^[34] Asurgarh was capital of Mahakantara.^[35]

Hatigumpha Inscription of Emperor Kharavela, Udaygiri

Konark Sun Temple built by the Eastern Ganga dynasty is one of the most well renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site.

On the other hand in the 3^rd century BCE, in the eastern part of Orissa, Kalinga flourished as a powerful empire under the Jaina emperor, Kharavela.^[36] He ruled all the way down south to include parts of the Tamil country. He built the superb monastic caves at Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves. Subsequently, the region was ruled under various monarchs, such as Samudragupta and Shashanka. It also was a part of Harsha's empire. In 795 CE, the king Jajati Kesari I of Kesari or Soma dynasty of Kosala united Kosala and Utkala into a single empire. He is also supposed to have built the first Jagannath Temple at Puri,^[37] although the current structure of the temple is entirely different and was built by Kings Choda Gangadeva and Ananga Bhimadeva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in the 12^th century. The famous Lingaraja temple in Bhubaneshwar was started by Keshari dynasty king Jajati Keshari III and completed by his son Lalatendu Keshari in the 10^th century. King Narasimha Dev is reputed to have built the magnificent Konark Sun Temple. Although now largely in ruins, the temple may have once rivaled the Taj Mahal in splendour.

Orissa resisted several Muslim attacks until 1568, when was conqurered by Sultanate of Bengal. The Mughals conquered Coastal Orissa in 1576.^[38] The last Hindu Emperor of Orissa, Gajapati Mukunda Deva, was defeated and was killed in the battle of Gohiratikiri. The coastal plain of Orissa from Medinipur to Rajahmundry came under Mughal rule, which was broadly divided into six parts as Jaleswar Sarkar, Bhadrak Sarkar, Cuttack Sarkar, Chicacole (Srikakulam) Sarkar, Kalinga Dandapat and Rajamundry Sarkar or Godavari Province. Orissa's Central, Northern, Western and Southern hilly areas were ruled independently by Hindu kings. The Nizam of Hyderabad occupied the area between Rajahmundry to Srikakulam in 16^th century. Medinipur was attached to Bengal province in 18^th century. The remaining parts of Coastal Orissa, were subsequently ceded to the Maratha Empire in 1751.

The British occupied the Northern Circars comprising the southern coast of Orissa as a result of the Carnatic Wars in the early 1760s and incorporated them into the Madras Presidency gradually.^[39] In 1803, the British under the British East India Company annexed the Maratha province of Orissa after the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The northern and western districts of Orissa were incorporated into Bengal Presidency. Following famine and floods in 1866, large-scale irrigation projects were undertaken in the last half of the 19^th century. The coastal section was separated from Bengal and made into the Province of Bihar and Orissa in 1912, in response to local agitation for a separate state for the Oriya-speaking people. In 1936, Bihar and Orissa were split into separate provinces. Thus after a long period of struggle the Oriya people got re-united after centuries of political separation. On April 1, 1936, the new province of Orissa came into existence on linguistic basis during the British rule in India with Sir John Austin Hubback as the first Governor. A long cherished dream of Oriya people and their leaders like Madhusudan Das, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Pandit Nilakantha Das, Bhubanananda Das and many other came true. The district of Ganjam was transferred from Madras Presidency to the new province of Orissa on April 1, 1936. From that time onwards people of Orissa celebrate the 1^st of April as Utkal Divas or Orissa Day.

Following Indian independence, the area of Orissa was almost doubled, and the population increased by a third, by the addition of 24 former princely states. In 1950, Orissa became a constituent state in the Union of India.

Sub-divisions[link]

There are 30 districts in Orissa— Angul, Boudh, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Bargarh, Balasore, Cuttack (Kataka), Debagarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Khordha, Keonjhar, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Kendrapara, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Nayagarh, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Sundargarh.

Each district is governed by a District Collector (District Magistrate), appointed either by the Indian Administrative Service or the Orissa Administrative Service. Each district is subdivided into Sub-Divisions, governed by a sub-divisional magistrate, and thereafter into Blocks. Blocks consists of Panchayats(village councils) and town municipalities.

The capital and largest city of the state is Bhubaneswar and it is also famous by the name of Temple City. Other major cities in Orissa are Cuttack, Brahmapur, Baripada, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Balasore, Kendrapara and Puri.

