Know Your State Odisha – Odisha GK Notes 2021 (Part 2)

In our previous article, we discussed about some vital aspects of Odisha. If you haven’t read that already, click here – Know your State ‘Odisha’ – Part 1. Now in this write-up, we will be looking at the other important aspects of the state i.e. history, environment and economy.

What is the ancient history of Odisha? Where is the India’s largest coastal inlet situated?

Odisha is a beautiful state with pristine and amazing beaches, majestic mountains, dazzling rivers, enchanting waterfalls and a vivid flora & fauna, nestled in the lap of Eastern Ghats and fed by the tides of the Bay of Bengal.

Let’s talk about the history of Odisha.

HISTORY Odisha GK Notes:

Since its earliest known history, the state Odisha has gone by various names, most notably Utkala, Kalinga, and Odra Desha which appeared in ancient history. The territory of the state formed a part of the ancient Kalinga of Mahabharat.

• At the beginning of Indian history, Kalinga was a famed and daunting empire. 
• The Mauryan emperor Ashoka invaded Kalinga in 260 BCE and fought one of the greatest wars of ancient history.
• In the 1st century BCE, the Kalinga emperor Kharavela conquered vast territories of the Kalinga Empire.
• Kalinga adored a golden age under the Ganga dynasty.
• When most regions of India came under the rule of Muslim powers in 13th and 14th centuries, the independent Kalinga had a stronghold on Hindu religion, philosophy, art, and architecture.
• The last Surya king, Prataparudra was the great Hindu cabalistic and became a peacemaker. After Prataparudra’s death in 1540, the kingdom declined. It lost its independence to the Afghan rulers of Bengal.
• The Mughal emperor Akbar snatched Odisha from the Afghans in 1590–92. When the Mughal Empire fell in the mid-18th century, part of Odisha remained under the nawabs of Bengal, but the greater part passed to the Marathas.
• The Bengal sector came under British rule in 1757 after the Battle of Plassey and the Maratha sector was conquered by the British in 1803.
• After the independence of India in 1947, the territory of Orissa was expanded to include all the princely states except Saraikela and Kharsawan that were sucked by Bihar. Orissa became a state of India in 1950.
• Between the establishment of the state and 2000, Orissa’s government was largely controlled by the Indian National Congress.
• In 2011, the state’s name was formally changed from Orissa to Odisha to greater throwback to the name’s pronunciation in the Odia language.

Now, let’s study the environmental aspects of the state.

ENVIRONMENT Odisha GK Notes:

The splendorous state of Odisha lies on the eastern coast of India, constantly washed by the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal that is endowed with unspoiled beaches, sprawling lakes, luxuriant forests, teeming wildlife. It is a land of unexplored hidden treasures.

• The state is the combination of several deltas of varied sizes and shapes formed by the major rivers of Odisha such as the Subarnarekha, the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi, and the Rushikulya.
• Chilika Lake- brackish water lagoon is known as India’s largest coastal inlet and second largest in the entire world spread over in a sprawling area of 1100 sq km. The brackish water of Chilika Lake is the abode of the critically endangered Irrawady Dolphins. It is also well-known for the flocks of migratory birds that migrate each year during the winter.
• Odisha has 163 large dams, out of these 26 dams have been identified for rehabilitation and improvement works by the Odisha Water Resources Department.
• Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, Sambalpur in the state of Odisha in India. This dam is the longest dam in India about 25.5 km.
• The forest area of the Odisha state is 61,204.17 sq km which constitutes 39.31% of the State’s Geographic area. The Reserved Forests including proposed Reserves, Protected and Unclassed including Private Forests are 58.90%, 40.75% and 0.35% respectively of the recorded forest area.
• Odisha is known for its abundant biodiversity. There are 21 wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha. Some of the famous wildlife sanctuaries are Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary, Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary, Balukhand Konark Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandaka Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary, Chilika Wildlife Sanctuary, etc.
• In Odisha, there are two national parks namely Similipal National Park and Bhitarkanika National Park.

Let’s switch to the next attribute of the state i.e. Economy.

ECONOMY Odisha GK Notes:

Although much of the land of the state is either unproductive or unsuitable for more than a single annual crop and about three-fifths of the working population is engaged in agriculture and the sector accounts for roughly one-sixth of the state’s gross product. The service sector became the largest proportion of Odisha’s economy in terms of value in the early 21st century, and it continued to grow rapidly. Odisha’s energy comes from hydroelectric stations majorly from the Hirakud Dam and the Machkund hydroelectric project. Odisha is one of the important states of India which is endowed with varieties of mineral resources. The mineral resources of Odisha have reputation for being qualitative for industries. The mineral resources of Odisha include Iron ore, Manganese, Coal, Bauxite, Dolomite, Tin, etc. Mineral resources have played an important role to make Odisha hot destinations for industries.

GDP per capita rank: 26^th

GDP per capita: ₹116,614 (2019-20)

GDP growth: 6.2% (2019-20)

GDP by sector: Agriculture 27%; Industry 32%; Services 41% (2019-20)

GDP rank: 16^th

GDP: ₹5.34 lakh crore (2019-20est.)

Revenues: ₹1.24 lakh crore (2020-21est.)

Unemployment: 7.1% (2017-18)

EDUCATION Odisha GK Notes:

The literacy rate of Odisha according to Census 2011 is 73.5%, which is below the national average of 74.04%. In Odisha, there are many schools and colleges which are maintained by the government. In the state, Higher education is available. Some of the famous universities in the state are Utkal University and Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology in Bhubaneshwar etc. Odisha has numerous pharmacy colleges and nursing schools.

SPORTS Odisha GK Notes:

Field hockey, athletics, tennis, rugby union, rugby sevens, association football and cricket are the most popular sports in Odisha. The traditional games of Odisha are kabaddi, baguri, kho- kho, rumal chori, goti, luchakali, kithi kithi, and cowrie etc. These games enhance the physical development as well as mental abilities of kids.

Here are some more interesting facts about ODISHA:

• Konark Temple is also known as the Black Pagoda or the Sun Temple was built in the 13th century by king Narasimhadeva. The temple is designed in the shape of an enormous chariot with 7 horses and 12 pairs of wheels carrying the Sun God. The wheels can be used to precisely count the accurate time of the day.
• The leaning temple of Huma situated in Huma on the banks of Mahanadi river south of Sambalpur is one of the only two leaning temples in the world. It is also famous for a special kind of reddish fish called Kudo which is thought to be sacred belonging of Lord Vimaleshwar worshipped in the temple and hence its fishing is prohibited.
• The Hanuman Vatika in Rourkela is Asia’s tallest Hanuman statue measuring 74 feet spread over an area of 12 acres and attracts more than 10,000 devotees per day.
• The Nandankanan is a zoological and a sprawling botanical park located in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, known for unique white tigers, leopards, ostriches, kangaroos, crocodiles and turtles, falcons, water animals and lion safaris. It has about 67 kinds of mammals and 81 species of birds.
• Odisha is the largest nesting ground of turtles in the whole world. The Olive Ridley turtles migrate all the way from the coastal water of Sri Lanka to Gahirmatha in Odisha.

Therefore, these were all the chief necessitate facts about Odisha that will help in your preparation for competitive exams like SSC CGL, CDS, Civil Services and NDA etc.

In the next blog, we would be discussing some interesting facts and trivia about the state of Punjab. Click here for Know your State – ‘Punjab’.

We would recommend that you check out our other interesting blogs about the states of Assam and West Bengal as well.

THANK YOU