- City of the Fort ituated at the apex of a delta formed by the river Mahanadi on
the north and its distributory, the Kathajodi on the south, and located at 14.62 metres
above sea-level, the city of Cuttack has a history of more than one thousand years.
Geographically, it is between 20-55' E longitude. Hot in summer, humid during the monsoon
and dry in winter, this densely populated city is spread over an area of 59.57 square
kilometres. Cuttack (or Kataka) was founded by King Nrupa Keshari in 989 A.D. King
Marakata Keshari built the stone revetment on the left bank of the Kathajodi in 1006 A.D.
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 A.D.
Cuttack has witnessed the rule of several dynasties : the Kesharis, the Gangas, the
Gajapatis and the Bhois.
- The Chalukya King, Mukundadev
Harichandan, built a nine-storey building in the precincts of Barabati Fort in 1560 A.D.
This last independent Hindu king of Orissa died fighting the Sultan of Bengal, Sulaeman
Karni in 1568 A.D. 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 A.D., the
city passed to the hands of Afghan rulers of Bengal, then to the Moghuls in 1592 and the
Marathas in 1751. Cuttack, with the rest of Orissa, 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 Orissa in 1936 and continued to
be so till 1948 when the capital was shifted to Bhubaneswar. The citycompleted one
thousand years of its existence in 1989.The major places of interest are listed in
alphabetical order and distance from the railway station is indicated in respect of each
entry. Although townbuses ply to certain areas, it is not always possible to reach most
places by them because of narrow lanes and bylanes and traffic congestion. A
cycle-rickshaw is a better way of getting around.
- 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, 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 was razed to the ground by Feroz Shah Tughluq
in1361 A.D.
- The idol of Gadachandi is
enshrined in a newly built temple. Towards the east of the mound stands the Shahi Mosque
and to the west of the tank, the mazar of Hazrat Ali Bukhari.Barabati Stadium (4 km)
Adjacent to the ruins of Barabati Fort is the Barabati Stadium with its impressive
structure covering an area of about 25 acres. It has a seating capacity of nearly
thirtyfive thousand. The structure of the Stadium closely resembles that of the Brabourne
Stadium of Bombay. Towards the southern part of the Fort area stands the modern Jawaharlal
Nehru Air-conditioned Indoor Stadium with a seating capacity for six thousand
spectators.Central Rice Research Institute (5 km)The Institute was established in 1946.
Its basic aim is to conduct research on crap development in order to increase overall
productivity of rice. It has so far produced 42 high-yielding varieties.
- Chandi Temple (5 km)The temple of
Goddess Chandi, the presiding deity of the city, to the south of the Barabati area is
visited by hundreds of devotees everyday. The image of the deity is older than the
temple.Church, Baptist (5 km) The present Baptist Church or Jubilee Church at Mission Road
was constructed in 1872 to commemorate the golden jubilee of the work of the Baptist
Missionary Society at Cuttack. Established in 1822, the Mission conducted church services
first in a bungalow before shifting its activities to a Church at Tinkonia Bagicha which
was washed away by a flood. A new church was built in its place in 1828.Church of England
(4 km) Church of England, later known as the Anglican Church, is presumed to have been
established during the days of the East India Company. The Church conducted services in a
bungalow at Cantonment Road. The present church building was, however, constructed
later.Church of God (4 km) The building of the present Church of God at Cantonment Road
was constructed in 1928. But the congregation started its services at Cuttack in 1905 with
the visit of John A.D. Khan, the President of the Church of God Association of India.
Sunday services were held in the verandah of the Mount House till the construction of the
new building.Church, Roman Catholic (5 km)Situated at Cuttack Chandi, to the north of the
Mount House,the Catholic Church is one of the oldest in Orissa. It is believed that the
first Catholic Church at Cuttack was built on the rank of the Kathajodi by the Portuguese
merchants, but there is no trace of it now.
