Bhubaneswar
—  Capital  —
Lingaraj Temple
Nickname(s): Temple City of India (City Of Temples)
Bhubaneswar
Coordinates: 20°16′N 85°50′E / 20.27°N 85.84°E / 20.27; 85.84Coordinates: 20°16′N 85°50′E / 20.27°N 85.84°E / 20.27; 85.84
Country	India
State	Odisha
District	Khurdha
Government
• Mayor	Anant Narayan Jena
Area
• Capital	419 km2 (162 sq mi)
Elevation	45 m (148 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• Capital	837,737
• Rank	56
• Density	4,900/km2 (13,000/sq mi)
• Metro[2]	39,20,450 (2,011)
Languages
• Official
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	751 0xx
Telephone code	0674
Vehicle registration	OR-02
Website	www.bmc.gov.in

Bhubaneswar /ˌbʊvəˈneɪʃwər/, also spelled Bhubaneshwar (Oriya: ଭୁବନେଶ୍ଵର Bhubanēsbara  pronunciation (help·info)), is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially spelled Odisha. The city has a history of over 2000 years starting with the Chhedi dynasty (around 2^nd century BCE) who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital. Bhubaneswar has been known by names such as Toshali, Kalinga Nagari, Nagar Kalinga, Ekamra Kanan, Ekamra Kshetra and Mandira Malini Nagari (City of Temples) otherwise known as the Temple City of India. Bhubaneswar, literally means the Lord (Eeswar) of the Universe (Bhuban).^[3] It is the largest city of Orissa, and a center of economic and religious importance in the region today.

Bhubaneswar's possession of magnificent sculptures and architectural heritage, coupled with the sanctity as Ekamrakshetra make this one of the great religious centres of Orissa since early medieval days.^[4] With its large number of Hindu temples (over 600 in number), which span the entire spectrum of Kalinga architecture, Bhubaneswar is often referred to as a Temple City of India and together with Puri and Konark it forms the Swarna Tribhuja (Golden Triangle); one of the most visited destinations in East India.

The modern city of Bhubaneswar was designed by the German architect Otto Königsberger in 1946. Like Jamshedpur, Chandigarh, it is one of the first planned cities of modern India.^[5][6] With the Chandaka reserve forest on the fringes, the city with an abundance of in-city greenery, is one of the cleanest and greenest cities of India.

Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the political capital of the state of Orissa in 1948, a year after India gained its independence from Britain. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are often commonly together known as the twin-cities of Orissa. The metropolitan area formed by the twin cities has a 2011 population of 1.4 million.^[7][8] Bhubaneswar is categorized as a Tier-2 city. An emerging Information Technology (IT) hub, the boom in the metals and metal processing industries have made Bhubaneswar one of the fastest developing cities of India in recent years.

History[link]

The history of Bhubaneswar may be viewed as two phases: ancient Bhubaneswar and modern Bhubaneswar. While the ancient city has a history that goes back more than 2000 years, the modern city came into existence in 1948.^[9]

Entrance of the State museum

Entrance of the Tribal arts museum

The first mention of Bhubaneswar in Indian history is in the Kalinga War which was held near Dhauli (presently located in south Bhubaneswar) in the 3^rd Century BCE. The later Emperor Kharavela established his capital in Sisupalgarh which is on the outskirts of the city. The Hathigumpha inscriptions at the Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves by Kharavela give a good account of that period which is estimated as 1^st-2^nd century BCE. Later, innumerable temples built throughout ancient and medieval history in tune with its status as Temple City give a chronicle of the city's history until Indian independence in 1947.