Geography[link]

Bhubaneswar is the capital of Orissa. It is famed for its magnificent temples, numbering around a thousand. Cuttack, the former capital of Orissa, is 22 km from Bhubaneswar. With the rapid expansion of two cities and better road connectivity, the two cities are now almost conjoined and considered as twin cities. The city of Puri is about 60 kilometers from Bhubaneswar and lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Puri is considered a holy city and the abode of the deity Lord Jagannath. It is one of the Char Dhams (Four holy places) of Hinduism. The world-famous "car festival" (rath yatra) is celebrated every year in the Hindu month of Ashadha (Mid June to Mid July) in Puri.

The Chota Nagpur plateau occupies the western and northern portions of the state, while along the coast are fertile alluvial plains and the valleys of the Mahanadi, Brahmani, and Baitarani rivers, which fall into the Bay of Bengal. These alluvial plains are home to intensive rice cultivation. The Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Asia's largest rice research Institute is situated along the bank of Mahanadi in Cuttack. One of the major nesting ground for the Olive Ridley sea turtles can be found in the Beaches of Orissa; in Devi, Gahirmatha and Rushikulya, which are known to be the nesting sites for the L. olivacea Indian Ocean population. In 2007, around 130,000 turtles nested on the beaches of Gahirmatha. The shore line also acts as their mating site and have attracted various scientific communities for research and studies.

Although most of Orissa's forest cover has been denuded lately, one of the greatest attractions of Orissa is its still vast expanses of unspoiled natural landscape that offer a protected yet natural habitat to the state’s incredible wildlife. There are many wildlife sanctuaries in Orissa. The Simlipal National Park Tiger Reserve is a huge expanse of lush green forest with waterfalls, inhabited by tigers, elephants, and other wildlife. The Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary has been protecting estuarine crocodiles since 1975.

Map of lake Chilka with near-by settlement of Puri.

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 and the second largest in the world. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent. It is protected by the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 160 migratory and resident species of birds. Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas come here. It also has the small area of Satpada which is a safe sanctuary for the lesser known and endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins.

The highest mountain peak in the state is Deomali (1672 m), which is situated in Koraput district in southern Orissa. It is also the tallest peak of the Eastern Ghats. It is part of the Chandragiri-Pottangi mountain system. Location: 18°40'3"N 82°58'59"E (Deomali on Wikimapia).

Physiography[link]

On the basis of homogeneity, continuity and physiographical characteristics, Orissa has been divided into five major regions:

1. The coastal plains in the east
2. The middle mountainous and highlands region
3. The central plateaus
4. The western rolling uplands, and
5. The major flood plains

Orissa Coastal Plains[link]

The Orissa Coastal Plains or Utkal Plains are the depositional landforms of recent origin and geologically belong to the Post-Tertiary Period. The 75 metre contourline delimits their western boundary and differentiates them from the Middle Mountainous Region. This region stretches from the West Bengal border, i.e. from the River Subarnarekha in the north to the River Rushikulya in the south.

This region is the combination of several deltas of varied sizes and shapes formed by the major rivers of Orissa, such as the Subarnarekha, the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi, and the Rushikulya. Therefore, the coastal plain of Orissa is called the "Hexadeltaic region" or the "Gift of Six Rivers". It stretches along the coast of the Bay of Bengal having the maximum width in the Middle Coastal Plain (the Mahanadi Delta), narrow in the Northern Coastal Plain (Balasore Plain) and narrowest in the Southern Coastal Plain (Ganjam Plain). The North Coastal Plain comprises the deltas of the Subarnarekha and the Budhabalanga rivers and bears evidences of marine transgressions. The Middle Coastal Plain comprises the compound deltas of the Baitarani, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers and bears evidences of past 'back bays' and present lakes. The South Coastal Plain comprises the laccustrine plain of Chilika lake and the smaller delta of the Rushikulya River.

Middle Mountainous and Highlands Region[link]

The region covers about three-fourth of the entire State. Geologically it is a part of the Indian Peninsula which as a part of the ancient landmass of the Gondwanaland. The major rivers of Orissa with their tributaries have cut deep and narrow valleys. This region mostly comprises the hills and mountains of the Eastern Ghats which rise abruptly and steeply in the east and slope gently to a dissected plateau in the west running from north-west (Mayurbhanj) to south-west (Malkangirig). This region is well marked by a number of interfluves or watersheds. The Eastern Ghats is interrupted by a number of broad and narrow river valleys and flood plains. The average beight of this region is about 900 metres above the mean seal level. The highest peak is Deomali.

