1.
Puri
–
Puri is a city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal,60 kilometres south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the 12th-century Jagannath Temple located in the city and it is one of the original Char Dham pilgrimage sites for Hindus. Puri is known by several names since the ancient times, and was known as Shrikhetra. Puri and the Jagannath Temple were invaded 18 times by Hindu and Muslim rulers, Odisha, including Puri and its temple, were under the British Raj from 1803 till India attained independence in August 1947. Even though princely states do not exist in India today the heirs of the Gajapati Dynasty of Khurda still perform the duties of the temple. The temple town has many Hindu religious maths or monasteries, the economy of Puri town is dependent on the religious importance of the Jagannath Temple to the extent of nearly 80 percent. Sand art and applique art are some of the important crafts of the city, Puri has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of Government of India. Puri, located on the east coast of India on the Bay of Bengal, is in the centre of the Puri district. It is delimited by the Bay of Bengal on the southeast and it is within the 67 kilometres coastal stretch of sandy beaches that extends between Chilika Lake and the south of Puri city. However, the jurisdiction of the Puri Municipality extends over an area of 16.3268 square kilometres spread over 30 wards. Puri is in the delta of the Mahanadi River on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. In the ancient days it was near to Sisupalgarh, then the land was drained by a tributary of the Bhargavi River, a branch of the Mahanadi River. This branch underwent a meandering course creating many arteries altering the estuary and these sand hills could be cut through by the streams. Because of the hills, the Bhargavi River, flowing to the south of Puri. This shift also resulted in the creation of two lagoons, known as Sar and Samang, on the eastern and northern parts of Puri respectively, Sar lagoon has a length of 5 miles in an east-west direction and a width of 2 miles in north-south direction. The estuary of the Bhargavi River has a depth of just 5 feet. According to a 15th-century Odia writer Saraladasa, the bed of the stream that flowed at the base of the Blue Mountain or Neelachal was filled up
2.
Geographic coordinate system
–
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
3.
India
–
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
4.
States and union territories of India
–
India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State between the Union and that State. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by different ethnic groups throughout its history. Between 1947 and 1950, the territories of the states were politically integrated into the Indian Union. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, the new republic was also declared to be a Union of States. The nine Part A states were Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India, the Part B states were Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, and Travancore-Cochin. The ten Part C states included both the former chief commissioners provinces and some states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The Part C states were Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Coorg, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Cutch, Manipur, Tripura, the only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the central government. The Union Territory of Puducherry was created in 1954 comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karaikal, Yanam, Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised the states based on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states, as a result of this act, Madras State retained its name with Kanyakumari district added to from Travancore-Cochin. Andhra Pradesh was created with the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State in 1956, kerala was created with the merger of Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of Madras State with Travancore-Cochin. The Laccadive Islands which were divided between South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State were united and organised into the territory of Lakshadweep. Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, Rajasthan and Punjab gained territories from Ajmer and Patiala and East Punjab States Union respectively and certain territories of Bihar was transferred to West Bengal. Bombay State was split into the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. Nagaland was formed on 1 December 1963, the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 resulted in the creation of Haryana on 1 November and the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. The act also designated Chandigarh as a territory and the shared capital of Punjab
5.
Odisha
–
Odisha (/ɒˈrɪsə, ɔː-, oʊ-/, is one of the 29 states of India, located in the eastern coast. It is surrounded by the states of West Bengal to the north-east, Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west and north-west, Odisha has 485 kilometres of coastline along the Bay of Bengal on its east, from Balasore to Malkangiri. It is the 9th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population and it is also the 3rd most populous state of India in terms of tribal population. Odia is the official and most widely spoken language, spoken by 33.2 million according to the 2001 Census. The ancient kingdom of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in 261 BCE resulting in the Kalinga War, the modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April 1936, as a province in British India, and consisted predominantly of Odia-speaking regions. April 1 is celebrated as Odisha Day, the region is also known as Utkala and is mentioned in Indias national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. Cuttack was made the capital of the region by Anantavarman Chodaganga in c,1135, after which the city was used as the capital by many rulers, through the British era until 1948. Thereafter, Bhubaneswar became the capital of Odisha, the term Odisha is derived from the ancient Prakrit word Odda Visaya as in the Tirumalai inscription of Rajendra Chola I, which is dated to 1025. Sarala Das, who translated the Mahabharata into the Odia language in the 15th century, calls the region Odra Rashtra, the inscriptions of Kapilendra Deva of the Gajapati Kingdom on the walls of temples in Puri call the region Odisha or Odisha Rajya. After a brief debate, the house, Lok Sabha, passed the bill. On 24 March 2011, Rajya Sabha, the house of Parliament, also passed the bill. Prehistoric Acheulian tools dating to Lower Paleolithic era have been discovered in places in the region. Kalinga has been mentioned in ancient texts like Mahabharata, Vayu Purana, the Sabar people of Odisha have also been mentioned in the Mahabharata. Baudhayana mentions Kalinga as not yet being influenced by Vedic traditions, Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty conquered Kalinga in the bloody Kalinga War in 261 BCE, which was the eighth year of his reign. According to his own edicts, in that war about 100,000 people were killed,150,000 were captured, the resulting bloodshed and suffering of the war is said to have deeply affected Ashoka. He turned into a pacifist and converted to Buddhism, by c.150 CE, emperor Kharavela, who was possibly a contemporary of Demetrius I of Bactria, conquered a major part of the Indian sub-continent. He also built the monastery atop the Udayagiri hill, subsequently, the region was ruled by monarchs, such as Samudragupta and Shashanka. It was also a part of Harshas empire, later, the kings of the Somavamsi dynasty began to unite the region
6.
District collector
–
A District Collector, often abbreviated to Collector, is the foremost Indian Administrative Service officer in charge of revenue collection and administration of a district in India. The Collector is assisted by Deputy Collectors, Assistant Collectors, Sub Collectors, District Administration in India is a legacy of the British Raj. District Collectors were members of the Indian Civil Service, and were charged with supervising general administration in the district, warren Hastings introduced the office of the District Collector in 1772. As District Magistrate, he exercised general supervision over the courts and in particular. The office was meant to achieve the purpose of collecting revenue. The Superintendent of Police, Inspector General of Jails, the Surgeon General, the Divisional Forest Officer, until the later part of the nineteenth century, no native was eligible to become a district collector. But with the introduction of competitive examinations for the Indian Civil Services. The district continued to be the unit of administration after India gained independence in 1947, the role of the District Collector remained largely unchanged, except for separation of most judicial powers to judicial officers of the district. They are appointed by the State government, from among the pool of Indian Administrative Service officers in the state, the members of the IAS are either directly recruited by the Union Public Service Commission or promoted from Provincial Civil Services. A District Magistrate, District Collector, Deputy Commissioner or District Commissioner are transferred from this post by State government, District Collectors are entrusted with a wide range of duties in the jurisdiction of the district. Acts as ex-officio chairman of the District Development Authority in absence of Divisional Commissioner, a District Magistrate/District Collector/Deputy Commissioner/District Commissioner is assisted by some I. A. S and P. C
7.
