More Sponsored Links For:
OrissaIn ancient times the region of Orissa was the center of the Kalinga kingdom, although it was temporarily conquered (c.250 B.C.) by Asoka and held for almost a century by the Mauryas. With the gradual decline of Kalinga, several Hindu dynasties arose and built temples at Bhubaneswar, Puri, and Konarak. After long resistance to the Muslims, the region was overcome (1568) by Afghan invaders and passed to the Mughal empire.
After the fall of the Mughals, Orissa was divided between the Nawabs of Bengal and the Marathas. In 1803 it was conquered by the British. The coastal section, which was made (1912) part of Bihar and Orissa Province, became in 1936 the separate province of Orissa. In 1948 and 1949 the area of Orissa was almost doubled and the population was increased by a third with the addition of 24 former princely states. In 1950, Orissa became a constituent state of India. It is governed by a chief minister and cabinet responsible to an elected unicameral legislature and by a governor appointed by the president of India.
The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
- Cuttack
Cuttack, city (1991 pop. 440,295), Orissa state, E central India at the head of the Mahanadi delta at a main rail crossing. Founded in the 10th cent., it was famous for its filigree work. Cutt...
- Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar, city (1991 pop. 411,542), capital of Orissa state, E central India, on a distributary of the Mahanadi River. A small town before it became the capital in 1948, it is a modern admi...
- Rourkela
Rourkela, city (1991 pop. 398,864), Orissa state, E central India, at the confluence of the Koel and Lankh rivers. The city is built around a large iron and steel plant. Other products are hea...
- Baleshwar
Baleshwar or Balasore, town (1991 pop. 101,829), Orissa state, E India, near the Bay of Bengal on the Burhabalang River. It was the first British settlement (1657) in what was then Bengal; Fre...
- Mahanadi
Mahanadi, river, c.550 mi (885 km) long, rising in S Chhattisgarh state, central India, and flowing north then east through a gorge in the Eastern Ghats, across Orissa state, forming a delta b...
- Puri
Puri, town (1991 pop. 125,199), Orissa state, E central India, on the Bay of Bengal. The life of the town centers around the cult of Juggernaut (Jagannath), a form of the Krishna incarnation o...
- Sorabji, Cornelia
Sorabji, Cornelia, c.1870–1954, Indian lawyer and author. She took a law degree at Oxford in 1893. She served (1904–23) as a special legal adviser to the Court of Wards of Bengal, Bihar, Oriss...
- Jharkhand
Jharkhand, state (2001 provisional pop. 26,909,428), 30,775 sq mi (79,714 sq km), E central India; created in 2000 from S Bihar, which now forms its northern border. Other bordering states are...
- Shah Alam
Shah Alam, 1728–1806, Mughal emperor of India (1759–1806). Driven out of Delhi in 1758, he nonetheless proclaimed himself emperor after the murder (1759) of his father, Alamgir II. He was unde...
- Sinha, Satyendra Prassano, 1st Baron Sinha of Raipur
Sinha, Satyendra Prassano, 1st Baron Sinha of Raipur, 1864–1928, Indian statesman. A successful lawyer, he was the first Indian to hold several important administrative positions under the Bri...