It was the ancient capital of the Kalinga Empire and the architectural legacy of the period is its greatest attraction. There are many sites in the city that testify the importance of the region during the 7^th to 11^th century CE when the Kalinga kings ruled Orissa and the regions beyond it. The Ananta Vasudeva Temple and Bindusagar Tank in the only temple of Vishnu in the city of Shiva. The temples in Bhubaneswar are thus regarded as having been built from the 8^th to 12^th century of Shaiva influence.^[10]

The Jain and Buddhist shrines give a picture of the settlements around Bhubaneswar in the first two centuries BCE, and one of the most complete edicts of the Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, dating between 272-236 BCE, remains carved in rock five miles to the southwest of the modern city.^[11]

In 1936, Orissa became a separate province in British India with Cuttack as its capital. Notably, Cuttack was Orissa's capital since 12^th century. When India got independence in 1947, Orissa became one of the states of the Indian union. But because of Cuttack's vulnerability to floods and space constraints, the capital was changed to Bhubaneswar which was built into a modern city. The city planning of Bhubaneswar was given by German Architect Otto Königsberger. Bhubaneswar was formally inaugurated on April 13, 1948, as the capital of the Indian state of Orissa.

Modern Bhubaneswar was planned by Königsberger to be a city with wide roads, gardens and parks.^[12] Though part of the city has stayed faithful to the plan,^[13] it has grown rapidly over the last few decades and has made the planning process unwieldy.

The State Museum of Bhubaneswar offers archaeological artefacts, weapons, local arts and crafts as well as insights into Orissa's natural and tribal history. The Tribal Research Institute Museum with its authentic tribal dwellings, created by the tribal craftsmen offers a view of the State's tribal heritage.

Geography and climate[link]

Weather[link]

Bhubaneswar is situated between 21° 15' north latitude 85° 15' longitude, at an altitude of 45 meters above sea level. Geographically, Bhubaneswar is situated in the eastern coastal plains of Orissa and south-west of the Mahanadi River. The city is subdivided into townships and housings.

The city has a tropical savanna climate. The average temperatures range between a minimum of around 12 °C (54 °F) in the winter to a maximum of 45 °C (113 °F) in summer. Sudden afternoon thunderstorms are common in April and May. The south-west monsoons appear in June. The average annual rainfall is 154 cm, most of which is recorded between June and October.

Economy[link]

Jaydev Vihar Interchange

Bhubaneswar was meant to house the state's machinery and hence was designed to be a largely residential city with outlying industrial areas. The city's economy had few major players till the 1990s and was dominated by Public Sector Units (PSU), retail and small scale manufacturing.

With the economic liberalisation policy adopted by the Government of India in the 1990s, Bhubaneswar received investment in telecommunications, Information Technology(IT) and higher education, particularly engineering. The city is home to around 105 engineering colleges (as of 2011)^[14] and the number is growing every year. The city is also home to tutorials and coaching institutes who prepare students for entrance exams.

Retail and Real Estate have also emerged as big players. Recent times have seen retail chains such as Reliance, Vishal Megamart, Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Pal Heights, The World etc. having outlets in Bhubaneswar. There has been a boom of Reliance retail chains with Reliance Fresh opening in the city, as well as Reliance Digital, Reliance Jewels, Reliance Super, Reliance Footprints, and Reliance Trendz. Large corporates like DLF Universal and Reliance Industries have also entered the real estate market in the city. The city is witnessing a boom in mall infrastructure with several of them opening in the last five years.

The minerals resources of Orissa have been the backbone of the economy dominated by government, the. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and private organizations like Essar Group, Indian Oil Corporation, Bhushan Steel, NALCO, Sterlite, Jindal, Vedanta and TATA Group.

Some of the populace live in slums. Migration from rural areas, especially from the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh, has led to the growth of slums which are a major challenge to the city's growth. The main problem of the city is transport, as the quality and length of roads have not increased with respect to the rise in number of vehicles.

Rajpath at night

The government has fostered growth by the development of IT Parks such as Infocity-1, the new Infocity-2, STPI-Bhubaneswar and JSS STP. The Infocity was conceived as a five-star park, under the Export Promotion Industrial Parks (EPIP) Scheme to create infrastructure facilities for setting up Information Technology related industries. Infosys and Satyam Computer Services Ltd. (known as Mahindra Satyam) have been present in Bhubaneswar since 1996. Other software companies include TCS, Mindfire Solutions, Wipro, IBM, Genpact, Firstsource, Mindtree, MphasiS, etc. Apart from the big multinational Information Technology (IT)/ Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) companies, there are about 300 small and mid-sized IT companies and business start ups which have set up their offices in Bhubaneswar. The availability of local workers, the quality of life in the city and the pro-active local administration are the primary forces towards IT investments into the city. The The Ind-US Entrepreneurs (TiE) and Invest Bhubaneswar help in creating a platform to connect the businesses in Orissa and entrepreneurs worldwide.

