Odisha
Odisha, the land of temples is 1600 km. away from our capital city. It consists of 3.47% of the population of India. This state has a lot of religious places to visit. So it is known as the city of temples.
| Topic | Data/Facts |
| 1 History | 1.1 In 1911, Odisha and Bihar were separated from Bengal province to form a new single province. 1.2 It was founded on 1st April, 1936 and a status of seperate state was granted to it. 1st April is celebrated as “Utkala Dibasa”. 1.3 The region is also known as Utkala and is mentioned in India’s national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana”. 1.4 Other Important Facts : 1.4.1 In 1946, In 1946, it was decided that Bhubaneswar would replace Cuttack as the political capital of the state of Odisha. 1.4.2 By 1949, the 24 princely states had been integrated and Odisha had 13 districts |
| 2 Geography | 2.1 Climate: The state experiences four meteorological seasons. (i) Winter from january to February (ii) Pre-Monsoon from March to May (iii) South-West Monsoon from June to September (iv) North-East Monsoon from October to December The year is divided into six traditional seasons (or rutus): Grishma (summer), Barsha (rainy season), Sharata (autumn), Hemanta (dewy),Sheeta(winter season) and Basanta (spring). 2.2 Agriculture: (i) The major crops are rice, pulses, oil seeds, jute, coconut and turmeric. (ii) The crops like tea, cotton, groundnut and rubber are of great economic importance in other parts. (iii) Odisha contributes one tenth of the total rice produced in the country. (iv) Other important food grains include pulses like gram, tur and arhar and Oilseeds like groundnut, mustard and castor oil. Apart from food grains various cash crops are also cultivated in the state. (v) Odisha stands fourth in the production of jute in the country after West Bengal , Bihar and Assam. (vi) Mango, banana, Cashew ,tamarind, turmeric and other spices form a major part of horticultural activities. 2.3 Natural Resources: (i) The state is home to some of the oldest rock formations on the planet. (ii) The North Orissa Craton comprises extensive banded iron formations, granite intrusives, and undeformed volcano-sedimentary assemblages belonging to the Archaean-to-early Proterozoic times. They are followed by folded limestone-bearing rock formations of the Proterozoic age. (iii) The West Orissa Craton is underlain by occurrences of granites of the Archaean age and undeformed limestone-bearing platform sediments of the Proterozoic age. (iv) The Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt is mainly composed of Khondalite formations and moderately extensive charnockites, granites, migmatites, and local pegmatites formations. 2.4 Major rivers: Rivers that originate outside Odisha: Brahmani, Subarnarekha, Ib, and Mahanadi. Rivers originating in Odisha: Baitarani, Budhabalanga, Salandi, and Rushikulya. Rivers which originate inside Odisha, but flow through other states: Bahuda, Vamsadhara, and Nagavali. Rivers which originate inside Odisha, but are tributaries of rivers which flow through other states: Machkund, Sileru, Kolab, and Indravati. Some Important facts of Rivers (i) The Chilika Lake is brackish water lagoon located in the southern part of the Odisha coastal plain. It is India’s largest coastal lagoon and is spread across the districts of Ganjam, Khurda and Puri. (ii) Anshupa is a freshwater horseshoe lake located at Athagarh in Cuttack district within the alluvial plain of river Mahanadi. (iii) Hirakud Dam: Artificial Lake in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda