Utkal Divas ( Utkala Dibasa ), or the Odisha Foundation Day is celebrated on 1st April in the Indian state of Odisha in memory of the formation of the state as a separate state out of Bihar and Orissa Province 1st April 1936. After losing its political identity completely in 1568 following the defeat and demise of the last king Mukunda Dev, efforts resulted in the formation of a politically separate state under British rule on a linguistic basis on 1 April 1936.
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Utkal Divas, Utkala Dibasa, Odisha Foundation Day
1st April is celebrated as Utkal Divas to remember the formation of the Odisha state after a struggle to be recognised as an independent state. Under the British rule, Odisha was part of the Bengal presidency, which consisted of the present-day Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha.
The day is also known as Utkala Dibasa or Odisha Foundation day and Vishuva Milan.
History
Freedom Struggle
The Odisha state, which came to assume its political identity as a separate state in the year 1936 on linguistic grounds, has a very rich tradition and history. The region can be traced back to the reign of King Ashoka of the Magadha empire in 261 BC, when it was made part of the expanding Mauryan rule. It, later on, came to be ruled by King Kharavela of Kalinga, which is the modern-day Odisha, who is credited by historians for laying the foundation of Odisha as a powerful political entity and land of sculpture, art, and architecture.
The Odisha state lost its political identity and independence with the demise of Gajapati Mukunda Dev, the founder of the Chalukya Dynasty and the last king of Odisha in 1568. In the years that followed, the British assumed charge of Odisha dividing it into several parts bringing it under the then Bengal presidency, which gradually resulted in the emergence of a political struggle for identity, culminating in a revolution resulting in the formation of Utkal Sammilani, which eventually led to the formation of a separate Odisha Province.
The movement, however, gained momentum under the leadership and guidance of Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan Das, Utkala Gopabandhu Das, Bhanj Deo, Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Nilakantha Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati and several others with massive support of people resulting in the formation of Odisha on April 1, 1936, almost a decade earlier to India gaining its independence with Sir John Hubbak as its first governor, which today is commemorated as the Odisha Foundation Day or Utkal Divas or Odisha Day.
Utkal Divas is a regional public holiday in Odisha which is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm. Many Government and Private organizations conducts official cultural programmes, functions.
Facts about Odisha
State Symbols of Odisha
![ODISHA FOUNDATION DAY](https://read4knowledge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/download__1_-removebg-preview-4-1-150x150.png)
First In Odisha
First In Odisha | |
First in Odisha | Name of Achievers |
First All India Radio | Akashvani Cuttack(1948) |
First Advocate | Sri Madhusudan Das |
First Air Marshal | Saroj Jena |
First Ambassador | Lalitendu Mansingh |
First Autobiography Writer | Fakir Mohan Senapati |
First Awarded Gyanapitha | Gopinath Mohanty |
First Central Minister | Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab |
First Chief Justice of Supreme Court | Ranganath Mishra |
First Cinema Hall | Sitaram Vilas Talkies (Berhampur) |
First Cinemascope Odia Film | Hisab Nikas (1982) |
First Cinemascope Odia Film | Swapna Sagar (1983) |
First College | Ravenshaw College, Cuttack (1868) |
First Color Odia Film | Gapa Helebi Sata (1976) |
First Daily Newspaper | Dainika Asha |
First District Collector | Jatindra Nath Mohanty |
First Engineering College | University College of Engineering, Burla (1956) |
