Utkal Divas or Utkala Dibasa 2022

Context 

Utkal Divas or Utakala Dibasha or Odisha Day is celebrated on April 1st every year to remember the formation of the Odisha state after a struggle to be recognised as an independent state. 

History

• Earlier, the present-day Odisha was the major portion of the ancient Kalinga. 
• It witnessed the Kalinga War that was led by King Ashoka who conquered the region in 260 B.C. Later, the state was invaded and captured by the Mughals till the British took over the administrative powers and divided it into small units in 1803.
• The movement was more intense with the leadership of several leaders including Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan Das, Utkala mani Gopabandhu Das, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Pandita Nilakantha Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gangadhar Meher, Sir Basudeba Sudhaladeba, Radhanath Ray, Bhubanananda Das, A. P. Patro and many others with the support of the public.
• The western and northern districts became a part of the state of Bengal while the coastal region formed the basis of Bihar and Odisha (then known as Orissa). 
• After decades of struggle under the leadership of Odisha’s eminent leaders, the new province came into existence on the 1st of April 1936. 
• The state saw another facelift, now in terms of its name being changed from Orissa to Odisha.
• The newly formed Odisha (earlier Orissa) consisted of six-districts namely Cuttack, Puri, Baleswar, Sambalpur, Koraput and Ganjam. 
• The capital of the state was Cuttack. 
• The oath of office was taken by Sir John Hubbak and he became the first Governor of Orissa Province.

About Odisha

• The state of Odisha is located on the eastern coast of the country. 
• Odisha covers an area of 155,707 km2 that is 4.87% of total area of the country India in which it lies. 
• It is the ninth-largest state in terms of area and eleventh-largest on the basis of population. 
• Bhubaneswar is the current capital city, while Cuttack remained its capital till 1948.
• The state comes with a rich cultural and historical heritage and is known for its intricately designed temples. 
• These temples serve as popular tourist destinations. 
• Some of the notable historical sites of Odisha include
• Jagannath Temple
• Lingaraj Temple
• Sun Temple of Konark
• Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves
• Dhaulagiri
• Barabati Fort
• Rock Edict of Jaugada and more. 
• Puri, Bhubaneswar and Konark are often considered as the Golden Triangle of Eastern India. 
• In terms of tribal population, Odisha is the 3rd state in the country. 
• More than 31% of the state has been covered with forests. 
• On 9 November 2010, the Parliament of India renamed Orissa as Odisha. 
• Oriya language was also retitled as Odia.