Cuttack

Cuttack
Entrance to Barabati fort, Cuttack
Cuttack Location of Cuttack in Orissa and India
Country	India
State	Orissa
District(s)	Cuttack
Mayor	Soumendra Ghosh
Population	750,000 (2007[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 14.62 m (48 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 7530xx • Telephone • +0671- • Vehicle • OR-05

Cuttack pronunciation (help·info) (Oriya: କଟକ , Hindi: कटक) (derived from the Sanskrit word 'Kataka', which signifies a military camp or a fort or a Government seat protected by an army) is one of the oldest cities in India and the cultural and commercial capital of Orissa. It is the second largest city in Orissa. It is situated in a tongue of land formed by the Mahanadi River and its main branch the Kathajodi River at their points of bifurcation. Its actual pronunciation is 'Katak'.

Cuttack is more than a thousand years old (established in 989 A.D.) and hence called the "Millennium City", and was the capital of Orissa for almost ten centuries since its formation until it was bursting at the seams and the need was felt to build a new capital city, Bhubaneswar, about 20 km away in 1948. Today, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar are collectively known as the "twin cities" of Orissa. With its world famous unique filigree works in silver, ivory and brass works and textiles of woven silk and cotton, Cuttack is the grandest showroom of Orissa.

History

The High Court of Orissa

Early history of Cuttack is associated with the Keshari dynasty. As stated by the distinguished historian A. Stirling, present-day Cuttack was established as a military cantonment by king Nrupa Keshari of Keshari dynasty in 989 A.D. Stirling based his opinion on Madala Panji, a chronicle of Jagannath temple of Puri. The reign of Markata Keshari was distinguished for the stone embank built to protect the new capital from flood in 1002 A.D.

Historical evidence suggests Cuttack becoming capital of a Kingdom founded by Anangabhimadeva of Ganga dynasty in 1211 A.D. After the end of Ganga rule, Orissa passed to the hands of the Gajapati Kings (1435-1541 A.D.) of Solar dynasty under whom Cuttack continued to be the capital of Orissa. After the death of Mukunda deva, the last Hindu king of Orissa, Cuttack first came under Muslim rules and later under Mughals.

By 1750, Cuttack came under Maratha rules and it grew fast as a business center being the convenient point of contact between the Marathas of Nagpur and the English Merchants of Bengal. It was occupied by the British in 1803 and later became the capital of Orissa division in 1816. From 1948 onwards, when the capital was shifted to Bhubaneswar, the city remained the administrative headquarters of Orissa.

Remnants of an old fort called Barabati still exist in the heart of Cuttack with the moat around the fort. Nearby is a modern stadium called the Barabati Stadium, host to many national and international cricket matches. Recently the stadium was updated with floodlights and D/N matches are taking place. Recent growth of the city has resulted in expansion across the river Kathjori and a newer township towards the head of the delta formed between the distributary Kathjori river and the Mahanadi. Cuttack is referred to as a city with Babaan Bazaar, Teppan Galee i.e. a city having 52 markets and 53 streets.

Cultural and Religious aspects of Cuttack

Uttareswar Temple

Temples Cuttack hosts Paramahansa Nath temple (near Biribati, 14 km away from the city center), the famous Katak Chandi Temple, Bhattarika Temple, Dhabaleswar temple, Panchamukhi Hanuman temple etc..The Barabati fort houses the Gada Chandi temple which is one of the oldest temples in Cuttack. The Dhabaleswar temple is located on an island in the river Mahanadi and is connected to the mainland by a long hanging bridge. The pillar less hanging bridge is unique of its kind in India.

The Barabati Stadium

Sikh shrines

Here is situated a holy historical Sikh shrine 'The Gurdwara Daatan Sahib'. It is here that the first Sikh Guru, Shree Guru Nanak Dev halted on his way to Puri. It is believed that a tree planted by him after using it as a tooth cleaner still flourishes here, hence the name Daatan Sahib.

The Bridge leading to Dhabaleswar Shrine

Mosques

QADAM-E-RASOOL

Cuttack town enjoyed for a pretty long time the honour of being the seat of political authority of the Muslims in Orissa. During this period numerous Muslim monuments were built in Cuttack. The Qadam-E-Rasool is a monument of beauty built by Shujaddin Khan. At four corners of its high compound wall are four small yet strong towers constructed out of chiselled stone. It is adorned with four flat domes and pucca pavements from all direction of the grave yard to the main octagonal building with magnificent dome in the centre. It contains the foot print of the Prophet engraved in a circular stone. The dome outside is adorned with a golden pinnacle.

