Hinduism: Details about 'Orissa'
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home
|
Orissa (2001 provisional pop. 36,706,920), 60,162 sq mi (155,820 sq km) is a state situated in the east coast of India. Orissa is bounded on the north by Jharkhand, on the north-east by West Bengal, on the east by the Bay of Bengal, on the south by Andhra Pradesh and on the west by Chhattisgarh. The relatively unindented coastline (c.200 mi/320 km long) lacks good ports except for the deepwater facility at Paradip. The narrow, level coastal strip, including the Mahanadi River delta, is exceedingly fertile. Rainfall is heavy and regular, and two crops of rice (by far the most important food) are grown annually. The state is known for its temples, especially in the cities of Konark, Puri, and Bhubaneswar. Orissa and Puri are popular tourist destinations. Puri, with the Jagannatha's temple on the sea, and Konark, with the Mukhasala of the Sun Temple, are visited by thousands of westerners every year. Along with the Lingaraja Temple of Bhubaneswar, the Jagannatha Temple and the Sun Temple of Konark are the must sees for anyone doing research on the archaeological marvels of India. The dense population, concentrated on the coastal alluvial plain, is inhabited by the non-tribal speakers of the Oriya language. The interior, inhabited largely by indigenous people (adivasis), is hilly and mountainous. Orissa is subject to intense cyclones; in October 1999, Tropical Cyclone 05B caused severe damage and some 10,000 deaths. Orissa, a storehouse of mineral wealth, a littoral state with a long coastline, holds the promise of becoming one of India's major manufacturing hubs in the near future. If things go as planned in Orissa, the state could emerge as one of the most significant FDI destinations in the world, rivalling Shenzhen in China. Orissa is also a major outsourcing destination for IT (Information Technology) and IT services firms.
GeographyThe capital of Orissa is Bhubaneswar, famed for its magnificent temples numbering around a thousand is known as the Cathedral City. The city of Puri is nearby on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Puri is a famous holy city and the site of the annual festival of the diety Jagannath and is one of the four Dhams (holy places) of Hinduism. The Eastern Ghats range and the Chota Nagpur plateau occupy the western and northern portions of the state, while fertile alluvial plains occupy the coastal plain and the valleys of the Mahanadi, Brahmani, and Baitarani rivers, which empty into the Bay of Bengal. These alluvial plains are home to intensive rice cultivation. 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. It is protected by the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 150 migratory and resident species of birds. HistoryThe official language of the state, spoken by the vast majority of the people is Oriya. Oriya belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is very closely related to Bengali and Assamese. A few tribal languages belonging to the Dravidian and Munda language families are still spoken by the Adivasis (original inhabitants) of the state. The state has a very opulent cultural heritage, one of the richest in India, and the capital city of Bhubaneswar is known for the exquisite temples that dot its landscape. The famous classical dance form, Odissi originated from Orissa. Odissi music is considered to be an offshoot of the Hindustani classical music of northern India, although some aspects of Odissi are quite different. There are many other popular cultural interests include the well known Jagannatha Temple in Puri, known for its annual Rath Yatra or Car Festival, the unique and beautiful applique artwork of Pipili, silver filigree ornamental works from Cuttack, the Patta chitras (silk paintings) and various tribal influenced cultures. Orissa has a glorious history spanning a period of over 3000 years. In ancient times, it was the proud kingdom of Kalinga. Kalinga was a major seafaring nation that controlled and traded with most of the sea routes in the Bay of Bengal. For several centuries, a substantial part of South Asia & Southeast Asia, such as Sri Lanka, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Java, Sumatra, Bali, Vietnam and Thailand were colonized by people from Orissa. In Malaysia, Indians are still referred as Klings because of this. Many illustrious Sri Lankan kings such as Nisanka Malla and Parakarama Bahu claim Kalinga origin. The King who destroyed the Sinhalese Buddhist control of Northern Sri Lanka and established a Hindu Kingdom in Jaffna was known as Kalinga Magha. The name of the country "Siam" for Thailand is derived from Oriya/Sanskrit Shyamadesha. The huge Hindu temple in Cambodia known as Angkor Wat is a fine example of Orissan influenced Indian architecture, with some local variations. Bali in Indonesia still retains its Orissan influenced Hindu heritage. A major turning point in world history took place in Orissa. The famous Kalinga war that led emperor Asoka to embrace non-violence and the teachings of Buddha was fought here in 261 BC. Later on, Asoka was instrumental in spreading Buddhist philosophy all over Asia. In the second century BC, Kalinga flourished as a powerful kingdom under the Jaina king, Kharavela. He ruled all the way down south to include parts of the Tamil country. It is he who was built the superb monastic caves at Udayagiri and Khandagiri. Subsequently, the kingdom was ruled under various monarchs, such as Samudragupta and Sasanka. It also was a part of Harsha's empire. In 795 AD, the king Yayati united Kalinga, Kosala and Utkala into a single empire. He also built the famous Jagannath temple at Puri. King Narasimha Dev is reputed to have built the magnificent sun temple in Konark. Although now largely in ruins, the temple would easily have rivaled the Taj Mahal in splendour. The ruins of a major ancient university and center of Buddhist learning, Ratnagiri, was recently discovered in Orissa. Scholars from far away lands, such as Greece, Persia and China used to study philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and science at this famed University. Taxila, Nalanda and Ratnagiri are the oldest universities in the world. The ruins of Ratnagiri University have not been fully excavated yet. During the medieval period of Indian civilization, Orissa was ruled by a succession of Muslim kings. It was later annexed by emperor Akbar and became part of the Mughal empire. After the fall of the Mughals, the Marathas under Shivaji invaded the land and continued to rule until 1803 AD when Orissa fell prey to the British. Modern Orissa was carved out of Bihar in 1936. Contemporary Orissa has a proud cultural heritage that arose due to the intermingling of three great religious traditions - Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. It has been further enriched by Islam and Christianity. The culture of the Adivasis (the original inhabitants of India) is an integral part of modern Orissan heritage. The dynasties that ruled Orissa beginning in the third century BC included:
After long resistance to the Muslims, the region was overcome (1568) by Afghan invaders and passed to the Mughal empire. After the fall of the Mughals, Orissa was divided between the Nawabs of Bengal and the Marathas. In 1803 it was conquered by the British. The coastal section, which was made (1912) part of Bihar and Orissa Province, became in 1936 the separate province of Orissa. In 1948 and 1949 the area of Orissa was almost doubled and the population was increased by a third with the addition of 24 former princely states. In 1950, Orissa became a constituent state of India. The state is governed by a chief minister and cabinet responsible to an elected unicameral legislature and by a governor appointed by the president of India. EconomyFollowing India's independence, Orissa has been severely neglected by the central government in New Delhi. The government, which typically has been formed by the Congress Party has made shockingly little investment in transportation, infrastructure and education in Orissa, which is why Orissa lags behind the other states. Only 20% of the road network is paved. In rural areas more than 65% of the population have no access to safe drinking water. The appalling neglect was exemplified in December 2006, when the UPA government moved the proposed National Institute of Sciences to Kolkata, away from Bhubaneswar. Orissa received a pittance from New Delhi in the 2006-2007 annual budget, while major chunks went to other states. However the state is blessed with abundant natural resources and a vast coastline. It contains a quarter of India's iron ore, and a third of its bauxite reserves, a fifth of its coal, and most of the chromite. It is receiving unprecedented investments in steel, aluminum, power, refineries and ports. The state capital holds the potential to be a major center for software technology in India. With clogged highways of Hyderabad and Bangalore causing massive traffic jams, Orissa's still pristine Bhubaneswar provides excellent opportunites for large IT firms to set up shop. India's topmost IT consulting firms, including Satyam Computer Services,TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) and Infosys have big branches in Orissa. It thus appears that Orissa, inspite of the blatantly unfair treatment meted out to it by New Delhi, is ultimately destined to become one of the industrial powerhouses of India in a decade's time. Recently 43 companies have lined up to set up mammoth steel plants in the state, including POSCO of South Korea which has agreed to construct a mammoth $12 billion steel plant, which would be the largest ever investment in India. The state is attracting huge investments in aluminum, coal-based power plants, and petrochemicals. Although Paradip is Orissa's only large port, the coastal towns of Dhamra and Gopalpur are being developed into major ports as well. DemographicsOrissa has a population of 32 million. About 87% of the population live in the villages and one third of the rural population does not own any land other than homesteads. The aborgines or tribes, known as Adivasis, constitute 24% of the population, belonging to 62 different ethnic communities. Their traditional around the forest ecosystem. Over the years collection of forest produce, hunting and persuasion of other traditional ways of living have become increasingly difficult, influencing socio-cultural life. Issues with modernisation and industrial activities, such as mining, construction of dams, roads, railways have grown to become a concern affecting their very traditional livelihood and have displaced the Adivasi communities. Religion, temples, and festivalsPerhaps the most well-known temple in Orissa is the Konark Temple. This is also known as the Sun Temple and is famous for its exquisite Orissan style of architecture. The Konark temple was built in the 13th century A.D. It includes in its decoration many vignettes of military life. The thousands of elephants marching around the base of the temple are not figments of the imagination. Rather, they demonstrate pride in the superb war elephants for which Orissa was famous. Another well known temple in Orissa is the Jagannath Temple, which was built in the 12th Century A.D. It is located in Puri and is associated with the Ratha Jatra (Chariot Festival) ce;ebrated all over northern India. Every year millions of devotees come to Puri during the Ratha Jatra. It is a festival during which the three dieties, Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are brought out of the Jagannath temple in chariots to tour the streets, providing a glimpse to the thousands of devotees who throng the street. The capital city of Bhubaneswar has some magnificent temples, including the Lingaraja temple, and the Mukteswar temple. Maa Charchika's Temple at Banki is one of the Shakta place of worship. It is situated on Ruchika parbat near the Renuka river, in a place called Banki near the two major cities, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. The Sunadei temple on the bank of river Mahanadi is an Orissan landmark. Interesting facts about the state
Politics
EducationOrissa is home to many colleges and universities, deemed and otherwise. Research Institutes
Universities
Management Colleges
General Colleges
Engineering Colleges
Medical Colleges
Rehabilitative Education
Ayurvedic Colleges
Homoeopathic Colleges
TransportationOrissa is connected to India and to the world through roads, airports, and seaports. Airports
Seaports
Districts
Orissa Orissa Orissa Orissagu:ઓરિસ્સા उड़ीसा ორისაmr:ओरिसा Orissa Orissa Orissa Orissa Ориссаsa:उड़ीसा Orissa Orissata:ஒரிசாte:ఒరిస్సా Орісса 奥里萨邦
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||