Indian Administrative Service
–
The Indian Administrative Service is the All India administrative civil service. IAS officers hold key and strategic positions in the Union Government, States governments, along with the Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service, the IAS is one of the three All India Services — its cadre can be employed by both the Union Government and the individual States. On attaining the upper levels of Super Time Scale to Apex Scale, they can go on to head whole departments and subsequently entire Ministries of Governments of India, IAS officers represent Government of India at the international level in bilateral and multilateral negotiations. On deputations they work at Intergovernmental organisations like World Bank and United Nations or its Agencies, IAS officers at various levels of administration play vital roles in conducting free, fair and smooth elections in India under the direction of Election Commission of India and states. The erstwhile Imperial Civil Service was the highest civil service of the British Empire in British India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947, Civil servants were divided into two categories - covenanted and uncovenanted. The covenanted civil service consisted of only white British civil servants occupying the higher posts in the government, the uncovenanted civil service was solely introduced to facilitate the entry of Indians at the lower rung of the administration. With the passing of the Government of India Act 1919, the Imperial Services headed by the Secretary of State for India, were split into two – All India Services and Central Services. At the time of the partition of India and the departure of the British in 1947, the part which went to India was named the Indian Administrative Service, while the part that went to Pakistan was named the Civil Service of Pakistan. IAS officers are recruited from Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and they are also promoted from State Civil Services and selected from non-state civil service. After getting selected, candidates undergo training at LBSNAA, Mussoorie for IAS, being an All India Service, officers of the IAS are allotted to State cadres at the beginning of their service. They continue to work in that cadre or are deputed to Government of India, there is one cadre for each Indian state, except for three joint cadres, Assam–Meghalaya, Manipur–Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh–Goa–Mizoram–Union Territories. The insider-outsider ratio is maintained as 1,2, with one-third of the recruits as insiders from the same state. The rest are posted as outsiders according to the roster in states other than their home states, the next year the roster starts from H, for either Haryana or Himachal Pradesh. This highly intricate system, in vogue since the mid-1980s, had ensured that officers from different states are placed all over India, changes of state cadre is permitted on grounds of marriage to an All India Service officer of another state cadre or under other exceptional circumstances. The officer may go to their home state cadre on deputation for a limited period, the centralising effect of cadre system was considered extremely important by the systems framers, but has received increasing criticism over the years. There are also concerns that such reform, the IAS will be unable to move from a command and control strategy to a more interactive. A civil servant is responsible for the law and order and general administration in the area under his work, most IAS officers start their careers in the state administration at the sub-divisional level as a sub divisional magistrate. They are entrusted with the law and order situation of the city along with general administration and they proceed to various posts in the State and Central Governments, and also local-self Governments, and Public Sector Undertakings
8.
Superintendent of police (India)
–
In India, a District Senior Superintendent of Police or Superintendent of Police heads the police force of a district. In metropolitan areas having police commissionerate system, the head of police is called Deputy Commissioner of Police. Superintendents of Police are officers of the Indian Police Service and they are entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of a district of a state or a union territory of India. They are assisted by the officers of the State Police Service and their rank badge is the State Emblem above one star, although those selected for higher rank or with fifteen or more years service wear the State Emblem above two stars. The rank of superintendent of police is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Indian army
9.
Indian Police Service
–
The Indian Police Service or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India. It has replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India gained independence from Britain, the service is not a force itself but provides leaders and commanders to staff the state police and all-India Central Armed Police Forces. Its members are the officers of the police. The Bureau of Police Research and Development is responsible for research, in 1861, the British Government introduced the Indian Councils Act of 1861. The act created the foundation of a modern and professionalised police bureaucracy in India and it introduced, a new cadre of police, called Superior Police Services, later known as the Indian Imperial Police. The highest rank in the service was the Inspector General, in 1902-03, a Police Commission was established for the Police reforms under Sir Andrew Frazer and Lord Curzon. It recommended the appointment of Indians at officer level in the police, Indians could rise only to the ranks of Inspector of Police, the senior N. C. O. However they were not part of Indian Imperial Police, from 1920, Indian Imperial Police was open to Indians and the entrance examination for the service was conducted both in India and England. Prior to Independence, senior police officers belonging to the Imperial Police were appointed by the Secretary of State on the basis of a competitive examination. The first open civil service examination for admission to the service was held in England in June 1893 and it is not possible to pinpoint an exact date on which the Indian Police came formally into being. In this sense,1907 could be regarded as the starting point, in 1948, a year after India gained independence, the Imperial Police was replaced by IPS. In 1972, Kiran Bedi joined the IPS, becoming the first woman police officer, as per media reports in 2016, there is massive shortfall of IPS officers in India, which is nearly 19% to 22% of total strength. Historically, few officers have been awarded United Nations Medal and have participated in Indian Army United Nations peacekeeping missions, the Indian Police Service is not a force itself but a service providing leaders and commanders to staff the state police and all-India Central Armed Police Forces. Its members are the officers of the police. Leading and commanding the Indian Intelligence Agencies like Research and Analysis Wing, Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation, Indian Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, Civil and Armed Police Forces in all the states and union territories. To interact and coordinate closely with the members of other All India Services and with the Indian Revenue Service, to lead and command the force with courage, uprightness, dedication and a strong sense of service to the people. Endeavor to inculcate in the forces under their command such values. IPS officers are recruited from Civil Services Examination and they are also promoted from State Police Services and DANIPS
10.
Postal Index Number
–
A Postal Index Number or PIN or Pincode is a code in the post office numbering or post code system used by India Post, the Indian postal administration. The code is six digits long, the PIN Code system was introduced on 15 August 1972 by Shriram Bhikaji Velankar, an additional secretary in the Union Ministry of Communications. The system was introduced to simplify the manual sorting and delivery of mail by eliminating confusion over incorrect addresses, similar place names, there are nine PIN zones in India, including eight regional zones and one functional zone. The first digit of the PIN code indicates the region, the second digit indicates the sub-region, and the third digit indicates the sorting district within the region. The final three digits are assigned to individual post offices, a state may have one or more sorting districts depending on the volumes of mail handled. The fourth digit represents the route on which a Delivery office is located in the sorting district and this is 0 for offices in the core area of the sorting district. The last two represent the delivery office within the sorting district starting from 01 which would be the GPO or HO. The numbering of the office is done chronologically with higher numbers assigned to newer delivery offices. If the volume of mails handled at an office is too large, a new delivery office is created. Thus two delivery offices situated next to each other only have the first four digits in common. Each PIN code is mapped to exactly one delivery post office which receives all the mail to be delivered to one or more lower offices within its jurisdiction, all of which share the same code. The delivery office can either be a General Post Office, a Head Office or Sub Office which are located in urban areas. The post from the office is sorted and routed to other delivery offices for a different PIN or to one of the relevant sub offices or branch offices for the same PIN. Branch offices are located in areas and have limited postal services
11.
Vehicle registration plate
–
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate or a license plate, is metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric ID that uniquely identifies the owner within the issuing regions database. The first two letters indicate the state to which the vehicle is registered, the next two digit numbers are the sequential number of a district. Due to heavy volume of vehicle registration, the numbers were given to the RTO offices of registration as well, the third part indicates the year of registration of the vehicle and is a 4 digit number unique to each plate. In some countries, the identifier is unique within the entire country, whether the identifier is associated with a vehicle or a person also varies by issuing agency. In the vast majority of jurisdictions, the government holds a monopoly on the manufacturing of vehicle registration plates for that jurisdiction. Thus, it is illegal for private citizens to make and affix their own plates. Alternately, the government will merely assign plate numbers, and it is the owners responsibility to find an approved private supplier to make a plate with that number. In some jurisdictions, plates will be assigned to that particular vehicle for its lifetime. If the vehicle is destroyed or exported to a different country. Other jurisdictions follow a policy, meaning that when a vehicle is sold the seller removes the current plate from the vehicle. Buyers must either obtain new plates or attach plates they already hold, as well as register their vehicles under the buyers name, a person who sells a car and then purchases a new one can apply to have the old plates put onto the new car. One who sells a car and does not buy a new one may, depending on the laws involved, have to turn the old plates in or destroy them. Some jurisdictions permit the registration of the vehicle with personal plates, in some jurisdictions, plates require periodic replacement, often associated with a design change of the plate itself. Vehicle owners may or may not have the option to keep their original plate number, alternately, or additionally, vehicle owners have to replace a small decal on the plate or use a decal on the windshield to indicate the expiration date of the vehicle registration. Plates are usually fixed directly to a vehicle or to a frame that is fixed to the vehicle. Sometimes, the plate frames contain advertisements inserted by the service centre or the dealership from which the vehicle was purchased. Vehicle owners can also purchase customized frames to replace the original frames, in some jurisdictions licence plate frames are illegal
12.
