CUTTACK, Odisha

Main Attraction: BARABATI FORT

This medieval fort called Barabati is situated at the apex of a delta formed by the river Mahanadi on the north and its distributary, the Kathajodi on the south, and is located at 14.62 metres above sea level.

Cuttack (or Kataka) was founded by King Nrupa Keshari in 989 AD. King Marakata Keshari built the stone revetment on the left bank of the Kathajodi in 1006 AD to protect the city from the ravages of floods. Due to its strategic location, King Anangabhima Dev III shifted his capital from 'Choudwar Kataka' to the present Cuttack, then known as 'Abhinaba Varanasi Kataka' and built the fort of Barabati in 1229 AD. Cuttack has witnessed the rule of several dynasties: the Kesharis, the Gangas, the Gajapatis and the Bhois. Traditional history attributes the founding of this city to Somavansi king Nrupakesari. The Madalapanji indicates that the fort was built in 989 AD. However many scholars like late Prof. P.Mukharjee believe that Ganga king Anangabhimadeva III founded the city of Cuttack who ruled from 1211 to 1238 AD.

The Chalukya King, Mukundadev Harichandan, built a nine-storey building in the precincts of Barabati Fort in 1560 AD. This last independent Hindu king of Odisha died fighting the Sultan of Bengal, Suleiman Karni in 1568 AD. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Barabati Fort was defended by two rings of forts on either side of the Mahanadi and the Kathajodi. In 1568 AD, the city passed to the hands of Afghan rulers of Bengal, then to the Moghul Empire in 1592 and the Marathas in 1751. Cuttack, with the rest of Odisha, came under the British rule in 1803. The Bengal-Nagpur Railways connected Cuttack with Madras (Chennai) and Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1919. It became the capital of the newly formed state of Odisha in 1936 and continued to be so till 1948 when the capital was shifted to Bhubaneswar. The city completed one thousand years of its existence in 1989.

The ruins of the old Barabati Fort lie on the right bank of the Mahanadi, in the western part of the city. All that remains of the Fort is an arched gateway and the earthen mound of the nine-storeyed palace. Archaeological surveys reveal that the Fort was roughly rectangular in structure having an area of over 102 acres (0.41 km2), and it was surrounded on all sides by a wall of laterite and sandstones. To the west of the mound there is a tank. In the north-eastern corner of the mound are remains of what once was a temple. The temple was made of whitish sandstone over foundations of laterite blocks. About four hundred fragments of mouldings and some mutilated pieces of sculptures have been recovered so far. This temple of the Ganga period containing a stone idol of Lord Jagannath is in ruins. A mosque built by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan, governor of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1719 CE still exists.

Brief History

Cuttack district is one of the oldest districts of Odisha. It is also an important city and district Headquarters which lends its name to the district. The ward ‘KATAK’ etymologically means ‘army cantonment and also the capital city’. The history of Cuttack justifies its name. The city of Cuttack was started as a military cantonment because of its impregnable situation that further developed into the capital of the State. It is revealed from the inscriptions of Anangabhimadev III that, the original city as ‘Abhinab –Baranasi-Cuttack’. Like the city of Baranasi situated in between two rivers ‘Baruna’ and ‘Asi’, Cuttack is also situated between two rivers ‘Mahanadi’ and ‘Kathajodi’. Cuttack developed into a city out of five villages viz. Chouduar Katak, Baranasi Katak, Sarangagarh Katak, Viraja Katak and Amaravati Katak. In the remote past Cuttack was connected both by land routes and water ways, with the renowned medieval ports like Chelitalo, Palur, and Tarmalipti.