SHAHI MOSQUE

The Shahi mosque is situated inside the Barabati fort. It is structurally similar to the Ujale Khan mosque at Mohammadia Bazar. All these mosques are adorned with beautiful domes on hexagonal base. Stones and tiles are used in construction of the mosque. It seems that during the British rule of Orissa, it was used as a Magazine as it is apparent from the two Mehrabs on the flanks which are closed with bricks.

Churches'

Cuttack houses several churches that include holy rosary church, Oriya baptist church etc.

Netaji Museum

Cuttack takes pride in being the birthplace of the prominent Indian statesman, independence leader and freedom-fighter Subhash Chandra Bose. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose studied in an Anglo school till standard 6 which is now known as Stewart School and then shifted to Ravenshaw Collegiate school of Cuttack. The birth place of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose which is known as Janakinath Bhawan in Oriya Bazar has now been converted to a museum named as Netaji Birth Place Museum where original letters written by Netaji along with other Netaji's important materials are present in this museum.

Oriya Film Industry

The oriya film industries has its base in Cuttack.

Appetite in Cuttack

Among the culinary delights unique to the Millenium City, none compare the famed Dahibara and Aludum, a spicy concoction of three basic dishes i.e., dahibara - vadas soaked in skim yoghurt, ghuguni - curried chickpeas and aludum - whole size potatoes immersed in fiery curry. All and sundry sample this traditional dish nearly every day and is a must on most tourists' itinerary. Other popular fast foods include Chat, Gup-chup (pani puri).

There are several nice restaurants in Cuttack that serve very good food at reasonable price. Some of the nice restaurants of Cuttack are situated near College square (close to Railway station). Try the Mughlai King (ring road) , Dalema (Ring Road), Chocolate (B K Road), Daffodils (Chandi Chhack), Aditya Restaurant (Stadium Complex) or the Barabati Restaurant (NSCB Arcade).

Hotels and Lodges in Cuttack

Cuttack has a decent list of affordable hotels. None of them are five star. Some of them have adjoined restaurants. The popular hotels are: Akbari Continental (Pithapur), Grand Residency ( Badambadi), Roxy hotel (Badambadi), Neeladri hotel (Mangalabag), Blue lagoon (Ring Road), etc.

Shopping in Cuttack

Ornaments and Jewelery

The exquisite silver filigree work of Cuttack

Cuttack is famous for its unique silver and gold filigree works. These are available at a number of jewelery shops in the city and in Bhubaneswar . Try the local jewelers like Epari Govindam and Sons or the retail chains like Tanishq .

Clothes

Cuttack being the commercial capital of the state is house to a large number of cloth traders. Beautiful malls like Big Bazaar have crept up in the city along with retail stores of various brands like Levi's Strauss, Adidas, Blackberrys etc, Ethny, Reebok, Planet Fashion, Turtle World etc. Some people still prefer the good old business houses which offer a great variety of traditional and contemporary clothing. Some of the best known shops are Kedarsons, Rajhans, Joynarayan's , etc.

Groceries and Vegetables

Cuttack houses Mal-godam, the largest groceries wholesale market of Orissa. There are many other small to medium grocery shops in many neighborhoods. For vegetables, Chhatrabazar is the best choice where scores of truck loads of vegetables are brought from different parts of Orissa and from neighbouring states. Beware of the bulls in this market. On rainy days this place tends to get a bit muddy!

Supermarkets

Cuttack has several Reliance fresh supermarkets offering a broad range of fruits, vegetables, and other consumable items. Again there are branches of NEXT Retail (for electronics), Vishal Megamart (for Clothes, Electronics, Groceries), Big Bazaar (for Clothes, general merchandise, vegetables, electronics etc.), Salasar Mega Store, Bazaar Kolkata etc.

Geography & Climate

Kathjodi River

Cuttack is located at 20°30′N 85°50′E / 20.5°N 85.83°E / 20.5; 85.83.^[1] It has an average elevation of 37 metres (120 ft). Cuttack is located at the apex of delta formed by the rivers Mahanadi in the north and Kathajodi in the south. It is surrounded on three sides by these two rivers and this has affected the growth of the city. The city experiences a hot and humid climate in Summer, characterized by temperature going up as high as above 40 °C and a dry and cold climate in Winter, with mercury dipping to as low as below 10 °C. Summer starts at the end of March, the effect of which is felt till the middle of June when monsoon sets in. Monsoon rains lash the city during September to middle of October and supply most of the city's annual average rainfall of 144.39 cm...

