Odisha

Odisha is a land in eastern India.

It sits right by the sea.

Many big rivers flow into the water there.

Most of the land has high hills. Deep valleys sit between the mountains. These valleys have rich soil for plants.

Many green forests cover the state.

Many animals live in these woods. You can find tigers and elephants there.

There are many pretty flowers too. Some orchids grow in the moist woods.

It is a very special place to see.

Odisha is a large state in eastern India.

It sits next to the Bay of Bengal. This part of the Indian Ocean meets the land with a long coast. To the north, it touches West Bengal and Jharkhand. To the west is Chhattisgarh. To the south is Andhra Pradesh.

Most of the land is made of mountain ranges.

Deep valleys sit between these hills. These valleys have rich soil. Many big rivers flow through them. Six major rivers flow into the sea. The Mahanadi is one of these big rivers.

Its delta is a wide area near the coast.

Green forests cover much of the state.

Many animals live in these woods. You can find Bengal tigers and Indian elephants there. Simlipal National Park is a big area for wildlife. Many types of birds and reptiles live there too. There are also about 130 kinds of wild orchids. These pretty flowers grow in the moist forests.

People have lived here for a very long time. The land was once part of an ancient kingdom called Kalinga. Many kings ruled this place in the past.

Odisha is a large state in eastern India.

It sits along the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. To its north lie the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. Chhattisgarh is to the west, and Andhra Pradesh is to the south. The state has a long coastline that stretches for 450 km. It is the eighth-largest state in India by area. More than 41 million people live there.

This makes it the eleventh-largest state by population. It is also home to the third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in the country.

The land of Odisha has many different shapes. Three-quarters of the state is covered by mountain ranges.

Deep and broad valleys sit between these mountains. These valleys have fertile soil and many people live there. The eastern part of the state has a coastal plain. This plain is very rich because of six major rivers. These rivers are the Subarnarekha, Budhabalanga, Baitarani, Brahmani, Mahanadi, Rushikulya, and the Mahanadi.

They carry silt to the sea. The highest point is a peak called Deomali. It stands 1,672 metres tall in the Koraput district.

History in this region goes back a very long time.

Ancient texts like the Mahabharata mention the land. Long ago, the area was known as the kingdom of Kalinga. In 261 BCE, the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka invaded Kalinga. This was a very bloody war. About 100,000 people were killed during the fighting. This event changed Ashoka deeply. He became a pacifist and turned to Buddhism. Later, many different rulers held the land. These included the Somavamsi dynasty and the Eastern Ganga dynasty.

The kings of the Ganga dynasty built famous sites like the Konark temple.

The name of the state has changed over the years. It was called Orissa until 2011. The name comes from an ancient word, "Odda Visaya."

In 2010, the Indian Parliament passed a bill to change the spelling. They wanted the English and Hindi names to match the Odia language. Now, the state is called Odisha and the language is called Odia. The modern borders were set by the British government. The province of Orissa was officially established on 1 April 1936. People celebrate this date as Utkala Divas. Bhubaneswar is the capital city of the state today.

Nature is very busy and alive in Odisha.

About 31% of the state is covered in wild forest. These forests include thick woods and even mangrove swamps. Many animals call these places home. Simlipal National Park is a huge area for wildlife.

You can find Bengal tigers and Indian elephants there. There are also 55 species of mammals and 300 species of birds. Even wild orchids grow here, with about 130 different kinds. The state also has many industries, like the Rourkela Steel Plant.

This shows how the land and people work together.

Odisha is a large state located in eastern India.

It covers an area of 155,707 square kilometers. This makes it the eighth-largest state in India by area. The state is home to over 41 million people. This population makes it the eleventh-largest state in the country. Odisha also contains the third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India. The state sits along the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. It shares borders with Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north. Chhattisgarh lies to the west, and Andhra Pradesh is to the south. The coastline stretches for 450 kilometers.

The geography of Odisha is defined by diverse landscapes. Three-quarters of the state is covered by various mountain ranges. Rivers have carved deep, broad valleys into these mountains. These valleys contain fertile soil and support dense populations. The eastern part of the state consists of a coastal plain. This plain extends from the Subarnarekha River to the Rushikulya River. It includes the lake Chilika. The plains are rich in fertile silt. This silt comes from six major rivers: the Subarnarekha, Budhabalanga, Baitarani, Brahmani, Mahanadi, and Rushikulya.

The highest point in the state is Deomali. It reaches an elevation of 1,672 meters in the Koraput district.

The history of the region is ancient and complex. Early humans settled here, as shown by Acheulian tools from the Lower Paleolithic era. The land was once known as the kingdom of Kalinga. Ancient texts like the Mahabharata and Vayu Purana mention Kalinga. In 261 BCE, the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka invaded the region. This event is known as the Kalinga War. The war was very bloody. Records state that about 100,000 people were killed. Another 150,000 people were captured. This suffering changed Ashoka deeply. He became a pacifist and converted to Buddhism.

Many different dynasties ruled the region over the centuries. Emperor Kharavela was a Jain ruler who conquered much of the subcontinent by 150 BCE. He built a monastery on the Udayagiri hill.

Later, the Somavamsi dynasty worked to unite the region. By 1025 CE, Yayati II had integrated it into one kingdom. He is said to have built the Lingaraj temple.

The Eastern Ganga dynasty followed. Anantavarman Chodaganga began reconstructing the Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri. Narasimhadeva I built the Konark temple around 1250. The region later faced many changes under the Mughal Empire and the British. The British ousted the Marathas from the Puri-Cuttack region in 1803.

The modern identity of Odisha was shaped by linguistic movements. The Orissa Province was established on 1 April 1936. This happened during British rule. The province was formed on a linguistic basis. People celebrate this date as Utkala Divas. Following India's independence in 1947, 27 princely states joined Odisha. Most joined in 1948 after the Eastern States Union collapsed. The name of the state was officially changed in 2011. It was previously spelled "Orissa."

The Parliament passed the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Bill in 2010. This change made the English and Hindi names match the Odia transliteration. The name of the language also changed from "Oriya" to "Odia."

Odisha possesses a rich and varied biodiversity. Wild forests cover 31.41% of the state's total area. This equals 48,903 square kilometers of forest. These areas include dense forests, medium dense forests, and open forests. There are also bamboo forests and mangrove swamps.

The climate and rainfall make the forests perfect for wild orchids. About 130 species of orchids live in the state. Simlipal National Park is a major protected area. It is a Bengal tiger reserve in the Mayurbhanj district. The park covers 2,750 square kilometers. It is home to 55 species of mammals and over 300 species of birds.

Animals there include the Indian elephant and the king cobra.

The state also supports significant economic and industrial activities. Agriculture is important, especially in the fertile river plains. The National Rice Research Institute is located in Cuttack on the banks of the Mahanadi.

Industry is also a key part of the region. The Rourkela Steel Plant is a notable example of this.

The state uses its natural resources and its geography to support its many inhabitants. From the high peaks of Deomali to the coastal ports, Odisha is a land of many different systems working together.