Capital of Odisha – Bhubaneswar

Capital of Odisha: An ancient city, Bhubaneswar in India’s eastern state of Odisha, formerly Orissa is the capital of Odisha. It is a city that is known for its rich tapestry of culture and history. It is also known as the “Temple City”. It is located near the ruins of Sisupalgarh, the earlier capital of the erstwhile Kalinga kingdom. Otto Konigsberger, a German architect, designed the modern architecture of Bhubaneswar in 1946.

The reasons why Bhubanshwar replaced Cuttack are:

• Earlier Cuttack served as the capital city of Odisha.
• On 19th August 1949, Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital city.
• Cuttack was the centre of all the activities including political and economic.
• For a provincial capital, it was found inappropriate and overcrowded. One of the reasons is its location between the Mahanadi and Kathjodi rivers.
• Several committees proposed Bhubaneswar as the apt site for capital because of several factors such as its availability of large space, history and geographical proximity to Cuttack.

Some important facts on Bhubaneswar are as follows:

• The Government of Odisha in 1948 hired Otto Koenigsberger, a German architect for the construction of capital.
• The first prime minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of the new capital on 13 April 1949.
• The Odisha Legislative Assembly met at Bhubaneswar for the first time on 10 October, 1949.
• Bhubaneswar derived its name from “Tribhubaneswar”, which means the Lord of the Three World i.e., Lord Shiva.
• Bhubaneshwar is one of the few cities which has been selected for “Smart Cities Mission” by Government of India.
• City of Bhubaneswar is a confluence of Jain, Buddhism and Hindu heritages.

Some important facts on Odisha are as follows:

1. Orissa was the official name for state of Odisha until 2011 and is the 8th largest state of India.
2. Odisha also has the third largest population of Scheduled Tribes and Odia is the official language of Odisha. The region of Odisha is also referred to as Utkal and also mentioned in the national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”.
3. The neighbouring states of Odisha include West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Geographical Condition: Bhubaneswar

• Bhubaneswar served as a gateway to the Golden Triangle of Tourist i.e., Puri, Chilika Lake and Konark.
• Strategic geographical location of Bhubaneswar has placed itself to serve as the gateway to south-east Asia

Demographics of Bhubaneswar

• It is a confluence of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain heritage boasting of some of the finest Kalingan temples.
• Bhubaneswar city has population of 8,43,402, according to the population census 2011.

Culture of Bhubaneswar

• The modern day Bhubaneshwar has been illustrated as the Ekamra Khetra (Temple City).
• Because of its rich architectural treasures for example ancient sandstone temples, ancient ponds and heritage water tanks, It is also known as city of temples.
• Several national and international festivals like the Mukteswar Dance Festival, Raja Rani Music Festival, Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav and more hosted annually here.

Economy

The tertiary sector of the economy played an important role as the majority of the people in Bhubaneswar are employed in this sector only.

Some important facts on flora and fauna include:

• Odisha houses large variety of wildlife.
• It is extremely diverse which gives the state abundance of natural beauty and wildlife.
• 33% of its land covered by forests majorly tropical moist deciduous forest.
• Simlipal National Park is a tiger reserve which is located in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha and has 60 species of reptiles, 304 species of birds and 55 mammal species.
• National Park, Bhitarkanika National Park, Tikarpada Wildlife Sanctuary, Chilika Wildlife Sanctuary, Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary, Kotagarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary, Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Ushakothi (Badrama) Wildlife Sanctuary are few examples of national park and wildlife sanctuary.

What is the capital of Odisha?

The capital of Odisha is Bhubaneswar and the city is known for its cultural tapestry, history as well as spirituality.

What was the old name of Odisha?

Kalinga was the old name of Odisha. It was also known as ‘utakal’ and the ‘land of Jagannath’. Earlier it was also called ‘Orissa’ because of large number of Oriya speakers. From 4th of November 2011 it was changed to Odisha.

Which river is called lifeline of Odisha?

River Mahanadi is called the lifeline of Odisha. It is an important river in the state of Odisha as it plays important role in various aspects such as irrigation, drinking water etc.

Which river is called Sorrow of Orissa?

Mahanadi river is called as the “Sorrow of Odisha” for causing devastating floods in the region.

What is Nandankanan Zoological Park famous for?

Nandankanan zoological park is situated in the district of Bhubaneswar in Odisha. It is the first zoo in the World to breed White tiger and Melanistic tiger. It is the only conservation breeding centre of Indian Pangolins in India and the world.