Bhubaneswar
–
Bhubaneswar, also spelt as Bhubaneshwar /ˌbʊbəˈneɪʃwər/, the capital of the Indian state of Odisha. It is the largest city in Odisha and is a centre of economic, along with the old town, the region of Bhubaneswar, historically was often depicted as Ekamra Kshetra. Although the modern city of Bhubaneswar was formally established only in 1948, with many 8th-12th century CE Hindu temples, which span the entire spectrum of Kalinga architecture, Bhubaneswar is often referred to as a Temple City of India. With Puri and Konark it forms the Swarna Tribhuja, one of eastern Indias most visited destinations, Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital on 19 August 1949,2 years after India gained its independence from Britain. The modern city was designed by the German architect Otto Königsberger in 1946, along with Jamshedpur and Chandigarh, it was one of modern Indias first planned cities. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are often referred to as the cities of Odisha. The metropolitan area formed by the two cities had a population of 1.7 million in 2011, Bhubaneswar is categorised as a Tier-2 city. An emerging information technology and education hub, Bhubaneswar is one of the countrys fastest-developing cities, the foundation of the modern Bhubaneswar city was laid in 1948, although the areas in and around the city have a history going back to 1st century BCE or earlier. Dhauli, near Bhubaneswar is the site of the Kalinga War, one of the most complete edicts of the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka, dating from between 272–236 BCE, remains carved in rock 8 kilometres to the southwest of the modern city. After the decline of the Mauryan empire, the area came under the rule of Mahameghavahana dynasty and his Hathigumpha inscription is located at the Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves near Bhubaneswar. The area was ruled by several dynasties, including Satavahanas, Guptas, Matharas. In 7th century, Somavamshi or Keshari dynasty established their kingdom in the area, after the Kesharis, the Eastern Gangas ruled Kalinga area until 14th century CE. Their capital Kalinganagar was located in present-day Bhubaneswar district, after them, Mukunda Deva of the Bhoi dynasty – the last Hindu ruler of the area until the Marathas – developed several religious buildings in the area. Most of the temples in Bhubaneswar were built between 8th and 12th centuries, under Shaiva influence. The Ananta Vasudeva Temple is the old temple of Vishnu in the city. In 1568, the Karrani dynasty of Afghan origin gained control of the area, during their reign, most of the temples and other structures were destroyed or disfigured. In the 16th century, the area came under Mughal control, the Marathas, who succeeded the Mughals in mid-18th century, encouraged pilgrimage in the region. In 1803, the area came under British colonial rule, and was part of the Bengal Presidency, Bihar and Orissa Province, the capital of the British-ruled Orissa Province was Cuttack, which was vulnerabile to floods and suffered from space constraints
13.
Male
–
A male organism is the physiological sex that produces sperm. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a female gamete, or ovum. A male cannot reproduce sexually without access to at least one ovum from a female, most male mammals, including male humans, have a Y chromosome, which codes for the production of larger amounts of testosterone to develop male reproductive organs. Not all species share a common sex-determination system, in most animals, including humans, sex is determined genetically, but in some species it can be determined due to social, environmental, or other factors. For example, Cymothoa exigua changes sex depending on the number of females present in the vicinity, the existence of two sexes seems to have been selected independently across different evolutionary lineages. There is an argument that this pattern was driven by the physical constraints on the mechanisms by which two gametes get together as required for sexual reproduction. Accordingly, sex is defined operationally across species by the type of gametes produced, male/female dimorphism between organisms or reproductive organs of different sexes is not limited to animals, male gametes are produced by chytrids, diatoms and land plants, among others. In land plants, female and male designate not only the female and male gamete-producing organisms and structures, as of the year 2012, the United Arab Emirates has the highest ratio of human males in the world, followed by Qatar. A common symbol used to represent the male sex is the Mars symbol, the symbol is identical to the planetary symbol of Mars. It was first used to sex by Carl Linnaeus in 1751. The symbol is called a stylized representation of the Roman god Mars shield. According to Stearn, however, all the historical evidence favours that it is derived from θρ, the sex of a particular organism may be determined by a number of factors. These may be genetic or environmental, or may change during the course of an organisms life. Although most species with male and female sexes have individuals that are male or female, hermaphroditic animals. Most mammals, including humans, are determined as such by the XY sex-determination system where males have an XY sex chromosome. During reproduction, a male can give either an X sperm or a Y sperm, a Y sperm and an X egg produce a male, while an X sperm and an X egg produce a female. The part of the Y-chromosome which is responsible for maleness is the region of the Y-chromosome. The ZW sex-determination system, where males have a ZZ sex chromosome may be found in birds and some insects and other organisms
14.
Female
–
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, that produces non-mobile ova. Most female mammals, including humans, have two X chromosomes. The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, a female individual cannot reproduce sexually without access to the gametes of a male. Some organisms can reproduce sexually and asexually. There is no single genetic mechanism behind sex differences in different species, oogamy is a form of anisogamy. There is an argument that this pattern was driven by the constraints on the mechanisms by which two gametes get together as required for sexual reproduction. Other than the difference in the type of gamete produced. The concept is not limited to animals, egg cells are produced by chytrids, diatoms, water moulds and land plants, among others. In land plants, female and male designate not only the egg- and sperm-producing organisms and structures, the word female comes from the Latin femella, the diminutive form of femina, meaning woman. It is not etymologically related to the male, but in the late 14th century the spelling was altered in English to parallel the spelling of male. A distinguishing characteristic of the class Mammalia is the presence of mammary glands, the mammary glands are modified sweat glands that produce milk, which is used to feed the young for some time after birth. Mammary glands are most obvious in humans, as the human body stores large amounts of fatty tissue near the nipples. Mammary glands are present in all mammals, although they are vestigial in the male of the species, most mammalian females have two copies of the X chromosome as opposed to the male which carries only one X and one smaller Y chromosome. To compensate for the difference in size, one of the females X chromosomes is inactivated in each cell of placental mammals while the paternally derived X is inactivated in marsupials. In birds and some reptiles, by contrast, it is the female which is heterozygous and carries a Z and a W chromosome whilst the male carries two Z chromosomes. Intersex conditions can give rise to other combinations, such as XO or XXX in mammals. However, these conditions result in sterility. A common symbol used to represent the female sex is ♀, according to Schott, the most established view is that the male and female symbols are derived from contractions in Greek script of the Greek names of these planets, namely Thouros and Phosphoros
15.
Lok Sabha
–
The Lok Sabha is the Lower house of Indias bicameral Parliament, with the Upper house being the Rajya Sabha. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chambers of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi, under the current laws, the strength of Lok Sabha is 545, including the two seats reserved for members of the Anglo-Indian community. The total elective membership is distributed among the states in proportion to their population, a total of 131 seats are reserved for representatives of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The quorum for the House is 10% of the total membership, term of the House The Lok Sabha, unless sooner dissolved, continues to operate for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and the expiration of the period of five years. An exercise to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies boundaries has been carried out by the Delimitation Commission based on the Indian census of 2001, the 16th Lok Sabha was elected in May 2014 and is the latest to date. The Lok Sabha has its own channel, Lok Sabha TV. A major portion of the Indian subcontinent was under British rule from 1858 to 1947, the Indian Councils Act 1861 provided for a Legislative Council consisting of the members of the Executive Council and non-official members. The Indian Councils Act 1892 established legislatures in each of the provinces of British India, although these Acts increased the representation of Indians in the government, their power still remained limited, and the electorate very small. The Indian Councils Act 1909 and the Government of India Act 1919 further expanded the participation of Indians in the administration, the Constituent Assembly was divided into two for the separate nations, with each new Assembly having sovereign powers transferred to it for the respective dominion. The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950, proclaiming India to be a sovereign, democratic republic. This contained the principles of the law of the land which would govern India in its new form. The Lok Sabha was duly constituted for the first time on 17 April 1952 after the first General Elections held from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952 and he / She should not be less than 25 years of age. He / She possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed in that behalf by or under any law made by Parliament, a seat in the Lok Sabha will become vacant in the following circumstances, When the holder of the seat, by writing to the speaker, resigns. When the holder of the seat is absent from 60 consecutive days of proceedings of the House, when the holder of the seat is subject to any disqualifications mentioned in the Constitution or any law enacted by Parliament. A seat may also be vacated when the holder stands disqualified under the Anti-Defection Law, a member both of Parliament and of a House of the Legislature of a State. System of elections in Lok Sabha Members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people of India, for the purpose of holding direct elections to Lok Sabha, each state is divided into territorial constituencies. This provision does not apply for states having a population of less than 6 million, note, The expression population here refers to the population ascertained at the preceding census of which relevant figure have been published. Lok Sabha has certain powers that make it more powerful than the Rajya Sabha, motions of no confidence against the government can be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha
16.