largest artificial lake in Asia. 2.5 Animals: (i) Chilika Lake is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the hotspots of biodiversity in the country. Some species listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species inhabit the lake for at least part of their lifecycle. (ii) Rare birds reported in the lake are Asiatic dowitchers (NT), Dalmatian pelican (VU), Pallas’s fish-eagles (VU), the very rare migrant spoon-billed sandpiper (CR) and spot-billed pelican (NT). (iii) The white-bellied sea eagle, pariah kite, brahminy kites, kestrel, marsh harriers, and the world’s most widespread bird of prey, the peregrine falcon, are among the raptors seen here. (iv) Large flocks of greater flamingos from Iran and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, feed in the shallow waters of the lake. Other-long legged waders seen around Nalbana Island are the lesser flamingos, Goliath herons, grey herons, and purple herons, egrets, spoonbills, storks and black-headed ibis. (v) Many short-legged shorebirds are seen in a narrow band along the shifting shores of the lake and islands. These include plovers, the collared pratincole, ruff, dunlin, snipes and sandpipers. larks, wagtails and lapwings. (vi) Aquafauna includes Milk fish (Seba khainga), Indo-Pacific tarpon (Panialehio), Ten pounder (Nahama), Bream (Kala khuranti), Hilsa (Tenuealosa) ilisha (ilishi) and Mullet R. corsula (Kekenda) 2.6 Neighbouring States: West Bengal and Jharkhand – North Chhattisgarh – West Andhra Pradesh – South Telangana – South-West Bay of Bengal – East 2.7 Capital city: Bhubaneswar (Known as Temple City) 2.8Total Land Area: (i) Total area is 155,707 sq. km. (ii) 8th largest state in India. |
| 3 Forestry | 3.1 Forest: (i) Forest Cover: 51,618.51 sq. km. (ii) Very Dense Forest: 6,969.71 sq. km. (iii) Moderately Dense Forest: 21,551.93 sq. km. (iv) Open Forest: 23,096.87 sq. km. (Data as per ISFR 2019 assessment) 3.2 National Parks: (i) Bhitarkanika National Park, Kendrapara (ii) Simlipal National Park, Mayurbhanj 3.3 WildLife Sanctuary: (i) Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary, Sambalpur (ii) Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, Kendrapara (iii) Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary, Angul (iv) Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Keonjhar (v) Nandankanan Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhubaneshwar (vi) Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary, Nayagarh (vii) Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Kandhamal (viii) Khalasuni Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalahandi (ix) Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary, Konark (x) Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Balasore (xi) Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Bargarh (xii) Lakhari Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Ganjam (xiii) Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, Kendrapara (xiv) Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalahandi (xv) Kapilasa Wildlife Sanctuary, Dhenkanal 3.4 Birds Sanctuary: Chilika Lake, Puri, Khurda and Ganjam 3.6 Tiger Reserves: (i) Simlipal Tiger Reserve, Mayurbhanj (ii) Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Angul |