First Engineering Graduate | Madhab Chandra Pattnaik |
First Engineering School | Bhubanananda Orissa School of Engineering, Cuttack (1923) |
First Essay written in Odia | Bibeki (Late Radhanath Ray) |
First Film studio | Kalinga Studio, Bhubaneswar |
First Girl’s High School | Ravenshaw Girl’s School, Cuttack |
First Governor | Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab |
First Graduate | Sri Madhusudan Das |
First High School | Cuttack Collegiate School |
First Hindi Film Produced | Hodh- 1979 (Sitakanta Mishra) |
First Jamunalal Bajaj Awardees | Ramadevi Choudhury |
First Jute Mill | Konark Jute Mill |
First Lecturer | Kashinath Das (Dept. of Sanskrit, Ravenshaw College) |
First Medical College | Sreeram Chandra Bhanja Medical College, Cuttack (1944) |
First Medical Graduate | Dr. Surendra Narayan Acharya |
First Newspaper | Utkal Deepika |
First Odia Air Marshal | Sri Saroj Jena |
First Odia American Ambassador | Lalitendu Maansingh |
First Odia Arjuna Awardees | Minati Mohapatra |
First Odia Astrologer | Samanta Chandrasekhar |
First Odia Director Hindi Film | Prasanta Nanda |
First Odia doctorate degree | Choudhury Jagannatha Das |
First Odia Everest Mountaineer | Chetana Sahu |
First Odia feature Film | Sita Bibaha (1936) |
First Odia Film Made in 15 Languages | Jai Jagannath (2007) |
First Odia Foreign Justice | Lalitendu Maansingh |
First Odia Foreign Traveler | Sri Madhusudan Das |
First Odia Freedom Fighter | Veera Surendra Sae |
First Odia ICS Officer | Nilamani Senapati |
First Odia IFS | Kumari Sanjukta Pattnaik |
First Odia International cricket playe | Debasish Mohanty |
First Odia Law Graduate | Biswanath Mishra |
First Odia LokSabha Speaker | Rabi Ray |
First Odia Novelist | RamShankar Ray |
First Odia Padmashree Awardees | Laxminarayan Sahu (For Education) |
First Odia Periodical | Gyanaruna |
First Odia Poet | Mahakabi Sarala Das |
First Odia Police Commissioner | Srikrushna Mohapatra |
First Odia Political Prisoner | Rajakrushna Bose |
First Odia Professor | Prof. Pranakushna Parija |
First Odia Video Film | Bahini |
First Padmabhusana Awardees | Prof. Pranakrushna Parija |
First Paper Factory | Brajaraj Nagar |
First Port | Chandipur |
First Post Graduate | Sri Madhusudan Das |
First Printing Press | Utkal Printing Press |
First Private Engineering College | Orissa Engineering College, BBSR (1986) |
First Rajyasabha member | Nandini Satapathy |
First River Dam | Hirakud |
First Silver Julee Hit Odia Film | Puja |
First Songs in Odia Film | Basanta Rasa (1984) |
First Superfast Train | Konark Express (BBSR to Mumbai) |
First Television Centre | Doordarshan, Sambalpur |
First woman Author to receive Sahitya Acadamy Award | Smt. Binapani Mohanty |
First woman Barrister | Urmila Ray |
First woman Bengali film actor | Mahashweta Ray |
First woman Chief Minister | Smt. Nandini Satapathy |
First woman college Lecturer | Nirmala Nayak |
First woman Commissioner | Ranu Mishra |
First woman cricket Trainee | Ranjeeta Mohanty |
First woman Director of Odia film | Parvati Ghosh |
First woman Director Radio Centre | Veena Devi |
First woman Engineer | Sudhira Das |
First woman English Film actor | Dr. Jyotsna Devi |
First woman Europe traveler | Rama Devi |
First woman graduate | Narmada Kar |
First woman Hindi film actor | Dolly Jena |
First woman IAS | Pragnya Paramita Das |
First woman IAS topper | Rupa Mishra |
First woman IPS officer | Sowmya Mishra |
First woman Justice of High Court | Amiya Kumari Padhi |
First woman Minister | Basanta Manjari Devi |
First woman MLA | Sarala Devi |
First woman Physician | Dr. Kuntala kumari Sabat |
First woman Pilot | Giribala Mohanty |
First woman Poet | Sulakshana Devi |
First woman Politician | Rama Devi |
First woman Surgeon | Dr. Jyotsna Devi |
First woman Television Newsreader | Sanghamitra Kanoongo |
First Women’s College | Sailabala Women’s College |