Odisha Day, also Utkal Dibasa, is celebrated on 1 April in the Indian state of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

in memory of the formation of the state as a separate state out of

Bihar and Orissa Province Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India, which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of Odisha. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were governed by the then ...

with addition of undivided

Koraput District Koraput district is a districts of India, district of India in southern Odisha, with its headquarters at the town of Koraput. The district is located in the Eastern Ghats and is known for its hilly terrain, rich and diverse mineral deposits and ...

and

Ganjam District Ganjam is a district in the Indian state of Odisha. Ganjam's total area is 8,206 km² (3,168 mi²). The district headquarters is Chhatrapur. Ganjam is divided into three sub-divisions: Chhatrapur, Berhampur, and Bhanjanagar. As of ...

from the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

on 1 April 1936. After losing its political identity completely in 1568 following the defeat and demise of the last king Mukunda Dev, efforts resulted in the formation of a politically separate state under

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

on a linguistic basis on 1 April 1936.Orissareview
April 2008. pp. 17-19

State history

The main revolution in this separate state continued for three decades from the very day of formation of

Utkal Sammilani Utkala Sammilani () The Utkal Sabha Sammilani was a welfare organization formed on August 16, 1882, in Cuttack, Odisha primarily meant for the unification of Odia (Oriya)-speaking tracts and promotion of elected local self- Government. It is an ...

that led to the foundation of a separate Odisha Province. The movement turned more intense under the leadership of Utkala Gouraba

Madhusudan Das Madhusudan Das (28 April 1848 – 4 February 1934) was an Indian lawyer and social reformer, who founded Utkal Sammilani in 1903 to campaign for the unification of Odisha along with its social and industrial development. He was one of the pro ...

, Utkala mani Gopabandhu Das, Maharaja SriRam Chandra Bhanj Deo, Braja Sundar Das, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Pandit Nilkantha Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Dewan Athar Mohammad, Gangadhar Meher, Basudeba Sudhaladeba, Radhanath Ray, Sayeed Mohammed, Bhubanananda Das,

A. P. Patro Rao Bahadur Sir Annepu Parasuramdas Patro KCIE (1875 or 1876–1946) was an Indian politician, ''zamindar'' and education minister in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. Patro was born in a rich and powerful family of Berhampur, Madras Presidenc ...

and many others with the support of the public. The newly formed Odisha consisted of six districts namely

Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka in Odia language, Odia ), is the former capital, deputy capital and the 2nd largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised f ...

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

, Baleswar,

Sambalpur Sambalpur () is the fifth largest city in the Indian State of Odisha. It is located on the banks of river Mahanadi, with a population of 335,761 (as per 2011 census). Prehistoric settlements have been recorded there. It is the home of the Samb ...

Koraput Koraput is a town and a Municipality in Koraput district in the Indian state of Odisha. Koraput town is the district headquarter of Koraput district. History The district of Koraput derives its name from its headquarters in the present town o ...

and

Ganjam Ganjam is a town and a notified area council in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Brahmapur, Odisha, Brahmapur, one of the major city of Odisha, is situated in this district on the eastern coastline. Geography Ganjam is located at ...

with its capital at

. John Austin Hubback took the oath of office and became the first Governor of Odisha Province. As of 1 April 2019, Odisha has 30 districts.

Celebration

Odisha Dibasa or Utkala Dibasa is celebrated every year on 1 April all over Odisha. Thousands of stores and Jhankis make this festival more beautiful. There are competitions arranged by popular local politicians like

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

competition. One can enjoy these fireworks displays, which make the sky all the more stunning. On that day all across the country, the family of Odia arranges various cultural programs like a sing-song program. Utkala Dibasa is the day of remembrance for all Odia people who helped everybody to be united.

References

{{Indian state foundation days Odia culture History of Odisha Indian state foundation days 1936 in India April observances

State history

Celebration

See also

References