The History of Odisha dates back to the Mahabharata era and even beyond.
Many know the state by the name of Kalinga from the days of emperor Ashoka.
Near to sea resulted in Odisha's control on maritime trade and commerce to overseas.
Several dynasties from Sur dynasty to Mughal emperors flourished and extended their control on the land of Odhisha.
Historical Great war of Kalinga was fought in the land of Odisha by emperor Ashoka.
The Kaḷinga architectural style saw rise in the ancient Odisha bringing three distinct types of temples:
Rekha Deula
Pidha Deula
Khakhara Deula
House in the state are made of mud and grass straw which cannot withstand harsh climate.
The houses have a rectangular ground plan with rooms along all the sides ( khanja-ghara ) and resulting an open space ( agana ) in the center.
Odia village house have stone wall and gable roof on a wood or bamboo frame thatched with straw.
The Kadi (timber beam) and Baraga (timber rafter) applied for flat roof construction.
Due to porosity of the Attu built on bamboo or wooden frames; hot air goes out making the building cool in summer and also acts as fire protection.
Mud is a good insulator, easily available at affordable price with excellent binding feature has made it the choice of used.
Demographic Location
Odisha state is located on the eastern side of the country with a vast coastline of Bay of Bengal sea.
Due to close proximity to the sea the land experiences several tropical cyclonic storms. It is prone to sudden thunder storms.
Odisha shares the domestic boundaries with the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north and northeast and by the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to the south and Chhattisgarh to the west.
Odisha landscape can be divided into five major regions :
The Odisha Coastal Plain in the east,
The Middle Mountainous and Highlands Region,
The Central plateaus,
The western rolling upland
The major flood plains.
The coastal plain of Odisha is called the "Gift of Six Rivers".
The Middle Coastal Plain (the Mahanadi Delta),
The Northern Coastal Plain (Balasore Plain)
The Southern Coastal Plain ( Ganjam Plain).
The North Coastal Plain in the deltas of Subarnarekha and Budha balanga rivers significant for marine transgressions.
The Middle Coastal Plain makes the compound deltas of the Baitarani, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers.
The South Coastal Plain creates the lacustrine plain of Chilika lake and the smaller delta of the Rushikulya River.
There are a number of Mountain springs and hot spring in Odisha.
The Badaghagara and Sanaghagara in Keonjhar districts
Satpasajya in Denkanal districts
The Chandikhole in Cuttack districts
The Barunei in Khorda districts,
The Narayani and Nirmalajhar in Ganjam and Puri districts,
The Patalaganga in Kalahandi districts,
The Nursinghanath in Sambalpur districts
The Harisankar in Bolangir districts
There are several waterfalls with so mnay rivers flowing in Odisha. Some stunning waterfall found in Odisha are :
The Barehipani and Joranda (Similipal ) in Mayurbhanja districts,
Sanaghagara and Badaghagara in Keonjhar district
Padhanpuri in Deogarh district
Khandadhara (Banei) in Sundargarh district
Phurlijharan, Khandabaladhar, and Rabandhara in Kalahandi district
Kentamari and Putudi in Boudh and Phulbani district
DumDuma in Malkangiri district
Bogra in Koraput district
The famous Chilkha Lake is a water lagoon located in the southern part of the Odisha coastal plane. Water salinity reduces during the monsoon.
In winter due to the overflow of the tidal water through the narrow opening from the Bay of Bengal, salinity of Chilkha Lake is retained.
Ansupa is a sweet water lake located in Banki of Cuttack districts. Sara near Puri and Kanjia in Nandankanan are sweet water lake.
Season and Climate
Odisha has tropical monsoon climate influenced by rainfall.
The coastal areas of Odisha usually experience cyclone and tornado during this season. Odisha also experiences return monsoon in the month of October and November.
Weather in Odisha is hot, highly humid, medium to high rainfall and short and mild winters. Odisha sees return of monsoon in winters leading to tropical Savannah type of climate.
The rainfall plays a key role in the climate of Odisha.
Winter is quite chilly, but not freezing.
In Odisha locally there are six seasons. They are as
Summer (Grishma) – April to June
Rainy (Barsa) – June to August
Autumn (Sharat) – August to October
Pre-winter (Hemanta) – October to December
Winter (Seeta) – December to February
Spring (Basanta) – February to April
Culture and Education
Odisha is a mix of Aryan, Adivasi and Dravidian culture. People peak in Odia language in this state.
Reli is a Odiya dialect used by tribal people living in Odisha. Bodo Praja is a language used by Adivasi tribes of Odisha.
Odisha has had a continuous tradition of dharmic religions from Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Ashoka's conquest of Kalinga (India) made Buddhism a principal religion in the state which led to the establishment of numerous Stupas and Buddhist learning center.
Diverse and vibrant tradition of Odisha are some explicit work on stone work, silver filigree, wood craft, appliqué work, brass and bell metal work.
Artisan and craftsmen contribute by works on dhokra castings, horn work, pattachitra, paper mache, terracotta, tie & dye textile in cotton, tussar and silk.
The people of Odisha are known for their cultural heritage from the Jagannath Cult, Vaishnav Cult, Bushism and Shivayat Cult.
Along with Odissi dance which is a lyrical form of dance from Devdasi Cult in Odisha there are several other forms of Dance that are : Chaau Dance, Danda Dance. Ghomra Dance, Animal Mask Dance, Kathi Danceranapa Dance, Paika Dance and Kedu Dance.
Men wear kurta and Dhoti while women wear sarees. men wear turban and keep a cloth on their shoulder.
Most of the people of Odisha eat rice, coconut and curd. They are fond of sea food like crabs, fishes and prawns. They also eat chicken and mutton.
Famous Spots
Some of the most attractive and places of significance in Odisha are :
Puri Beach
Jagannath Temple
Hirakud Dam
Udaigiri Caves
Lingaraj Temple
Dhauli Giri Hills
Nandankanan Zoological Park
Aqualife, Flora and Fauna
Odisha has variety of forest cover and preserved by many tribal communities that live in far flung areas.
The forests cover in Odisha can be identified as :
Dense forest
Medium dense forest
Open forest
Scrub Forest
Bamboo Forest Mangrove Forest
The moist climate and good rainfall makes the land suitable for wild orchids.
The Orchid House of Nandankanan Biological Park are natural habitat for several species.
Simplipal National Park is a protected wildlife area and tiger reserve in north of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha with 1078 species of plants, including 94 orchids.
Sal tree is the primary tree species found in this park.
The park has barking deer, Bengal tiger, Langur, Four Horned Antelope, Indian Bison, Indian Elephant, Indian Giant Squirrel, Indian Leopard, Jungle Cat, Sambar Deer and Wild Boar.
There are 304 species of birds in the park, Common Hill Myna, Grey Hornbill, Indian Pied Hornbill and Malabar Pied Hornbill. King Cobra, Banded Krait, Tricarinate Hill Turtle and Mugger Crocodile.
Some other wild life parks in Odisha are :
The Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary
The Bhitarkanika National Park
The Gahirmatha Beach is the world's largest nesting site for Olive Ridley Sea Turtle.
Satapada is the natural habitat for dolphin watching tiny red crabs situated close to the Chilika Lake and Bay of Bengal.
