2. THE STATE
• Located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. Formly known as Kalinga,
which was invaded by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC, then Orrisa and
now Odisha (per a longstanding name change campaign that finally received Lok
Sabha approval in 2010).
• Cuttack remained the capital of the state for over eight centuries until April 13,
1948 when Bhubaneswar was officially declared as the new capital of Orissa, and
still is the present capital of this state.
• Orissa is the 9th largest state by area in India, and the 11th largest by population.
Oriya (officially spelled Odia) is the official language.
• Population of state is 41.9 million and Area of state is 155,707 sq km.
• Best time to visit Odisha is from November to February.
3.
4.
5. ODISSI
Odissi (Orissi) dance and music are classical art forms. Odissi is the oldest
surviving dance form in India on the basis of archaeological evidence.
Odissi has a long, unbroken tradition of 2,000 years.
However, the dance form nearly went extinct during the British period,
only to be revived after India's independence by a few gurus.
Odissi classical dance is about the love of Krishna and his supposed
consort Radha.
7. GHUMURA DANCE
Ghumura Dance (or Ghumra Dance) is one of the most sought and
leading folk dance form in Orissa. It is classified as folk dance as the dress
code of Ghumura resembles more like a tribal dance.
The timeline of Ghumura dance is not clear. Many researchers claim it
was a War dance in ancient India and used by Ravana in Ramayana.
Ghumura dance is depicted in Konark Sun Temple confirming this dance
form is since the medieval period.
The dance is associated with social entertainment, relaxation, love,
devotion and friendly brotherhood among all class, creed and religion in
the present days.
9. MAHARI DANCE
Mahari Dance is one of the important dance forms of Orissa and originated in
the temples of Orissa. History of Orissa provides evidence of the 'Devadasi'
cult in Orissa. Devadasis were dancing girls who were dedicated to the
temples of Orissa. The Devadasis in Orissa were known as 'Maharis' and the
dance performed by them came to be known as Mahari Dance.
The Mahari Dancers of Orissa are supposed to follow certain restrictions,
such as:
•
They cannot enjoy.
•
They should dance on the ceremonies connected to Jagannath.
•
They should adhere to the specifications made by the Sastras.
•
They must always wear clean cloths.
•
The dancer cannot be physically handicapped.
•
At the time of the performances, the dancers are not supposed to
look at the audience.
•
The Maharis are married to the Lord at the age of nine.
•
Before their performances, the Mahari dancers pay their obeisance
to the Lord.
11. • Orissi music is a
combination of four
distinctive kinds of music,
namely, Chitrapada,
Dhruvapada, Panchal and
Chitrakala.
• A unique feature of Oriya
music is the Padi, which
consists of singing of words
in fast beat
• Almost every tribal group
has their own distinct song
and dance style.
• Being a part of the rich
culture of Orissa, its music
is also as much charming
and colorful. Orissi music is
more than two thousand
five hundred years old .
12. •
•
A unique type of art form was
developed at Puri, but it has
spread all over the world.
To carve a sand sculpture, the
raw material is clean and finegrained sand mixed with
water. With the help of this
type of sand and by the magic
of fingers, an artist can carve a
beautiful and attractive
sculpture on the beach.
13. CUISINE
Orissa has culinary tradition spanning from centuries.
The kitchen of the famous Jagannath temple in Puri is
reputed to be the largest in the world, with a
thousand chefs, working around 752 wood-burning
clay hearths called chulas, to feed over 10,000 people
each day.
A typical meal in Orissa consists of a main course and
dessert. Typically breads are served as the main
course for breakfast, whereas rice is eaten with lentils
(dals) during lunch and dinner. The main course also
includes one or more curries, vegetables and pickles.
Orissa also expertises in sea food cuisines like Prawn
and Crab. The famous Chilika Lake is particularly
famous for offering best sea food cuisines that are
one of a lifetime experience.
The famous Indian sweet "raso
golla" has its origin from this state. Chhenapoda is
also a major Orissa sweet cuisine. Pakhala, a dish
made of rice, water, and yoghurt, that is fermented
overnight, is very popular in summer, particularly in
the rural areas.
14.
15. Lingaraja Temple
Puri
Sun Temple Konark
Chilika Lake
Simlipal National Park
Chandipur
Lalitgiri & Ratnagiri
Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary
16. Lingaraj Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to
Harihara, another name for Shiva and is one of
the oldest temples of Bhubaneswar.
Lingaraaj means The king of Lingam, the
symbol of Shaivism. Shiva is here worshipped
as Tribhuvaneshwara (Master of three worlds,
i.e. Heaven, Earth and Netherworld)
The temple is more than 1100 years old. This
magnificent temple represents the type of
Hindu architecture.