Winter season, between November and beginning of January is characterized by wind chill from north and long nights when sun sets in around 5:30 p.m. IST in December. Between middle of January to the middle of March, the climate is pleasant with temperatures ranging a minimum of 22.2 °C and a maximum of 33.4 °C, which is ideal to visit the city.

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[2] Cuttack district had a population of 23,41,094. Males constituted 52% of the population and females 48%. Cuttack has an average literacy rate of 77% with male literacy at 86% and female literacy at 67%. 29% of the population is under 14 years of age. The city of Cuttack has a population of 5,34,654.

Politics in Cuttack

At the Parliament Cuttack has been the seat of Orissa politics since a long time.In the Indian parliament, Cuttack parliamentary constituency is represented by Mr. Bhartruhari Mahatab of Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

At the state Assembly Cuttack City is divided into three constituencies viz. Barabati-Cuttack, Choudwar-Cuttack and Cuttack Sadar. Cuttack sadar is represented by Mr Kalindi Behera of Biju Janata Dal at the state legislative assembly.

At the Municipal Corporation Mr. Soumendra Ghosh is the Mayor of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC). He is a lawyer by profession and won the municipal elections with a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ticket.

Sports and Entertainment in Cuttack

Sports facilities

The Indoor Stadium in Cuttack

Modern Cuttack is the home to Barabati Stadium, an important venue for international cricket matches. Cuttack also possesses Jawaharlal Nehru indoor stadium.

Cuttack has a branch of sports authority of India (SAI) training centres, which was established on 26th March 1987, under Sports Hostel Scheme at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack. Government of Orissa has provided accommodation facility at Barabati stadium for boys and at Jawaharlal Nehru indoor stadium for girls. The centre gives training for athletics, basketball, football, volleyball, and gymnastic.There is a quite nice athletic track at the Satyabrata stadium, near Barabati stadium.

The ring road (that surrounds Cuttack) along rivers Mahanadi and Kathajodi is a popular (and safe) morning-walk route for the residents of Cuttack.

Libraries

Cuttack is blessed with the huge collection of books and journals in Kanika Library.

For Oriya literature, there is Padhiari Pathagara with a decent collection of books.

The municipality run library (situated close to Badambadi by the Kathajodi river side) has a very good collection of books, magazines, and journals.

Theatres

Cuttack has several movie theatres playing movie in Oriya, Hindi, and English languages. To carter the need of a large Telugu audience in Cuttack, a few theatres also play Telugu movie. Some of the well-know theatres are Grand, Jayashree (Badambadi), Nishamani (Link road), Devi-Durga, etc.

Parks

Cuttack has a deer park, near Barabati stadium, overseeing the beautiful Mahandi river.

Besides, there are many other parks run by the Cuttack municipality (for example, one at CDA, or at Badambadi).

Biju-Pattnaik park at Bidanasi (on the way to Dhabaleswar temple) is quite a large and nice park for spending your afternoons and evenings. Its also a popular destination for a mini-picnic.

Industries in Cuttack

Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys (IMFA), the country's largest producer of ferrous alloys is situated at Choudwar, Cuttack.

There are a few more industries in Chowdwar. For example the paper mill and the Orissa textile mill.

Information and Broadcast in Cuttack

Electronic Media

The All India Radio Station at Cuttack

Cuttack has a Doordarshan center which telecasts Oriya programs.It also has a branch the All India Radio which broadcasts AM as well as FM radio in the twin cities.

Print Media

There are many print media houses in Cuttack. The samaj (founded by Pandit Gopabandhu Das), The prajatantra (founded by Harekrushna Mahatab, former Orissa CM and Maharasthra Governor).

Health care in Cuttack

General Hospital Cuttack has the largest medical college in Orissa - the SCB medical college and hospital. The hospital has emergency centre, outdoor (for walk in patients), and in house facilities. In SCB medical campus there is an operative blood bank in the name of Guru Nanak Dev.

Sishu Bhavan (paediatric hospital) Cuttack has a big Sishu bhavan (pediatric hospital). The hospital has close collaboration with Japanese/Korean government. The hospital is well equipped with many modern health care instruments.

Eye hospital At sector 6 of CDA in cuttack, there is a very nice eye hospital run by rotary association. The hospital is well equipped with the instruments required for advanced eye surgeries. The hospital employs very high quality doctors.

Private hospitals and nursing homes Apart from public run hospitals, Cuttack has also plenty of private nursing homes and clinics. These nursing homes carry out many surgeries and other advanced treatments. In general, the private medical homes have a good reputation in Cuttack.

