Amara Odisha…..Amara Utkala Ra Janma Dina
A sense of pride tickles our hearts with these words. Odisha’s soil spreads the aroma of love, compassion, and happiness. It shines with its rich culture and distinct identity.
Today we celebrate the birthday of our motherland as Utkal Diwasor Odisha DiwasToday is the day when Odisha achieved its identity as a separate state. Before we start our celebrations, let us go through a brief timeline that throws light on its history!
Odisha has an intriguing past that sparks curiosity among the people. Today is the most special day for the people of Odisha.
Take a Look at the Timeline!
Odisha and the Great Ashok
The era of King Ashok’s rule marks the beginning of our history. It is the landmark period when the great Mauryan King Ashoka ruled over Magadh. The famous battle of Kalinga during his reign resulted in the death of thousands. The unfortunate event transformed him from a cruel warrior to a peace-loving soul.
King Kharvela & Other Dynasties’ Rule Over Odisha
King Khravela began ruling over Kalinga during the 2nd Century B.C. He successfully expanded his kingdom and had a significant contribution in making the kingdom prosperous.
It also prospered under other clans like the Kesaries, who ruled for over 200 years and built the Lingaraja temple. Gangas dynasty was the next to rule Odisha during the 12th century. They built Puri in the 12th century and Konark in the 13th century. It extended the kingdom further up to the Ganges in the North and Godavari in the south.
For quite a long time, Odisha witnessed Muslim invasion from the 16th century after the death of Mukunda Dev, the last Hindu ruler of Odisha.
The Afghans defeated him later and ruled over Odisha for a brief period, followed by Mughals and then the Marathas.
British Conquest- A Major Turning Point For Odisha
While several conquered Odisha, there was a turning point with the advent of the British in 1803. They facilitated the division of the state, which led to Ganjam and Koraput becoming a part of the Madras Presidency and the western part of Odisha comprising the Sambalpur district becoming a part of the Central Provinces. Odisha owned Cuttack, Balasore, Puri, and about 14 princely states under Bengal Presidency.
This arrangement proved to be against the Odia sentiments. Telugu, Hindi, and Bengali started to overshadow the Odia language. A strange fear gripped the hearts of Odias that their language might lose its identity under the influence of other languages.
The whole situation got worse when a few Bengalis claimed that Odia was not a separate language but just another dialect of the Bengali language.
Moreover, the Bengali administrators had a stronghold as the British favored them for good reasons.
The Unfortunate Famine
Odisha was going through a difficult phase, struggling with the oncoming adversities that refrained the Odias from establishing a hold. A major famine in 1866 shook Odisha, leading to a depletion of one-third of Odisha’s population.
A Positive Change Ensued
A happy change began to cast hopes upon the Odias when many Odia writers started flourishing. Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gangadhar Meher, Radhanath Ray, Madhusan Rao and Gourishankar Ray became popular names in the literature field.
The Western part of Odisha that stayed neglected felt uplifted after western education started to make its place in the region.
These positive changes ignited the fire in the belly of Odias, as they lived away from each other in three separate provinces. Gourishankar Ray, an eminent leader from Odisha, heard the oppressed voices of the Odia people in the three provinces and propagated the idea of a separate state for Odisha. He also started Utkal Dipika to draw attention to the plight of Odia people in the three provinces.
Rise Of The Pheonix- Madhusudan Das
Then dawned the golden era of Madhusudan Das, whose determination and leadership wrote a new chapter in Utkal’s history! It was during his time when Odisha saw development in several aspects. Notable writers like Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gangadhar Meher, Madhusudan Rao, and Ganga Shankar Ray took Odisha to new heights.
Madhusudan Das played a pivotal role in giving the much-needed push to the movement for creation of a separate state for Odisha, with his initiative to form Utkal Sammalini in 1903, which was joined by several notable personalities.
Great Leadership of Gopabandhu Das
During 1920, Odisha blossomed with many energetic leaders. Gopabandhu Das was the most prominent face among them. He carried out the struggle with the same zeal as Madhusudan Das. Youth who wished to be part of the historic movement began flourishing under him. He took the major initiative of merging Utkal Sammalini with the nationalist struggle with the help of Congress.
Odisha is Born!
The movement captured the attention of notable leaders and gained widespread support through Civil Disobedience and Non- Cooperation movements during the 1930s. The historic
struggle finally ended when the British Parliament passed a bill to give Odisha a separate identity. It came into effect in 1936. Parts of Odisha under Bengal and Madras Presidencies, Ganjam and Korput districts, including Sambalpur in Central Provinces were added and thus was born Odisha – our beautiful motherland!
How To Celebrate Utkal Diwas
We fondly celebrate our birthday every year. So how can we forget the birthday of Odisha, our own mother? As we leave no stone unturned to make every birthday of ours memorable, we bring you some helpful tips to celebrate Utkal Diwas in a fun way!
Relish Sweet Pithas
Authentic Odia sweet dishes, such as ChhenaPoda and Podo Pitha complete every celebration of Odisha. We cannot imagine a birthday celebration without a cake, the same way we cannot forget celebrating Utkal Diwas without adding Podo Pitha to our menu. Do not forget to take a bite of Podo Pitha!
Celebrate Odisha’s Art and Heritage
Odisha’s art and heritage comprise several elements. Literature is one of them. It has had some eminent writers and poets whose works have left a long-lasting imprint on all of us. So why not celebrate the big day by dedicating a few poetic lines? A meeting comprising several poets to recite such a poetic masterpiece is a good idea to celebrate.
Enjoy Watching Odia Movies
Odia films have their charm. You can select a few noteworthy Odia movies to celebrate Odisha Diwas on a lighter note!
Attend Local Melas
Last but not the least, do take out some time to attend cultural events near you, filled with music, dance, and several amazing things!
Wishing you all a Happy Utkal Diwas!
A sense of pride tickles our hearts with these words. Odisha’s soil spreads the aroma of love, compassion, and happiness. It shines with its rich culture and distinct identity.
