BALESHWAR (BALASORE), Odisha

Main Attraction: Shrine of Lord Chandaneswar

The holy shrine of Lord Chandaneswar is a religious centre not only for the people of Baleshwar district but also places adjacent West Bengal. It is a unique sight to see the devotees flock together in hundreds everyday and in thousands on festive occasion like Chadak mela for Darshan of the Lord which falls in April every year.

Brief History

Baleshwar is one of the coastal districts of Odisha and lies on the northernmost part of the state. The distirct is surrounded by Medinapur district of West Bengal in north, Bay of Bengal in east, Bhadrak district in south and Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts lie on its western side. Bhadrak Sub-division was a part of Baleshwar district which on 3rd April 1993 became a separate district vide Govt. of Odisha Notification No. SRO-214/93 dated 27.03.1993. Baleshwar gets its name from the Persian word. ‘Bala-e-Shore’ meaning ‘Town in the Sea’. The historical legends ascribe that the district has been named as per the Lord Baneshwar (Lord Shiva) of the town, which subsequently changed to Balasore during the Mughal rules. The history of Baleshwar district is the amalgamation of several cultures and civilizations. The present district of Baleshwar in ancient time was a part of Kalinga.

Kalidas in his ‘Raghuvamsa’ while depicting the Digvijaya of Raghu states that he (Raghu) crossed the river Kapisa, modern Kasai in Medinapur and came to the territory of Kalinga after leaving Utkal. This indicates that the river Kasai formed the boundary of Utkal and Kalinga and the present district of Baleshwar was in Kalinga during the time of which Kalidas speaks. Baleshwar continued to be a part of Kalinga under Mahapadmananda (4th century B.C.), Ashok (3rd century BC) and Kharavela (1st century B.C).

The Soro and the Patikella copper plates dated respectively in the years 260 (579 A.D.) and 283 (602 A.D.) record the rule of a powerful king named Sambhuyasas who belonged to Mana dynasty. The territory under Sambhuyasas was called Tosali which was divided into Uttar Tosali and Dakhina Tosali. The present district of Baleshwar formed a part of Uttar Tosali. After Sambhuyasas the Manas became weak and sometime before 620 A.D. Sasanka, king of Karnasuvarna occupied the whole of eastern coast of Odisha up to Ganjam. A new rulling family under Soma Datta came to power in Uttar Tosali (then called Utkal). After Soma Datta his successor Bhanudatta ruled over that territory, but this family became weak after the death of Sasanka about 625 A.D. Bhanudatta acknowledge Suzerainty of Harsabardhana, who eventually occupied the whole of Odisha. It was probably during the time of Bhanudatta that the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang visited the Baleshwar region.

Baleshwar region was remained under the Bhaum-Karas till their downfall in the middle of 10th century. After Bhoumas, the Somavamsis became powerful in eastern Odisha. Choda Gangadeva, the son of RajaRaja-1 occupied Utkal in about 1110 A.D. From that time onwards the Baleshwar region was under the rule of the Gangas till 1435 A.D. when Gajapati Kapileswar Dev occupied the throne of Odisha and founded the Suryavamsi rule. In 1510 A.D. Sri Chaitanya came from Nadia and passed through Baleshwar to Jajpur and ultimately to Puri. The Surya Vamsi rule ended at about 1540 A.D. when Pratap Rudra Dev died.

The district was annexed by Mughals in 1568 A.D. and remained as a part of their suzerainty up to the middle of 18th century, to be précised up to 1750-51. Then the Marathas occupied this part of Odisha and it became a part of the dominion of the Maratha Rajas of Nagpur. The East India Company ceded this part through a treaty called ‘treaty of Deogaon’ in 1803 and Baleshwar became a part of Bengal presidency up to 1912 but the first English settlement came into existence in Baleshwar region in 1634 when Sahajahan was the emperor at Delhi. The first English factories were established in this region in 1640. During this period Dutch and Danish settlements were also founded in this region. Baleshwar as a separate district was created in October 1828 while it was in the Bengal presidency. With the creation of Bihar Provience Odisha was diverted along with Baleshwar district from Bengal to Bihar, but with the creation of Odisha as a separate state on 1st April 1936 Baleshwar became an integral part of Odisha. The National movement of Independence surged ahead with the visit of Mahatma Gandhi in 1921. Similarly Praja Andolana was initiated against the ruler of Nilagiri state. The state of Nilagiri merged with Odisha in January 1948 and became a part of Baleshwar district.

There are many historical monuments in Baleshwar district. Some of the major monuments include the rich sculptural remains in Ayodhya. The ruin of old Buddhist monastery and temple is there in Kupasi. Some of the ruin forts at the Jayachandi forest in Raibania are also there in the district. The major religious monument found in the district is the Lord Chandaneswar Shrine.

The climate of the district is generally hot with high humidity. May is the hottest month and December is the coldest one. Monsoon usually arrives in the district from mid of June every year.