Odisha Legislative Assembly
–
The Odisha Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Odisha state in eastern India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the state, the Legislative Assembly comprises 147 Members of Legislative Assembly. The Governor may also time to time prorogue the Assembly or dissolve the Assembly. When the Governor summons the Assembly, summons are sent to each member by name, indicating the date, time, prorogation by the Governor terminates the session of the Assembly and within a session the Speaker may adjourn the House from time to time or adjourn sine die. Under special circumstance, the speaker can allow the House to continue till 9 pm local time. e, the Ministers concerned are required to answer the questions relating to the group. The first hour of every sitting of the Assembly is available for answering questions, Questions are classified as Starred Questions Unstarred Questions Short Notice Starred Questions. If a member desires oral answer, he is required to indicate the question by putting a mark before it. The questions are answered in the order in which they are printed in the list of questions put for the day, Members are restricted to three such questions for any sitting day. The questions are asked in the listed by the member who requested it. Supplementary questions can be asked for the purpose of eliciting information on any matter of fact. The Speaker decides the number of supplementary questions according to the importance of a question, on urgent matter and matters of public importance, members are allowed to put short notice questions, in which case notice period of 14 clear days is not observed. The speaker has the discretion of allowing such a question and the period for a response from the ministry involved. Notices of questions are required to be in writing in appropriate forms, in order that a question may be admissible, it is required to satisfy the various conditions detailed in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House. The Speaker decides the admissibility of questions, after a question is admitted, it is sent to the department concerned for furnishing answers to the Minister concerned. List of Starred, Unstarred and Short Notice question are drawn for each category, Questions are listed as per the order of priority determined by ballot. The dates on which ballot will be held are intimated to members sufficiently in advance, Members are free to witness the ballot. The Speaker may allot half-an-hour on three sittings in a week for such discussion, the main business of the day may be consideration of a Bill or financial business or consideration of a resolution or a motion. A bill is a draft of an Act introduced in the Legislature by the Minister, in that case, it is not necessary to move for leave to introduce the Bill and if the Bill in afterwards introduced, it is necessary to publish it again
17.
Climate of India
–
The climate of India comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a vast geographic scale and varied topography, making generalisations difficult. Many regions have different microclimates. The nation has four seasons, winter, summer, a rainy season. As Earths highest and most massive mountain range, the Himalayas bar the influx of frigid katabatic winds from the icy Tibetan Plateau and northerly Central Asia. Most of North India is thus kept warm or is only mildly chilly or cold during winter, though the Tropic of Cancer—the boundary between the tropics and subtropics—passes through the middle of India, the bulk of the country can be regarded as climatically tropical. There is one scientific opinion which states that in South Asia such climatic events are likely to change in unpredictability, frequency, during the Triassic period of some 251–199.6 Ma, the Indian subcontinent was part of a vast supercontinent known as Pangaea. India later merged into the southern supercontinent Gondwana, a process beginning some 550–500 Ma and this is underscored by Indias vast coal reserves—much of it from the late Paleozoic sedimentary sequence—the fourth-largest reserves in the world. During the Mesozoic, the world, including India, was warmer than today. With the coming of the Carboniferous, global cooling stoked extensive glaciation, which spread northwards from South Africa towards India, tectonic movement by the Indian Plate caused it to pass over a geologic hotspot—the Réunion hotspot—now occupied by the volcanic island of Réunion. This resulted in a flood basalt event that laid down the Deccan Traps some 60–68 Ma. This may have contributed to the global Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, which caused India to experience significantly reduced insolation, elevated atmospheric levels of sulphur gases formed aerosols such as sulphur dioxide and sulphuric acid, similar to those found in the atmosphere of Venus, these precipitated as acid rain. Elevated carbon dioxide emissions also contributed to the effect, causing warmer weather that lasted long after the atmospheric shroud of dust. Further climatic changes 20 million years ago, long after India had crashed into the Laurasian landmass, were enough to cause the extinction of many endemic Indian forms. The nations climate is influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert. Simultaneously, the Thar Desert plays a role in attracting moisture-laden southwest summer monsoon winds that, four major climatic groupings predominate, into which fall seven climatic zones that, as designated by experts, are defined on the basis of such traits as temperature and precipitation. Groupings are assigned according to the Köppen climate classification system. A tropical rainy climate governs regions persistent to warm or high temperatures, India hosts two climatic subtypes- tropical monsoon climate, tropical wet and dry climate that fall under this group. 1) The most humid is the tropical wet climate—also known as a tropical monsoon climate—that covers a strip of southwestern lowlands abutting the Malabar Coast, the Western Ghats, Indias two island territories, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, are also subject to this climate
18.
Climatic regions of India
–
India has a large variation in climate from region to region, due to its vast size. India experiences climate from four major climate groups and these can be further subdivided into seven climatic types. For ecological regions, see Ecoregions of India, for Regions see List of regions of India, the regions belonging to this group experience persistent high temperatures which normally do not go below 18 °C even in the coolest month. Tropical wet The west coastal lowlands, the Western Ghats, and it is characterised by high temperatures throughout the year, even in the hills. The rainfall here is seasonal, but heavy and is above 78 cm in a year, Most of the rain is received in the period from May to November, and is adequate for the growth of vegetation during the entire year. December to March are the dry months with little rainfall. The heavy rain is responsible for the wet forests in these regions. Tropical wet and dry or savannah climate Most of the plateau of peninsula India enjoys this climate, winter and early summer are long dry periods with temperature above 18 °C. Summer is very hot and the temperatures in the low level areas can go above 45 °C during May. The rainy season is from June to September and the rainfall is between 75 and 150 cm. Only central eastern Tamil Nadu falls under this tract and receives rainfall during the months of late November to January. This group consists of regions where the rate of evaporation of water is higher than the rate of moisture received through precipitation. Tropical semi-arid climate A long stretch of land situated to the south of Tropic of Cancer and east of the western ghats and the Cardamom Hills experiences this climate. It includes Karnataka, interior and western Tamil Nadu, western Andhra Pradesh and this region is a famine prone zone with very unreliable rainfall which varies between 40 and 75 cm annually. Towards the north of Krishna River the summer monsoon is responsible for most of the rainfall, the coldest month is December but even in this month the temperature remains between 20 °C and 24 °C. The months of March to May are hot and dry with mean temperatures of around 32 °C. The vegetation mostly comprises grasses with a few scattered trees due to the rainfall, hence this area is not very well suited for permanent agriculture. Sub-tropical arid climate Most of western Rajasthan falls under this climate type characterised by scanty rainfall, cloud bursts are largely responsible for the all the rainfall seen in this region which is less than 30 cm
19.
Government of Odisha
–
The Government of Odisha and its 30 districts consists of an executive, led by the Governor of Odisha, a judiciary, and a legislative branch. Like other states in India, the head of state of Odisha is the Governor and his or her post is largely ceremonial. The Chief Minister is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers, bhubaneswar is the capital of Odisha, and houses the Vidhan Sabha and the secretariat. The Orissa High Court, located in Cuttack, has jurisdiction over the whole state, the present Legislative Assembly of Odisha is unicameral, consisting of 147 Member of the Legislative Assembly. Its term is 5 years, unless sooner dissolved, the state of Odisha is represented at the Centre by its 21 Member of Parliaments in the Lok Sabha and 10 Member of Parliaments in Rajya Sabha. There are 21 Lok Sabha constituencies from which candidates gets elected in the General Election to the Lok Sabha, the Members of Rajya Sabha were elected and / or nominated by the Member of Legislative Assembly through their parent political parties. Legislative Assembly of Odisha List of constituencies of Odisha Vidhan Sabha Government of Odisha Odisha Legislative Assembly Odisha Panchayati Raj Department Raj Bhavan Odisha
20.