| 4 Economy | 4.1 Major Economic Data: (i) GDP Growth: 6.2% (2019-20) (ii) GDP: ₹5.34 lakh crore (US$75 billion) (2019-20 est.) (iii) GDP Rank: 16th (iv) Per Capita Income: ₹116,614 (US$1,600) (2019-20) 4.2 Industries: Major industries are as under: – (i) The primary industries in Odisha are manufacturing; mining and quarrying; electricity, gas and water supply and construction. (ii) Most of Odisha’s industries are mineral-based. Odisha has 25% of India’s iron reserves. It has 10% of India’s production capacity in steel. Odisha is the top aluminium producing state in India. (iii) Two of the largest aluminium plants in India are in Odisha, NALCO and Vedanta Resources. (iv) The primary sub-sectors are: community, social and personal services. (v) The state has a well-developed banking network compared to many states of India. |
| 5 Transportation | 5.1 Air, Road, Rail and Sea Ports are the major modes of Transportation in Odisha. 5.2 Other Important Facts: (i) Odisha has a network of roads, railways, airports and seaports. (ii) Bhubaneswar is well connected by air, rail and road with the rest of India. Some highways are getting expanded to four lanes. (iii) Plans for metro rail connecting Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, a journey of 30 km, have also started. 5.3 Major Railway Stations (i) Bhubaneswar (ii) Puri (iii) Khurda Road Junction (iv) Cuttack Junction (v) Brahmapur (vi) Balasore (vii) Bhadrak (viii) Jharsuguda Junction (ix) Rourkela Junction (x) Sambalpur Junction (xi) Jajpur Keonjhar Road (xii) Balugaon (xiii) Titlagarh Junction (xiv) Rayagada (xv) Kesinga (xvi) Balangir Junction (xvii) Junagarh Road (xviii) Angul (xix) Dhenkanal (xx) Bargarh Road Junction 5.4 Major Air Ports: International Airports: Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar Domestic Airports: (i) Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda (ii) Nuagaon Airport, Balangir (iii) Utkela Airstrip, Bhawanipatna (iv) Jeypore Airport, Jeypore (v) Rourkela Airport, Rourkela (vi) Satibhata Airstrip, Padmapur (vii) Brahmapur Airport, Brahmapur (viii) Birasal Airstrip, Dhenkanal (ix) Hirakud Airstrip, Sambalpur (x) Nawapara Airport, Nuapada (xi) Rairangpur Airport, Rairangpur (xii) Gunupur Airstrip, Rayagada (xiii) Therubali Airport, Rayagada Indian Air Force Stations: Charbatia Air Base, Cuttack 5.5 Major Sea Ports: (i) Port of Dhamara (ii) Port of Gopalpur (iii) Port of Paradip (iv) Port of Subarnarekha (v) Port of Astarang (vi) Port of Chandipur (vii) Port of Chudamani (viii) Port of Palur |
| 6 Infrastructures | 6.1 Power installed Capacity: (i) Total Power: 8594.47 MW (ii) Thermal: 5893.98 MW (iii) Nuclear: 0 (iv) Hydro: 2150.92 MW (v) Renewable Energy Source: 549.57 MW |
| 7 Census and Demography | 7.1 Demographic Data: (i) Population: 41,974,218 (4.2 Crores) (ii) Male: 21,212,136 (iii) Female: 20,762,082 (iv) Gender Ratio: 979 females per 1000 males (v) Population Growth: 14.05% (vi) Percentage of total population of the country: 3.47% (vii) Density: 270/sq. km. (viii) Rural Population: 34,970,562 (83.31%) (ix) Urban Population: 7,003,656 (16.69%) (x) 11th most populous state in India (Based on 2011 census) 7.2 Major Religion followers: (i) Hinduism: 39,300,341 (93.63%) (ii) Christianity: 1,161,708 (2.77%) (iii) Islam: 911,670 (2.17%) (iv) Jainism: 9,420 (0.02%) (v) Buddhism: 13,852 (0.03%) (vi) Sikhism: 21,991 (0.05%) (Based on 2011 census) |