Central Plateaus[link]

The plateaus are mostly eroded plateaus forming the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats with elevation varying from 305–610 metres. There are two broad plateaus in Orissa : (i) the Panposh – Keonjhar -Pallahara plateau comprises the Upper Baitarani catchment basin, and (ii) the Nabrangpur – Jeypore plateau comprises the Sabari basin.

Western Rolling Uplands[link]

These are lower in elevation than the plateaus having heights varying from 153 metres to 305 metres.^[44]

Forests[link]

Forest cover in Raghurajpur.

Almost one-third of Orissa is covered by forests which make up about 37.34% of the total land area of the state. These forests cover most of southern and western Orissa. The eastern plains adjacent to the coast are covered by farmlands.The forest cover of Orissa extends over an area of 58,136.869 square kilometres out of which reserve forests make up an area of 26,329.12 square kilometres (10,165.73 sq mi), demarcated protected forests make up 11,687.079 square kilometres (4,512.406 sq mi) and undemarcated protected forests make up 3,638.78 square kilometres (1,404.94 sq mi). Other types of forests make up 16,261.34 square kilometres (6,278.54 sq mi) while unclassed forests make up 20.55 square kilometres (7.93 sq mi) of the total forest cover. The State Government of Orissa also classifies forests based on their density. About 538 square kilometres (208 sq mi) of land are classified as very dense forests with a canopy density of over 70 percent, 27,656 square kilometres (10,678 sq mi) of forests are classified as moderately dense cover with a canopy density of 40 to 70 percent and 20,180 square kilometres (7,790 sq mi) of land are classified as open forest with a canopy density of 10 to 40 percent.

Rivers[link]

Mahanadi River

There are four groups of rivers which flow through Orissa into the Bay of Bengal (Table-2). They are :

(i) Rivers that have a source outside the State (the Subarnarekha, the Brahmani the IB and the Mahanadi).

(ii) Rivers having a source inside the State (the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Salandi, and the Rushikulya).

(iii) Rivers having a source inside the Orissa, but flow through other states (the Bahuda, the Vamsadhara River, and the Nagavali River).

(iv) Rivers having a source inside Orissa, but tributary to rivers which flow through other states (the Machkund, the Sileru River, the Kolab, and the Indravati River).

• River Mahanadi: It is the major river of Orissa and the sixth largest river in India. It originates from the sihawa hills of the Bastar Plateau in Raipur district of [Chhattishgarh]. It is about 857 km Long (494 km in Orissa) and its catchment area spreads over 141,600 km². (65,580 km².) in Orissa. The river carries on an average about 92,600 million m of water.

• River Kathajodi: Around Naraj Bridge which is approx. 10 K.M. from Cuttack City there are following villages:- Naraja Marthapur (Local Railway Station), Godi Sahi, Sandhapur, Bidyadharapur, Nua Sahi & Ratagarh. All these villages are rich in ancient heritage. Ratagarh, there is an ancient Shiva Temple of Chola Dynasty. It is 15  K.M. (approx.) distance from the City of Bhubaneswar & 6  K.M. (approx.) from Nandan Kanan, the Zoological Park. A canal arises from the Main Mahanadi River at Naraj Bridge is running besides which is the main source of water system. In Ratagarh there are 3-4 small hills which connects to the Chandaka-Damapada elephant reservoir. The main cultivation of the people of these villages are paddy besides vegetales also. The railway line running between the above villages connects Bhubaneswar with Talcher, the thermal power station, Sambalpur, Athagarh and then run into the states of Madhya Pradesh.

• The Brahmani: It is the second largest river in Orissa. It originates as two major rivers like the Sankh and the Koel from the Chota Nagpur Plateau of Bihar and both join at Veda Vyasa near Rourkela of Sundargarh district of Orissa forming the major River Brahmani. It flows through the Eastern Ghats in Sundargarh, Deogarh, Kendujhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Jajpur districts into the Coastal Plains and enters into the Bay of Bengal along with a combined mouth with the Mahanadi known as the Dhamara. The Brahmani is 799 km long (541 km In Orissa) and its catchment area spreads over 39,033 km². in Orissa).

• The Baitarani: It originates from the Gonasika hills of the Kendujhar district. It is 365 km long and its catchment area spread over 12,790 km². It entres into the Bay of Bengal after joining of the Brahmani at Dhamara mouth near Chandbali, Bhadrak.

• The Subarnarekha: It originates from the Chhotanagpur plateau of Bihar. It is 433 km (70 km in Orissa) and has a catchment area of 19,500 km (3,200 km in Orissa) with a mean annual flow of 7,900 million.