Odisha High Court
–
The Odisha High Court is the High Court of the state of Odisha. Bengal Presidency was a vast province including present day Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and it was difficult to administratively manage such a vast area, inhabited by people speaking in different languages and having different traditions. Administrative exigencies required separation of areas which originally did not from part of Bengal. So, new province of Bihar and Orissa was formed on 22 March 1912, however, the said new province of Bihar and Orissa was under the jurisdiction of Calcutta High Court. On 9 February 1916, in exercise of the powers under Section 113 of the Government of India Act,1915, Odisha was placed under the jurisdiction of Patna High Court. Although, on 18 May 1916, Circuit Court of Patna High Court for Odisha held its first sitting at Cuttack, on 1 April 1936, Odisha was made a separate province but no separate High Court was provided for it. People raised their voice for a separate High Court in their state and this order clearly stated that from the 5th day of July,1948, there shall be a Court for the Province of Orissa, which shall be a Court of Record. Finally, on 26 July 1948, Orissa High Court was formally inaugurated, the seat of the court is Cuttack. The court has a sanctioned strength of 27. Sri Vineet Saran, L. L. B, is the present Chief Justice of the Odisha High Court, D. H. Waghela, the previous Chief Justice, has been transferred to the High Court of Mumbai. Patnaik Honble Mr. Justice B. S. Chauhan Honble Mr. Justice C
21.
Odisha Police
–
Odisha Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Odisha in India. It is headquartered in the erstwhile Capital of Odisha, Cuttack, the Odisha police is headed by a Director General of Police Kunwar Brijesh Singh and falls under the purview of the state Home Department under Government of Odisha. The sanction strength of Odisha Police is about 62000 personnel, Odisha Police recruits one third women in the directly recruited posts of civil constables, sub inspectors and deputy superintendent of police. In terms of representation of women in police, Odisha is among the best in the country, the Odisha Police has ten Police Ranges including a Railways Range and a Technical Range at Bhubaneswar. The Ranges, The Central Range at Bhubaneswar includes districts of Bhubaneswar Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Puri, Nayagarh, the Northern Range at Sambalpur includes districts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, Sonepur, and Jharsuguda. The Eastern Range at Balasore includes districts of Balasore, Mayurbhanj, the Western Range at Rourkela includes districts of Sundargarh, and Keonjhar. The Southern Range at Berhampur includes districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, north Central Range at Talcher includes districts of Dhenkanal, Angul, and Deogarh. The South Western Range at Koraput includes districts of Nuapada, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Malkangiri, the Bhubaneswar–Cuttack Police Commissionerate at Bhubaneswar controls the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The Railway Range is used for the Indian Railways and The Technical Range at Cuttack is used for the Police Transportation Services
22.
Arts of Odisha
–
The Indian state of Odisha has a rich cultural and artistic heritage. Odissi dance is prominent and in itself displays the fusion of many styles in history. Odissi is one of the eight classical dance forms of India, the classic treatise of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, refers to it as Odra-Magadhi. 1st century BCE bas-reliefs in the hills of Udaygiri testify to its antiquity and it was suppressed under the British Raj but has been reconstructed since India gained independence. There are a number of instruments used to accompany the Odissi dance, including the pakhawaj, the bansuri, the manjira, the sitar. The Odissi tradition existed in three schools, Mahari, Nartaki, and Gotipua, Maharis were Odishan devadasis or temple girls (their name deriving from Maha and Nari or Mahri particularly those at the temple of Jagganath at Puri. Early Maharis performed mainly nritta and abhinaya based on mantras & slokas, later Maharis, especially, bhitari gauni Maharis, were allowed in the inner temple while bahari gauni Maharis, though in the temples, were excluded from the sanctum sanctorum. By the 6th century the Gotipua tradition was emerging, one of the reasons given for the emergence of Gotipuas is that Vaishnavas did not approve of dancing by women. Gotipuas were young boys dressed as girls and taught the dance by the Maharis, during this period, Vaishnava poets composed innumerable lyrics in Odia dedicated to Radha and Krishna. The Gotipuas stepped out of the precincts of the temples, the Nartaki dance took place in the royal courts, where it was much cultivated before the British period. At that time the misuse of devadasis came under attack, so that Odissi dance withered in the temples. Only the remnants of the school remained, and the reconstruction of the style required an archaeological and anthropological effort that has tended to foster a conservative purism. Aside from the Odissi dance there are other forms of dance. The 16th century witnessed the compilation of literature within music, the four important treatises written during that time are Sangitamava Chandrika, Natya Manorama, Sangita Kalalata and Gita Prakasha. Orissi music is a combination of four kinds of music, namely, Chitrapada, Dhruvapada, Panchal. When music uses artwork, it is known as Chitikala, a unique feature of Oriya music is the Padi, which consists of singing of words in fast beat. Orissi music is two thousand five hundred years old and comprises a number of categories. Of these, the five broad ones are Tribal Music, Folk Music, Light Music, Light-Classical Music, anyone who is trying to understand the culture of Odisha must take into account its music, which essentially forms a part of its legacy
23.
Cinema of Odisha
–
The Odia film industry, colloquially known as Ollywood, is the Odia language Indian film industry, based in Cuttack, Odisha. The name is a portmanteau of the words Odia and Hollywood, in 1974, the Government of Odisha declared film making and construction of cinema theaters as an industry in the state, and in 1976 it established the Odisha Film Development Corporation in Cuttack. Oriya has a history of filmmaking, starting in 1936, the first Oriya production, a talkie, Sita Bibaha, was made by Mohan Sundar Deb Goswami in 1936. Drawn from the Indian epic Ramayana, the story is about the marriage of Sita, the film plot was made from a drama written by Kamapala Mishra. Prepared with a budget of only Rs 30,000, the film has 14 song sequences, despite it being the first Oriya film with several drawbacks in every section of its making, the two-hour-long movie generated great enthusiasm among the people. It was released by Laksmi Talkies, Puri and this was a landmark film of the Oriya film Industry. The pace of Oriya film production in the years was very slow. After Sita Bibaha, only two films were produced until 1951, a joint consortium of landlords and businessmen who collected funds after 1948 produced those two movies. The 1951 production Roles to Eight was the first Oriya film with an English name and it was released 15 years after the first Oriya film, Sita Bibaha. It was the fourth Oriya film produced by Ratikant Padhi, the eleventh Oriya film, Sri Lokenath, was directed by Prafulla Sengupta and received the National Award in 1960. The same year, Prasanta Nanda won the National Award as best actor for his debut film and his name would always be synonymous with the Oriya film industry. He was present in Oriya films since 1939, but he became active only after 1976. Nanda was an actor, director, screenplay writer, lyricist, Nanda won National Awards three times, in 1960,1966 and 1969 for his acting in Nua Bou, Matir Manisha and Adina Megha. Mohammed Mohsin started the revolution in the Oriya film industry by not only securing the essence of the Oriya culture, phool Chandan was written by Ananda Sankar Das. His movies heralded the era of the Oriya film industry by bringing in freshness to Oriya movies. His directorial debut was Phoola Chandana for which he won the best director award from the state and he had to his credit 16 box office successful movies in his directorial stint. He started as an actor in character roles and gave household names like Raaka to Odisha, Mohsin started his career with B. R. He introduced many newcomers, musicians, technicians and singers from Mumbai and Chennai and he also produced the National Award winning film Hakim Babu in 1985
24.