Transport[link]

Road[link]

Bhubaneswar roads

The headquarters of the Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) is located in Bhubaneswar. The Bhubaneswar Bus Station is situated at Barmunda, 8 km from the city centre and OSRTC and other private operators run a fleet of buses connecting Bhubaneswar to cities in Orissa like Cuttack, Jajpur, Jajpur Road, Bhawanipatna, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Baripada, Balasore, Jeypore, Rourkela and also connects it with the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

Bhubaneswar is connected to the rest of the country by National Highways-NH 5 and NH 203. Bhubaneswar has its city public transport run by Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Service Limited (BPTSL) and Dream Team Sahara (DTS). The fleet of 150 buses are coloured green. Route information is displayed on LED display boards for commuters. The routes cover all major destinations across the city.

The buses were bought by the state government under the JNNURM scheme. They ply on intercity routes following the order of Orissa High Court and provide connectivity to Cuttack and Puri too. To make its usage more feasible and cater to the safety of passengers, additional bus-bays are being constructed by BMC (Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation). In addition to this, the launch of radio taxis in Bhubaneswar is planned. Autorickshaws are available for hire and on share basis for communication throughout the city. To ease traffic-jams in major junctions, a number of over-bridges are being constructed at major road junctions such as CRPF Square, Vani Vihar, Master Canteen, etc.

Rail[link]

East Coast Railway HQ

The East Coast Railway has its headquarters in Bhubaneswar. Bhubaneswar Railway Station (BBS) is one of the main stations in India. It is located in the city center and is connected to major cities of the country such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi, Jamshedpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Guwahati, Siliguri, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Jodhpur, Bokaro etc., by daily express and passenger trains. It has five railway stations within its city limits, namely (from north to south) Patia Halt, Mancheswar, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar station (near Master Canteen) and Lingaraj Temple Road.

Air[link]

Biju Pattnaik Airport

Biju Patnaik Airport also known as Bhubaneswar Airport is the only major domestic airport in Orissa. It is situated 3 km south of the city. There are flights to destinations across India to Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Raipur, Goa, Srinagar, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Bagdogra, Coimbatore, and Port Blair. Former Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel had announced that the Biju Patnaik Airport would soon be upgraded to an international one, connecting the city to South-East Asia and the Middle East.^[15][16][17]

Demographics[link]

As per the estimate of IIT Kharagpur, which made a development plan for the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Urban complex,^[18] the metro area of Bhubaneswar has a population of 1,900,000. As per the census,^[19] Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. In 2001, the city had an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 65.4%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Although Oriyas comprise the vast majority, there are large groups of Marwaris, Punjabis, Bengalis and Telugus. A good majority are followers of the Jagannath cult as is the case throughout the state of Orissa. Due to the boom in the education sector, the city has seen a huge influx of students from outside the city and state. Most of the students are from the neighbouring states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal and Chattisgarh.

The main language spoken in the city is Oriya, however, Hindi and English are understood by most people of the city.

Culture[link]

Ekamra Haṭa

Udaigiri

Artwork on Lingaraj temple

Dhauli

Bhubaneswar is supposed to have had over a thousand temples. Although a large number of temples have given way for urban infrastructure, Bhubaneswar still abounds in temples of various deities. This has earned it the tag of the Temple City of India. The most famous ones are Lingaraj Temple, Lakshmanesvara group of temples, Parasuramesvara Temple, Svarnajalesvra Temple, Muktesvara Temple, Rajarani Temple, Vaital Temple, Brhamesvara temple, Meghesvara temple, Vaskaresvara Temple, Ananta Vasudeva Temple, Sari Temple, Kapilesvara Temple, Markandesvara temple, Yamesvara temple, Chitrakarini temple, Sisiresvara Temple.^[20]

Apart from the ancient temples few other important temples were built in recent times that includes Ram Mandir, Maa Kanakdurga Pitha, ISKCON, etc. The Lingaraj Temple towers above the cityscape and is visible from far.