| 8 Culture | 8.1 Literature: 8.1.1 The beginnings of Odia poetry coincide with the development of Charya Sahitya, the literature thus started by Mahayana Buddhist poets. 8.1.2 The language of Charya was considered as Prakriti. 8.2 Major Poets & Authors: (i) Debasish Samatray (ii) Dr. Khagendranath Mallick (iii) Giribala Mohanty (iv) Amarendra Khatua (v) Satya Mishra (vi) Rabi Singh (vii) Abhash Kumar Boral (viii) Prasnna Patasani (ix) Sisir Kumar Mishra (x) Asharani Beura (xi) Aryakumar Harsabardhana (xii) Dr .Manorama Mohapatra Bishwal (xiii) Pradeep Nayak (xiv) Nibedita Mishraguru (xv) Biraja Routray (xvi) Narayan Prasad Mishra (xvii) Sunya Mishra (xviii) Bhanuji Rao (xix) Prakash Behera (xx) Kailash Lenka (xxi) Kishore Sahu (xxii) Ramakanta Rath (xxiii) Sadananda Tripathy (xxiv) Sitakanta Mohapatra (xxv) Ashok Chandan (xxvi) Soubhagya Kumar Mishra (xxvii) Tapan Mahapatra (xxviii) Rajendra Kishore Panda (xxix) Laxmi Chand (xxx) Pratibha Satpathy (xxxi) Monalisha Mishra (xxxii) Praharaj Satyanarayan Nanda (xxxiii) Chittaranjan Chiranjit (xxxiv) Brajanath Rath (xxxv) Ranjan Pradhan (xxxvi) Jayanta Mahapatra (xxxvii) Arabind Ray (xxxviii) Kamalakant Lenka (xxxix) Nimai Pattnaik (xl) Haraprasad Das (xli) Pabitra Gouda (xlii) Srirama Dash (xliii) Ganagadgra Biswal (xliv) Bibek Jena 8.3 Major Festivals: (i) Rath Yatra (ii) Durga Puja (iii) Kali Puja (iv) Kumar Purnima (v) Deepabali (vi) Vasant Panchami (vii) Prathamastami (viii) Maha Shivratri (ix) Holi (x) Raja Parba (xi) Bali Jatra (xii) Nuakhai (xiii) Gajalaxmi Puja (xiv) Dhanu Jatra 8.4 Folk Dance: (i) Odissi (ii) Ghumura (iii) Chhau (iv) Jhumair (v) Mahari (vi) Dalkhai (vii) Gotipua 8.5 Major Religious Places: (i) Aisanyesvara Siva Temple, Bhubaneswar (ii) Beleswar Temple, Puri (iii) Bhadrakali Temple, Aharapada (iv) Digambara Jaina Temple, Khandagiri (v) Govardhana matha, Puri (vi) Jagannath Temple, Puri (vii) Konark Sun Temple, Konark (viii) Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneswar (ix) Mukteswar Temple, Bhubaneswar (x) Parsvanath Jain Temple-I, Bhubaneswar (xi) Parsvanath Jain Temple-II, Bhubaneswar (xii) Sakshigopal Temple, Puri (xiii) Dhauli, Bhubaneswar (xiv) Ratnagiri, Jajpur (xv) Udayagiri, Jajpur (xvi) Ratnagiri (xvii) Udayagiri |
| 9 Education | 9.1 State Literacy Data: (i) Total: 26,742,595 (72.87%) (ii) Male: 15,089,681 (81.59%) (iii) Female: 11,652,914 (64.01%) 9.2 Major Universities: (i) KIIT University, Bhubaneswar (ii) Xavier University Bhubaneswar, Harirajpur (iii) Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Sambalpur (iv) Utkal University, Bhubaneswar (v) Centurion University of Technology and Management, Bhubaneswar (vi) Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar (vii) Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela (viii) Sambalpur University, Burla (ix) Central University of Odisha, Koraput (x) Ravenshaw University, Cuttack (xi) Berhampur University, Berhampur (xii) Sri Sri University, Cuttack (xiii) National Law University Odisha, Cuttack (xiv) Fakir Mohan University, Balasore (xv) North Orissa University, Baripada (xvi) Gangadhar Meher University, Sambalpur (xvii) GIET University, Gunupur (xviii) Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar (xix) Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar (xx) Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Puri (xxi) Khallikote University, Berhampur 9.3 Major Institutions: (i) NIT Rourkela (ii) IIT Bhubaneswar (iii) All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar (iv) IIIT Bhubaneswar |
| 10 Tourism | 10.1 Tourism in Odisha is one of the main contributors to the Economy of Odisha, India, with a 500 km (310 mi) long coastline, mountains, lakes, natural biodiversity and rivers. 10.2 Odisha is one of the major tourism sectors of India, with various tourists’ attractions, ranging from wildlife reserves, beaches, temples, monuments, the arts and festivals. 10.3 Other than wildlife reserves, beaches, temples, monuments, the arts and festivals. 10.4 Major Tourist Spots: (i) Puri (ii) Konark Sun Temple (iii) Udaygiri and Khandagiri Caves (iv) Nandankanan Zoological Park (v) Lingaraj Temple (vi) Barabati Fort (vii) Chilika Lake (viii) Devkund Waterfalls (ix) Taptapani Hot Spring (x) Chandipur Beach (xi) Talsari Beach (xii) Daringbadi |