Cuisine of Odisha
–
Compared to other regional Indian cuisines, Odia cuisine uses less oil and is less spicy, but very flavourful. Rice is the food of this region. Mustard oil is used in dishes as the cooking medium. In old times food was served on Banana leaves or disposable plates made of sal leaves. Odia cooks, particularly from the Puri region, were sought after due to their ability to cook food in accordance with Hindu scriptures. During the 19th century, many Odia cooks were employed in Bengal, many sweets of the region are based on Chhena. The period saw a demand for Brahmin cooks, leading many Odia cooks to fake their castes. The ingredients used in Odia cuisine are plantains, jackfruit, the curries are garnished with dried raw mango and tamarind. Coconut is used in several dishes, panch phutana is a blend of five spices that is widely used in Odia cuisine. It contains mustard, cumin, fenugreek, aniseed and kalonji, garlic, onion ginger are used in most of the food. Temple food preparation doesnt allow use of garlic or onion, turmeric and red chillies are commonly used. The food in the region around Puri-Cuttack is greatly influenced by the Jagannath Temple, on the other hand, kalonji and mustard paste are used mostly in the region bordering Bengal and curries tend to be sweeter. In the region closer to Andhra Pradesh, curry tree leaves, the Brahmapur region has influences of South Indian cuisine and the Telugu people living there have invented new Odia dishes. Temples in region make offerings to the presiding deities, the prasada of the Jagannath Temple is well known and is specifically called Maha Prasad meaning greatest of all prasadas. It consists of 56 recipes, so it is called chhapan bhoga and it is based on the legend that Krishna missed his eight meals for seven days while trying to save a village from a storm holding up the Govardhan hill as a shelter. Fish and other seafoods are eaten mainly in coastal areas, several curries are prepared from prawn and lobster with spices. Freshwater fish is available from rivers and irrigation canals, rohi, Bhakura and Mirikali are the famous freshwater fishes used in curries. Pakhala is a dish made by adding water to cooked rice
25.
Culture of Odisha
–
Odisha is one of the 29 states of India, located in the eastern coast. It is surrounded by the states of West Bengal to the north-east, Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west and north-west, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to the south and south-west. Odia is the official and most widely spoken language, spoken by 33.2 million according to the 2001 Census, the modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April 1936, as a province in British India, and consisted predominantly of Odia-speaking regions. April 1 is celebrated as Odisha Day, the Sun Temple at Konark is famous for its architectural splendour while the Sambalpuri textiles equals it in its artistic grandeur. Sand sculpture is practised on the beaches at Puri, fine-grained sand is mixed with water and shaped by the fingers. Odishan legend says that Poet Balaram Das, the author of Dandi Ramayan, was a devotee of Lord Jagannath. Once during Ratha Yatra, he tried to climb the chariot of Lord Jagannath to offer his prayer, since he wasnt allowed by the priests of the chariot to climb it and also insulted by them. With a great frustration and humiliation he came to the beach and carved the statues of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, in its long history, Odisha has had a continuous tradition of dharmic religions especially Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Ashokas conquest of Kalinga made Buddhism a principal religion in the state led to establishment of numerous Stupas. During Kharavelas reign Jainism found prominence, part of the revival in Hinduism was due to Adi Shankaracharya who proclaimed Puri to be one of the four holiest places or Char Dham for Hinduism. Odisha has therefore a mixture of the three dharmic religions as attested by the fact that the Jagannath Temple in Puri is considered to be holy by Hindus, Buddhists. Presently, the majority of people in the state of Odisha are Hindus, as per the census of 2001, Odisha is the third largest Hindu populated state in the country as illustrated in the 2001 census table and in this table. However, while Odisha is predominantly Hindu it is not monolithic, the state also has a Christian and Muslim minority. There is a cultural heritage in the state owing to Hindu faith. For example, Odisha is home to several Hindu saints, swami Laxmananda Saraswati is a modern-day Hindu saint of Adivasi heritage. The official language of the state, spoken by the majority of the people is Odia, Odia belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family, and is closely related to Bengali and Assamese. A few tribal languages belonging to the Dravidian and Munda language families are spoken by the Adivasis of the state. The history of Odia literature has been mapped by historians along the stages, Old Oriya, Early Middle Oriya, Middle Oriya, Late Middle Oriya
26.
Odia Hindu wedding
–
An Odia Hindu wedding, or bahaghara, is a wedding ceremony performed by Odia Hindu people in the Indian state of Odisha. There are subtle differences in the rites observed by different castes, in the Odia marriage rituals mother of the bridegroom does not take part in the ceremony. The Utkala Brahmins have their weddings only in the daytime, preferably mid day or mornings, There is the custom of sending betel nuts to family friends for inviting them to the marriage. The first invitation is sent to Jagannath as a respect to the lord, marriages in Odisha are mostly fixed and arranged by the parents. Marriages for serving or capturing is not common, in the Odia community widow remarriage is allowed in some lower caste, in this case the younger brother is allowed to marry the deceased brothers wife. The marriage happens in three major rituals, Nirbandha, Bahaghara and Chauthi/Chaturthi, a marriage is not considered complete or valid until consummation. These rituals are performed either at the Duara or Tola kanias house, the wedding is arranged by the elders of both the family. The arrangement depends on the values and traditions. Some families consider the horoscope matching mandatory, the better the match, the happier will be the couples married life. However, the marriage largely depends on the bride and grooms mutual acceptance to each other, once the marriage alliance is fixed, the ceremony starts up with Nirbandha or Lagna dharaa, the engagement ceremony. This is considered as a commitment signal or Vaak Nischaya to proceed with marriage arrangements, Jwaiñ anukuḷa ceremony marks the initiation of marriage rituals which happens in the bridegrooms house. This is followed by the distribution of Nimantraṇa patra, deva Nimantrana, Nimantrana or Invitation marks the public announcement of the marriage function. As per Odia custom, the first card is sent to the family divinity, usually the first card is placed before Lord Jagannath Moula Nimantrana, The second invitation goes to the bride and grooms maternal uncle. This has to go with some family member in person along with beetel nuts, uncle or Mamu is one of the most respectable persons in events like marriages. Invitations can now be distributed among friends and relatives, Jwaiñ Nimantrana, Next to Mamu, Jwaiñ or son-in-law of the family is the most respectable invitee in marriages. In Odia Sanskruti and probably many other Indian customs, the Jwain Nimantrana ritual has an important significance, the Bride side father and other important person from family go to groom house with Sweekar and invite the groom. As per Odia rituals, no female should accompany them for this invite, also, There is a strong religious reason for the same, As per Hindu Mythology, when Dakshya Prajapati arranged for a great Yajna, he intentionally didnt invite his son-in-law Lord Shiva. Wanting to visit her parents, relatives and childhood friends, Sati sought to rationalize this omission, so finally Shiva let her go with his ganas
27.
Economy of Odisha
–
The economy of Odisha is one of the fastest growing state economies in India. According to 2014-15 economic survey, Odishas gross state product was expected to grow at 8. 78% in the 2014-15 fiscal year. Odisha has an economy which is in transition towards an industry. According to Dun & Bradstreet, the GSDP is expected to grow at a rate of 8. 1% during 2015-2020, Odisha is also one of the top FDI destinations in India. In the fiscal year 2011-12, Odisha received investment proposals worth ₹49,527 crore, according to the Reserve Bank of India, Odisha received ₹53,000 crore worth of new FDI commitments in the 2012-13 fiscal. In 2013-14, the GSDP growth rate dropped to 2. 21% and this slown down was attributed to the Phailin cyclone, which caused a negative growth of 9. 78% in the agricultural sector and also affected several other sectors. According to the 2011 Census of India, Odisha has a population of 17,541,589, among them 61% are main workers. 33. 9% of the total working population are main workers. As of June 2014, Odisha has 10,95,151 people registered in various employment exchanges of the state, of them,10,42,826 reported themselves educated. Odisha had an unemployment rate of 8. 7% and an urban unemployment rate 5. 8% calculated based on the current daily status basis in the 68th National Sample Survey. The per capita income of the state was ₹54,241 in 2013-14, the state has a public debt of ₹38,666 crore, which is ₹8,909 per capita, at the end of 2013-14. According to ASSOCHAM, in the fiscal year 2011-12, Odisha received investment proposals worth ₹49,527 crore, according to the Reserve Bank of India, Odisha received new FDI proposals worth Rs 53,000 crore in the 2012-13 fiscal year. In 2012-13, ₹125 crore worth of aid was received by NGOs in the state. According to the 2011 Census of India,61. 8% of the population are engaged in agricultural activities. However, the contribution to the GSDP was 16. 3% in the fiscal year 2013-14. The area under cultivation was 5,691 hectares in 2005-06, rice is the dominant crop in Odisha. It is grown on 77% of the area under cultivation, Odisha produced 8,360 metric tonnes of rice in 2013-14, a drop from 10,210 metric tonnes due the cyclone Phailin. During 2013-14, the state exported 4.13 lakh tonnes, in 2014-15, the value of exports rose by 26% to ₹2,300 crore with 4.67 tonnes being exported
28.