There is an awareness towards preserving the ethos of Oriya culture in the form of Classical Odissi dance, handicrafts, sand artistry, sculpturing as well as theatre and music. Boundary walls and gardens are increasingly being redone to depict the folk art of the region.^[21]

The Ekamra Haat is a hand-loom and handicrafts market. SRJAN, the Odissi dance academy founded by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra the legendary Odissi dancer is located here. The Rabindra Mandap in central Bhubaneswar plays host to cultural engagements and has an amphitheatre to host theatre and private functions.

At Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and Udaygiri (on the way to Paradip), Buddhist sites of great historical significance have been excavated. The site at Ratnagiri is the most extensive.

Khandagiri and Udayagiri (Jain heritage)[link]

The twin hills of Khandagiri & Udayagiri, 8 km from Bhubaneswar, served as the site of an ancient Jain monastery which was carved into cave-like chambers in the face of the hill. These caves, with artistic carvings, date back to the 2nd century BCE. Of particular note of their artistic carvings are the Rani Gumpha (Queen's Cave) and the Hati Gumpha (Elephant Cave). The Hati Gumpha has carved chronicles of King Kharavela's reign.

Lingaraj Temple[link]

The 10th- or 11th-century Lingaraja temple of Bhubaneswar has been described as "the truest fusion of dream and reality."^{[citation needed]} It is dedicated to Shiva. The Lingaraja temple has been rated one of the finest examples of Hindu temples in India by Ferguson, the noted art critic and historian. The surface of the 55 m-high Lingaraja temple is covered with carvings. Tradition among Hindus exist to visit the Lingaraj Temple before visiting the Jagannath temple at Puri.

Lingaraj Temple

Dhauli Giri[link]

Just 8 km away from Bhubaneswar looking down on the plains that bore witness to the gruesome war waged on Kalinga by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka stand the rock edicts of Dhauli. It was here that Ashoka, full of remorse after the Kalinga War in 261 BCE, renounced his bloodthirsty campaign and turned to Buddhism. Ashoka erected two main edicts in Kalinga, one in Dhauli and the other in Jayagarh. The principles of Ashoka which reflect his compassion were inscribed on all the other edicts in his empire except Kalinga. In the Kalinga edicts, he warned the people of Kalinga not to revolt and that he would take appropriate action if they did.^[22]

The edicts are well preserved, despite the fact that they date back to the 3rd century BCE. A sculpted elephant, the symbol of Gautama Buddha, tops the rock edicts. The Shanti Stupa or "peace pagoda", built through Indo-Japanese collaboration, is located on the opposite hill.

Fairs and festivals[link]

On the day of Ashokashtami in the month of March, the image of Lingaraja (Shiva) and other deities are taken in a procession from Lingaraja Temple to the Rameshwara Temple. Hundreds of devotees participate in pulling the temple car that carries the deities. The deities remain in the Rameshwara Temple for four days.

At the end of January comes Adivasi Mela, a fair that displays the art, artifacts, tradition, culture, and music of the tribal inhabitants of Orissa.

Durga Puja is also an important festival. Various pandals are constructed throughout the city. The largest pujas are the Shahid Nagar Durga Puja, the Nayapalli Durga Puja, and the Rasulgarh Durga Puja. Lakshmi Puja at Laxmisagar near Jharapada is also very famous.

Ratha-Yatra "Temple car Festival" is the most important festival in Orissa. The festival is held to commemorate Jagannath, who is said to have been the incarnation of India's revered deities, Vishnu and Krishna. Held for nine days, the colorful Jagannath Yatra attracts tourists from India and abroad. On the first day of this Yatra, statues of Jagannath - whose temple car's name is Nandighosh - Jagannath's brother Balarama and his sister Subhadra are taken in a procession to the Gundicha Temple, which is two kilometers away from the Jagannath Temple. On the ninth day, the statues are brought back with due ceremony. All these deities are worshipped by the lakhs of devotees that throng the city during these nine days.

Cuisine[link]

Bhubaneswar is known for its seafood and sweets.