Education and Research in Cuttack

Primary and Secondary Schools

The aerial view of a busy road in Cuttack during Dussehra

Schools in Cuttack are affiliated with the Board of Secondary Education Orissa (BSE), the all-India Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) boards. Oriya and English are the usual language of instruction. Secondary board high school (S.B.H.S), considered to be one of the finest schools in the state, is situated here. It is the only school of its kind in the entire state and few of its kind in country.

The other important school in Cuttack is the famous Ravenshaw Collegiate school which proudly boasts many eminent personalities in its alumni including Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, Biju Pattnaik, Harekrushna Mahtab, etc. Among other notable schools (run by Orissa state board) are Pyari Mohan Academy, Badambadi New Colony High School, etc.

Cuttack houses a number of excellent public schools both in ICSE and CBSE such as the DPS Kalinga, DAV Public Schools, Stewart School, Medical Public School, Cambridge school, Convent school, Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Kendriya Vidyalaya etc. Together, these schools have brought pride and recognition to the city, state and country in the field of education.

Colleges

General Colleges Cuttack has a number of high level colleges giving education in science, social science, and humanities. The colleges teach both +2 (intermediate) and +3 (bachelor) classes. Some of the prominent colleges are: Ravenshaw, JKBK, Stewart, Christ, etc.

Medical Colleges SCB medical College, one of the premier medical colleges in India and the largest medical institution in Orissa, proudly associates its origin to the Silver city - Cuttack. This college produces one of the finest brand of doctors every year. The quality of education imparted in SCB medical college is quite high. SCB medical college has produced some of the very first licensed medical practitioners of India medical fraternity. SCB medical college also has a dental college which gives bachelors degree in dental surgery.

Law Colleges Cuttack houses one of the premier National Law Universities of the country. It also has the Madhu Sudan Law college, named after Madhusudan Das. It is considered to be one of the best law schools in India.

Technical Colleges

Cuttack is home to several technical institutions which includes Bhubananda Orissa School of Engineering (BOSE), IPSAR, IMIT, Ajay Binay Institute of Technology (ABIT), DRIEMS, and JIET. The twin cities house around 40 engineering colleges. There exists a textile engineering college in Chowdwar. There is also a Biju Pattnaik film and television institute offering professional courses.

Universities

Ravenshaw University

View of the Railway Station in cuttack at night

(http://www.ravenshawuniversity.com) came into existence on the 15th day of November, 2006. It was an upgradation of Ravenshaw College established in 1868, one of the oldest and largest colleges in India which subsequently became an autonomous college with CPE status by UGC and ‘A’ grade by NAAC. The College with all its glorious academic achievement and ceaseless scholastic pursuits had already created a distinct niche for itself in India and beyond. The history of this great institution is, in a manner of speaking, the history of modern Orissa. It was the cradle of ideas fostering national unity and nationalism, promoting social mobilization and gearing up the freedom struggle.The university is also developing a new campus in Bidanasi (a suburb of Cuttack). People of Cuttack (and Orissa) take pride in this premier institute. The university aims to hire best talents to promote active research in social and natural sciences.

Sri Sri University at Naraj

(http://www.srisriuniversity.org/ver2/default.htm) This university is going to start classes in 2010. It aims to become a centre of excellence matching international standards in education. This will be enabled by offering courses in various disciplines, organized into schools that will function as logical academic entities. Keeping in mind, the growth of various economic sectors and their employment potential, the needs of the society and country at large and vision of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar, an indicative list of schools proposed in multiple disciplines are: Management, Engineering, Medicine, Law, Government, Education, Mass Communication, Agriculture, Tourism etc.

National Law University, Cuttack

(http://www.nluc.org.in) National Law University Orissa (NLUO) is the youngest member of the group of National Law Universities, which are institutions of excellence in the field of legal education, with Chief Justice of India as its Visitor and Chief Justice of the High Court as its Chancellor.The prized distinction of NLUO is its location in the most promising State of India. The faster economic growth and growing charm of MNCs in the state has set Orissa as a major destination for Foreign Direct Investments to the tune of approximately Rs. 1,00,000 crore.NLUO is the first national law school in the country which offers Mass Communication and Journalism as an optional subject, to the B.A.LL.B and B.B.A.LL.B students.NLUO offers the possibility of Honours not only in B.A./B.B.A. but also in LL.B, in group likes Constitutional Law, Business Law, International Trade Law, International Law, Natural Resources Law, Crime and Criminology and Intellectual Property Law.