| 11 Sports | 11.1 State Game: Field hockey, athletics, tennis, rugby union, rugby sevens, association football and cricket is the most popular sports in the Indian state of Odisha. 11.2 Major Stadium: (i) Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar (ii) Barabati Stadium, Cuttack (iii) KIIT Stadium, Bhubaneswar (iv) Veer Surendra Sai Stadium, Sambalpur (v) Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar (vi) Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Cuttack (vii) East Coast Railway Stadium, Bhubaneswar 11.3 International Players from the state: Cricket: (i) Debasis Mohanty (ii) Anshuman Rath (iii) Sushree Dibyadarshini Badminton: Pramod Bhagat Athletics: (i) Dutee Chand (ii) Srabani Nanda Hockey: (i) Birendra Lakra (ii) Amit Rohidas (iii) Namita Toppo (iv) Deep Grace Ekka |
| 12 Governance & Administrative Divisions | 12.1 Administrative divisions: (i) Number of Districts: 30 (ii) Number of Tehsils: 317 (iii) Number of Police Stations: 612 (iv) Number of Urban Towns: 34 (v) Number of Villages: 51,352 12.2 Official Languages: (i) Language :Odia (ii) Script : Odia script (Based on census-2011) 12.3 Constituent Facts: (i) Number of Assembly seats: 147 (ii) Number of Parliament seats: 21 (iii) Number of Rajyasabha Seats : 10 (iv) Number of Gram panchayat: 6798 Legislature: Unicameral 12.4 Chief Minister: Mohan Charan Majhi(15th Chief Minister of Odisha) (from 12/06/2024) 12.4.1 1st Chief Minister ( Post Independence): : Harekrushna Mahatab (15/08/1947 to 12/05/1950) (prior to it Chief Minister was designated ”Prime minister”) 12.5 Governor: Raghubar Das (26th Governor) (From 31October,2023) 12.5.1 1st Governor of Odisha ( Post Independence): Kailash Nath Katju (15/08/1947 to 20/06/1948) 12.6 Judiciary: 12.6.1 On 1 April 1936, Odisha was made a separate province but no separate High Court was provided for it. 12.6.2 The Government of India agreed to create a new High Court, and for that purpose the Government of India issued the Odisha High Court Order, 1948, under the Section 229(1) of the Government of India Act, 1935. 12.6.3 It was founded on 26th July 1948. (i) Number of Judges: 27 (ii) (Permanent: 20 Addl: 7) (iii) Judge Retirement Age: 62 12.7 Official website: odisha.gov.in |
| 13 Other Important facts | 13.1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: (i) Sun Temple, Puri (ii) Bhitarkanika Conservation Area (Proposed) (iii) Chilika Lake (Proposed) (iv) Ekamra Kshetra – The Temple City (Proposed) 13.2 Archeological sites of Odisha (i) Asurgarh (ii) Dhauli (iii) Golabai (iv)Kharligarh (v) Lalitgiri (vi) Manikpatna (vii) Sankarjang (viii) Sisupalgarh (ix) Udayagiri, Odisha (x) Vikramkhol Cave Inscription 13.3 GI Tags: (i) Kotpad handloom garments (ii) Odisha Ikat (iii) Pipli embroidery (iv) Konark sculpture carvings (v) Odisha Pattachitra (vi) Khandua saree (vii) Gopalpur Tussar cloth (viii) Dhalapathar Parda & Fabrics (ix) Sambalpuri Bandha Saree & Fabrics (x) Bomkai Saree & Fabrics (xi) Habaspuri Saree & Fabrics (xii) Berhampur Patta (Phoda Kumbha) Saree & Joda (xiii) Ganjam Kewda Rooh (xiv) Ganjam Kewda Flower (xv) Kandhamal Haladi (xvi) Odisha Rasgulla 13.4 Other Important Facts: Song: Bande Utkala Janani Dance: Odissi Mammal: Sambar Bird: Indian Roller Fish: Mahanadi Mahseer Flower: Ashoka Tree: Sacred Fig Food: Pakhala Sweet: Rasagola |
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