Pahala Rasagolla

Lobsters and crabs brought in from the Chilika Lake nearby are sold each morning at the local Haats (Markets) along with fish, meat, fruits and vegetables. The Haat is a special feature of Bhubaneswar which initially evolved as weekly markets, but now are open throughout the week. Rasgulla, Chhena Poda, Rasabali, Chennajhilli and other sweets that originated in Orissa as well as spicy fast food such as the local Cuttack-chaat and "dahi bara-aloo dum" are sold all over the city. There are restaurants specialising in North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Continental and Thai cuisines. Traditional Oriya food such as Dahi-Pakhal are also being marketed for tourists as well as the working professionals.

Another culinary delight is the "Mahaprasad" from the Jagannath Temple, Puri and the Abadha of Lingaraj Temple and Ananta Vasudeva Temple in Bhubaneswar. Temples started giving "prasad" for devotees on daily basis and some of them are ISKCON Temple, Shani Temple at Vani Vihar Square and Kali temple at Baramunda. Bhubaneswar is known for its Khhaii which are made up of paddy, jaggery and coconut pieces. Also famous are the peethas like Chakuli Pitha, Manda Pitha, Podo Pitha, Haladi Patra Pitha, Arisa Pitha, Enduri Pitha and Kakara Pitha.

Education[link]

Vani Vihar square

Bhubaneswar is home to many educational institutions including the IIT Bhubaneswar, Xavier Institute of Management, Institute of Physics, Institute of Mathematics and Applications, Utkal University, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, NISER, IIIT Bhubaneswar. Biju Patnaik University of Technology, is the affiliating university to most of the engineering and other professional courses in Orissa.

Other institutes of importance include College of Engineering and Technology (CET), Siksha O Anusandhan University, KIIT University, Silicon Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, International Management Institute, Centurion University, Orissa Engineering College, C. V. Raman College of Engineering, Mahavir Institute of Engineering and Technology, Krupajal Engineering College, and Institute of Life Sciences, an autonomous institute of Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

Some of the private medical colleges are Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital and Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital. National Institute of Science Education and Research, National Institute of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research, Siksha O Anusandhan National Institute of Law, KIIT Law School, Institute of Management and Information Science, Rama Devi Women's College, BJB College as well as over 100 other private colleges geared towards engineering, biotechnology and management.

Some of the private vocational training centers for Computer Software and Hardware Training are Lakshya, Java Point, ISDAC, Interface, etc. The regional office of CBSE board for Orissa is located in Bhubaneswar.

Media[link]

Bhubaneswar has newspaper publications, television and radio stations. Oriya dailies enjoy the maximum readership share in the city. Oriya language newspapers are Samaja, Sambad, Dharitri, Anupam Bharat, Khabar, Pragatibadi, Orissa Bhaskara and Samaya. Oriya language magazines are Saptahik Samaya, Saptahik Samaja, etc. English language newspapers published and sold in Bhubaneswar include the Times of India, The Telegraph, The Pioneer, Orissa Post and The New Indian Express. The Hindu (Orissa edition) is published in Visakhapatnam. Newspapers are also printed in other Indian languages.

Indian and international television channels can be watched in Bhubaneswar through one of the Pay TV companies or the local cable television provider. The national television broadcaster, Doordarshan, provides two free terrestrial channels.

The Oriya cable channels available include Orissa TV, Tarang TV, ETV Oriya, Kamyab TV, Kanak TV, Naxatra News, DD Oriya, Ollywood TV, Tarang Music, Prathana, STV Samachar, MBC TV, Ekamra. The web portals (news) based in Bhubaneswar include Breaking News Online, The Broken Scooter, Orissa Diary, Orissa News Today and Tathya News Agency.

Radio stations in Bhubaneswar include Red FM, Big FM, and FM Rainbow broadcasting on the FM band, Radio Chocolate and All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band.

Ollywood, the Oriya film industry based in Bhubaneswar-Cuttack twin city, produces around 30 films every year.

[edit] Bhubaneswar–Cuttack Police Commissionerate

Bhubaneswar–Cuttack Police Commissionerate, established in 2008, is a city police force with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within Bhubaneswar-Cuttack area. It was formed under the Orissa Urban Police Act, 2003 by a gazette notification which came into effect on 1 January 2008. It has 40 police stations under its jurisdiction. B. K. Sharma is Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar–Cuttack Police Commissionerate.