Education in Odisha
–
Previously a neglected aspect of the state, which was not a focus of the Indian government, education in Odisha is witnessing a rapid transformation. Odisha has fared well in terms of literacy rates. The overall literacy rate according to Census 2011 is 73. 5%, historically, Odisha has been at the forefront of education and research. The ruins of an ancient university, Puspagiri, were recently discovered in Odisha. Scholars from far away lands, such as Greece, Persia and China used to study philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, along with Takshashila and Nalanda universities, Puspagiri was among the oldest universities in the world. As of 2007, the ruins of this university have not been excavated yet. Odishas education prospered under Hindu and Buddhist rule, however, it went into a period of decline under the Sun dynasty, after 1568. The Muslims and the Marathas, who occupied Odisha before the British, the colonialization of Odisha by the British East India Company in 1803 proved disastrous to Odisha in all spheres. It led to the collapse of the education system. Yet, Odisha being one of the last Indian territories to come under the British rule became exposed much later than parts of India to the system of education they introduced. Under the East India Company, Christian missionaries who took up printing the Old and New Testaments in Oriya, the first primary school was created in 1822 by missionaries. The Cuttack Zilla school, Odishas first modern school up to level, was established in 1866. It was extended to become a Collegiate school in 1868, which provided first, however, Oriyas were severely disadvantaged by having to attend Presidency College in Kolkata for B. A. degrees. This was until the branch of Zilla school was converted into a full bachelors degree granting college under the then commissioner. This college was named as Ravenshaw College after him, womens education was taken up with the establishment of the Ravenshaw Hindu Girls School in 1873. The Maharajah of Keonjhar, the Rani or Talcher, amongst other notable Oriya personalities, later, Reba Ray, a former student of this school and Sailabala Das became instrumental in furthering the cause of womens education, leading to the creation of the Sailabala Mahila College. Medical education began with the opening of the first medical school in 1876, by Dr. Stewart, the Civil Surgeon of Cuttack, the first industrial school was opened in 1884, in Alalpur, Balasore. A survey school began at the time in Cuttack, which later on became the Orissa School of Engineering, marking the beginnings of technical education in the state
29.
Elections in Odisha
–
INC, Indian National Congress, Congress BJD, Biju Janata Dal, BJP, Bharatiya Janata Party Swatantra Party, Janata Party, Janata Dal 1951-52, Total,20. Congress,11, GP,61957,1962,1967, Swatantra,8, Congress,6, PSP,4, SSP,1, Ind,11971, Total,20. Congress,15, Swatantra,3, CPI,11977, Janata Party + CPM = 15+1 =16, Congress,41980, Total,21. Congress,20, Janata,11984, Total,21, Congress,20, Janata,11998, Total,21. BJD+BJP, 9+7 =16, Congress,51999, Total,21, bJD+BJP, 10+9 =19, Congress,22004, Total,21. BJD+BJP, 11+7 =18, Congress,2, JMM,12009, BJD,14, Congress,6, CPI,12014, Total,21
30.
Festivals of Odisha
–
This article lists the traditional festivals and other cultural events in the Odisha region of India. This section lists festivals which are celebrated throughout Odisha, Durga Puja occurs in the month of Ashvin. During the period, goddess Durga is worshipped in Shakti peethas or temporary shrines called pandals, navratri refers to the first nine days of the festival. The nine forms of Durga, Navadurga, are worshipped during these nine days, navratri begins on the Prathama Paksha of the Ashvin month. It also marks the end of the season according to the traditional calendar. The asura, Mahishasura, was killed by Durga on the day according to Hindu mythology. The final five days are considered especially important, the Durga Puja of Cuttack is notable for its usage of silver and gold tarakasi work on the crown of the idols and also on the pandals. The city Cuttack attracts lots of tourists during this period of the year, special trains are run during this time to cater to the rise in tourist traffic. After the worship in Cuttack, on the day of Vijayadashami. Kumar Purnima occurs on the first full day of Ashvin month. It is primarily celebrated by unmarried girls who pray for a handsome husband, according to the belief, the handsome god Kartikeya also known as Kumar was born on this day. Girls also play games like puchi on this day and wears new clothes. Deepabali is celebrated on Kartik Amavasya, in some parts of the state, Kali Puja is also celebrated on the same day. On Prathamastami, households pray for the life of the first borns. Enduri Pitha is a delicacy which is prepared for this occasion. It has the significance that first born were usually expected to takeover as the family head. It falls on the day of Margasira month. Vasant Panchami occurs on the day of the first lunar fortnight of Magha month month
31.
Flora and fauna of Odisha
–
The flora and fauna of Odisha, a state in eastern India, is extremely diverse and gives the state a reputation for abundance of natural beauty and wildlife. The districts in the interior are covered by forests both of the tropical moist deciduous type as well as tropical dry deciduous. Some of the trees grow in abundance in Odisha are bamboo, teak, rosewood, sal, piasal, sanghvan. There are 479 species of birds,86 species of mammals,19 species of amphibians and 110 species of reptiles present in Odisha, the state is also an important habitat for the endangered olive ridley turtles and Irrawaddy dolphins. Almost one-third of Odisha is covered by forests which make up about 37. 34% of the land area of the state. These forests cover most of southern and western Odisha, the eastern plains adjacent to the coast are covered by farmlands. Other types of forests make up 16,261.34 square kilometres while unclassed forests make up 20.55 square kilometres of the total forest cover, the State Government of Odisha also classifies forests based on their density. Odisha has a variety of plants and animals. Odishas forests yield large quantities of teak and bamboo, teak, apart from medicinal plants and kendu leaves contribute substantially towards Odishas economy. Odishas forest ecosystem has been affected by deforestation and illegal smuggling and poaching. The state government has established the Odisha Forest Development Corporation to combat the menace of smuggling, the State Pollution Control Board has brought a set of rules to force in order to combat environmental pollution. In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of importance under the Ramsar Convention due to its rich biodiversity. Over a million migratory waterfowl and shorebirds winter here including many rare, the lake is of great value in preserving genetic diversity and over 400 vertebrate species have been recorded. However conflicts have arisen over the ecosystem of the such as Siltation. As a result, the Odisha State Government with support from the Government of India adopt adaptive conservation, the ecological richness of the lake is of great value in preserving the genetic diversity because of the multiplicity of its habitat, flora and fauna. The rare and threatened animal species identified are green sea turtle, dugong, Irrawaddy dolphin, blackbuck, spoon billed sandpiper, limbless skink,37 species of reptiles and amphibians are also reported. Recent surveys revealed an overall 726 species of flowering plants belonging to 496 genera and 120 families and this represents about one–fourth of the vascular plant species of the Odisha state where some 2900 species altogether are found. Fabaceae is the most dominant plant family followed by Poaceae and Cyperaceae, certain species were found to be characteristic of specific islands
32.
