Puri district

Puri district is a coastal district of the Odisha state of India. It has one sub-division, 11 tahasils and 11 blocks and comprises 1722 revenue villages. Puri is the only municipality of the district. Konark, Pipili and Nimapara are the three NACs in this district. Satyabadi, Gop, Kakatpur and Brahmagiri are major semi-urban areas.

Name

The district is named after its capital city, Puri. In Sanskrit, the word "Puri" means town or city. The city is an important seat of Vaishnavism, and is home to the noted Jagannath Temple built by Anantavarman Chodaganga in the mid 12th century CE.

History

Pre-history

Like many other parts of Odisha, the Puri district contains Pleistocene river gravels and silts. So far, no prehistoric stone tools have been found in this region, although they are found in similar formations (river gravels, secondary laterite pits and murrams) in the nearby districts of Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar and Sundergarh.

Early records

In the dramatic poem Anargharāghava, believed to date from approximately the 9th century CE, the town of Puri was called Purusottama. The name of the town is given as Purusottama Kshetra in the records of Anangabhima Deva III from the 13th century CE. The town was given this name, or Purusottama Chhatar or simply Chhatar, in the records of the Mughal Empire, the Maratha Empire, and the early British rulers. In the Yogini Tantra and the Kalika Purana the town is referred to as Purusottam, and the Puri region was known as Utkal.

Purusottama Kshetra became referred to as Purusottama Puri, then contracted into Kshetra or Chhatra, or simply Puri. In many early British records this town is known by the name Pooree.

History of the District as an administrative unit

Under Mughal Rule (1592–1751), Odisha was divided into three circars for the purpose of revenue administration, Jaleswar, Bhadrak and Kataka. Current-day Puri was part of Kataka circar. After the Marathas occupied Odisha in 1751, they divided Odisha into the Pipli, Kataka, Soro and Balasore chakalas. The chakala of Pipli included major portions of the modern district of Puri.

After the conquest of Odisha by the British in 1803, the province was divided into the Northern and Southern Divisions with the river Mahanadi forming the boundary. Robert Ker and Charles Groeme were appointed as judge, magistrate, and collector in Northern and Southern Divisions respectively. By 1805 both divisions were amalgamated; Groeme was replaced, and Ker became the judge and magistrate of the whole province. By 1818 the Office of the Commissioner was established and Robert Ker became the first commissioner.

In October 1828, the province was divided into three districts, Balasore, Cuttack and Jagannath, which was later renamed Puri. In 1912, the new province of Bihar and Orissa was formed, including these three districts. Orissa (now Odisha) became a separate province in 1936 and was merged with the states of Nayagarh, Daspalla, Khandapara and Ranapur in 1948. A separate sub-division comprising these ex-states was added to Puri district, with headquarters at Nayagarh. Bhubaneswar was merged with the district in 1959. At this point the district comprised four sub-divisions: Puri Sadar, Khurdha, Bhubaneswar and Nayagarh.

By 1995, the area previously known as the Puri district was divided into three new districts:

* Nayagarh district, comprising the old Nayagarh sub-division;
* Khordha district, comprising the old Khuradha and Bhubaneswar sub-divisions; and
* Puri district, comprising the old Puri Sadar sub-division.

Geography

The Puri district lies around the latitudes 19° and longitudes 84°29'E. It has a geographical area of 3051 km² or 264988 Ha. It has varied geographical and geological divisions defined by rock types, soil, vegetation, water bodies and climate. The primary geological division is between the littoral tract and the level alluvial tract.

i) The littoral tract: This strip of the country lies between the level alluvial tract and the Bay of Bengal. Strong monsoon currents blow over the country for nearly 8 months of the year, producing sandy ridges parallel to the coast, varying from 6.5 km to a few hundred metres in width. These ridges stretch along the seashore for the full length of the sea coast, approximately150 km long. The littoral tract forms the dividing line between the Chilika Lake and the ocean.

ii) The level alluvial tract: The alluvial region is full of villages and rice fields, watered by a network of channels, through which the distributaries of the most southerly branch of the Mahanadi river find their way to the sea.

River system

The rivers of Puri district are generally tributaries of the Mahanadi river. They are largely dry or small streams in the hot season, while in the rains they receive more water than they can carry. Major rivers include:

1) Kushabhadra River: A branch of the Kuakhai River originates from Balianta and meets the Bay of Bengal at the shrine of Ramachandi, located 15 miles east of Puri. Its tributary Mugei joins with Kushabhadra.

2) Daya River: A branch of the Kuakhai river drains into the Chilika lake. Two small rivers, the Gangua and the Managuni, join with the Daya river below Kanas. The Daya river is believed to be the cause of silt build-up in Chilika Lake.

3) Bhargavi River: A branch of the Kuakhai river meets the Bay of Bengal after breaking up into numerous tributaries in the last two and a half miles of its course. Four main branches, the Kanchi, the East Kania, the Naya Nadi and the South Kanchi (which drains into Sar Lake) all derive from the left bank of the Kuakhai. The first three of these interconnect through several channels and finally join the Suna Munhi river, which in turn joins the Baliharchandi and ultimately drains to the Bay of Bengal via the mouth of Chilika. The South Kania dissipates in the marshes on the western shore of Chilika.

4) Kadua River: This is a monsoon fed river that drains into the Prachi River.

5) Prachi River: This river has its origin near Kantapara on Cuttack-Gop road and passes through the village of Kakatpur before draining into the Bay of Bengal.

6) Devi River: This is a branch of the Kathajodi River.

Beaches

Notable beaches include: Puri Beach; the Golden Beach; Beleswar Beach; Swargadwar Beach; Balighai Beach; and the Chandrabhaga Sea Astaranga beach.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Puri district had a population of 1,698,730, roughly equal to the nation of Guinea-Bissau or the US state of Idaho. This gives it a ranking of the 291st most populous district in India (out of a total of 640).
The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 13%. The ratio of females to males was 963:1000. The literacy rate was 85.37%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 19.14% and 0.36% of the population respectively.

At the time of the 2011 census, 95.09% of the population spoke Odia, 2.36% Urdu