Structure and jurisdiction[link]

The Police commissionerate is situated at Bhubaneswar, and is divided into two urban police districts- Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The commissionerate is responsible for law enforcement over the urban agglomeration of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack with the help of 40 police stations.

The commissionerate is headed by the Commissioner of Police, who is an Indian Police Service officer in the rank of Inspector-General of Police (IGP).[3] The commissioner is assisted by two additional commissioners. There are six deputy commissioners of police, Law Officer, Public Relation Officer, Accounts Officer and 31 additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, 68 Inspector/ Subedars and other officers and ministerial staffs to assist the commissioner. The police stations are headed by an Inspector. The Bhubaneswar division comprises police stations at Capital, Kharvelnagar, Saheed Nagar, Nayapalli, Khandagiri, Mancheswar, Chandrasekharpur, Lingaraj, Badagada, Airfield, Laxmisagar, Jatni, Mahila, Spl. Energy, Chandaka, Balianta, Balipatna, Infocity, Nandankanan and Traffic.

Healthcare[link]

Kalinga Hospital was the city's first corporate hospital. Other healthcare facilities include Kanungo Institute of Diabetes Specialities, Apollo Hospitals, L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Aditya CARE Hospital, and Hemalata Cancer Hospital.

Diagnostic labs like Ranbaxy Laboratories, Piramal Diagnostics, Thyrocare and Dr. Lal Pathlabs have opened up centers in the city. Cryobanks International India, which deals in umbilical cord blood stem cell banking, has opened a collection center in Bhubaneswar.

Private medical colleges like Hi-Tech Medical College, Sum Medical College and Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, have been established. AIIMS-Bhubaneswar is currently under construction and the enrollment for its first batch is planned for Aug., 2012.^[23]

Sports[link]

Bhubaneswar's major sporting arena is the Kalinga Stadium. It has facilities for athletics, football, hockey, basketball, tennis, table tennis and swimming. The second phase construction of Railway Stadium is in progress which includes galleries modeled along stadiums in New Zealand. It hosted its first Ranji Trophy match in November 2010. Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, Orissa's only venue for international cricket matches, is located around 25 km away. With the completion of the second phase of the Railway Stadium, Bhubaneswar will have an international standard cricket stadium. 

OPL (Odisha Premier League) started in 2010. The city has its own franchise Bhubaneswar Jaguars. The league started with 10 teams from different places in Orissa. The champions for the 1^st year league were Western Samurais (Rourkela). The OPL for 2012 would have participation from 12 teams.

Sister cities[link]

• Cupertino, California, United States

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bhubaneswar

• Bhubaneswar travel guide from Wikitravel
• Bhubaneswar Development Authority
• Official website of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation
• Travelogue on Bhubaneswar
• Tourist destinations in Bhubaneswar

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Shri Biju Patnaik (Biju Babu)
Biju Patnaik
Former Chief Minister Orissa
Personal details
Born	Bijayananda Patnaik (1916-03-05)5 March 1916 Cuttack, Orissa, India
Died	17 April 1997(1997-04-17) (aged 81)
Political party	Indian National Congress, Utkal Congress, Janata Dal
Profession	Politician, Social Reformer
Religion	Hindu

Bijayananda Patnaik(5 March 1916 – 17 April 1997), better known as Biju Patnaik (Oriya: ବିଜୁ ପଟନାୟକ) or Biju Babu was an Indian politician and Chief Minister of Orissa for two terms.

Early life[link]

Biju Patnaik was born on 5 March 1916 to Lakshminarayan and Ashalata Patnaik. His parents belong to Nuagan, Bhanjanagar, Ganjam district, around 80 km from Bramhapur). He was educated at Ravenshaw College in Orissa but due to his interest in aviation he dropped out and trained as a pilot. Patnaik flew with private airlines but at the start of the second world war he joined the Royal Indian Air Force eventually becoming head of air transport command. While in service he began an interest in nationalist politics and used air force transports to deliver what was seen as subversive literature to Indian troops. But Patnaik remained committed to fighting the axis powers and when he was jailed for his illegal activities he only served two years in prison. Shortly after independence Pakistani tribesman invaded Kashmir and at Nehrus request he helped airlift the first Indian soldiers into Srinagar.