Geography of Odisha
–
Odisha is a state in the Republic of India. It is situated in the part of the country. It is surrounded by West Bengal to the north-east and in the east, Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west and north-west and Andhra Pradesh to the south. The state has an area of 155,707 km2 and extends for 800 kilometres from north to south and 500 kilometres from east to west and its coastline is 480 kilometres long. The state is divided into 30 districts which are subdivided into 314 blocks. Odishas topography comprises fertile plains along the coast and forested highlands towards the interior, the Odia people are generally of Indo-Aryan stock. The state is famous for lord Jagannath temple which is situated in puri. These alluvial plains are home to rice cultivation. A major nesting ground for the Olive Ridley sea turtles can be found in the beaches of Odisha, in Devi, Gahirmatha, in 2007, around 130,000 turtles nested on the beaches of Gahirmatha. There are many wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha, the Simlipal National Park Tiger Reserve is a huge expanse of lush green forest with waterfalls, inhabited by tigers, elephants, and other wildlife. The Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary has been protecting estuarine crocodiles since 1975, Chilka Lake, a brackish water coastal lake on the Bay of Bengal, south of the mouth of the Mahanadi River, is the largest coastal lake in India. It is protected by the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 150 migratory, the highest mountain peak in the state is Deomali, which is situated in Koraput district in southern Odisha. It is also one of the tallest peaks of the Eastern Ghats, Deomali is part of the Chandragiri-Pottangi mountain subsystem. The state of Odisha extends from 17. 49N latitude to 22. 34N latitude, the 75 metre contourline delimits their western boundary and differentiates them from the Middle Mountainous Region. This region stretches from the West Bengal border, i. e. from the River Subarnarekha in the north to the River Rushikulya in the south, therefore, the coastal plain of Odisha is called the Hexadeltaic region or the Gift of Six Rivers. It stretches along the coast of the Bay of Bengal having the maximum width in the Middle Coastal Plain, narrow in the Northern Coastal Plain, the North Coastal Plain comprises the deltas of the Subarnarekha and the Budhabalanga rivers and bears evidences of marine transgressions. The Middle Coastal Plain comprises the deltas of the Baitarani, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers and bears evidences of past back bays. The South Coastal Plain comprises the laccustrine plain of Chilika lake, the region covers about three-fourth of the entire State
33.
History of Odisha
–
The name, Odisha, refers to the current state in India. But in the different era the region and parts of the region were known by different names, the boundaries of the region also has varied over the ages. The human history in Odisha begins in the Lower Paleolithic era, the early history of Odisha is mostly obscure, with few mentions found in ancient texts like the Mahabharata, Maha Govinda Sutta and some Puranas. In 261 BCE, Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty conquered the region in the bloody Kalinga War, the resulting bloodshed and suffering of the war deeply affected Ashoka. He turned into a pacifist and converted to Buddhism and he sent peace emissaries to various neighbouring nations. Thus as a consequence, the event caused the spread of Buddhism in Asia. The region was known to other kingdoms in region of East Indies due to maritime trade relations. The year 1568 CE is considered a point in the regions history. In 1568 CE, the region was conquered by the armies of the Sultanate of Bengal led by the iconoclast general Kalapahad, the region lost its political identity. The following rulers of the region were more tributary lords than actual kings, after 1751, the Marathas gained control of the region for almost half a decade. In 1803, the region was passed onto the British empire, the British divided the region into parts of other provinces. In 1936, the province of Odisha was formed on the basis of populations of Odia-speaking people, the region which comprises the modern-day Odisha was not known by the same name throughout history. It and parts of it were referred by different names in different era, Kalinga, According to some scriptures, a king Bali, the Vairocana, the son of Sutapa, had no sons. So, he requested the sage, Dirghatamas, to him with sons. The sage is said to have five sons through his wife. The princes were named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Sumha, the princes later founded kingdoms named after themselves. The prince Vanga founded Vanga kingdom, in the current day region of Bangladesh, the prince Kalinga founded the kingdom of Kalinga, in the current day region of coastal Odisha, including the Northern Circars. Ptolemy, Pliny the elder and Claudius Aelianus have also mentioned one Calinga in their texts, Utkala, Utkala was a part of Kalinga in some parts of Mahabharata
34.
Historic sites in Odisha
–
This article lists monuments and sites of historic importance in Odisha. Singhpur, Some historians say it was the capital of Sinha Bahu and his exiled son Prince Vijaya established Sinhalese dynasty in Sri Lanka. The Archaeological Survey of India has been requested to excavate this site to unravel the truth. 13th Century, Built originally by Jajati Keshari of Soma Dynasty History of Odisha
35.
Maritime history of Odisha
–
The Maritime history of Odisha, known as Kalinga in ancient times, started before 350 BC according to early sources. The 6th century Manjusrimulakalpa mentions the Bay of Bengal as Kalingodra, the old traditions are still celebrated in the annual Bali Jatra, or Boita-Bandana festival held for five days in October / November. Located on the eastern coast of India, the ancient state of Kalinga extended from the Ganges to the Godavari River, including parts of modern West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. From these harbours, the people of the region traded by sea with Ceylon in the south, with Burma in the east, the maritime activity of Kalinga was so extensive that what is now called the Bay of Bengal was once called the Sea of Kalinga. The southwest monsoon carries sediment along the coast, at times forming bars and spits that protect the harbours, the rivers carry silt, extending their deltas and filling the former harbours. For this reason, some of the named in ancient times are no longer in existence. For example, Chilika Lake was an important harbour, but later became unusable by deep water vessels due to silting, some of the ports mentioned by the geographer Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD were Nanigaina, Katikardama and Kannagara. Ptolemy did not refer to the important ports of Manikapatna, Palur, Chelitalo, Kalingapatnam, Pithunda, writing later in the 9th and 10th centuries CE, Arab sources mention Orissa, Ganjam, Kalinganagar, Keylkan, Al-Lava and Nubin. After the 15th century, ports included Balasore, Pipili, Ganjam, Harishapur, Chandabali, excavations at Golbai Sasan have shown a Neolithic culture dating to as early as ca.2300 BC, followed by a Chalcolithic culture and then an Iron age culture starting around 900 BC. Tools found at this site indicate boat building, perhaps for coastal trade, fish bones, fishing hooks, barbed spears and harpoons show that fishing was an important part of the economy. Some artefacts of the Chalcolithic period are similar to found in Vietnam. The history of the centuries is complex. At times the north and south of Kalinga were separate states, sometimes Kalinga was independent, sometimes it was tributary to a more powerful neighbour. The Bhauma-Kara dynasty ruled over Utkal, as the northern and eastern part of Orissa was then known and these rulers paid tribute to Devapala, ruler of the Pala Empire of Bengal, but Utkal regained its independence from his successors. For a period, the rulers of Utkal were forced to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Tamil Chola dynasty under their king Rajendra Chola I, with whom they became allied by marriage. After regaining independence, Anantavarma Chodagangadeva established control over a region from the Ganges to the Godavari. The power of Orissa waxed and waned over the following centuries, rules and regulations regarding construction of ships were recorded in the Sanskrit Juktikalpataru. The Madalapanji records that king Bhoja built many ships with local wood, the recovery of many woodworking adzes and other artefacts from Chilika Lake shows that Golabai was a boat-building center
36.
Odia alphabet
–
The Odia script, also known as Oriya script, is used to write the Odia language. The Odia script is developed from the Kalinga alphabet, one of the descendants of the Brahmi script of ancient India. The earliest known inscription in the Odia language, in the Kalinga script, the script has undergone several phases. From a linguistic perspective, the Hati Gumpha inscriptions are similar to modern Odia, the question has also been raised as to whether Pali was the prevalent language in Odisha during this period. The Hati Gumpha inscriptions, which are in Pali, are perhaps the only evidence of inscriptions in Pali. This may be the reason why the famous German linguist Professor Oldenburg mentioned that Pali was the language of Odisha. The curved appearance of the Odia script is a result of the practice of writing on palm leaves, Odia is a syllabic alphabet or an abugida wherein all consonants have an inherent vowel embedded within. Diacritics are used to change the form of the inherent vowel, when vowels appear at the beginning of a syllable, they are written as independent letters. Also, when certain consonants occur together, special symbols are used to combine the essential parts of each consonant symbol. Oṛiyā is encumbered with the drawback of an awkward and cumbrous written character. At first glance, an Oṛiyā book seems to be all curves, overwhelmingly, the Odia script was used to write the Odia language. However, it has used as a regional writing-system for Sanskrit. The consonants j and y are pronounced the same in Odia, initial ḍa, ḍha vary with intervocalic ṛa, ṛha. As in other scripts, Odia consonant letters have an inherent vowel. It is transliterated as ⟨a⟩, phonetic value, clusters of two or more consonants form a ligature. Basically Odia has two types of such consonant ligatures, the northern type is formed by fusion of two or more consonants as in northern scripts like Devanāgarī. In some instances the components can be identified, but sometimes completely new glyphs are formed. With the southern type the second component is reduced in size and put under the first as in the scripts used for Kannaḍa
India
Puri district
