Balasore

Balasore, also known as Baleswar, is a city in the state of Odisha, about from the state capital Bhubaneswar and from Kolkata, in eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balasore district and the largest city as well as health and educational hub of northern Odisha. It is best known for Chandipur beach. It is also called 'missile city'. The Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme's Integrated Test Range is located 18 km south of Balasore.

History

Excavation at villages near Balasore has given evidence for three distinct cultural phases of human settlements, viz., Chalcolithic (2000–1000 BCE), Iron Age (1000–400 BCE) and early historic period (400–200 BCE).

Baleswara district was part of the ancient Kalinga kingdom which later became a territory of Utkal, till the death of Mukunda Deva. It was annexed by the Mughal Empire in 1568 and remained as a part of their suzerainty up until the 1700s.

The British East India Company (EIC) established a factory at Balasore in 1633. In 1719, the Trieste Company merchants established a trading post there. As Calcutta rose in importance, Balasore became the center for river pilot services for vessels seeking to ascend the Hooghly River. The city was bombarded by forces of the East India Company during the Anglo-Mughal War in 1686, however, the company was repulsed by the Mughal forces.

The old Pipili port was located near Baliapal, north of Balasore, along the coast near river Subarnarekha. The Portuguese arrived for trade and commerce, exporting Orissa products like rice, cotton and butter from Malaysia to Borneo, and bringing Chinese products and spices from Indonesia. Balasore gave its name to a type of cotton muslin.

The Marathas, then occupied this part of Odisha and it became a part of the dominion of the Bhonsle Maratha Rajas of Nagpur. They ceded this part through the Treaty of Deogaon in 1803 and it became a part of British Bengal Presidency until 1912.

Balasore as a separate district was created in October 1828 under the Bengal Presidency. On 7 November 1845, all of Danish India was sold to the British to form a part of British India.

With the creation of Bihar Province, Odisha, along with Balasore district, was transferred from Bengal to Bihar. But with the creation of Odisha as a separate state on 1 April 1936, Balasore became an integral part of Odisha State. The national movement of independence surged ahead with the visit of Mahatma Gandhi in 1921. Similarly, Praja Andolan was initiated against the ruler of Nilagiri State. The state of Nilagiri merged with state of Odisha in January 1948 and became a part of Balasore district. On 3 April 1993, Bhadrak sub-division became a separate district and from this day, Balasore remains a district of Odisha with two Sub-divisions namely Balasore and Nilagiri having eight Tehsils, namely Balasore, Soro, Simulia, Nilagiri, Jaleswara, Basta, Baliapal and Remuna and 12 blocks namely Bhograi, Jaleswar, Baliapal, Basta, Balasore, Remuna, Nilagiri, Oupada, Khaira, Soro and Bahanaga. The name of the district is being derived from the name of the town.

Balasore is where the famous Indian independence activist Jatindranath Mukherjee, also known as Bagha Jatin, was injured and died fighting the British.

Geography

Climate

Balasore has a tropical climate characterised by high humidity and hot temperatures throughout the year. The summers, which last from March to May, are particularly hot, with temperatures often reaching up to 40 °C. May is typically the hottest month of the year in Balasore. The winter season, which runs from December to February, is relatively cooler with an average temperature range of 16 °C to 27 °C. Monsoon season starts in June and lasts until September, bringing heavy rainfall to the city. Balasore's proximity to the Bay of Bengal makes it vulnerable to cyclonic storms during the monsoon season. The average rainfall in the district is around 1568.4 mm, which is largely due to the monsoon season.

Balasore has been ranked 7th best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 3 population under 3 lakhs cities) in India.

Demographics

According to 2011 Indian Census, Balasore (municipality + overgrowth) had a total population of 144,373, of which 73,721 were males and 70,652 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 14,773. The total number of literates in Balasore was 113,418, which constituted 78.6% of the population with male literacy of 81.7% and female literacy of 75.3%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Balasore was 87.5%, of which male literacy rate was 91.0% and female literacy rate was 83.8%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 15,812 and 9,291 respectively. Balasore had 30460 households in 2011.

Religion

Languages

The official language of Balasore is Odia which is also the most commonly spoken language of the city. It is followed by Bengali, Santali and Hindi in the descending order per the number of speakers.

Government and politics

The MP from Balasore Parliamentary Constituency is Pratap Chandra Sarangi of BJP, who won the seat in the Indian general elections of 2019. The MLA from Balasore Vidhan Sabha Constituency is Manas Kumar Dutta of BJP, who won the seat in the 2024 legislative election. Previous MLAs from this seat were Swarup Kumar Das (BJD), who won in the 2020 bye-elections; Madanmohan Dutta (BJP), who won the seat in 2019; Jiban Pradip Das ( BJD), who won this seat in 2009, Arun Dey ( CPM) in 2004, Gopa Narayan Das of INC in 1985 and Kartik Chandra Rout of JNP in 1977. Balasore is part of Balasore (Lok Sabha constituency).

Civic Utility / Amenities / Services

Healthcare

Balasore government hospital was the city's first hospital. Also, it has a newly established Government Medical College at Remuna named after Fakir Mohan Senapati (FM Medical College).

Economy

Balasore is the main city in the District of Balasore. The district has four major revenue sources – industries, agriculture, fishing and tourism with its base in Chandipur. Many small and large scale industries are located both within the city limits as well as the outskirts. Balasore Alloys Limited, Emami Paper Mills, Oriplast, and Birla Tyres are some of the major industries based in Balasore. It is one of the richest cities of Odisha. The main markets of Balasore are Nua Bazara, Motiganj, FM Square, Vivekananda Marga, Station Square, ITI Chhaka, Kachehri Road, Town Hall and Nua Shahi.

Industry

In an effort to bring industry, trade and commerce to a common meaningful platform, the Confederation of Indian Industry, with local chambers like North Orissa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, serve as an interface to fight for the rights and issues concerning the industrial scenario so as to contribute to the development of the state as a whole. Members from both public and private sectors work closely with the government for the expansion of business opportunities, enhancing efficiency and competitiveness and to work on policy issues. Located in Januganj, Balasore, NOCCI is essentially a business park with a massive exhibition hall, a separate residential block with hotel and restaurant facilities and an extended building called the industry facilitation center specifically for industrial training. NOCCI comprises about 100 member units and six affiliated associations of the industrial units. NOCCI is instrumental in the promoting the initiative of the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India (GoI) through a scheme of Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation.

The Indian Ballistic Missile Defense Program's Integrated Test Range is located 18 km south of Balasore. The Defence Research and Development Organisation developed many different missiles such as Nag, BrahMos

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