Role in Indonesian freedom struggle[link]

Biju Patnaik came in contact with Nehru during his participation in Indian freedom struggle. He became one of his trusted friends. Nehru was sympathetic to the freedom struggle of the Indonesian people who had traditional links with Indian sub-continent from the ancient days. Indonesia was under Dutch rule from 1816 to 1941 when it was occupied by the Japanese. The Indonesian freedom fighters declared the independence of Indonesia on 17 August 1945 two days after the Japanese collapse in the Second World War. The Dutch tried to regain control over these territories and started fomenting trouble for the new Government. The new Government under Dr. Sukarno as President, launched a vigorous propaganda activity to gain support for their cause. Dr. Sjahrir who became Prime Minister of Indonesia on 14 November 1945 was a trusted lieutenant of Dr. Sukarno. He also became friendly with Nehru who was at that time the Foreign Minister and the leader of the Interim Government of India. In July 1946, Government of Indonesia concluded an agreement with India Government to supply 40,00,000 tonnes of rice in exchange of textile, agricultural implements, tyres and other goods which India would send to Indonesia for her economic rehabilitation.

On 23 March 1947 Nehru called 22 Asian countries for First Inter-Asia Conference to which Sjahrir was specially invited. He addressed the conference after concluding the agreement with Dutch on 25 March. The Dutch continued to foment trouble on one pretext or the other. Finally they launched a large scale attack on Indonesia on 21 July 1947. Immediately President Sukarno consulted Sjahrir and ordered him to leave the country to create international public opinion against the Dutch and also persuade the friendly countries to raise the issue before the UNO. He tried to come out but could not succeed as the Dutch had absolute control over Indonesian sea and air routes. He was also under surveillance.

Nehru came to his help at this critical juncture. He entrusted this task to Biju Patnaik, who was an expert Pilot and was famous for his passion for adventurous achievements. Biju Patnaik sprang up to instant action. As an avid reader of the history of Kalinga, Biju knew how Kalinga and Indonesia had a long-standing cultural link in the past and the opportunity now at hand to render some service to the people of Indonesia at their crucial hour of need should never be lost sight of. He braved all hazards. He flew to Java and brought Sultan Sjahrir aboard from Java islands on 22 July 1947 using a Dakota and reached India via Singapore on 24 July. Sjahrir was successful in his mission at last. For his act of bravery Patnaik was given honorary citizenship of Indonesia and awarded 'Bhoomi Putra', the highest Indonesian award and a rare distinction ever granted to a foreigner.

Politics in independent India[link]

Patnaik's political ideals were centred in socialism and federalism. His strong advocacy for equal resources to all Indian states who needed such, made him a champion of his Oriya constituents.

In 1946 Patnaik was elected uncontested to the Orissa Legislative Assembly from North Cuttack constituency. In 1952 and 1957 he won from Jagannath Prasad and Soroda, respectively. In 1961 he assumed the presidency of the state Congress. Under his leadership, the Congress Party won 82 of 140 seats and Patnaik (representing Chowdwar constituency) became the chief minister of Orissa on 23 June 1961 and remained in the position until 2 October 1963 when he resigned from the post under the Kamraj plan to revitalise the Congress party. He was the chief minister of Orissa at the age of 45.

Patnaik was close to Indira Gandhi who took over the Congress Party in 1967. However, they clashed in 1969 over the Presidential election. He left the Congress and formed a regional party—the Utkal Congress. In the 1971 assembly poll, his party did reasonably well. Patnaik then re-established contact with his old friend Jayaprakash Narayan and plunged into the JP movement as it picked up momentum in 1974. When the Emergency was declared in 1975, Biju Patnaik was one of the first to be arrested along with other opposition leaders.