The granite block image of the Linga is said to
be bathed daily with water, milk and bhang
(marijuana).
17. Puri is a city and the district headquarters
of puri district, situated on the Bay of
Bengal 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of the
state capital Bhubaneswar.
Puri has a very long, broad sand beach.
The sea produces very big waves here. It
attracts many national and international
tourists because of its beautiful long beach
and world famous Jagannath Temple The
place to start a pilgrimage is here and Puri
is a pilgrim's destination too. There are
many ashrams and sacred temples in Puri.
Puri is also famous for its annual Ratha
Yatra, or "Festival of Chariots", when the
deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, and
Subhadra, are brought out of the temple,
and placed in a chariot procession typically
in month of July.
18. Konark Sun Temple is a 13th century Sun Temple. The
temple is one of the most renowned temples in India
and is a World Heritage Site.
A gigantic chariot of the Sun God, with twelve pairs of
exquisitely ornamented wheels pulled by seven horses.
The temple is famous for its erotic sculptures.
Konark forms one of the three points of the
“Golden Triangle of Tourism" in the State of
Orissa.
The temple was called as “The Black Pagoda”
by European sailors who used it as a
navigational landmark to Orissa.
19. Chilka Lake (Chilika Lake) is a brackish
water lagoon, covering an area of over
1,100 sq. km. It is the largest coastal
lagoon in India and the second largest
lagoon in the World.
It is the largest wintering ground for
migratory birds on the Indian subcontinent. The lake is home to a
number of threatened species of
plants and animals. The lake is an
ecosystem with large fishery resources.
Migratory water fowl arrive here from
as far as the Caspian Sea, Baikal Lake
and remote parts of Russia, Mongolia,
Siberia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and
from the Himalayas.
It is one of the hotspots of biodiversity
in the country.
21. Simlipal National Park is a national park and an elephant
reserve situated in the Mayurbhanj district .
The park has an area of 845.70 square kilometers . Simlipal
is home to ninety-nine Royal Bengal Tigers, 432 Wild
elephants.
UNESCO added this National park to its list of Biosphere
Reserves in May 2009
22. Similipal National Park remains open from 1
October to 15 June only.
CAUTION : Simlipal falls under a high cerebral
malaria-prone zone.
23. Chandipur, also known as Chandipuron-sea, is a small sea resort in
Baleswar District, Orissa, India.
The beach is unique in that the water
recedes from 1 to 4 kilometers during
the ebb tide. Due to the unique
circumstances, the beach supports
bio-diversity.
Horseshoe crab is also found here on
the beach.
24. LALITGIRI
•
•
•
•
Lalitgiri is a Buddhist complex in Orissa
comprising major stupas and
monasteries (viharas), similar to
Ratnagiri.
Numerous excavations by the
Archaeological Survey of India have
been conducted since 1985, and
continue to this day.
A museum is to be built to display relic
caskets thought to contain bones of
Gautama Buddha, and other
archaeological finds for public display.
The remains of a huge stupa, and relic
caskets consisting four containers made
of khondalite, steatite, silver and gold
were discovered along with other
important structure
RATNAGIRI
•
•
•
Ratnagiri was once the site of a
mahavihara, or major Buddhist
monastery.
A Tibetan history, the Pag Sam Jon
Zang, identifies Ratnagiri as an
important center in the
development of the
Kalachakratantra in the 10th
century.
There are hundreds of miniature
votive stupas decorated with lotus,
petal and beaded tassels.A
museum now located on the site
displays statuary featuring Tara,
Avalokiteshvara, Aparajita, and
Hariti have also been found, all in
prototypical of Gupta style.
26. Bhitarkanika National Park is a national park
located in the Kendrapara District of Orissa . The
park encompasses an area of 672 km².
The park is home to the endangered Saltwater
Crocodile , white crocodile, Indian python, King
Cobra, black ibis, darters and many other species
of flora and fauna.
215 species of avifauna including eight varieties of
Kingfishers. Birds such as Asian Open Bill,
Cormorants, Darters, Black Ibis, Egrets, are
frequently seen in the park.
It is also the home of medieval Hindu temples
which can be found dotted throughout the
sanctuary. But the major attraction remains the
wildlife wealth.
27. DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN
TOURIST VISITING ODISHA
YEAR
DOMESTIC
TOURIST
FOREIGNER
TOURIST
GRAND TOTAL
2010-2011
77,70,741
53,212
78,23,953
2011-2012
84,72,208
62,816
85,35,024