Research Institutes

Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI)

(http://crri.nic.in/) Cuttack hosts several national research laboratories such as the Central Rice Research Institute, located in Bidyadharpur, Cuttack. This is a premier institute of rice research in the whole of South Asia.

National Institute of Rehabilitation and Training (NIRTAR)

River cruise on the river Mahanadi

(http://nirtar.nic.in/) The National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (NIRTAR) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India. It is located in a beautiful rural area at Olatpur at a distance of 30 Kms. from Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. It conducts three Bachelor Degree courses in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, two Postgraduate courses in Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy affiliated to Utkal University, Bhubaneswar.

Regional Spinal Injury Centre (RSIC)

The Regional Spinal Injury Centre, Cuttack has been functioning inside the S.C.B. Medical College Campus since 2001. RSIC is an autonomous organization under the administrative and financial control of Dept. of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Orissa and is headed by Director of the RSIC. This is one of the institutions which provide rehabilitation measures to persons with disabilities especially spinal injury.

Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC)

The AHRCC, the only one of its kind in east India, carries out high-end research and treatment in cancer.

Public offices of importance in Cuttack

Cuttack houses the High court of Orissa. Orissa Public Service Commission (OPSC) is situated in Cuttack. The printing press for government of Orissa is situated in Cuttack.

Transport

Cuttack lies on the National Highway 5, that connects Kolkata with Chennai.

Cuttack is an important railway hub of the East Coast Railway. The nearest (national) airport is in Bhubaneshwar (Biju Patnaik Airport), which is about 28 km away. An Indian Air Force Airport is also present at Charbatia in Cuttack.

Cuttack has the busiest bus terminus of the state and one can get a bus to every part of the state from cuttack. There is a modest town-bus service available in Cuttack. The town buses provide an easy ride from Cuttack railway station to Bidanasi via College square, OMP square, Badambadi, high court, Chandnichowk, Tulsipur.

Cuttack city roads are congested. Many of the roads do not have a separation for opposite traffics thus leading to a chaotic street. However, the ring road is spacious, green, and is quite smooth to drive. The city transport system has employed a number of optical signals at various places to control the traffic.

Festivals

A beautiful Silver Filigree creation of Goddess Durga in Cuttack

Cuttack, being the aesthetic capital of Orissa for a long period of time, celebrates all festivals from all religions with much fanfare and devotion.

Dusshera, the festival of goddess Durga, is very popular in Cuttack. Idols are worshipped in many streets and localities. In this city, Dussehra is famous for its Chandi Medhas, in which the idols are adorned with huge amounts of gold and silver, with localities trying to outsmart each other by constructing more attractive idols. Indeed, the whole city comes to a standstill on Astami, Navami and Dashami (the eighth, ninth and tenth days of Dussehra) as people travel all over the city appreciating all the idols put forth by the neighbourhoods.

But the festival which Cuttackites look forward to most is the Bali Yatra. In olden times, merchants from Orissa used to trade with South-East Asian countries. And whatever items they brought from those places after trading Oriya goods used to be put up for sale in the capital city (which was then Cuttack). People from all over the state and beyond used to come to Cuttack to buy these items. Bali Yatra is the festival of continuing this ancient tradition. It is held every year in the month of November on the banks of the Mahanadi ("Bali Yatra" literally means a festival to celebtate the trade that the ancient Oriyas had with the island of Bali in the ancient days), where many stalls are set up selling both local and exotic goods. People from all over Orissa come to the Baliyatra to buy items, as was the custom back in those days.

Kite flying is also celebrated with much enthusiasm and energy in the city. Kite-flying culminates with the Makar Sankranti, with kite-flying competitions being held all over the city.

All the other regular Indian festivals like Holi, Id, Good Friday, Rath Yatra, Diwali, Christmas and the numerous Hindu festivals are also celebrated here.

Eminent Personalities from Cuttack

Madhusudan Das (architect of modern Orissa)

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (Freedom fighter)

Biju Pattnaik (former Chief Minister, Orissa)

Harekrushna Mahatab (former Chief Minister, Orissa and Maharastra Governor)

Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra (World Famous Odissi dancer)

Ranganath Mishra (former Chief Justice of India)

Naveen Pattnaik (Chief Minister of Orissa)

Rabi Ray (former Loksabha Speaker and Union Health Minister)

Sanatan Rath (former editor of the Samaj)

Manorama Mahapatra (Editor of the Samaj)

Photo Gallery

Goddess Chandi

Goddess Mangala

Lord Kartikeya

Uttareswar Temple

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cuttack

• Official website
• http://orissagov.nic.in/cmccuttack/index.htm
• http://as1.ori.nic.in/cdacuttack/

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