He was released in 1977. Later, in the same year, he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Kendrapara and became Union minister for steel and mines in both the Morarji Desai and the Charan Singh governments until 1979. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha again in 1980 and 1984 from Kendrapara as Janata Party candidate despite the Congress wave in 1984 following Indira Gandhi's death. With the Congress defeat in 1989, he bounced back into the political limelight. However, after playing a key behind-the-scenes role in manoeuvring V P Singh to the prime minister's post, he again chose to go back to Orissa, and prepared for the assembly election. In 1990 state assembly election, the Janata Dal received a thumping majority (two third assembly seats) which saw Biju Patnaik being the chief minister of Orissa for the second time until 1995.

He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 from Cuttack and Aska constituencies as a Janata Dal candidate. He retained the latter until his death on 17 April 1997 of cardio-respiratory failure.

In 1992, Bijayananda Patnaik left this quote for the people of Orissa;

"In my dream of the 21st century for the State, I would have young men and women who put the interest of the State before them. They will have pride in themselves, confidence in themselves. They will not be at anybody’s mercy, except their own selves. By their brains, intelligence and capacity, they will recapture the history of Kalinga."

Achievements as a public representative[link]

Biju Patnaik set up Kalinga tubes, Kalinga Airways, Kalinga Iron work, Kalinga Refractories and the Kalinga, a daily Oriya Newspaper. In 1951 he established the international Kalinga Prize for popularisation of Science and Technology among the people and entrusted the responsibility to the UNESCO. The projects which he was known to have spearheaded include the Hirakud Dam, Port of Paradip, Orissa aviation centre, Bhubaneswar Airport, the Cuttack-Jagatpur Mahanadi highway bridge, Regional Engineering College, Rourkela, Sainik School Bhubaneswar, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology Bhubaneswar,NALCO(National Aluminum Company, Rourkela Steel Plant and the Choudwar and Barbil industrial belts.

He also established the Kalinga Cup in foot ball.

Family[link]

Biju Patnaik was married to Gyan Patnaik. Biju Patnaik's son, Naveen Patnaik, is the current Chief Minister of Orissa. His daughter, Gita Mehta, is an English writer. His elder son Prem Patnaik is a Delhi based industrialist.

Popular incidents and quotes[link]

Paradeep Port: Patnaik was keen to build the port at Paradeep. When the Central government refused to give funds to build the Paradeep port, he said: To hell with the Government of India. I will build the port with state government and my own money. And he spent Rs 1.60 billion on it. Later, of course, Nehru sanctioned funds for the project. Today that is Orissa's most prominent port.

'Nehru and Patnaik: Nehru Patnaik "India's buccaneer". When Nehru was criticised in the Parliament for his decision to provide more aid to Orissa Nehru replied, '"Biju Patnaik has the courage, dynamism and zeal to work. So there is no blunder in giving more aid to Orissa." During the Chinese aggression of 1962 and the subsequent crisis, Nehru consulted the Oriya leader repeatedly for advice. For sometime he was Nehru's defence advisor, unofficially of course. 'The prime minister was dazzled by Mr Patnaik's familiarity with military subjects,' wrote a political commentator of the time.

Anti Corruption stand: To fight against corruption he once proclaimed 'beat up all corrupt officials'. Although his government failed to control and defeat corruption.^{[citation needed]}

On death: When a journalist asked him on his 79th birthday how he would like to die, he had quipped, 'certainly not in an air crash or from prolonged illness. I would like to die instantly, just fall down and die'.

On Orissa and for Oriyas:To be born poor is not a crime but to remain so is indeed a crime'. 'Be loyal not to me but to the destiny of the State'. 'Orissa is a rich state where poor people live'. 'Be a pride to your State and not a shame'.

Memoir[link]

The government of Orissa has named several institutions after the name of Biju Patnaik. They include the Biju Patnaik airport at Bhubaneswar, the Biju Patnaik University of Technology, etc.Also his son Navin Patanaik made his birthday march 5 as the Panchayat Raj Divas, a holiday in Orissa in his memory.

See also[link]

• List of Chief Ministers of Orissa

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Biju Patnaik

• New York Times article on Biju Patnaik
• Biju Patnaik : The Vision of a Patriot
• Tribute to Patnaik

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