- Gadagadeswar Temple (4.5 km)The
temple of Lord Shiva on the banks of the Mahanadi towards the northern part of the
Barabati area is not very old. The modern temple probably stands in the place of a certain
Visvesvara temple of the fifteenth century mentioned in the Oriya by Sarala Das.Gurudwara
Guru Nanak Datan Sahib
(2 km)Situated on the bank of the Mahanadi to the west of the NH-5, Gurudwara Guru Nanak
Datan Sahib is one of the oldest gurudwaras of Orissa. It was built in 1935 in memory of
Guru Nanak Dev who visited Orissa in 1506 A.D.Hanuman Temple (2.5 km)Situated on the bank
of the river, Kathajodi, the temple of Panchamukhi Mahavira, a form of Hanuman is visited
by the devout. A small temple established in 1914 has been renovated and modernised, There
are the shrines of Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Lord Siva in the temple premises.Jami Masjid (7
km)Built by Nawab Ikram Khan in 1689 A.D. on the orders of Aurangzeb Alamgir, the Jami
Masjid at Balu Bazar is an Islamic prayer hall. The mosque stretches from east to west to
enable the devotees to turn towards Mecca while praying. The present access to it is
through the southern gate built much later. There is a 'hauz' (distern) in the courtyard
and a pulpit in the main hall. There are two tall and elegant towers on both sides of the
mosque. One can get a view of the city from the top of the towers.
- Municipal Office (5 km)Cuttack
Municipality was constituted in 1876 before which the affairs of the town were looked
after by the Town Committee consisting of both nativeEuropean members. The area of the
Municipality gradually went on increasing to bring the adjoining places under its control.
The present office building is, however, a structure raised at a later date.Orissa High
Court (7 km)This majestic red-brick structure, with slim decorative columns on the top was
constructed in 1948. Oriya Bazar (5 km) The house at Oriya Bazar where Subhas Chandra, the
ninth child of Prabhabati and Janaki Nath Bose was born, is visited by many people
particularly on 23 January, the birthday of Netaji.Publishing Houses (6 km) Almost all the
major Oriya publishing houses are located at Balu Bazar - Binod Behari - Banka Bazar area.
Cuttack Students, Stores, Friends Publishers, Grantha Mandir, Vidyapuri are some of the
leading publishing houses. Although the first Oriya printing was made in the early
nineteenth century in Calcutta soon after a press was set up at Cuttack for missionary
purposes. The number of presses have increased manifold since then.
- The first Oriya newspaper, Utkal
Dipika was brought out in Cuttack in 1868. The Samaja(Buxi Bazar:4km) and The Prajatantra
(Chandinichowk : 7km), the oldest of the existing Oriya dailies also come out from the
city.Qadam-I-Rasool (5.5km)Located almost at the centre of the city, Qadam-i-Rasool is
enclosed on all sides by high stone walls. Covering an area of 57 acres and having a tower
at each of the four corners, it has three mosques with beautiful domes and a Nawabat Khana
(music gallery) inside. The central building with a magnificient dome shelters the
footprints of Prophet Mohammed engraved on a circular stone . The main burial ground of
Muslims in Cuttack, Qadam-i-Rasool has the graves of some of the nazims who were in charge
of the administration of Orissa in the early eighteenth century. It is a good example of
Indo-Islamic architecture and a shrine dear to both Hindus and Muslims.Raghunath Jew
temple (3.5km)A monument of Maratha period, the temple of Sri Raghunath Jew, also known as
'Sitaram Thakurbari' is situated at Telenga Bazar in the southern part of the city.
- The images of Sri Ram, Sita,
Lakshman, Bharata and Shatrughna are enshrined in the temple. In another temple within the
precincts and images of Sri Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan are worshipped.
The images of Lord Siva and other deities are also there in separate temples. Sri Ram in
this temple is like Narayan and he holds sankha, chakra, gada and padma in four
hands.Ravenshaw College (0.5 km) style="fonThe premier educational institution of the
State, Ravenshaw College had its origin in a school established by the British Government
in January 1841. Intermediate classes started in 1868 and the college was affiliated to
Calcutta University. In 1875, largely through the efforts of Mr T.E. Ravenshaw, the then
Commissioner of Orissa, it became a fulfledged first-grade college. At the instance of the
Maharaja of Mayurbhanj the college was named after the Commissioner to commemorate his
services to the cause of education in Orissa.
