Situated
on the coast along the Bay of Bengal, Orissa
stands for its ancient glory and modern endeavour. Endowed
with natures bounty, a 482 km stretch of coastline with virgin
beaches, serpentine rivers, mighty waterfalls, forest-clad
blue hills of Eastern Ghats with rich wild life, Orissa is
dotted with exquisite temples, historic monuments as well as
pieces of modern engineering feat. The land, while retaining
its pristine glory, also offers the visitors modern amenities.
Its lush green countryside and fertile plains, tiny hamlets
fringed with palm, coconut trees and mango groves offer the
charm of rural beauty while the urban pockets, the four cities
in particular, with the splendour of modern technology
provide the amenities necessary for a comfortable stay. This
wonderful land of fascinating beauty boasts of colourful
festivals round the year. Orissa is also the land of unique
handicrafts and other excellent artefacts.
Orissa, with a rich heritage that is more than two thousand
years old, has a glorious history of its own. It was known
under different names in different periods : Kalinga, Utkal or
Odradesha. Seaports flourished along the coast as early as the
4th and 5th centuries B.C., when the sadhabs, the
Orissan seafaring merchants, went to the islands of Java,
Sumatra, Borneo and Bali with their merchandise. Not only did
they bring home wealth and prosperity, they also carried the
glorious Indian civilisation with them and helped its spread
abroad. Vijaya, the first king of Ceylon, is believed to be a
prince of Orissan origin. The land had its martial glory in
the past and the people had made their contact with the
kingdoms South East Asia in ancient times. Kalinga had made
its mark in the Indian history when the Nanda dynasty ruled
the kingdom of Magadha. She posed a threat to the Maurya
Empire. Ashoka, the Great invaded Kalinga in 261 B.C. and
conquered her. But the terrible bloodshed on the banks of the
river, Daya that preceded Ashokas victory changed his heart.
He embraced Buddhism and preached peace and goodwill for the
rest of his life. Kalinga reasserted her independence after
the death of Ashoka and increased her strength. The Kalingan
Empire reached the pinnacle of glory during the reign of
Emperor Kharavela who even pursued the Greek King Demetrius
out of India. The inscriptions on Hati Gumpha (Elephant Cave)
on the Udayagiri Hill in Bhubaneswar record the story of his
reign. Kalinga maintained its trade links with overseas
countries during the first three centuries of the Christian
era but the kingdom itself was divided into a number of
principalities. In the fourth century A.D. Emperor
Samudragupta invaded Orissa and overcame the resistance
offered by five of her chiefs. Orissa came under the rule of King Sasanka and later King Harsha Vardhana in the 7th century
A.D. when the Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang visited Orissa.
Towards the middle of the century the Somavamsi dynasty was
firmly established in the land. The end of the 8th century saw
the emergence of Jajpur-on-Baitarani as an epicentre of
Brahminical religion. Thus Buddhism and Jainism took a back
seat for Sometime when Yayati Keshari invited ten thousand Brahmin
pundits from Kanauja and settled them in different
parts of his kingdom. He established Abhinaba Yayati Nagar
which was abbreviated to Jajpur in course of time. The centre
of political activities shifted to Cuttack, known as Abhinab
Varanasi Kataka, in the eleventh century A.D. Illustrious
Ganga kings ruled Orissa for nearly three hundred and fifty
years and they were followed by Suryavamsi Gajapati Kings and
Mukunda Deva Harichandan of the Chalukya dynasty. Pancha
Kataka or the five forts protected the capital against any
aggression. The Hindu state of Orissa came under the Muslim
rule in 1568 A.D. when King Mukunda Deva lost to the Sultan of
Bengal, Suleiman Karni. Subsequently, Orissa came under the
Moghuls and the Marathas and finally in 1803 A.D., under the
British. Orissa formed a part of greater Bengal but didnt lose
its own separate cultural identity. The political capital
shifted to Patna when the state of Bihar-Orissa was carved out
of Bengal. Orissa became a separate province in 1936 A.D. with
Cuttack as its capital. The new capital was built in
Bhubaneswar after independence. However, the state took its
present shape only in 1949 with the merger of the princely
states including Mayurbhanj.
The modern state of Orissa is located between 170-48 and
220-34 North latitude and 810-24 and 870-29 East longitude.
The State is bounded by the bay in the east, West Bengal in
the north-east, Bihar in the north, Madhya Pradesh in the west
and Andhra Pradesh in the south. The territory may be divided
into four distinct geographical regions : the Eastern Plateau,
the Central River Basin, the Eastern Hill Region and the
Coastal Belt. The entire territory lies in the tropical zone
as a result of which high temperature is recorded particularly
during April-May. However, the sea exercises a moderating
influence over the climate of the coastal belt whereas the
hill tracts experience an extreme climate. The state is
drained by six important rivers: the Subarnarekha, the
Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi and
the Rusikulya. The rich mineral belts lie in the western and
north-western parts of the state. Covering an area of 155,707
sq.km. Orissa has a population of about three crore out of
which more than 22 percent are tribals, with their
concentration in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Koraput
districts. Oriya is the mother tongue of the people of Orissa
and most of them understand Hindi as well. People can
sometimes speak Bengali, Telugu, Urdu and a bit of Gujarati in
addition to the various tribal dialects. English can be
understood by the educated mass. Rice, dal, vegetables and
fish constitute the principal diet of the people. They also
take chapatis, meat and sweets. Different types of
pithas (cakes made of rice flour, gur, coconut, ghee
and other ingredients depending on the variety ) and
milk/cheese preparations are special Orissan delicacies.
