Geography & Location
- Capital: Bhubaneswar (executive), Cuttack (judicial)
- Area: 155,707 sq km (9th largest state in India)
- Borders: West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Bay of Bengal
- Coastline: 482 km along Bay of Bengal
- Major rivers: Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Subarnarekha, Rushikulya, Bhargavi, Daya, kathajodi
Administration
- Districts - 30
- Odisha has 3 divisions, 58 sub-divisions, 317 tahasils and 314 blocks, 6801 Gram Panchayats & 51,349 villages
- Bidhan sabha seats - 147
- Loksabha seats for odisha - 21
- Rajyasabha seats for odisha - 10
History
- Ancient name: Kalinga
- Kalinga War (261 BCE) fought by Emperor Ashoka
- Medieval period: Ruled by Eastern Ganga Dynasty, Gajapati Kingdom
- British period: Part of Bengal Presidency, later Orissa Province
- Statehood: April 1, 1936 (Utkal Divas/Odisha Day)
- First chif minister - Harekrushna Mahtab Known as: "Utkal Keshari" (Lion of Utkal)
- First Governor - Sir John Austen Hubback (1936 -1938), British India. - Kailash nath katju, independent India (1947 )
- Changed name from "orissa" to "odisha" in 2011
Languages & Demographics
- Official language: Odia
- Population: 4.2 crores (2011 census)
- Literacy rate: 73.45%
- Major tribes: Santhal, Kol, Bhuiya, Khond, Gond
Tourism & Temples
- Jagannath Temple, Puri (Char Dham pilgrimage site)
- Konark Sun Temple - also known as black pagoda. It became UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
- Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar
- Chilika Lake (largest brackish water lagoon in Asia)
- Simlipal National Park
- Bhitarkanika National Park
Economy & Industries
- Major industries: Steel, aluminium, mining, textiles, chemicals
- Key companies: NALCO, SAIL (RSP Rourkela), Vedanta
- Agriculture: Rice, pulses, oilseeds, cotton, jute
- Minerals: Iron ore, coal, bauxite, chromite, limestone
- Classical dance: Odissi (one of eight classical Indian dances)
- Handicrafts: Pattachitra paintings, silver filigree, stone carving
- Handloom: Sambalpuri sarees, Bomkai sarees
- Madhusudan Das - founder of modern Odisha also known as utkal gourav (pride of odisha)
- Fakir Mohan Senapati (father of modern Odia literature)
- Jaydev (12 century ) - Sanskrit poet, wrote Gita Govinda (describe the love between Krishna and Radha
- Sarala Das (15 century) - known as adi kabi. Major work - odia mahabharat, vilanka ramayan, chandi purana
- Gopabandhu Das - utkalmani (jewel of odisha)