- The affiliation of the college was
transferred to Patna University in 1917 and Utkal University in 1943. It has been upgraded
to the status of an autonomous college.The college was shifted to its present location
with a large campus spread over 87 acres of land in 1921. The magnificent red building
looks very British in its architecture and general layout. The college hall was the venue
of Assembly sessions of the newly carved State of Orissa. The Centenary Library, the new
open-air pandal and the gymnasium are some of the newly added structures of the
college.Sati Chaura (8km)The historic graveyard on the banks of the Kathajodi can be
approached by the ring road. The tombs of poets, writers and greatest social workers
remind the visitor of their services and sacrifices. S.C.B. Medical College (1 km)The
small dispensary during the days of the Maratha rule in late eighteenth century, set up
primarily to attend the sick pilgrims to Puri, was converted to small hospital by the
British during the Great famlne of 1865-66. In 1875 Dr.
- Stewart, the then Civil Surgeon
of Cuttack, mooted the idea of starting a medical school there. In 1916-17 the Orissa
Medical School was affiliated to the Bihar and Orissa Medical Examination Board.Orissa
Medical College was established in 1944 and was affiliated to the Utkal University. It was
renamed Sriram Chandra Bhanj Medical College in 1951 in appreciation of the generous
contribution of the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj to the cause of medical education and health
care in the State.Shailabala Women's College (5 km)The oldest Women's College in Bihar and
Orissa, presently known as Shailabala Women's College, started in Ravenshaw Girl's School
in 1913. The institution, then known as Government Women's College was separated from the
School in 1946 and was shifted in 1952 to its present Premises which was the residence of
late Madhusudan Das, the architect of modern Orissa. The College was named after late
Shailabala Das, the daughter of Madhusudan Das.Sri Ram Chandra Bhavan (5 km) Sri Ram
Chandra Bhavan near the Municipality Town Hall was built in 1928 with the contributions of
the princely states, particularly the state of Mayurbhanj.
- It has been the centre of social
and literary activities of Orissa over the years.Stewart College (4 km)Established in
1944, as a concern of the Baptist Missionary Society, London, the College has developed to
a leading institution for higher education in the city. The management of the College has
been transferred to the Church of North India.Stone Revetment (3.5 km)The southern part of
the city was protected from the fury offloods of the Kathajodi by a stone revetment, a
great engineering feat of the early eleventh century. It is said that Maharaja Marakata
Keshari ordered the construction when Baimundi, a commoner from the Bidanasi region made a
personal prayer to the King.Utkal Sahitya Samaj (5 km)The oldest among the existing
literary associations of the city, Utkal Sahitya Samaj, is located at Sri Ram Chandra
Bhavan. The informal meetings convened by the veteran Oriya poet, Madhusudan Rao in 1890s
later took the shape of the Samaj and become the forum of many literary meets.
- Arun Kumar Mohanty has translated
Gopinath Mohanty's novel, Dadi Budha The Ancestor Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 1997) and
co-translated Manoranjan Das's play August Na The Ninth of AugustSahitya Akademi, New
Delhi, 1998) into English.MARTYRS' MEMORIAL AT BHUBANESWARA decision has been taken to
build a Martyrs' Memorial at Bhubaneswar at a high-level meeting held under the
chairmanship of the Hon'ble Chief Minister,
Shri Naveen Patnaik on August 23,
2000.DOORDARSHAN STUDIO INAUGURATED A Doordarshan Studio was inaugurated at Bhawanipatna
on September 3, 2000 by the Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr Debendra
Pradhan. The meeting arranged on the occasion was presided over by the Hon'ble Member of
the Parliament, Shri Bikram KeshariDeo. The officials of the Doordarshan and several
dignitaries were present.
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Cuttack