Cuttack was a flourishing mart of eastern trend, though politically it was not that significant before the 8th Century A.D. It became a capital city at the end of 10th Century A.D. during the reign of Somavansi dynasty of Odisha. The importance of Cuttack rapidly increased in 12th Century A.D. after occupation of Odisha by Chodagangadev. He transferred his kingdom from Kalinganagar to Katak, which is more centrally located. The famous Barabati Fort was constructed in 1229 A.D by the famous Ganga ruler Anangabhimadev III. After the Gangas, Odisha passed on to the hands of Gajapatis, and Katak continued to be the capital of Odisha. The reference from AIN-I-AKBARI clearly denotes that Cuttack was a flourishing capital city during the period of Mukunda Deva. On the eve of Afghan occupation, Cuttack was found to be a well guarded and heavily fortified capital. However the Afghans were not destined to rule Odisha and they were soon ousted by the Mughals. Cuttack continued to be the capital of Mughal Odisha. Abul Fazl has clearly mentioned that, the Mughal governors were residing in that city.

During the rule of Marathas, Cuttack greatly prospered as an emporium of trade and commerce and became a central market for exchange between the Marathas of Nagpur and the English merchants of Bengal and Northern Circar. As per the treaty of Deogan, Cuttack came under British occupation in 1803, and the English set themselves to the task of consolidation and Land Revenue Administration. After the devastating famine of 1886, the Government gave serious thought to remove the isolation of Cuttack from the outside world as well as to prevent the reoccurrence of such calamities in future. Roads were opened during the later part of 19th century to provide Cuttack with internal communication and towards the last decade of 19th century, Railway line of Bihar –Nagpur Railway (BNR) connected Cuttack directly with Madras and Calcutta.

The first newspaper in Odisha ‘Utkal Dipika’ was published by the Cuttack Printing Company by the efforts of Sri Gouri Shankar Ray in 1866. There was a great change in the field of Educational Scenario of Cuttack, after the British occupation. With the establishment of the first Government English School in 1841, it slowly progressed as the Higher English School till the Famine of 1886. Then the School was converted into a college with intermediate teaching in 1868 which in due course of time took the name of Ravenshaw College and now it is converted into Ravenshaw University on 15th November 2006. Odisha medical School was established in 1875 following the establishment of Cuttack General Hospital in 1874. The Cuttack Municipality came into existence in 1876.

During the freedom struggle many national activities were organized at Cuttack. Swaraj Ashram at Cuttack was a place of pilgrimage for all Gandhians as Gandhiji indoctrinated the youths of Odisha with the mantra of truth and non-violence. Cuttack has been enjoying all along the unique privilege of being the administrative and commercial nerve centre of Odisha. It was the seat of the Commissioner of Odisha division till 1936 and with the formation of the province of Odisha in that year it was exalted to be the headquarter of the new province. The historic Lalbagh palace which was occupied by the Commissioner became the Governors’ house, now it has been converted into a children’s hospital known as Sishubhawan.

The Balijatra at Cuttack reveals the ancient maritime heritage of Odia people and remembering the ancient tradition of trade between Odisha with Java, Bali, and Sumatra. The district is well known for its filigree work in silver, ivory and brass. The silk and cotton Sarees of Cuttack popularly known as ‘Kataki Sarees’ are also very famous.

Cuttack is proud of giving birth to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the great freedom fighter who took birth at Odia Bazar, Cuttack on 23.01.1897. Besides, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das, Karmabira Gouri Shankar Roy, Dr. Radhanath Rath , Dr. Harekrushna Mahatav, Biju Patnaik, Pyari Mohan Acharya are also some of the eminent personalities of the district.

The district experiences tropical climate to the summer being hot and winter being cold. The maximum temperature of Cuttack is about 40 Deg. Celsius and minimum temperature is about 10 Deg. Celsius. The average rainfall of the district is around 1892 mm.

The State Government finally selected Bhubaneswar, situated at a distance of 18 miles from Cuttack as its capital during 1948. Though Bhubaneswar has been made the new capital of Odisha, still Cuttack acts as a bridge linking the past, present and future of State’s history and heritage. Cuttack is ranked one of the oldest cities in India with her life spreads over more than thousand years.