Cuttack: The standing witness to Odisha's ancient glory
I this article I have explain about Cuttack, its historical background, its geographical location, the educational development in Cuttack, its festival, its handcrafts and handlooms, why it is called as a city of silver and the attractive places of Cuttak
Cuttack is one of the oldest city of Odisha as well as India which is situated at a distance of 29km from the capital. It is the commercial centre of Odisha and district head quarter so it is otherwise known as the Mumbai of Odisha. It was established in 989 AD and was the Capital of Odisha for close to a thousand years. Since 1948 Bhubaneswar is the new seat of Government instead of Cuttack. The ancient capital of Odisha Cuttack witnessed some epoch making events of history. Cuttack and Bhubaneswar are collectively known as the twin city. The name Cuttack derived from Kataak which means "the army cantonment". As it is the Commercial centre of the state so it is the most convenient base for visiting the major tourist destinations.
On the coast of Odisha, lies the erstwhile district of Cuttack, reorganized into four districts like V, Jagatsingpur, Jajpur, and Kendrapara. The city was named by Anangabhimadev III as Abhinab Baranasi Katak. All the major rivers of Odisha like Mahanadi, Bramhani, Baitarani and also their tributaries traverse the district making their soil alluvial and fertile. As it is situated between the river Mahanadi and kathajodi so it was named as Abhinab Barnasi or Advanceed Barnasi.The stone embank was billed by Markat Keshri in order to provide the protect the city from the Kathajdi river. The ancient Cuttack was connected both by Land routes and waterways. It became a capital city at the end of 10th century AD during the period of Somavansi dynasty. The famous Barabati Fort was constructed by Anangavimadev III in 1229 AD who belongs to Ganga Dynasty. After the death of the last hindu king Mukunda Dev Cuttack came under Mughals.
Cuttack came under British occupation in 1803. In order to remove the isolation from outer world and provide the internal communication several way roads were opened by the British. To change the educational scenario of the city the first intermediate teaching institute of the state Revenshaw College was established due to the effort of T.Revenshaw. In 1884 to provide the health service to the people a Medical was established. "Utkal Dipika", the first Odiya newspaper was published by Karmavira Gaurisankar Ray in Buxibazar. Swaraj ashram of Sahebazada bazaar was established by the Gandhites during the freedom struggle.
The Handcraft and Handlooms along with the colourful fairs and festivals of Cuttack have a magical impact on the outsiders. It offers silver filigree, horn and brass work and silk-cotton textiles to the outsiders. The hand of the weavers converts the cotton into well designed, colourful dress material and sarees. Apart from this Cuttack is also known as a city of Silver as it is famous for its silver filigree. The silver filigree of Cuttak in its own language is known as "Tarakasi". The decorative silver work of Lord Krishna Chariots, the wheel of Konark sun temple, Jagannath temple and Lingaraj temple are the most attractive pieces of Tarakasi work.
Cuttack is famous for Dusshere, the festival of Goddess Durga. The idols of Goddess are worshipped in every streets of the city with Chandi Medhas. Besides famous Baliyatra in Kila Maidan, Kali Puja, Laxmi Puja, Maha Sivaratri are the festivals of the city. The attractive places of Cuttack are:
Barabati Fort: It speaks the glory old tradition of Cuttack. It was constructed by Anangavimadev III in 1229 AD who was the ruler of Ganga dynasty. It is situated in between two rivers Mahanadi and Kathojodi. The recent excavation of Archaeological survey of India yielded seven iron arrow head, one cannon ball of iron, sculpture of erotic couple, female figure with ornaments, musician and about four hundrade broken architectural pieces. The remnant of this fort that exists today is called as Barabati Kila.
Dhabaleswar Island: it is situated at a distance of 7kms from Cuttack on the bank of river Mahanadi. A temple is dedicated to Lord Dhabaleswar and it attracts thousands of Lord Shiv's Devotees. The idyllic Dhadaleswar Island is a place of pleasure and pilgrimage for the visitors. The churning waters around the island provide a magnificent ambience for water sports and adventure.
Choudwar: It is situated at a distance of 10km from Cuttack on the bank of river Birupa. . It is a historic place and also industrial town. Odisha Textile Mills (OTM) ,Kalinga Tubes, Paper Mill and Tile factory are situated here. Charibatia, a military base is situated nearby.
Devidwar: A beautiful scenic beauty spot situated at a distance of 30km from Cuttack on the bank of river Mahanadi. The famous temple of Goddess Devi attracts the tourists.
Naraj: It is situated at a distance of 25km from Cuttack. Naraj is an enchanting spot on Mahanadi. The scenic view of the river Mahanadi at the origin of its branch Kathajodi is simply bewitching. A temple of Lord Sidheswar attracts the piligrims.
Ansupa: It is a beautiful lake which situated at a distance of 60km from Cuttack. It is a home to migratory and is the resident birds in winter. The charming natural beauty attracts the thousands of tourists in each year.
Baneswar: It is situated on the river Mahanadi. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Niali: It is situated at a distance of 42km from Cuttack and is famous for the temple Sobhaneswar(Siva) and Madhaba(Vishnu).
Banki: It is situated at a distance of 40km from Cuttack on the bank of river Mahanadi on a hillock. It is a popular Shakti Pitha and the temple here is dedicated to Goddess Charchika.
Bhattarika: This charming scenic spot on the Mahanadi valley is situated at a distance of 90km from Cuttack and is famous for the Goddess temple Bhatarika.
Nemala: It is situated at a distance of 12kms from Salepur which is a piligrim centre and also known as Padmanava Pitha. The sacred poet Achutananda practised "sadhana" and got "Siddhi" here. A large number of sacred books are preserved here.
Besides the famous Katak Chandi temple, Panchamukhi Hanuman temple, Shiridi Sai temple of Ganeshghat, Gadachandi temple, Gurudwar of Shikh's, and several churches are the attractive place of the city.
The Barabati Stadium, which is the eye witness of several National and International cricket matches, Jawaharlal Nehru indoor stadium, Netaji Seva Sadan, the birth place of Netaji Subas Chandra Bose, High court, SCB medical College, All India Radio Station, Kadamarsal, Stone Revetment, Kila Maidan , Central Rice Research Institute(CRRI) of Bidyadharpur are the visiting places of the city.