Orissa has a long tradition of art and architecture. The
early monuments date back to the third century B.C. The
remnant of an Ashokan pillar, turned into a Siva Lingam and
enshrined in the Bhaskaresvara temple at Bhubaneswar and the
lion capital of an Ashokan pillar, presently in the State
Museum, speak volumes of Orissas past glory. The rock-cut
caves of Khandagiri and Udaygiri and the inscriptions
recording Kharavelas short but eventful reign during the first
century B.C. constitute the second phase of the evolution in
Orissan art. The Naga and Yaksha images found in places around
Bhubaneswar belong to the post-Kharavela era. The
fortification of Sisupalgarh near Bhubaneswar is yet another
monument of ancient Orissa.
Orissa was at the height of her superb artistic glory
during seventh to thirteenth century A.D. The Sailodbhava
dynasty of Banpur is responsible for the earliest temples
around Bhubaneswar. The Bhaumakaras, the Somavamsis and the
illustrious Gangas are particularly known for temple building.
The Parsuramesvara temple at Bhubaneswar is the earliest
extant temple. The Lingaraj Temple at Bhubaneswar, Jagannath
Temple at Puri and Sun Temple at Konark belonging to the
eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries respectively stand
as silent witnesses to Orissas glorious past. Rajarani Temple
and Mukteswar Temple at Bhubaneswar, Biraja Temple at Jajpur,
Kichakeswari Temple at Khiching and the temples at
Ranipur-Jharial are also a few other examples of Orissan
architecture.
Orissa is also known for her exquisite handicrafts. Silver
filigree work of Cuttack, horn work of Cuttack and
Parlakhemundi and the famous applique work of Pipili deserve
special mention. Pattachitra, a form of folk painting
of Orissa, is a unique craft. Brass and bell metalware,
particularly vases and candle stands, are beautiful and
longlasting. The blackstone bowls and plates of Nilagiri and
Khiching and multi-coloured stone statues are other
attractions. Silk and cotton handloom products,
especially saris are simply bewitching. The
Sambalpuri saris and Maniabandhi patas
are matchless in their texture and designs.
The people of Orissa rejoice in festivals and fairs.
Festivals are associated with religious practices, but the
festive atmosphere often sweeps the rituals. Most festivals
are common to all places, but particular places have their own
special celebrations which are seasonal in their occurrence.
Chandan Yatra, Snana Yatra and Ratha Yatra are observed
with special gaiety and fervour at Puri although the
last-mentioned one is celebrated at Baripada, Athagarh,
Dhenkanal, Koraput and other places even outside the state.
Durga Puja is observed throughout the state, more
particularly at Cuttack. Kali Puja or Diwali is celebrated in
different parts of Orissa. Bali Yatra of Cuttack on the full
moon day in the month of Kartika reminds the glory of Orissan
traders in the long past. Chaitra Parva, a festival of Chhou
dance, is celebrated at Baripada. Makar, Holi, Mohurram, Id
and Christmas are also celebrated throughout the state.
A visit to Orissa is indeed an experience of a lifetime.
Every loss in any respect - comfort, facilities, amenities,
etc.- is amply compensated by the effulsive hospitality and
warmth of the people.
Ancient Orissa was a confluence of racial streams.
History tells us that the Aryans entered Orissa from the
north-east, subjugated the primitive people living there and
imposed on them their language and culture. The story could
not be so simple; for the people then living in the land were
not perhaps all of the primitive type, nor were they
subjugated culturally. What might have happened in al!
Probability was a racial and cultural amalgamation.
Geographically Orissa stands as a coastal corridor between the
northern and southern India cut off by the intractable
Vindhyas. It is natural therefore that an assimilation of the
races and cultures of the Aryans and the Dravidians; must have
taken place here in the days of gore. At the same time
successive racial and cultural tides might have surged up from
the different sides, rolled in and broken over this Bound
culminating in the indo-cultural synthesis.
Orissa, which is largely rural, the traditional values are
still kept alive. In general the values have no doubt weakened
but they are not lost. Among die innocent Advisees dwelling in
the wooded hinterland and forested hill slopes, Indias
earliest civilization is retained in its pristine form. Not
only in their secluded hamlets, bet also in the countless
thousands of villages in the country sides one can catch a
glimpse of the dwindling horizon of humanity, through the
innocent and benign outlook of tile villagers. A sensitive
person who happens to be a prisoner of the modern
society with its stress and strain will not, while in a
typical village, fail to mark the relationship of its common
people with God, nature and their fellow men.
Contributed By:
Late Prof.Bidhubhusan Das, Prof.Trilochan Mishra,
Prof.Prabhat Nalini Das |