• The Budhabalanga: It originates from the easterns slops of the Similipal massif. It is about 175 km long having a total catchment area of 4840 km² with an annual flow of 2177 million. It is major tributaries are the Sone, the Gangadhar, the Catra etc.

• The Rushikulya: It originates from the Rushyamala hills of the Eastern Ghats in Kandhamal district. It is 165 km long with 8900 km² of catchment areas. Its tributaries are the Baghua the Dhanei Badanadi etc. It has no delta at its mouth.

• The Bahuda: It originates from the Ramgiri hills of the Eastern Ghats in Gajapati districts and joins the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh. Its length 73 km having a catchment area of 1250 km².

• The Vanshadhara: It originates from the Flanks of the Durgakangar hills (Lingaraj hills) of the Eastern Ghats in Kalahandi districts. It is 230 km long out of which only 150 km in Orissa. It entres in to the Bay of Bengal at Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It has a catchment area of 11500 km².

• The Nagavali: It originates from the Bijipur Hills of the Eastern Ghats near Lanji Garah. It is 210 km long out of which 100 km is in Orissa. It has a total catchment area of about 9410 km².

• The Salandi: It originates from the Meghasani Hills of the Similipal Massif in Keonjhar district. It is 144 km long with a catchment areas of 1793 km².

• The Indravati: It originates from the Eastern Ghats in Kalahandi districts. It is 530 km long with a catchment area of 41700 km² as a tributary it flows into the Godavari river.

• The Kolab: It originates from the Sinkaran hills of the Eastern Ghats in Koraput districts. It has catchment areas of 20400 km².

• Tel River: It is one of the largest river of Orissa originating in Nabaramgpur district and touching Chhattisgarh, Kalahandi, Balangir, Sonepur districts of Orissa and finally falling in Mahanadi.

Springs[link]

There are a number of Mountain springs and hotspring in Orissa. The Badaghagara and Sanaghagara in Keonjhar district, Saptasajya in Denkanal district, Chandikhole in Jajpur district, Barunei in Khorda district, Taptapani, Narayani and Nirmalajhar in Ganjam district, the Patalaganga in Kalahandi district, Nursinghanath in Bargarh district and Harisankar in Bolangir district.

Waterfalls[link]

Most of the rivers, either at the point of origin or over the mountainous bed, have waterfalls. The Harishankar and Nhrusinhanath waterfalls in the Gandhamardan hills in Bolangir and Bargarh districts, the Barehipani and Joranda (Similipal) in Mayurbhanja districts, Sanaghagara and Badaghagara in Keonjhar district, Pradhanpat in Deogarh district, khandadhar (Banei) in Sundargarh district, Koilighugar in Jharsuguda district, Phurlijharan, Khandabaladhar, and Rabandhara in Kalahandi district, Kentamari and Putudi in Boudh and Phulbani district Duduma in Malkangiri district and Bogra in Koraput district are some of the major waterfalls of Orissa. Chota Ghagra and Bada Ghagra in the Keonjhar district, Bhim Kund and Deb Kund in Mayurbhanj district are the major water falls. There are many more water falls in Dhenkanal district.

Lakes[link]

• The Chilika Lake is brackish water lagoon located in the southern part of the Orissa coastal plane. It areas varies 780 km² and 144 km²; during the two monsson months it is 71 km long and 32 km wide. It salinity decleans to a minimum during the monsson. However in winter, due to the overflow of the tidal water through the narrow opening from the Bay of Bengal, it is maximum.
• Anshupa is a sweet water lake located in Athagarh of Cuttack district. It is 3 km long and 1.5 km wide. Sara is another sweet water lake located near Puri. It is 5 km long and 3 km wide. Kanjia is another sweet water lake with about 134 acres (0.54 km²) of area located in Nandankanan of Cuttack district near Bhubaneswar.^[45]
• Pata is another sweet water lake located alongside the town of Chatrapur. It is 4 km long and 0.5 km wide.
• Hirakud Dam: Artificial Lake in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda largest in Asia.
• Indravati Dam: Artificial Lake in Kalahandi and Nabarangpur.
• Kolab Dam: Artificial Lake in Koraput. And khandadhar at Rourkela.

Economy[link]

Macro-economic trend[link]

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Orissa at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

The state's debt is estimated at almost 59 per cent of its GDP in 2005.^[47]

Industrial growth[link]