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.
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
The region became part of Kalinga after it was conquered by Magadha King Ashoka in 261 BC to expand his Mauryan rule. After Mauryan rule, King Kharavela’s rule began in Odisha. Kharavela managed to avenge the Mauryan invasion by defeating Magadh. Historians credit Kharavela for laying the foundation for Odisha’s fame as a land of art, architecture and sculpture. He also managed to establish a powerful political state.
Gajapati Mukunda Deva was the last Hindu king of Odisha. He was defeated by the Mughals in 1576. A few hundred years later, the British took over and divided the state into different parts. The northern and western districts of the state became part of what was then called Bengal presidency.
The state was originally called Orissa but the Lok Sabha passed the Orissa Bill, and Constitution Bill (113rd amendment), in March 2011 to rename it Odisha.
This event took place after three decades of struggle for independence for the Odia people.
The area known as Odisha used to be a part of Kalinga, one of the many kingdoms that emerged from the ashes after the great war of Ashoka.
On Utkal Divas, the Parliament of India first declared its resolve to liberate Odisha from British rule and form a separate province – and later, an independent state – with its capital at Cuttack.
The struggle for independence for the Odias intensified with the formation of the Utkal Sammilani, a cultural and social organization. This organization was formed to fight for the formation of Odisha as an independent state. Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan Das founded this organization in 1903, and in its honor, the formation of Odisha state is celebrated as Utkal Divas.
This year in 2023, the historic land of Lord Jagannath will be celebrating its 88th Foundation Day or Odisha Day recalling and cherishing its struggle and emergence as an independent state.
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.
In this Utkal Divas, let us know some facts about Odisha.
Facts about Odisha
1 – Odisha formerly Orissa is an Indian state located in Eastern India.
2 – It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population ( 4.79 Crores ).
3 – The state has the third largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India.
4 – Odisha is surrounded by Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south.
5 – Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres (301 miles) along the Bay of Bengal in Indian Ocean.
6 – The region is also known as Utkala and is mentioned by this name in India’s national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana”.
7 – State Motto – Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs)
8 – State Anthem – Bande Utkala Janani
9 – State Capital and Largest City – Bhubaneswar in Khorda District.
10 – Number of Districts – 30
11 – Governing Body – Government of Odisha.
12 – Governor – Ganeshi Lal
13 – Chief Minister – Naveen Patnaik (BJD-Biju Janata Dal )
14 – State Legislature – Odisha Legislative Assembly (147 seats)
15 – National Parliament – Parliament of India ( Rajya Sabha : 10 seats / Lok Sabha : 21 seats )
16 – High Court – Orissa High Court, Cuttack
17 – Area ( Total155,707 km2 (60,119 sq miles)
18 – Dimensions ( Length1,030 km (640 miles) / Width500 km (300 miles)
19 – Elevation ( 900 m (3,000 ft)
20 – Highest Elevation – 1,672 m (5,486 ft) , Deomali, Koraput
21 – Odissi is the famous classical dance of the state.
22 – Bhuban in Dhenkanal district of Odisha is the largest village in Asia.
23 – Odisha hosts the world’s largest open air theatre – Dhanu Yatra in Bargarh district of Odisha.
24 – Subarnarekha and Budhabalanga are the important seasonal rivers.
25 – Chadya, Dandanata and Chhau are the popular folk dances of Odisha.
26 – Odisha is drained by three main rivers – Mahanadi, Brahmani and Baitarni.
27 – Odisha hosts the largest arribada, the turtle nesting ground, in the world.
28 – Hirakud Dam which is built on Mahanadi river is the fourth largest dam of world.
29 – A 23-feet giant Estuarine crocodile in Odisha has been crowned the world’s largest.
30 – Odisha – highest producer of hematite ore. Odisha has 25% of Hematite ore of India.
31 – DHAMRA, in Bhadrak district is one of the deepest ports of India after Gujurat port.
32 – Mayurbhanj is the largest district of Odisha by area. Ganjam district is largest by population.
33 – The Leaning Temple of Huma, situated near Sambalpur in India is the only leaning temple in the world.
34 – Land Revenue System was first started in the district of Ganjam before getting even implemented in India.
35 – Odisha became the first state to enact the Lokayukta Bill law after the central act was passed in Parliament.
36 – Jagannath temple in Puri of Odisha is one amongst the Char Dham (pilgrimages) that a Hindu is expected to make in one’s lifetime.
37 – The Chandipur Beach is a hide and seek beach of Odisha that appears and disappears with every high and low tide to approximately 5 kms.
38 – The capital was changed from Cuttack to Bhubaneshwar in 1948.
39 – Largest Brackish Water Lagoon Chilka lake is in Odisha, the largest water body in Asia, has an area of 916 sq km now. It used to be 1,165 sq km.
40 – The largest Lion Safari of India and the only White Tiger Safari in the world are located in the Nandankanan Zoological Park of Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
41 – According to mythology, Mahabharata was written by Lord Ganesha in a place called Vedvyas in Rourkela, which is named after Vedavyasa who was dictating to Lord Ganesha.
42 – Wheeler Island, south of Chandipur in Odisha is a place where most of missiles of India are tested such as Akash missile, Agni missile, Prithvi Missile are only some of them.
43 – World’s largest egg, with approximate dimension of 13 inches and width of 9.5 inches is of the gigantic herbivorous flightless elephant bird (zoologically termed as Aepyornis maximus) that lived last till 1650 AD, is preserved at Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhubaneswar.
44 – Since the last few years Odisha has emerged as an host for different national, international sports events like Hockey, Football, Volleyball.
45 – In 2018, Bhubaneswar had hosted the hockey World Cup alone, but over the past few years it has hosted other major hockey tournaments as well, including the Junior Hockey World Cup in 2021, the now-defunct Champions Trophy, World Hockey League, and the Olympic qualifiers in 2019. In 2023, Odisha hosted the Men’s Hockey world cup for the 2nd time in two venues ( Bhubaneswar and Rourkela )
State Symbols of Odisha
State Bird – Indian Roller ( Coracias benghalensis )
State Animal – Sambar deer (Cervus unicolor)
State Fish – Mahanadi mahseer (Tor mosal mahanadicus )
State Flower – Ashoka tree (Saraca asoca)
State Tree – Sacred fig (Ficus religiosa)
Smt. Droupadi Murmu from Odisha is the current President of India since 2022. She is the first person belonging to the tribal community and also the second woman after Pratibha Patil to hold the office. She is also the youngest person to occupy the post and the first President born in Independent India.
It carries more than 35% of country’s natural resources. The state has significant reserves of iron ore, bauxite, nickel, coal, etc. Hence, it is an attractive destination for mineral-based industries.
Almost a third of Odisha’s land is under forest cover. The state also has a long coastline that is home to Asia’s second largest eco-system of mangroves and some of the world’s richest biodiversity.
Recently in 2023, Mayurbhanj from Odisha declared as one of the World’s Greatest places by Times Magazine.
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 |
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