Odisha Day or Utkal Diwas - April 01

The Indian state of Odisha came into being on April 1, 1936, around a decade before India achieved independence from the British colonisation.

The state was established as a separate British India province and the day is celebrated as Orissa Day to encourage the remembrance of the same and foster a spirit of unity among all the citizens of the state.

How modern-day Odisha came into being:

• In ancient India, Orissa was the core of the Kalinga Kingdom
• In 250 BC, it was conquered by King Ashoka, which resulted in the state flourishing for almost a century under the rule of the Mauryan Dynasty
• Thereafter, many great temples in Puri, Bhubaneshwar and Konarak were built under the Hindu dynasties such as that of KIng Harshas. King Narasimha Dev built the Sun Temple at Konark
• In 1576, coastal Orissa fell to the Mughal Empire. Parts of the coast were taken over by the Marathas in the mid 1700s
• After the Carnatic wars, the southern coast of Orissa was merged with the Mardras Presidency by the East India Company
• Bihar and Orissa became separate provinces born of the Bengal coastal region in 1912
• Modern day Orissa was formed as a province for the people speaking Oriya on April 1, 1936

Odisha is the third state in India in terms of tribal population. It has been ruled by a number of rulers in history. Cuttack was the capital of the state since 1135 till 1948, after which Bhubaneshwar took the mantle.

Over 31 per cent of the state is covered with forests and it boasts a great variety of flora and fauna.

Odisha has the imprints of early human civilisation as well and many prehistoric tools dating to Lower Paleolithic era have been discovered across the region.

Orissa was renamed as Odisha by the Parliament of India on November 9, 2010. Oriya language was also simultaneously renamed as Odia.